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The Role of the Operator

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In 1935, Tofield night operator Patricia Burnett observed a fire burning in the local pool hall at 2:30 a.m., and rang the alarm for the fire department. She then got the fire truck out from Edmonton and telephoned everyone whose property would have been in danger had the fire spread to nearby buildings.

In 1939, an alert operator in the village of Mannville named Mrs. A.M. Rutherford noticed that a nurse calling from the local hospital sounded vague and disoriented. When she heard nothing further, Rutherford decided something was wrong and called the doctor at the curling rink. He was reluctant to leave the game, but agreed to check on the situation at the hospital. He found everyone overcome by carbon monoxide fumes because the furnace vent had been blocked by drifting snow. All 19 people in the building would have perished had the operator not acted to get help.

Rural communities were not always pleased when automatic switching replaced the local operator. Callers found comfort in the voice of the operator, and when it was replaced with a recording, there was a large outcry. Eventually, however, people accepted the changes.

The operator’s job was hard work. Edmonton operators staged a strike in 1906 for better working conditions and higher wages. The strike lasted 20 minutes, but they made their point. Callers were often short-tempered and in a hurry, but the operator was expected to be polite at all times. A large exchange could be noisy as the operators called to each other to make connections. In the summer, the buildings were very hot. The turnover rate was high, as the city did not permit a woman to work after she was married. This often left the system short of operators. For many years, women did not work after 11:00 p.m. because of concerns about their safety riding the streetcar home. In these instances, a small group of men provided operator service through the night.

Edmonton’s first operator was Jenny Lauder. After working part-time on the switchboard for a year, she quit school at the age of 14 to become the first full-time operator in 1892. She became the head operator and stayed in the telephone office until 1907 when she married William A. Griesbach (A Boer War veteran and historian, and later mayor, MP, and senator).

By the 1960s, the operator’s job was still as vital as ever. People often called the operator with their queries, such as to ask which gas stations were open on Sundays. The operators made sure they kept the list of stations close at hand. The chief operator wrote up new numbers and changes by hand and gave copies to all the operator stations.

It was not uncommon for operators to receive calls from children, especially during Christmastime. They relied on the operator to connect them through to Santa Claus, which was made possible through a special service provided by department stores such as Eaton’s, The Bay, and Woodward’s. Oftentimes, children’s queries proved to be amusing, as described by retired Edmonton operator Isobel Peters.

Interview with Isobel Peters: Child’s call about Santa Claus Listen!

 

Isobel Peters began working on the information desk in Edmonton in 1966. She was trained by her supervisor along with five other new operators. Courtesy was the first priority, no matter what the situation or how obnoxious a caller might be. Peters worked from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and enjoyed her contact with the public. She had little chance to chat with the other operators because of a steady stream of calls for information.

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