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LOCAL HISTORY
Initially Swinyard dismissed Bell's request as a prank. However, swayed by his young assistant L. B. McFarlane who would later ascend to the presidency of the Bell Telephone Company of Canada Swinyard relented Although an hour's rent was stipulated for the evening of August 10, it was not collected post the successful transmission. Subsequently, the telegraph company swiftly petitioned for the incorporation of the telephone as part of telegraphy The transmitting device was stationed in the Brantford office while the receiver found its place in the telegraph company's Paris outpost at Robert Whyte's boot and shoe emporium.
Single Direction - Utilizing only one receiver in Paris and a solitary transmitter in Brantford, the rudimentary setup facilitated unidirectional communication.
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Bell's directives for transmitter adjustments had to be telegraphed from Paris to Brantford. Embarking on a horse-drawn carriage to Paris, Bell safeguarded the precious Ironbox receiver. At the time, George P. Dunlop, the telegraph agent in Paris, barely 16 years old, extended his assistance. Intrigued by Bell's experiments, Dunlop rallied guests for the demonstration and orchestrated the event. The clamor of spectators necessitated the store's doors to be bolted shut, with Bell noting the great amount of noisy conversation both within and outside the premises
Despite encountering “crackling noises” along the line, Bell's report indicated satisfaction with the experiments' demonstration of the undulating current's long-distance potency Adjustments were swiftly made, resulting in clearer vocal sound transmission.
Left: In Paris, Ontario. Alexander Graham Bell received the world’s first successful long-distance telephone call from Brantford in Robert White’s Boot and Shoe store and Telegraph office (97 Grand River St N) on August 10, 1876. The eightmile line was extended 136 miles to make use of a battery supply in Toronto. Painting by: J.C.H. Forster
Below: The site as it looks today.
After adjustments to the magneto in Brantford, Bell adeptly identified singers by their voices, even recognizing his father's voice among the melodic renditions.
On the historic date of August 10, 1946, a commemorative plaque was first unveiled in Paris by the Charles Fleetford Sise Chapter Telephone Pioneers of America, marking the historic place where the world's premier successful long-distance telephone call was received, immortalizing this momentous leap in the history of communication technology.
