[comp.dcom.telecom] And He's Probably Rolling Over in His Grave Now

sichermn@beach.csulb.edu (Jeff Sicherman) (03/11/91)

 From L. M. Boyd's March 1 column:

 "William Gray wanted to call his sick wife, but his foreman wouldn't
let him use the company phone. That's why Gray invented the pay phone
in 1889."


[Moderator's Note: As late as about 1960 I saw a "Gray Pay Station
Company phone in service on a Southwestern Bell payphone line in
southeastern Kansas. I've only seen the one, with the mouthpiece and
earpiece as separate units, like the old candlestick phones.  PAT]

0004133373@mcimail.com (Donald E. Kimberlin) (03/11/91)

In article <Digest v11, iss193>, Jeff Sicherman <sichermn@beach.csulb.
edu> posts:

> From L. M. Boyd's March 1 column:
> "William Gray wanted to call his sick wife, but his foreman wouldn't
> let him use the company phone. That's why Gray invented the pay phone
> in 1889."
 
        This sounds like one of those colorful bits of early telecom
history.  However, I carry the notion that the Gray Paystation was
simply a product line name of the Automatic Electric Company, which
became th repository of Gray's and Strowger's patents.

        I have some authoritative history of non-Bell telephone
interests, which are quick to claim any telephonic invention _not_
made by Bell, and I don't recall the paystation being among their
claims of a non-Bell invention.

        Anybody out there have more on this?