-19-

rural P.E.I. within recent memory. Electricity suddenly illum-

inated Orwell on January 4, 1957, replacing oil lamps for light

and wood stoves for cooking.

The telephone had a more gradual introduction. The Qa;ly Examiner of October 5, 1888 states that "Orwell, Eldon, Brush Wharf. and Vernon River are now connected with the telephone ex- .change." This service was increased in 1890 (Daily Examiner July) when a bill was passed authorizing a subsidy of $200 annually to "extend phone service to Eldon, Mount Stewart, Cardigan. Montague, Valleyfield, and Orwell, Vernon River Bridge and Brush wharf."

In Orwell, the toll operator inll905 was A. N. Jenkins. Mrs. Samuel Jardine islisted in the l9lh MacAlpine's Directory as Orwell's telephone agent. The phone Directory of 1922 shows Mrs..yardine is still agent for the Orwell exchange, then covering Orwell, Kinross, Vernon, Millview, Mount Mellick, Alberry Plains, and Cherry Valley which then had 21 private and 3 public tele- phones on the line. The hours of service were weekdays 8 A.M.

to 9 P.M. and Sundays and Statutory holidays 1230 to 3 P.M. "Rural lines ring two long and two short rings for Central." The Orwell exchange later: became part.‘ of\.the Eldon kchanse. andflaJ—I

rural lines in the exchange were reduced to six or less customers per line (paper by Walter Auld on the Telephone Co.). In 1985, three is a usual number for a party line and private lines are

available for a cost.

Through the years and with the help of machines, the roads through Orwell became much improved. In the 1930's, the cross-