Listening in was a delicate art and the party line could be compared to the present day TV soap operas. A listener would be very annoyed and sometime respond when they heard, “she/ he is sure getting her/ his earful!”

One long ring on the line meant there was an emergency. Everyone was to hang up their phone to permit the urgent call to be placed; however, everyone usually picked up their phone to hear what the problem was!

Margaret Dawson died in 1928, and her sisters continued to operate the telephone office until it was moved to the home of Millie MacDon- ald, Borden. Millie, assisted by her daughters Annie, Mary, and Jean, provided service for 16 years operating 119 telephones in 1930. Central responded to one long ring, 24 hours‘ a day on week days, and from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. on Sundays and Statutory Holidays. Nine lines were now in service with pay stations available at the Abegweit Hotel and the Borden Telephone Office. Some Town of Borden patrons had private telephone lines.

The following thirteen North Tryon subscribers were listed in the 1930 directory:

Callbeck, George H. R66 Dairying Co, E. Gamble Mgr. R62 Dawson, Arthur R614 Dawson, Reginald L.(Rex) R623 Dixon, R.W. R632 Ives, C.W., Mills R6111 Leard, Fred A. R6—120 Leard, H. R6—15 Lefurgey, Max R6210 Lord,J.F., General Store R6—1 1 Pooley’s Filling Station R6—3 Waddell, A. R6—31 Wood, Raymond R6247

The twenty one subscribers of the Augustine Cove and Tryon Mutual Telephone Company were now connected to the Island Tele— phone Company at Borden. The Borden exchange office was moved again in 1945 to Mrs. George Sharpe’s house, where it remained until she retired in 1965. The office was relocated to the jay building and Ann McCarville became the agent. The Borden exchange converted to dial July 16, 1972, and the local telephone operators were no longer heard on the line.

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