Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1878-12-18

the first daily paper between the Hud-
son river and the Pacific. This was in
the twenlies, and for a number Of
years the Adoertisg was the great pa
per Of the provinces. In connection
with the enlargement of the Erie Canal
and the uprising against the Albany
Regency, Mr.. O'Rellly was leading
figure in State politics Tor "a time The
first call issued by the late Mur.
ray Hoffman, for the Constitutional
Convention Of 1916, was brought
about by him. He, with another
gentleman, held meeting, organ.
Izcd, passed resolutions and then
waited upon Mr.. Hoffman as a delega-
ton, asking his acceptance Of the post
OF leader. ue consented, wrote the
declaration of wants, and so carefully
was the mattyr conducted by Mr.
o. Reilly that the first intimation the
Regency had of the uprising was the
pouring in of the journals from all
parts of the State, filled with glowing
articles on the new movement.
Alive TO every public Improvement
Mr.. O'Reilly saw in the new Morse
telegraph wonderful possibility. Tho
$4,000 voted by Congress had been
Spentin putting mp the line from Wash.
lngton to Baltimore, and then the
Morse patentees were ambitious only
TO sell out the invention TO the Govern
ment. One hundred thousand dollars
was the price they fixed, with hope
rather than q certainty of getting it,
The Government did not seem disposed
to hurry and u contract was made with
Mr.. O'RellIy and others, giving them
the right TO put IN operation the Morse
patents from the seaboard westward.
The contract was n very general one,
aud really conferred privileges worth
millions. 1t covered not only the
original patent TO Morse, but all sub.
sequent improvements. Mr.. O'Reilly
was not an electrical expert, but began
to become one. His instructors as.
sureu niiit tnut W vruss rivvIs -.;.L ,La
electric current all that was necessary
wao tho sinking OF a copper plate on
each bank. He tried IL, and fOunu "
his own cost that the copper plates
were useless. He substituted great
masts set up on high ground on the
river banks and strung the wire across
in the air. The Morse patentces made
the use Of copper wire an essential,
but o Reilly found that No. l6 copper
wire was so ductile that when wet ii
sagged down between the poles low
enough to catch pedestrians under the
chin. He was the first builder OF tee-
graphs to employ iron wire. Scores Of
other practical problems he solved and
removed impractical impediments. The
attempt to interest capitalists was dis
beartening. Jacob Little, then the
King of Wall street, told the canyasser
that the telegraph was chimera, and
put his name down for 500 as a mat
ter of charity. Banks refused to lend
dollar on the security of the bit of
wire," and it was only by his personal
enthusiasm that Mr.. O'Reilly was able
to get money enough to put his lines
up. The first stretch was from Har-
risburg, Pa, to Lancaster, Pa, and
when this limo was in operation there
was less difficulty in getting capital TO
go over the Alleghenies to Pittsburgh.
This was done during the winter of
1867, the working parties suffering
the hardships OF pioneers in the noun.
tains. On January |, 1917, the news
was flashed through from Phlladelphia,
to the wonderment OF Pittsburgh.
Later the lines were carried to Cincin-
natl, ST. Louis, and down to New
Orleans.
Then came long battle with the
Mnrso nntnntcea involvino, la,,su;, |
after lawsuit, and little BY little o.
Reilly was compelled TO give way.
His Western lines passed into the hands
OF company of capitalists who took
the name of the Western Union--a
title which now covers the tclegraphic
corporation in the world. OReilly
built during bis control of the West
ern contract about eight thousand
miles Of line, little, Il any, Of which |
now remains, for il was crudely built,
and followed out-oflhc way routes.
When his pluck had fairly shown the
feasibility of the telegraph o Reilly |
found himself penniless. The news
papers had out-grown him, and hc was
no longer able to fall back on his old
profession, and a number of years ago
he found refuge in the obscurity of a
Custom House clcrKship. Many of
the prominent men who were associat-