The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-05-02
The Il.e or inc Telephone.

sstenty rise to disturb her peace OF mind.
The Use OF the Telephone.
The enterprising people Of New Cum
berland have connected themselves with
NIcCoy's Station, on the Ohio side, by
means Of telephone, and the two places
are now united by a wire that does away
with much ofthe inconvenience experience
eddy all towns situated some distance from
railroad and telegraph stations. In this
age otthe world 1t is almost impossible to
carry on business OF any kind with salts
faction at points cut of from telcgraphic
communication with the centres OF trade.
New Cumberland is a place where a
considerable amount Of manufacturing is
done, and we know OF no town OF its
size from which SO much freight Is ship
ped, and where information in regard to
the movements Of river craft and railroad
trains is an item Of interest, that will be
more convenienced in all respects by the
use OF the telephone. 1t is the point at
which considerable portion Of the peo-
pie Of Hancock cross the river to reach the
G. & P. railroad, and those who have
often hurried across the stream to meet
cars that afterwards proved to be an hour
or two behind time will appreciate the
friendly offices Of SO simple means Of
ascertaining the situation beforehand as
the telephone.
We notice that there is movement 10
extend the line to Fairview, the county
seat, three miles in the interior, another
town that is isolated from the world, and
no doubt the same spirit Of enterprise that
has spanned the river will demand con-
nection with the county seat. Such enter
prise generally begets emulation and be
comes contagious, and We shall be mista
ken il it does not prove so in this case. Al
least we hope it will, for We havean interest
in getting earlier and fuller election and
other news from Hancock in the future
than we have been able TO receive in the
past on accounted the isolation Of the coun
ty from all telegraphic communication
with the world.
Considering the simplicity Of the tele
phone and the fact that it requires nc
skill whatever to communicate by mean!
OF it, and also that news can be conveyed
by it SO fully, rapidly and inexpensively
it seems certain that at no distant day il
must be extended to every town and
village in the country, and also that il
must either supplant or else materially
cheaper the present exhorbitant rates fol
telegraphic dispatches. 1t is doing this
in all the large cities where regular tele.
phone companies have been organized,
and there is no reason why city like
Wheeling should not be connected by
telephone with every point however
small with which it has any business
relations whatever. The expense Of such
connections would be very small indeed,
inasmuCh as no skill and no batteries
are required. For instance, at New
Cumberland the line runs into one OF the
Fire Brick offices, and ut McCoy's into the
railroad station, and all persons who de-
sire to send message eau step into either
place and send it themselves. There is
no manipulation to be gone through with
that is not Of the simplest character, and
that child can not learn in moment.
What convenience it would be to the
people along the river, on both sides of
the water, between here and Parkersburg
to have this sort Of facility for commune
eating with places like Wheeling and
Parkersburg. The business along the
shore at any one point is not sufficient tc
sustain telegraph office, but # woulG
easily keep upa telephone instrument a
any post Office or store. A telephone
would be invaluable during such winter
as the last one, when the people down the
river were almost wholly cut off from any
news communication whatever with the
world. And there are times during the
summer, in low water, when they are al
most as much isolated.
These particular cases are only speci
mems Of the numberless communitie.
throughout the country who would be
greatly advantaged by the introduction O
the telephone. So decided are its merits
that there can be no doubt Of its speed,
adoption throughout the land. The day
is not distant when paper like the intel
LlGENcER will each morning furnish t.
its readers the local news OF all the sur
rounding towns and villages within Eft,
miles of the city, received by telephone
up to the hour of going to press. In les.
than ten years We will probably have
telephone in our office that will connec
us with all the river landings, and al
points in the interior, on and of the rail
roads, from which the local news will
come to us as through speaking trumpe
al nil hnUrS Of Tho niVhf