Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1882-01-06
Cost and Profits Of Telegraphy

Cost and Profits Of Telegraphy.
IL. figures from the oiiicial reports
Of tx Wes;era Union Telegraph Com
pany may help US in our search fol-
cheap te!e8raphv. The volume OF bus
mess transacted by tho company has
iucrea:ei from lcG71 to 1880 from nearly
six million messages to twenty-nlno
million, or &lncat Iivefold. II all these
messages were sent By the single Morse
system, Tie length Of wire ought to
have Increased in something Ike the
same lropo,tjon, for it can rot be in
agiuea that the operators have gained
very much III skill in that time. IL
l>67 here were 81 2Jl miles OF wire.
IL l~>0 there were % 53i miles Of
wire. The messages Increased nearly
dveto!d, the wires over which they
were sent dill not increase quite three
fo!l. Clearly tic Duplex AID the
QlsdrGplex have proved Of benefit 70
some one. Ia thirteen years the ca
pacity Of all the wires Of this company
has doubled. What OF the price II
teiegrams? In 1SG1 il is reported q:
All average toll Of 1917 cents per mes
sage. In 1865 it had fallen to 50 , cents.
In 1879 it hal come down TO - cents,
or nearly one-half. Before To- creation
of the present Western U nion, the
average rate, it IS said, was 81 20 pei
message. At the time of the two tariffs
cited, IL lSlS and 1882, there were'many
competing companies, and to send 8
message any great distance required the
payment OF number of different tolls
BY the consolidation into che great
company one toll was established, tC
the great gain of the company, and also
to the public. In 1919 the average
price is reported at 81 cents-a gain o.
nearly one half since 1857. The Quld
ruplex was introduced The year before
and il 1878 was in general use on al
> the main lines, aud the company's plan
was doing nearly a fourfold duty. Die
the price fail in like proportion? l
does not so appear.
La 1867 the price of the raw materia
from which suIphuric acid was mad,
Was SCI ton, ana The selling price o.
| the acid was =. cents ger pound. Ii
| 1879 the raw material was S23 ton
and the acid Il. cents per pound. Tho
difference in the price of acid and the
cost of material. it must be remarked
was also affected by improvements il
the process OF manufacture, the gail
being estimated al about fifteen pei
cent. Sllphuric acid and the metal,
zinc ard copper are the chief costs o.
battery, and yet the acid has faller
since 1861 from %. 10 l l. cents pound
| However, We need seek no further il
this direction. for within two years {
more wonderful step has been taker
in this field OF science. The dynamo
electric machine, driven by steam
power, has replaced the battery, and
according 10 good authority, reduced
the expense OF obtaining the required
current of electricity at least one hslf
In addition 10 this, it is said that il
other directions the cost of transmit
ting kilograms has been greatly c
duced within o few years. For instance
more perfect insulation has been &c
cured, and better methods of construc
ton are employed. The QuadrupleI
system acts as police by driving tn,
operators up TO their work. No maj
can loitor over his key while sever
others are watching him. The price o
wire has also fallen materially, and
with perhaps the exception OF poles
everything used in telegrapay is mucl
cheaper now than ia 1867.
Between 1867 ard 1879 the repor
shows gain of nearly one-half. Be
tween 1875 and 1880 the average toll il
reported to have fallen from 81 cent?
to 1876 csnts, or only 10.4 cents. Ii
this time the QuadruDlex was general.
introduced, the price of materials con
tilually fell, and the battery was re
Fpisced by the dynamo-machine.
Suppose that by some mechanical
marvel the capacity OF the Croton aque
duct had been suddenly quadrupled
and without in any way increasing tn
size of the pipe. Clearly, if there wer'
sufficient water in the Croton River
the people would get four times &
much water. and the Water Commits
sioners would be fully justified in re
ducing the water-raies to one-half
This is precisely what the Quadruple,
has done for the telegraph Charlie
Barnard, in H,rper's Magazine.
SornakV Shoes