Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-09-30
PERILOUS WORK.
Old EYcnaeR

at the same hotel in Montgomery, and all were
| amazed at the sight of 80 many colored men
loafing their time away on the street The man
| from IOnia county finally thought he'd make q
few inquiries, and reckoning to a stalwart black
who had spent the last two hours on the curb
stone, he asked:
Have you any work to do?"
mot jist now, sah.''
.'Have you ever tried farming?"
ooh, yes,"
"And how did you come out?"
"Mighty slim, sab. De white folks down heah
doan' encourage de black folks tall"
SLOWS that?"
''Wall, in de fust place, dar's de rent of de
land. Dey might jlst as well frow off de rent.
| but dey won't do it. Den If git de land an
sOt out to bOrry mule nobody will lend me
one"
Suppose you had mule?"
"Den whar would bOrry pillow? Can't raise
craps onless We pillow. Den when got de pillow
an went ober to Kurnel Whites to borry har-
ness de kurnel wouldn't be home, or he'd be
| usin' all de straps he had"
Couldn't you make it &C if you had land
| seed. mule, pillow an harness?" asked the VOL
VERNE.
Il reckon might, but I du mo- 'Sposiu' de
mule expired, or de harness broke, or some
niger stole my plowf"
THAT'S So"
can de ole woman might die, or one oh de
chill'n git snake-bit, or it might rain TO weeks
widOut break Tell you what boss YOU men
from de Mort think it looks hard to see so many
of us lynn roun' de towns widout work, but
you dOan know muffin bout de perils of gttin
right down to hard work an takin' all de
| chances. My ole woman says it seems like
flynn in de face oh de Lawd, anil reckon she's
mighty nigh k'rect."
TELEPHONE FIGURES.
Elisha Gray, who Invented the Tele.
phone, Descanting ON its Profits.
Elisha Gray. of Highland Park near Chicago
the inventor Of the telephone, has been inter-
viewed:
ITO what extent is the telephone in use at
present. DR.. Gray?"
1.-THE telephone is used in every civilized
country on the globe. The number Of instru-
ments in the United States alone exceeds
220, 600, and will reach 10000 in tour years,
probably"
"What is the present rate of increase?"
"Over 5000 per month.
''To how many people do these give employ
ment?'
"About as many as there are Instruments in
USE"
"what recent improvements have taken
placer
''MinOr improvements are being constantly
made. mostly in the conduct of the business.
The fundamentals, however, remain as Bell,
Edison and myself left them. Long lines are
lengthening, SO that most New England towns
and cities are in telephone communication with
each other The time is not far distant when
the people of New York and Chicago will be
able to talk with each other. In fact, the latter
result is dependent entirely on the completion
of the postal telegraph cOmpany's new line, now
in process of construction"
lis the manufacture Of the telephone and its
operation monOpoy?'
Eyes, and one of very large dimensions. The
capital stock of the various telephone compa-
MES would not fall short of $50 900 600 par
value. The market value of the whole would
average considerably above par
''Will you let a little light on the growth of
the monopoly"
ut is an interesting history. The first tele-
phone company was known as the Gray & Bart
ton company, started in 1869, with capital of
$4,000 From this sprang the Western Electric
company in 1871 with capital Of $3.50, 900. 1t
no" has manufactures at Chicago, New York.
Boston, Indianapolis Detroit. and at Antwerp.
Belgium. It's capital is at present 81 0GO 600
The American Speaking Telephone company was
organized under Grays patents, and the Ameri
can Bell Telephone company under Bells pat
ents. These did business at first independently,
and then came ON the extensive litigation
of which all the world was witness.
Testimony was taken at all important points,
and matters finally reached terminus in the
United States district court at Boston. The
American Speaking and Bell companies CONSOLE
dated the latter purchasing the property and
lines Of the former, paying cash for all instru-
ments and an annual royalty on each instru-
ment then in use or in the future to be manu-
featured without regard to the patentee. The
which had operated the Gray patent is 90 per
cent on gross rentals, and amounts at present
to $500, 600 per year,
THE Western Electric Company is not in this
pool?"
THE pool. or the Bell company you must
understand. operates lines and phones. leases |
all rights and licenses companies. The Western |
Electric company manufactures the phones and |
apparatus, employing some 5000 people. 1t |
has purchased all rights and patents necessary |
to such manufacture. The American Speaking |
Telephone company exists simply to collect and |
distribute its royalty from the Others"
''How many telephone and telegraphc pat |
ents have you secured DR.. Gray, and what dis |
position have you made of them?"
81 am victim, l suppose, and Will have to |
divnlge; but l fear my answer will astonish |
some people had some forty patents relating |
to telephone or acoustic transmission. Part of |
these as have stated. went to the above COM |
panies, and would realize upward of So 600 600 |
alone. The remainder have just turned over |
to the Postal Telegraph company for sum so |
large that | should not care to repeat it here |
Patents on the speaking telephone have realized |
over So, 500. 900. making $500 600 realized from
my patents to the companies, beside the realiZa-
ton referred to which 1 am not permitted to |
make public"
THE RUSSIAN POST OFFICE.
Pcculiarlties Of Its Management