The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1884-06-14

81 OND LIZ
cases that expense will be mucn III,
creased. For instance Jul rouie ~. y
| New York to Baltimore. when cosss
me- 81. 900 q mile. We have 10 cl oes
the BROOKLYN bridge. cross Inc deep
! Narrows by q cable, ano '"'
Kills by another cable"
LATTER you have put up your .;
graph at 500 q mile with QUE VIZ
what does it cost for each addltion"'
wire??"
Five dollars a mile"
"What is the income now OF the
Baltimore 4 Ohio wires which are
working?" ooo
"They are making about $z5O,0OO a
wear. I am ordered to spend $z,OoU;o
600 by July l. and another y, =
bv September. I undertake for THIS
sum of money to give the Baltimore
h Ohio q complete telegraph 10 an
paying points. The great thing IN
teleeraphy Y is to get fine staff. There
is the greatest difference in men in
every grade of this business. NOW,
our operators are picked on account
of their copper-plate handwriting
Look at this message" said Mr.:
Bates. showing me one that seemed
printed. ,.
.How came the Baltimore & Ohio
company to 60 into telegraphy?"
"They had a large extending sys'
tenn of wire, and they suggested to
Gen. Butler an amendment to q bill
allowing railroads to conduct a tele-
graph business. Butler passed that
amendment on the 23d of June, 1879,
nearly FIVE years ago. The next day
the Baltimore & Ohio went into tele-
graph business. They found that
they made money at it. and resolved
to build independently to New York.
Immediately their business sprang
up. so that they looked about for a
more general Organization. l had
become very familiar with these mes
d service in the cities, and they
bought out the Manhatten company.
"What are the telegraph rates
now?"
"Tbey have been reduced since we
and others started u opposition.
The rates are so to Chicago. but by
night we send messages between
New York and Chicago for l cent a
word, which is the cheapest rate ever
known in telegraphy. The rate to
Philadelphia for messages is 10 cents.
to Baltimore and Washington, Is
cents, to New Orleans, Is cents, and
to Galveston, 81. The rate to Texas
only two years ago was $3.50 for any
point in the state"
Are not a good many of the old
implements used by the old telegraph
companies worn out??"
Eyes. There is perpetual revolu-
ton going on in the tools. You can
buy all the duplex instruments you
want to increase the number of mes
sages on the same wire. The market
is full of first-fate ones. We possess
one which we think the best. There
are three or four quadruplex patents
for sale Experts in these branches
seem almost invaluable to old COM
panies. I know of one man the
Western Union has who gets S., 900 a
year, and be has really nothing to do,
but they are afraid to let him go
You al buy two or three telegraph
instruments for the same money that
you spend ten or fifteen years ago for
one. A set of instruments which
cost $25 in 1862 ale now to be bought
for So. They will work and last 80
per cent, better besides.
"How much does the Western
Union make a year,"
ut has been making steadily
S., 6OO,O 900 per annum in DIVIDENDS,
aud BESIDES has been putting aside a
large surplus. Its gross receipts are
something like $50, 900, 600 a year.
The Baltimore & Ohio has been a
good while in the telegraph business.
Why" said Mr.. Bates, ''this com~
pany still has living as it's attorney
the man who bought from Morse for
Amos Kendall and others the first
telegraph line in the world. You
know the government had a wire
stretched from Washington to Balti-
more, and it turned out to work we'll.
Thereupon Amos Kendall resigned
from the government service and Or
ganized a telegraph company. The
wire was stretched along the Balti-
more & Ohio railroad line. MI. La
trobe, who drew up the papers at the
time, is the Baltimore & Ohlo's coun-
sci now. W. are, therefore, the old>
est corporation in the telegraph busi-
ness
"What is your theory, Mr.. Bates,
about the future of telegraphy??'
II think it will constantly increase,
and at the present time there are not
facilities enough. Men learn the
use of the telegraph, and not only
cannot do without it, but they de-
mand the very best service. The
true secret of telegraphy is to connect
the important points. Take Chicago
for instance. The whole business of
the Dominion of Canada in tele-
graphy is not equal to the business of
the Western Union Telegraph Office
in the city of Chicago. All the bust
ness of the Pacific coast states and
territories is not equal to the busi-
ness of Chicago city in t%elegraphy.
Consequently, the demand is for
connecting these great terminal
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