The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-03-27
OBITUARY.
Death Of Gen. Anson Stager, the Famous
Electrician.

| Death Of Gen. Anson Stager, the Famous
Electrician.
CHICAGO, March 26-General Arson Stager.
| who for some time has been suffering from a
num- er of complaints, including Brights dis
| ease, died at o'clock this morning. The funeral
will be held in this city on Saturday. The re-
| mains will be taken to Cleveland for interment
Arson Stager was born in Ontario county, N.
Y, in 1926. His father was a manufacturer of
edge-tools at Rochester. N Y. When sixteen
wears of age he engaged in printing, under the
instruction of Henry O'Rely, who afterward
became pioneer in the building and operating
of telegraphs. OReilly induced young Stager
to follow him into this undeveloped enterprise,
and when he had connected Philadelphia with
Harrisburg the young man took charge of his
first Office at Lancaster on this line in the fall
of 1916. To him is due the credit of first econo-
MIXING batteries by charging many wires at the
same time from the same source. He also con-
nected long lines, and so saved time and risk Of
repetition of messages.
While still acting at Cincinnati, the New
York & Mississippi Valley Company's lines, con-
Meeting Buffalo, N. ", with Louisville, KY.
were projected, and Arson Stager was made the
first general superintendent thereof, in 1852. In
July of the same year, through the absorption
of the New York State Printing Telegraph
Company's lines by the Mississippi Valley Print
ing Telegraph Company, Gen. Stager's super
vision was extended over that State Soon after
this he was prominent in organizing the various
lines and interests leased by and consolidated
with the Western Union Telegraph Company,
and upon the organization of that company he
became its general superintendent The extern
sive and elaborate system of railroad telegraphs
in use on all the railroads in the West and
Northwest owes its origin to him. On one of
Gen. Stager's many trips in the interests of his
company an engine on the Pittsburg, Fort
Wayne 81 Chicago railroad broke down at night,
nine miles from an office. Stager cut the wire
and by touching the ends telegraphed to Pitts
burg and Brighton for another engine. By fix
ing one end of the line above and the other be-
meath his tongue, the electric pulsations could
be felt, and he thus received reply that another
engine would be sent at once
When Sumter was fired on. the Governors of
Ohio, Indiana and Illinois took possession of the
wires in those States for military purposes. and
at once put General Stager in charge of them
as representing themselves. He accompanied
General Mcclellan in his West Virginia cam
paign during which he established the first
system of field telegraphs used during the re-
belion. When General Mcclellan was trans
ferred to Washington, he called Mr.. Stager to
that department. to organize the military tele-
graph. This he accomplished, and remained in
charge until November, 1861, when he was
commissioned captain and assistant quarter
master, and, by order of the Secretary of War,
was appointed chief of the United States military
telegraph throughout the country. Subsequent
ly he was commissioned colonel and aide-de-
camp, and also placed in charge of the cipher
correspondence of the Secretary of War.
The crytography used in this CORE
spondence all through the war, which bafaed
the most persistent efforts OF the rebel telegraph
and officers to translate, in all its details
his Colonel Staeer remained in the service
until September, 1865 and was brevetted briga-
dier-general for valuable and meritorious
services.
Following the close of the war, the consolida-
ton Of the Southwestern and American Tele-
graph companies with the Western Union made
necessary a reorganization of the latter. and the
general SUPPLEMENTARY of the consolidated
company was offered to, but declined by Gen
eral Stager A result was the creation of three
grand divisons-the Central, Eastern and South
ern, General Stager accepting the superir.
tendency of the Central, which left him in charge
Of his old territory, with headquarters at Cleve-
land. Four years later Cleveland became
longer a central point and during the summer
of 1860 the headquarters were transferred
to Chicago. After coming to Chicago he
became the leading Western representa-
tive of the Vanderbilt interests. He
founded the Western Electric Manufacturing
Company. the largest mandatory of electric ma
chinery in the United States, and continued to
be its president until Jan. of the present year.
General Stager has been prominently identified
with the development of the telephone business
in Chicago and the Northwest. He also took a
prominent part in the introduction of the cleo
trio light, and has been the president of the
Western Edison Electric Light Company since
its formation. Railroads also received great
deal of attention at his hands. General Stager
was married Nov. IA, 1847. to Miss Rebecca
Sprague, of Buffalo. He lost his wife Nov %,
1883 OF his children only three are living
Mrs. F. S. Gorton, Mrs. Ralph w. Hicks and
Miss Ellen Sprague Stager.