The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1889-05-20
ROMANCE OF THE WIRES.
TALES OF EARLY TELEGRAPHING IN
THE SOUTH.
Against Long Understanding q Message
Without Battery and Receiving With
tho Tongue-The Career of John O.
Butler.

tF Herald
IA John Q. Butler is the name Of modest
little man who lives in this city. At home
he is regarded as walking encyclopedia
Ny of facts bearing on the early history OF Ma
IA con and the people who have lived here
# from the pioneer days, but it is very sell
'# dom that he aludes to his own part in that
vi history. And yet he laid the first cable in
q the United States and was the first man in
the world to receive a Geographic message
on the tongue.
II was not until 1916 that the telegraph
was brought South. At that time there
were but few lines in the country and the
wires had come no further southwark than
4 Petersburg a company having started out
to bring il down here, but failed when that
point was reached. Railroads were few
in number also, and South Carolina
j was Just recovering from her astonishment
at seeing locomotive, while Georgia had
only then comparatively short lines
on her borders. To establish telegraph
line without railroads was a stupendous
undertaking. In 1916, however, one year
& after Prof. Morse had turned over the
81 charge OF the invention TO Amos Kendall,
L pf Washington, company was formed by
F" Kendall, tho Walls, OF Washington and
others, afterward including Elan Alexan-
A. Der OF Macon, and Daniel Griffin, OF Co
~ fnmbus, in this State, TO absorb the l43
miles OF wire between Washington and
Petersburg, and build line between
Washington and New Orleans. a distance
OF Lille miles. The contract was given to
contractor named John j, Haley, and
the stock was watered 100 per cent,
just as il Is watered now.
Haley went through the country solicit
ing subscriptions TO realize $3.50 mile,
and succeeded until he reached Macon.
This city was not ripe enough for tele-
graphic communication with the outside
world, or Haley did not understand the
people. Haley saw that he would be COM
PEELED 10 make a jump between Augusta
and Montgomery or Columbus and in his
desperation went down 10 Savannah.
Then he had the Chamber OF Commerce
called together, and $4,000 in stock was
subscribed. Elan Alexander, OF Macon,
was In Savannah on a visit, and with
firm belief in the future OF the country rs
well rs in the future of the telegraph, lac
took the subscription OF the Chamber OF
Commerce off its hands, added some OF
lllo ONn anu uu IfANIH llOuls
some additional subscriptions. This
{ brought the line TO Macon and supplied
the missing link as well rs making him
one OF the directors and afterward presi-
dent IL was not long afterward, how
3 ever before he was succeeded by Kendall,
and then came a rupture. Alexander was
the soul OF honor, and he openly charged
VA Kendall with making q side contract with
f.. Haley, by which the stock could DO ex-
S. teBsiyely watered.
EARLY DIrFiCULTfEs.
Be this as il may, Kendall, on assuming
charge which was ABOUT 1854, greatly i'm.
proved the line. lie found that the old
fashioned iron hooks which held the glass
cup insulators on the posts were carrying
of portion OF the current and that there
were leakages OF. funds as well as Of cleo.
tricity. lie oycrhaulcd the line and
- divided Il in three divisions Instead Of
four, and thus kept the line in better re-
s--Tair. The repair item was q big one in
those days. Nearly all the lines, especially
in the South. were stretched from tree 20
tree on public wagon roads, sometimes
taking shorter cuts through swamps and
acrols rivers. The result was that the
wires were at the mercy Of every wind aud
damage was great. The repairing OF this
damage, with It's great cost and delays,
severely crippled the young enterprise,
and but for the rapid building OF railroads
that followed our people would not have
enjoyed telcgraphic facilities until many
years later. The entire receipts Of the
Washington and New Orleans line for the
year 1854 were SlGS, ll2 20. while the re.
pairs alone were Si3,jOi.63. In 1855 the
receipts were Sal, 1850 and the repairs
were SO, 0j225.
A, ~, H., =, ,,,,,os.o f.,,,, tya.t,i.,,..
10 New Orleans was -, and ten cents for
each additional word. Newspapers paid
about one-half this rate, and nj one OF the
meetings Of the directors an effort was
made 10 compel newspapers TO pay the
regular rates. There were twenty offices
on the line, and operators were paid from
500 10 $1,000 per annum-tho latter
amount being paid the operators nj New
Orleans. The chiei operator at Washing.
ton only received $3.50 per annum, aud
was allowed one assistant and one clerk.
Kendall was the life and soul OF the
line lie had been Postmaster-Gcneral
under Jackson, and had taken deep in
tercst In Morse. IL will be remembered
that Morse demonstrated tho working OF
his alphabet with crude models. Kendall
knew a bright machinist In Washington
named Alfred Vail lie also knew a cap
ilalist named l. ID. Gale. Kendall held a
~ power OF attorney from Morse, Vail had
genius and skill and Gale had money.
Tho three formed strong party with the
new and great invention, aud In 1915 they
formed their syndicate 10 control the wires
south OF Washington. Haley was n con-
tractor and had built several lincs-that Il
he strung the wire over the poles along
the routes ho had previously iraycrscd
and solicited subscriptions.
In 80 Haley, who, by the way. was n
New Yorker, signed the contract 10 con-
struct the line from Washington 10 New
Orleans for $3.50 per mile for q single mile
II was a part OF his contract to procure
subscriptions sufficient 10 pay for the line,
and during the progress OF tho work was
90 receive not exceeding $50 per mile, and
that stock would be issued TO subscribers
and patcntces In like proportion, making
IN ali $500 per mile In the capital stock OF
the company. The private arrangement
OF Kendall, 10 Il was alleged at the time,
was 10 divide the profit Of construction Of
the line In addition 10 the 100 per cent. OF
stock issued to the pateniccs, thereby en-
failing loss OF more than $4,000 10 the
subscribers that amount being subscribed
In full confidence that IL would DO used In
the construction Of the line. Elan Alex
nnder, when president, claimed that bet
Ter line could have been built for $50, 900,
and vet over $4,000 was issued for Ia
CONSERVATION