Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-12-14
A BATTLE OF WIRES.
The Bell Combination to Compete
With the Western Union.
LONG DISTANCE TELEPHONING
Doesn't Interfere With Telegraphy on the
Same Conductors.
THE PRINCIPLE ALREADY UTILIZED

Something is going on in telephone and
telegraph circles which may prove to be OF
great public interest one of these days, says
the New York correspondent of the Phila-
delphia Press. The Bell Telephone people
are, perhaps. the most close-moutbed cor
poration in existence, and among them are
some of the most elaborate fnanciers of the
age.
Although there is not much talebearing
between the men who control the Western
Union telegraph Company and the public,
yet these officers are loquacity itself as COM
pared to the directory of the Bell Telephone
Company. So that it must have been from
somebody connected with the Western
Union that the story of apprehension and of
a possible gigantic tussle between colossal
monopolies has leaked out. In nutshell,
it is being said in well-informed circles that
within the next two years the Western
Union Telegraph Company will find itself
confronted by rival whose plant is COM
plete, whose service is perfect, and whose
capital is immense. The rival will be the
Bell Telephone Company.
EXPIRATION OF THE PATENT.
In the year 1893 the first, as it is the chief,
of the Bell telephone patents, will expire.
That is, the patent which controls the tube
like instrument which is held at the ear
when message is being received. After
1898 anybody will be at liberty to manu-
factuIe these appliances, and they will be
doubtless put into general use for house tel
ephones and for neighboring telephones.
1t is doubtless the iact that this patent ex.
pires which has led the Bell Telephone peo-
pie to decide practically to abandon the old
style business of telephoning, and to substi-
tute in its place long-distance machines.
This changei is going on much more rapidly
than the public suspects, and yet not so
rapidly as to attract general attention. The
new long-distance plant is being substituted
gradually for the old one, and the first thing
the public will discover will be that they
have got to do business through the tele-
phone on the new system.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN IN 1896.
In 1896 the contract between the Western
Union Company and the Bell Telephone
people expires. By the terms of their con-
tract the telephone people have hitherto
monopolized telephoning and the telegraph
people the sending of telegraph dispatches.
But when 1896 has come it will be found
that the telephone people will have almost
as many miles of wire as the Western Union
now possesses, and that these wires will
cover the entire country, and will. at least,
connect the chief cities with one another.
This plant will be far superior to the
Western Union plant, for it will consist of
copper Tres, built and maintained accord
ing to the latest scientific discoveries, these
wires being capable of multiplex teIegraphic
messages, and at the same time carrying
telephone message. For the astounding
discovery has recently been made that it is
possible TO send quadruple1 messages over
these wires, between New York and Phil
adelphis, for instance; and at the same mo-
ment use the wires tor the transmission of
spoken messages.
ALREADY USING THE WIRES.
With plant extending all over the