The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1890-04-05
A GREAT
six Hundred Million Dollars Invested In
Electrical Enterprises.

III INV
Electrical Enterprises.
II seems somewhat far-fctchcd to style
electricity, a branch Of science that IN
wolves SO many interests, an industry,
and yct We find it so constantly alluded
to in such terms, that it seems only nat
ural for ia to apply the cognomen gen
orally to all the various departments oil
the most wonderful result of modern de-
]yolopmcnt and discovery. In the United
States, electricity has gone ahead OF al
most every thing else as 4 grand addi-
ton to the convenicnces with which IN
~yentiye and mechanical ingenuity has
supplied us, and some figures, compiled
from reports recently presented and from
various publications, will doubtless
prove as interesting to our readers As
such statistics usually arc.
About $500. 900, 900 represents tho
amount OF capital invested in electrical
branches of industry in the United
States, and upwards of so per cent. OF
this enormous sum has boon contributed
within the past five years, in spite OF
the fact that the Western Union Tclo-
graph Company has announced its Sys-
ten tho representative of not less than
$50, 900, 900 during all this period. At
present this mammoth corporation is to
b. credited with Il capital Of $50. 600, 600.
For the various telegraph companies
not included in tho Western Union sys-
tenn, the telegraph establishments OF tho
various railway companies, the cable
| companies, the electric alarm and mes
senger call systems and private lines an
addition to this sum of $40, 900, 900 would
be within the mark. Tho Americal Boil
Telephone Company has n subscribed
capital of SO, 600, 900, on which it, pays
good dividends, and under its system 1T
licenses other companies whose total
capital reaches an aggregate of $55, OOO,-
900. The American Telegraph and Toll
ephone Company, owning tho patents on
tho successful long distance devices,
adds S., 900, 600 to this sum, making alto
gether 500, 900, 900 invested in telegraph
and telephone companies alone.
Next in order we have the electric
lighting interest, which promises indeed
to exceed those above described, in i'm
| %portance. Together with them We
class tho electric power companies,
whose business is still in its infancy,
/ and tho electric railroad companies, OF
which there are about sixty, in operation
in all parts of tho country. The electric
lighting companies are of course tho
most numerous III this division, there
being ono at least-often several i
every city, town or village of Importance,
besides the great factories established
by tho Thomson-lIouston, the Westing-
house, Edison, Brush, %Jenney, Mather,
| Excelsior, Consolidated, Schuyler and
many other concerns, in some of which
millions of dollars are invested. II
would be n conservative estimate to
place their combined capital, actually
employed, at $500, 900, 900.
Here, then, is a grand total OF $500,
900, 100, but We have said nothing of the
manufacturers of electrical apparatus
and supplies, and they, too, belong in
tho business. One concern, making
Instruments for telegraph and telephone
c~ompanies, for hell work, etc, has fac.
tories Of large size in New York, Chica'
GO, London and Antwerp, and there arc
others of almost equal magnitude in
every principal manufacturing center
Including with these two companies
manufacturing carbons and storage bat
tories, and the extent to which great
machine shops, wire works, glass and
rubber factories are engaged in the
manufacture of railroad implements and
supplies. it. will readily he seen thai
500. 900. 900 would TO 4 moderate sun
for all those industries to employ IN
connection with electrical work.
This brings our total investment W
to 50, 900, 600. an imposing amount TO bt
employed in u branch of industry that il
based on a science hat is practically les.
than half a century old
Is there another that can make such
showing?-Safty Valve.