The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-05-09
A GREAT INDUSTRY.
Six Hundred Million Dollars Invested n
Electrical Enterprises.


Electrical Enterprises.
1t seems somewhat far-fetched to style
electricity, a branch of science that in
wolves so many interests, an industry,
and yet we find it so constantly alluded
to in such terms, that it seems only nat
ural for us to apply the cognomen gem
orally to all the various departments OF
the most wonderful result of modern de-
velopment and discovery. In the United
States, electricity has gone ahead of al
most every thing else as grand addi-
ton to the conveniences with which in
ventive 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 are.
About 100000 600 represents the
amount of capital invested in electrical
branches of industry in the United
States, and upwards of 30 per cent. of
this enormous sum has been contributed
within the past five years. in spite OF
tho fact that the Western Union Tele-
graph Company has announced its sys-
TEN the representative of not less than
$4,000, 600 during all this period. At
present this mammoth corporation is to
be credited with capital of $50, 600, 900.
For the various telegraph companies
not included in the Western Union sys-
tenn, the telegraph establishments of the
various railway companies, the cable
companies, the electric alarm and mes.
senger call systems and private lines an
addition to this sum of $40, 200, 900 would
be within the mark. The Americal Bell
Telephone Company has subscribed
capital of $40, 900, 900, on which it pays
good dividends, and under its system it
licenses other companies whose total
capital reaches an aggregate of $50, 000,-
900. The American Telegraph and Tel
ephone Company, owning the patents on
the successful long distance devices,
adds S., 900, 900 to this sum, making alto
gether $500, coo, 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 the electric power companies,
whose business is still in it's infancy,
and the electric railroad companies, of
which there are about sixty, in operation
in all parts of the country. The electric
lighting companies are of course the
most numerous in this division, there
being one at least-often several-in
every city, town or village of Importance,
besides the great factories established
by the Thomson-Ho the Westing-
house, Edison, Brush, Jenney, Mather,
Excelsior, Consolidated, Schuyler and
many other concerns, in some Of which
millions of dollars are invested. Tt
would be conservative estimate to
place their combined capt !, actually
employed, at $500, 900, 900.
Here, then, is grand total of $780,
600, 900, but we have said nothing of the
manufacturers of electrical apparatus
and supplies, and they, too, belong in
the business. One concern, making
instruments for telegraph and telephone
companies, for bell work, ETC., has fac
tories of large size in New York, Chica-
go, London and Antwerp, and there are
oInerS Oh dlmOSC equal magnitude IN
every principal manufacturing center.
Including with these two companies
manufacturing carbons and storage bat
teries, 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 be seen that
$780, 000 900 would be a moderate sum
for all these industries to employ in
connection with electrical work
This brings our total investment up
to So, 900, 900, an imposing amount to be
employed in branch of industry that is
based on science that is practically less
than half a century old.
Is there another that can make such
showing?-Safty Valve.