Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-09-07
WORDS SENTRY WIRE
NOW THE rELecRAPh AND TELE-
PHONE ARE SERVING THE PEOPLE.
Ext~psiou Of the Lines Of the Western
unicn, Postal-Cable, and Other
Companies.

Nis wonderful how popular the teie-
graph and telephone are becoming.
II il equally remarkable how the service
of the wires has been extended through
out the country during the present year,
and - many improvements have perhaps
been made in this section as in any other.
Tho Western Union service embraces
l7s.s54 miles of poles. CAT ,697 miles of wire'
and 1870 offices.
To handle with method the area COW
cred BY this large plant the companys
business is divided into divisions, as ioi-
Iowa. The Central division. embracing
that section of country lying between the
Mississippi river and the Pacinc coast;
the Eastern division. EN- nfaclng new IorA
~ Pcnnsylyania. and the States as far
south as the Potomac river; the southern
division is all the section south of,thc 20
tomac aud Ohio rivers and east OF the Mis-
Each division is managed by general
superintendent.
THE RICHMOND DISTRICT.
These divisions are subdivided into
twenty-one districts. of which the eastern
has eight, the central eight, and the south
ern five, each of which is managed by
superintendent. A..
The Richmond district. known as the
First district, southern DIVISION. com
pfises a portion of Maryland and west
VIRGINIA. nearly oil OF Virginia, large por-
t,on OF North Carolina. South Carolina.
and Tennessee, and also extends into
Georgia ,ao
miles. equal to 2O3,000 poles. and 34,zfo
miles of wire.
The number Of messages sent by the Of
Aces in the Richmond district for the year
ending June 80. 1880. were about l.34I ,2Os.
The number Of words of special press
sent from the same Offices were 3.6ll,3l3.
In Virginia the Western Union Company
has 2.6Sb miles, equal 10 7z,ooV poles, anu
have l4.S0l miles OF wire.
IMPROVEMENTS DURING ONE YEAR.
During the last fiscal year the company
srected on the lines of new railroads IN
this State 2s7 miles Of poles bearing one
wire. 925 miles of wire were put up on old
railroad routes. and ~ offices were opened.
Including the wires and poles erected IN
Virginia during the year ending Jure 3Oth
the company put up IN the section OF
country covered by the Richmond district
b79 miles Of poles, 2,44 miles OF wre' anu
opened 90 new offices.
Ar present large number of bands are
EMPLOYED all over the district putting up
wires, and from present prospects there is
fine outlook for the business tins winter.
MIR. ! Il. Tree is superintendent OF this
district and has his headquarters IN Rich
The TeiephCre Exchange.
The Richmond Telephone Exchange, has
gained about one hundred subscribers
during the last twelve months. ana new
stations are being opened continually. The
number now in operation IS about 500.
This fall and winter they will doubtless
reach 900.
The Telephone Exchange system has be-
come an indispensable AID TO the transac-
tion of ali kinds of commercial, manutac
turing, and general business. The vaiua-
BE time saved thereby. If 1t could be COM
putsd, probably would be more than the
cost of the service.
Mere the telephone system by any
chance to be wiped out of existence all
lines of business would be paralyzed. and
II would take long time for the new
methods to adjust themselves to the new
conditions.
LONGTIME PHONES.
During the last twelve months tele-
phope line was constructed from Rich
nond 10 Hanover Courthouse and equipped
with NcCluer's automatic toll-boxeS at
Hanover Courthouse and Ellerson's. Other
lines were constructed TO various coun-
try residences, and Others still are pro-
iected.
The trunk lines between Richmond and
Petersburg are to be reconstructed and
the service improved in the near future.
This has grown to be q valuable connec-
ton. the Petersburg Exchange now num-
bering nearly one hundred subscribers:
Within the past twelve months the Nc
Cluer artificial-ground system has been
applied TO both the Richmond and Peters
burg exchanges throughout, and all con-
oectiou with Mother Earth entirely and
permanently severed to the entire relief OF
The service from the serious, and in some
cases prohibitory. interferences duo TO the
leakage from the electric lighting. electric
street railway, and other strong-current
systems which have expanded so rapidly
of late.
AUTOMATIC Boxrs.
A number of automatic toll-box and
connection registers upon which patent
was recently awarded to Superintendent
McCluer) have been placed III various sec
tions of the city. through which the. adj
vantages of the Exchange service have
been placed within the legitimate reach OF
the general public, thus relieving non
subscribers from the necessity OF calling
on their friends who nave telephones.
IL is expected that the number of these
toll-box stations will soon be largely in-
creased in thus catering to the demands OF
The great majority of our citizens whose
business or circumstances Will not warrant
their becoming regular subscribers, and
enabling them at any time TO avail them
selyes Of all the advantages OF the Tele-
phone-Exchange service at a nominal cost
Tor each connection.
MORE OPERATIVES.
The central Office switchboard has been
recently enlarged and the force of lady
operators increased in order to provide for
the largely volume of business
consequent upon the multiplication of sub
scribers' stations.
An electric-motor and fans over the ope-
rating-room switchboard were put in use
during the early summer. thereby adding
greatly TO the comfort OF the operators
during hot weather.
THE CALLS PER DAY.
There are an average OF H,173 switch
board connections made daily. represent
Inc the daily use OF the telephone by over
bs 600 persons. OF these connections an
average of nearly 5000 calls are made
during single hour. the use OF the. tele-
phones fluctuating greatly at various hours
of the day.
Each operator averages over 200 calls
per day and during a rush single operator
ks required TO respond to 800 calls III an
hour.
1t 10 the aim Of the Telephone Company
TO keep abreast of the times. and to that
end no expense has been spared, and IN
tho future everything will be done cal
culated TO enhance the reliability and
promptness and consequent commercial
value OF the telephone.