The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-02-22

Some "Reminiscences OF Mr.. John Leatch,
nj the Pacifc Postal Co.
Mr.. John Ieatch. the assistant manager OF the
Pacific Postal Telegraph Company's system, IL
At the Grand hotel. In the course OF = talk yes
terday about the Postal lines, he said: I'VE
have just finished the construction OF . line
along Hoods canal, from Olympia to Port
Townsend, and another from Port Townsend to
Dungencss. We are now building up the Seat
tie, Lake Shore & Eastern railroad, and we are
now across the Nooksack and within seventeen
miles of the border. where we shall be joined by
the Canadian Pacific lines.
II do not now know OF any contemplated ex-
tensions. The Pacific Postal Company IL indie
pendent OF the Postal Telegraph Company
operating In the East, although The same men
are prominent in both organizations, and for
that reason the two companies are for certain
purposes one. We have the Pacific coast pretty
thoroughly covered from Riverside in southern
California TO British Columbia. The Postal
Telegraph comes no further West than Denver.
There has been from time TO time talk of line
joining the Postal and the Pacific Postal, but
don't know when it will be built At present
our transcontinental business goes over the
Canadian Pacific lines, which are exccllently
constructed and maintained"
Mr. Leatch is one Of the veterans Of the tele-
graphic service of the country, having entered it
in 1850; and he has many interesting rersin-
began" said he, reading by sound was I'M
known, and every ONCE had the tape, such as
you still see sometimes in country Offices. was
one OF the first to take up the reading by sound
panies then in existence, the Ohio Atlantic,
Pitfsnurg, Cincinnati 4 Louisville, Wade's lines,
the Magnetic telegraph, New York and Missis-
sippi Valley printing telegraph and others-I
don't recall the exact names. Often q tele-
gram would be handled By two or three
companies before reaching its destination, and
delays were inevitable. Wires would get down,
and a small company would spend days or even
weeks in. getting them repaired remember
how kilograms eight or ten days late woul1
come up from New Orleans to the cities on the
better than the mails.
FINALLY J. II. Wade and others consolidated
some Of the western lines into what they natur-
ally called Western Union Telegraph Com
pany: This organization gradually picked up
one line after another until 1t had the lines Of
the whole country consolidated.
Il myself came to California in 1855. The Pa
citic coast then had no telegraphic connection
with the East. About that time the California
state telegraph line began operating between
San Francisco, San Jose, Sacramento and Marys-
Vile, but later the Western Union gained con-
troll of il.
sThe Western Union gradually pushed ifs
lines west and we extended ours east, while the
interval between Was bridged over by pony
express which carried the dispatches. The route
OF this pony express gradually grew shorter,
until, In ISL think II was, connection was
made at Ruby valley between Carson City and Salt
Lake We had been expecting that on . certain
day the connection would be made, and George
I.add, Mr.. Gamble and we're in the San Fran
cisco Office waiting for the event / happened
to be sitting at the ticker when the wires were
joined and the first message came across the
continent.
"A little later happened to be the operator to
receive the frst news OF the firing on Fort sum-
ter and the inst Atlantic cabiegram, which OF
course was telegrephed across, went through my
hands. also worked the first direct circuit be-
tween San Francisco and New York We fire.
quentiy work direct circuits now, but that was
quite an event in telegraphy. The line ran
through Salt Lake City and Omaha"