St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1893-03-02

THE FARMERS TELEGRAPH.

I'D ia SenaWee county, MlcH., lHeIe
exists a telegraph company whose
line was but few rods in
length short time ago. Today the
line is over 100 miles long and con-
meets the towns of Adrian, Tecumseh,
Clinton, Franklin, Mason, Ridge
way and Raisin, running to the vii
lage stores, newspaper Offices, the
doctors houses, and through almost
every farm in that section Of the
country. Each farmer owns and
keeps in order the line running
across his own property. and each OF
the proprietors has mastered the
Morse alphabet enough for all the
practical purposes of everyday COM
munication. The cost of maintain
ing such line is, Of course, not
heavy, as the chief outlay was upon
the wires which connect the stations.
As the farms are comparatively close
together, that expenditure was not
large, and the testimony of the
proprietors is unanimously to the
effect that the convenience secured
by the establishment Of the line more
than compensates for the slight out
lay involved.
So nowadays in Sena wee county
the farmer is not compelled to hitch
I'D his team for a two-mile drive
every time he wants something at
the nearest store. He merely steps
over to his telegraph key and gives his
order. The village doctor often
prescribes by wire, instead Of rush
ing out through binding snow
storm. The newspapers get their
local news "by special wire" and
the farmers often receive theirs in the
same way. Thus at the last election
the agent Of the Associated Press
traded" outside election returns for
the local results, and each subscriber
comfortably sat in his easy chair at
home and got the exciting returns
from all over the United States,
instead of standing in a drizzling
snow storm in front of bulletin
board. The village gossip is dis
tributed daily, and acquaintance
can comfortably exchange greetings
from a distance of ten miles or more.
A desired recipe for cooking rabbits,
sound advice for making new dress,
the weather lndica tons, news of
European crisis, accounts of a run
away near Tecumseh, prescription
for whooping cough, an order for
kerosene oil, the crop outlook,
criticisms on the latest novel, a
notice of a revival meeting in the
Franklin church, the announcement
of the candidacy of Colonel Yell for
the position of sheriff, proposition
for neighborly straw ride, the re-
turns of the just completed spelling
match, follow one another breezily
over the line. Is it any wonder that
the stockholders of the Senawee
Commercial Telegraph company are
enthusiastic over their enterprise
Of course, little accidents are likely
to occur now and then. If Mrs.
Smith of Clinton informs Mrs.
Brown OF Mason that the biscuits
usually cooked by Mrs. Jones of
Raisin are heavy enough to break a
cast iron cooking stove, and if Mrs.
Jones happens to be in position to
catch that interesting information
as the winged words fly over the
wires, the probabilities are that the
lines of the S, c. T. Co., will grow
warm Under the spirited and forceful
reply Of the Raisin cook. If ledge"
WaSem Of Tecumseh and Squire"
Wsyback Of Ridgeway happen to
discuss the tariff question, there are
apt to be a few breaks in the line be-
fore the controversy is suspended.
Still, the fact that such incidents a1ree
not even mentioned in the glowing
descriptions which find their way
from Senawee county TO the world
outside apparently warrants the
inference that occurrences of so de-
plorable nature are not common.
The success which the Senawee Com
mercial Telegraph company has al
ready attained implies that the line
serves to bind with the ties of friend
ship the several townships of that
county; and the system which has
succeeded so noticeably in its adj
ministration in Michigan can be
tried in other sections with the
prospect of much resultant benefit.
There are many sections in this state
where such a line might be of great
advantage if used in connection with
existing telephone and telegraph con-
nections; and it is to be hoped that
the experiment will be tried Bos-
ton Advertiser.
ISRAEL RETURNING TO THE HOLY