The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1894-01-25
Cheap Telephones Now

l
NEW YORK, Jan. 1G.-After the Both
or this month you will ba able to buv 3
telephone for few dollars, and for S8E
you can purchase complete system,
with all tbs necessary Implements for
both ends of the line. Hitherto t
would have been impossible to pur.
chase the instruments at any price, as
they were controlled by patents own
ed by the American Bell Telephone
Company.
The fundamental Bell telephone pat-
ent expired on March Z, of last year.
The Bell Company, it was found, how.
ever, still owned the patent on the re-
celver, and no telephone system would
be of much use without a receiver
Am ong other concerns which entered
into the telephone business upon the
expiration of the original Bell patent
In March was the Shaver CORPORATION.
| of Pittsburg, Pa: The Bell Com panv =
brought suit against the Shaver Corpo.
| ration on the receiver, citing the pat
ent of Alexander Graham Bell of Jan,
3O, 1877, as the one infringed. An in.
junction was promptly granted and
that put an end to the opposition tele-
phone business for the time being. But
the patent of January 30. 1877, is now
ABOUT TO expire. and thus both the re-
ceiver and the transm1tter will be free
to the public.
After the 30th of this month tele.
phones will be sold like hats or cigars
Instead of paying Ss24O year for the
rent of an instrument you can buy one
outright for less than tenth of that
sum. If you only wish to uss it be-
tween your house and office, or bet ween
the house and the stable, or from Office
to factory, you can have line put up
for trifing sum and yon will own
your system outright and can stop paw.
Ing the exorbitant prices now charged
by the Bell Company.
If, hoWever,YOu wish telephone for
general use and have to depend upon
mercy of the Bell Company at least for
some time to come. 1t Is evident from
the preparations now being made in
this city and elsewhere by naanufactu-
rers of electrical apparatus that a big
boom Is expected in the sale Of tela.
phones. a large number of instru.
ments have been made and these viii
be put on the marked January 81
Many large contracts have been made
for the supply of telephones after that
date. All these new instruments will
be sold outright. None will be rented
They do not differ in appearance from
OhOOO vi OhO l1OiA Oobl PCbhf anu, Ill IACC.
are smaller. Being new, they are supe
rior to most of the instruments On r.
piled by the Bell Telephone Company.
and which have been in use for years
In view Of the expiration of this pat
ent, the Bell Company, it Is said, has
about decided to abandon the private
line business and the indpende,It !, "a.
phone system In the smaller country
towns. At present the Bell Compal, v
charges $3.50 year for private line in
this city.
| A rich field awaits the capitalists
who will engage to fight the Bell Com.
pany in this city, which Is its strong.
| hold. The enormous revenue which II
derives from the people of New York
may be judged from the fact that II
charges $240 year for a telephone in
business house. and that 1t has 10 600
subscribers. In Brooklyn, Jersey Civ
aid adjacent suburbs there are 10000
| additional subscribers. But from the
people Of this city alone it is obvious
That So 1000 900 year IS taken for the
nse OF Instruments which did not cost
50,OOO.. World.