The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-08-01
FORTUNE MADE IN rELEGRApHy
When Rates Were High the Compn-
mics Grew Rich Rapidly.

From the Houston CTex) Post.
In the Post of Jan u was an account
of the building OF the first telegraph line
in Texas by Houston capitalists, away
back in 1853, Also the many vicissitudes
attendant upon the venture. and how, aft
er lingering a few short months the wire
was appropriated by the farmers for re-
pairing fences, baling hay and for many
! other purposes, until the company own
ing this streak of rust" gave up all
| hope of maintaining communication
through the wilds of Texas and abandon
ed the enterprise, with the exception of
that portion of the line running from
! Houston to Galveston and from Houston
to Beaumont.
These connections proved of incalcula-
ble service to the confederacy, as through
TINS means Sabine Pass and Galveston
could be watched by the general com
mandlns the department of Texas whose
headquarters was at Houston.
During the war Col d. P. Shepherd,
sun living in Houston, built one from
crockett to Shreveport, thus establishing
! communication with Gen. Kirby Smith,
! commanding the trans Mississippi depart
ment.
The close of the war extinguished the
Old corporation, as all lines were absorbed
! by the Western Union. wonderful
change IN telegraphy at once ensued.
| corps of federal military telegraphers i'm
mediately took possession of the lines in
! Texas. They wonderful to state. en-
| ployed most of the old confederate oper-
! ators, paying them each a salary of $l25
! per month in greenbacks, which was a
great advance over SIS Confederate money
! and rauons. Capt. Lou Spelman was in
| charge of these military teiegraphers. and
| he proved TO be a clever gentleman. and
! although at that time we were not in love
| with the yankees we soon learned to have
| great regard for Speman In fact. his
! Whole crowd was composed of a Jolly
| good set of fellows.
| Very soon the Western Union relieved
| the government of the lines. placing Col
! ID. +. Shepherd in charge, and he appoint
| eu the writer as manager of the Houston
| ONCE. The managers about that time, to
| use an or expression, had the world by
| the tail. Greenbacks were quoted a from
$3.50 to $3.50 FOR 81 in gold. There was
| very little greenbacks in circulation. Peo-
/ PIE mad to pay their taxes in gold, not be-
! ing able to obtain greenbacks Most of
! the gold was of Mexican mintage The
! Western Union recognized no money but
! greenoacks, and the managers made no
! difference whether tolls paid on kilograms
/ were IN gold or greenbacks, consequently
! II a message cost 81 the sender generally
! pald 81 in gold which the manager took
| to the bank and deposited for its face
! value in greenbacks, thus making $3.50
! for himself and 81 for the COMPANY NY
! receipts in the Houston office generally
ran up to $500 or $1,000 per month, and at
| least half of it was gold which made my
| income amount to what would be con-
| sldered in these dull, prosaic times enorm-
! Gus. When 1 took in 81 900 in gold per
! month l made for myself $1,000. But
! greenbacks soon became plentiful in Hous-
| ton and nipped this mine of wealth
/ After IF
l accepted the terminus of the Houston
| and Texas Central railway, where l
found absolutely no paper money in cir
| culation, and l almost blush to think of
| my profits as a margin while al Bryan
/ Calvert and Kosse. Great quantities Of
cotton were hauled from all parts of the
upper country to the terminus for sale,
and an immense Geographic business was
| done, nearly every dollar of which was
paid me in gold At Calvert on Black
| Friday excitement ran high and the wires
were kept red-hot. Gold went up to 1926
and catching the contagion l bought and
| SOLD ike any other customer of the West
ern Union. Many will wonder why
didn't make a fortune. l made three
or four of them, but they came easy and
| went Just as easy. Money was as plen.
| tiful at the terminus in 1S68-69 as in Cali
fornia in 1S49. Maj. J. E. Carey once
! brought about 300 Cinnamon to build the
Houston and Texas Central from Bryan
! TO Calvert, and these pigtails were par
| ticular as to where their food came from
| The boss Chinaman each week would send
| to San Francisco a long order for rice ana
| other provisions. His telegram would gen
orally come 70 $50 to $3.50, all of which he
| paid in $40 gold pieces. He was a source
| of considerable wealth to me and we be-
came fast friends.
But times have changed. No such con-
dition of affairs ever existed previously
or subsequently to the period Immediately
after the close of the war. Every one is
| familiar with the network of wires, reach
| ing everywhere. What a comparison be-
! tween now and 1858, or even 1867!
| For the edifcation of many who vet
| think biography comes too high, I will
| give the difference in tariff between 1867
| and 1887. Then a message to San Fran
| cisco cost $40 for ten words; it costs now
only 81 for ten words. To New York it
was $3.50; now it is Is cents To New Or
| leans, $l.25; now 40 cents. cable to Liv-
! erpool, S. per word; now "A cents
How Is this for a reduction? At this
| rate telegraphing will soon be cheaper
| than the mail.
When II. e. Cushing and, afterward
| Gen. Webb were editors of the Houston
! Telegraph the telegraph bills of that pa
! per averaged from $500 to 81, 600 per month.
and Theodore Boring had to hustle to raise
| the money.
BICYCLING WITHOUT LEGS.