The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-10-25
BUTTE News.
TO THE PACIFIC COAST
Long Distance Telephone Con-
noctions to Be Made.
H A NEARLY COMPLETE
Lanss Are Now Started Towards the
Agreed Point OF Connection-rhe
System VIII Cover Over
2.4oo Miles.

It 10 announced that In a few months
Butte and other cities Of Montana win
be connected by long-distance tele-
phone with all points on the Pacific
coast as far south as San Diego and
north to British Columbia. The Rocky
Mountain Bell Telephone company,
which controls the patents and licenses
Of the American Bell Telephone COM
pany for Montana. Idaho. Wyoming
and Utah. has gradually built up its
system In all tour states. first putting
the city system in and then connecting
the cities by toll lines. Gradually this
work has progressed until all the prin-
cipal towns OF the tour states now have
a telephone exchange. while the toll
lines connect them onto practically one
system. 1t has been the aim Of the
company to mak through connection
to the coast for the past two years. but
not until the spring Of the present year
were active operations commenced to
complete the project. To make the sys-
tenn complete IL was not only necessary
to carry the toll lines through the four
states. but the companies controlling
the coast states had to be Influenced to
extend their lines through to their
eastern boundaries in order to make
the connection complete. The coast
company n the Rocky Mountain COM
pany agreed to connect early In 1888
and with this object in view started
their lines toward the agreed point of
connection. 1t was necessary for the
Rocky Mountain company to
Mont distance nf RAJ miles
In order to complete the sys-
TEN to this state. which connects with
Spokane and points in British Column
bia This work is now complete with
the exception Of 142 miles between Ida
no Falls and Dillon, which is rapidly
being built.
The Montana system has already
been built west to Spokane. where II
connects with the coast system, and
when the line between Idaho Falls and
Dillon is completed all that remains to
be done is to stretch a long distance
copper wire over a portion of the sys-
tenn south from Montana, when a us
toner OF the telephone company can
ring Central for any point in the West.
There will be two connections. by eth
er OF which the coast Ear be reached.
One by vay of Spokane and the other
by the way of Huntington through TO
Portland. The coast company and the
Rocky Mountain company will make a
Joint connection at Huntington within
10 days, so that Idaho common points
will be talking with the coast by Nov.
1. A break In this line still remains
between Boise and Pocatello. a distance
Of $50 miles. to be built before the
through service from Butte to San Die
go. a distance Of 2.400 miles in round
figures. can be connected.
The completion of the line from Boise
TO Huntington will make one of the
longest telephone connections in the
world.
The copper wire used for long dist
ance service costs the company $3.50 a
mile, and, as two wires are needed,
the cost of wire alone amount to $500
a mile, or $500, 900, from San Diego to
Boise. This service is so perfect that
one can bear as well, IL not better, the
full distance from Boise to San Diego
than on any local wire in this city. The
telephone is becoming more and more
a factor In the business world each
year. and is a necessity not only In the
business office. store or counting room.
but In the home as well. The past year
has seen a steadily increasing demand
for the service, and the local company's
business increased 20 per cent. I'm 1895.
The cost of talking over the long dis
lance phone Is comparatively cheap for
short periods of time. In an ordinary
conversation a person can talk 200
words a minute and IL Is therefore ar
gued that a charge Of SO for a five min
utes' talk to San Diego, or 1000 words,
is not too high, and that IL is cheaper
Inc more satisfactory than the tele-
graph. The Rocky Mountain company