The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-10-22
PROSPERITY In TELEPHONES.
superintendent Vail Talks of the Gen.
trail Union improvements.

Recently the promoters of the independent
telephone movement in this country nave
had a great deal to say Of its success, par
ticularly IN Indiana, where the movement
originated, and where 1t is stronger at this
time than in any other State. As to the
condition of the Central Union Telephone
Company in Indiana, superintendent VAN
said yesterday that it had never before had
so prosperous a season as the present one.
ION Jan. l." he said, I'VE had forty-seven
exchanges in Indiana. We now have sixty
one regular exchanges, besides twenty-sev-
en- of what are termed sublicenses. The
sublicenses are those which have been OPP
Grated in the past as independent compa-
MES, but have taken advantage of the Gen.
trail Union Company's proposition to SUBJ
license. finding they could get a much bet
ter service and q more complete toll line
service by joining with the Bell. These are
all equipped with Bell instruments. This
actually takes away from the so-called in
dependent system twenty-seven very i'm
portant exchanges. The ones that are SUBJ
licensed are, of course, those not in COM
petition with the Bell, but in smaller towns,
where the Central Union had not estab-
"The Central Union Company now has a
total pole line mileage In the State of In
Ql1Ta o i ZSl3 miles,. o r 0.SOS Lnlie Oh II
cult, all copper metallic. This vast system
connects with over seven hundred toll sta
tons and exchanges In the st State of dndie
OF all of the vast system thus covered. This,
of course, does not cover the mileage OF
what is known as the Long Distance Com
pany which would make, added TO the
mileage Of the Central Union Company.
S;5fs m nffsr Of poles Ms e or t tSis i miles of - cir r.
meet the demands of the public, and during
the winter season, when the weather will
not permit the building Of pole lines, the
company utilities It's men for constructing
additional circuits upon the poles already
located.
I'm Indianapolis. on Jan. l of this year.
the Central Union Company had about 8. 200
subscribers, but since that they have in
creased at the rate of over 100 a month, not
these substations a person can talk any
where on the toll system Of the Central
Union Company, or that OF the Long Dis
tance Company, as far reaching as Port
the West, and north and south to the linn
its of the United States. A glance at the
Bell C~ompany's map will show that In
dianapolis has an outlet to any town on its
ways: for instance. II the direct line be-
tween Indianapolis and Richmond were dis
rupted in any way, IL would be possible for
the Central Union Company to reach Rich
mond by as many as nine different routes,
so it is almost impossible for its toll lines
to be SO impaired by the elements that
service annot be rendered its subscribers.
The company connects with the system of
all companies I'm the United States which
operate under license from the Bell Com
pany: therefore, it is possible for a sub
scriber to its exchange in the city of In
dianapolis TO talk with any one OF the hun
dreds of thousands of telephones distributed
over New England. the middle West, and
the Middle and Southern StafpS'