Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-12-06
CHEAPER PHONES FOR NEW YORK
Wires Laid by the Bis New Company
ON sunday.

The Telephone, Telegraph, and Cable
Company of American has now as many
miles of wire In the city Of New York
as the old Bell monopoly. 1t has outwit-
TED the latter and won it's tight. Cheap
telephone service in New York city IL
now assured.
The wires were laid In the conduIts
which parallel the Metropolitan Street
hallway Company's system, and under
The elevated railroad structure, between
the hours OF ~ O'Clock last Saturday
night and midnight OF Sunday. sun
day was chosen go that the Bell people
might not enjoin the new company and
prevent the work
The final obstacle was removed on Sat-
urday, when the new company acquired
a controlling interest in the Peoples Tele-
phone Company Of which Darwin H.
James Is president.
This is the company which had obtain
ed permits TO use all or any OF the city
subways for its wires. and to string
them anywhere within the greater city.
A more definite conception OF what has
happened may be realized when IL is
said that the new company stands pledged
to give unlimited service I'm this city
Tor 500 year and allow 1909 messages
for s4j.
The present tariff is $40 a year for I'M
limited service and $IJ for 800 messages.
The new role means 5-cent "helloes."
Darwin II. James, president Of the Peo-
pies Telephone Company, said last night:
IL is fact that the Telephone Tee-
graph and Gable Company of America
has obtained control Of majority of the
stock OF our company.
I'VE have already laid ffty-tvo cables
Cgn0IIifC - eli a..
as lar north as 18th street-lO4 cables I'm
all we have run our wires wherever
the Metropolitan System reaches and
under every foot Of the elevated structure.
Inc Bell people did not expect that " q
couid possibly put up any Of our wires.
Ihey were put in on Sunday, in order
that we might not be enjoined-for no in
junction could issue to stop Us on that
DAY. The result is that We have as
many miles OF wire now in New York city
as the Bell people have, and we are in d
position to do business.
Inc Incorporation papers Of the new
telephone company were fled in Trenton,
y. j., on November 9th last. The capt.
tai stock was placed at SSOOOO,Ooo. The
incorporators We're William j. Iatta. ol
the Pennsylvania railroad Martin Nd
ioney, OF Philadelphia, and James l..
Hayes, of Camden, y. J.
These men have been known for some
time as the legal representatives of the
great Whitney Widener- Elkins street "a J.
way syndicate.
The immediate object of this new COM
pany was TO bring about a consolidation
Of the Independent telephone systems east
of Pittsburg.
Other telephone companies had been en-
gagged IN consolidating all anu-Bell in
terests i'm other sections OF the counti y.
The great ultimate object Of the corpora
ton was to obtain a controlling Interest
in ali these larger companies or corpora
lions.
william c. Whitney ii Is said, Is re-
spOnsible for the contamination of this
great scheme. III his plan of spreading Il
system OF electric railways over this city,
he never forgot the value OF electric sub
ways.
Along the lines OF the Metropolitan
Street Railway Company he laid conduits
OF sufficient capacity to carry telephone
wires for two cities like New York. in aG-
dition to room for his own power wires
Among the first OF the board OF TWEEN
ty-one directors Of the new company were
Colonel John Jacob Aston. Thomas Dolan,
william L. Elkns, Charles X. Flint,
Emerson McMnlin, i. \. Il. Widener,
Boston, and w. II. Croker, OF San Fran
cisco.
A short time later, when Messrs. Wide
ner, Elkns, ana Dolan refused to con-
tinue as members Of the Board OF Direc-
tors, It was said that the interests which
they represent had never seriously enter
"A the field against the Bell monopoly.
MIR. Dolan denied this, and said
I'VE withdrew our names from the di-
rectorate not because we lacked faith in
the corporation, but for the sole reason
that our connection with that concern
conhictcd with other interests in New
York city"
And Mr.. Widener said that he had in
vested his capital in the Metropolitan en-
terprise and expected big returns.
There are probably 900 companies in
this great consolidation. There Is money
I'm plenty to fight successfully the Bell
MONOPOLY. should the struggle resolve it
self into a pure money proposition.