Omaha daily bee., 1899-11-10
The FIELD OF ELECTRICITY
Significant Moves in the World Of Telegraph
and Telephone.
PROSPECTIVE RIVAL TO THE BELL
Mcn of Means Taking Hold of Rival
Companies-Lenks In wireless
TeIegraphy-Other Devcl-
opmcnts.


opmcnts.
The approaching expiration of the funda-
mental patents for perfect telephone is
responsible for several significant moves in
the telegraph and telephone world One OF
the latest moves Is the incorporation in New
Jersey of the Continental Telegraph, Tele-
phone and Cable company, the hackers OF
the company being directors and stockhod-
ers in the Western Union Telegraph COM
pany. 1t is intimated by men who claim to
possess inside information that the new
company will compete with the Bell company
and will consolidate all independent COM
panies now operating in various states Some
OF these have already long distance connec-
tions, as, for instance, Detroit, with 5000
telephones; Indianapolis. with 5000; Fort
Wayne Ind, with 1000; Grand Rapids.
Mich, with $500; st. Louis, with 10000;
New Orleans and Cleveland each with 5,000;
Richmond, Va, $500; Chattanooga, Tenn.
and Rochester, n. Y, each 1000. All of
these are to come into the new. combine.
The opposition to the Bell company would
at once in this manner become formidable.
"a combination of this kind" says Hol-
land in the Philadelphia Press, "is spoken
who are associated with the original tele
phone company have long realized that with
the expiration Of all the fundamental patents
controlled by that company vast and power
full competition was certain to be created.
The able men in the older company have
sought to minimize that danger as much as
possible by establishing a plant which only
great capital could duplicate, and by per-
fecting so far as science and invention can
do 1t the communication of speech by means
of electricity
There is, of course. some suspicion that
this proposed new organization may be in
contemplation for the same reasons that ac-
tuated the late Jay Gould to organize one or
two rival telegraph companies that he might
have a powerful club with which to batter
down the door that closed upon his entrance
to the directors room of the great telegraph
company.
But the character of some of the men
who are believed to be associated with this
undertaking does not Justify that suspicion" :"
Growth of the Independents.
Interesting statistics concerning the
growth of the telephone business have been
gathered by the manager of an independent
telephone company in Indiana. Up to five
years ago the telephone business of the en-
tire country was practically under the con-
troll of the Bell company. In 1894 the first
independent telephone exchange in the coun-
try was constructed in Fort Scott, Kan
That was the beginning Of a movement
whose growth in five years has given to the
Independent companies more miles of line
and more instruments than are in control of
the old company. The cause of this dis
parity is found in the fact that the new
companies have invaded hundreds of small
cities, towns and villages, where exchanges
have been built and where the people are
now given good service for small cost, where
they never before had enjoyed this privilege
at any price. 1t is stated that the close
of this year will see $500 Independent tel
ephone exchanges in operation, having over
100000 instruments. In 1880 there were
under rental use in the country 6O,S73 tele-
phones. One year later the number had
increased to 132,6 ,692. In 1898 the number of
telephones in use was over 100000. In
1885 there was in use in the various systems
and modes of building 1928 miles of tee-
phone wire. AT the beginning of this year
this mileage had increased to 1158O00
miles.
Wireless Messages Leak.
During the recent experiments with the
Marconi wireless telegraphing system be-
fore the British association, it was found
that signals sent from Wimereux to Dover
we're detected at Chelmsford. ninety miles
away. Messages went to Chelmsford as
we'll as to Dover and anybody in radius
of ninety miles from either Wimereux or
Dover could learn what was being communi-
Gated. provided he had suitable apparatus.
Such a result might be useful in conceivable
circumstances but commonly sendere OF
messages will prefer secrecy. Mr.. Marconi
thinks he has devised method. however,
of confning messages to the desired route
1t is said that by means OF metailic
screens the etherc waves can be cut on
from undesired directions. II so. the prob
lem is solved Distances Of 500 miles for
Marconi messages begin to be talked or
Electricity from Waterfall.
Preparations are being made to use the
power of the falls of the Snoqualmie TO
furnish electricity to the cities of Seattle ana
Tacoma respectively thirty-one and forty
five miles distant. The falls are 27O feet
high The water falls into rocky gorge,
and for engineering reasons 1t was consid-
cred impractcable to take off the stream
needed for power by side channels and carry
it to a power house built beside the water
course below. A novel method was used,
therefore.
Back from the edge of the falls about 200
feet shaft twenty-five feet by ten feet was
sunk through the solid rock to point 26O
feet below the bed OF the river and then
turning down stream was continued hori-
zontally until 1t emerged at point well be-
yond the falls in the gorge below. A little
beyond the point where the horizontal tun-
mel begins, and extending to the very foot
of the falls, great chamber was hewn out
of the rock, 200 feet long, forty feet wide and
thirty feet high, and here are placed the tur-
bine water wheels and dynamos which
change the enormous power of the falling
water into currents of electricity.
The water Is not turned directly into the
tunnel. but into a great steel penstock, or
upright pipe seven and half feet In diam
eter, which passes down through the shaft
From the foot OF this penstock the water is
fed through horizontal receiving tube ten
feet in diameter and eighty feet long and
another tube seven and half feet In diam
eter and sixty feet long to five water wheels
which drive the electric generators and ex-
cters. There are four generators and each |
Is rated at 500 kilowatts, or total OF 5000