Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1902-01-24
SPIRIT OF THE PRESS
FACTS AND OPINIONS GATHERED
FROM CONTEMPORARIES

PHONE.
Some highly interesting figures touch
ing the growth and development of tele-
phone service In the United Staets in
recent years are given in the report of
the American Telephone and Telegraph
company. Up to the closet of 1891 the
number of instruments Installed was
,407. Since that time the annual In
crease has been as follows: 1892, 1888;
1893, 1871; 1894, 16,015; 1895, 92,47O;
1896, 81 ,651 1897, LAG, 49i; 1898, 2O5, 725;
1899, 455, 225; 1900, 372,3ll, bringing the
total installations of that company up to
1,952,4l2 at the beginning of the last
calendar year. The figures showing the
growth of the system in 1901 are availa-
BILE from other sources.
OF the magnitude of the telephone
business at the end of 1901 the following
figures are obtained on the good author
ity of The Electrical Review: Bell COM
panies, capital invested S32O,0OO, 900;
telephones connected, 1,000,000; indie
pendent companies, capital $50, 900 900;
telephones, 70S,7 III; farmers lines and
similar systems, capital, $4,000, 900; tel
ephones, 490,O 900. The best data obtaina-
BILE as to the growth of independent
companies not controlled by the Bell
trust show that they now have ex-
changes in Pill cities and towns and
serve, as shown herewith, 70S,717
subscribers.
This independent development repre-
sents an investment of probably not far
from $50, $1,000. Besides independent
companies operating exchanges, there
~ y,o1f mil In NV
sons who do not need connection with
a central station, as the service is private,
as between mills and offices. The
growth of the independent companies is
rapid enough to menace the continuance
of anything like monopoly. In some
states the number of their exchanges
materially exceeds that of the Bell sys-
TEN. This is true of Illinois, Indiana,
Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Wiscon-
sin, Iowa, Missouri and Kansas and per-
haps of other states. When it is realized
that the invention of the telephone was
given to the world less than twenty-five
years ago and its marvellous development
is noted, we are almost prepared to be-
lieve in the accomplishment of telephone
photography, which is recognized as
among the possibilities Rutland News.
5000
is WIRELESS TELEoRAPHY PRACTIoAL7
OF what has been done in wireless tele
graphy and of what it promises for the
future Prof. Marconi's address before
the Institute of Electrical Engineers
gives an encouraging view. In five
years the message distance has increased
from two miles to 1900. Over seventy
ships at sea carry permanent wireless
installations. At distances of 200 miles
messages are ''crossed" without inter
ference. BY "attuning" sender and re-
ceiver to the same vibration absolute
privacy of messages can be secured.
If the invention went no further II
would already have proved a boon. But
it will go further. The telegraph and
telephone, the electric light, all once de-
scrIbed as scientific toys" have become
part of the common outfit of civilization
The ocean cable has done great work
But, as Marconi says, its cost renders II
impossible for poor people to send
messages across the ocean. His hope is
that his system will "ensble friends anG
relatives to communicate across the
ocean at small expense"
If wireless telegraphy shall accomplish
this it will indeed make the people Of al
lands neighbors. Every one will wisi
the utmost possible success to the young
electrician who has already wrought 81
great marvel.-New York World.
>oo<
RELIGIOUS GROWTH.
DIR. III. X. CAROLS annual compilation
of the statistics of American churches !
always awaited with considerable inter
est. DR.. Carroll was in charge of tn
religious statistics in the census of 1890
and the experience which he then gaine'
has been Of assistance TO HIM in hi
yearly attempts to keep track of tn
growth of the various denominations
The task is not an easy one, for the dill
ferent churches vary widely In the pain
which they take to tabulate their ow
statistics, and in the tests which the
apply to determine their progress. DI
Carroll makes no pretentiOns to absOlut
accuracy in his presentation, and he
obliged in more than one instance to dis
credit the official figures with which h
deals but his tables, even if not entirel
accurate, offer the best available compls
ton.
The return of church membership are
on the surface, at least, more encourae
ing than might have been looked FOL
They show a total COMMUNICATE men
beIship of 5000, G37, a gain of 1902