The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1902-07-04
POSTAL TELEGRAPH AHEAD.
Agreement With Pennsylvania Rail-
road-Cuts Out Its Rival.

George Gould now has the fight of
his life on his hands with the Penn
sylvania Railway company Gould,
with his Wabash system, is endeavor-
ing to have a line of railway under
his control extending from the Allan
tic to the Pacific. He has recently
completed arrangements for building
into Pittsburg. Following that he
has bought from the city of Balti-
more, which owned the Western
Maryland railroad, that line, and this
gives him a line to the Atlantic. The
Pennsylvania fought him strenuously
in his effort to gain control of the
Western Maryland, but Gould was
victorious. On the west Gould is
pushing the Pennsylvania interests
and by means of Senator Clark's Salt
Lake and Los Angeles line he eX-
poets to reach the Pacific coast
But the Pennsylvania is not with
out other weapons to fight Gould.
The latter is a heavy owner in the
Western Union Telegraph company.
This company has enjoyed monop-
oily of the business along the line of
the Pennsylvania That is where the
owners of the Pennsylvania are at
lacking him.
An agreement has been consumated
between the Postal Telegraph COM
pany and the Pennsylvania railroad
company, under which the Postal ac-
irrIf 10 4ro nj
commercial business on the lines be-
longing to the railroads of the Penn
sylvania system east of Pittsburg
and Erie, Pa, and to string wires on
the railroad company's poles and
right of way. The agreement is ex-
pected to take effect July 1, and the
transfer of offices to the Postal sys-
tenn will be made as rapidly as posi-
BILE after that date. 1t is understood
that similar agreements covering the
remainder of the railroad company's
system will be put in force as soon
as the existing contracts with the
Western Union company expires.
The agreement just consummated
will take away from the Western
Union system and add to the Postal
system all offices and the telegraph
lines along 4,745 miles of railroad in
a populous and important portion of
the country. This is the most import
ant and far-reaching deal ever made
by an opposition telegraph. 1t not
only takes away from the Western
TTpiA 70 to1
revenue from commercial telegraph
business, but incidentally will put the
Western Union company to heavy ex-
pense in removing it's lines from the
rights of way and rebuilding them in
other locations.
Although, perhaps, this is the most
serious blow that the one time tele-
graph monopoly has ever received, it
is not the only recent one. The Pos
tai Telegraph Commercial and Gable
companys victory in connection with
the commercial cables, in which fight
the Western Union is said to have ex-
pended large sums of money, in
wolves the loss to the Western Union
of very considerable future revenue
Even the Cuban fight although nom.
inally resulted in loss, because it
compelled heavy reduction in
rates. The Postal Telegraph and
Commercial Cable company's com
parative recent connection with the
new German cables, and also with
the Halifax and Bermudas and direct
West Indies cables, have resulted il
| diverting a very considerable bust
ness from the older companies.
The completion of the new Pacific
cable will also result in a large in
crease of Postal company's business
The Postal has within the past q
years made substantial gains in vari
Gus other directions, notably in tn,
acquiring of branch offices in al
principal hotels in the country. TIL
company has recently opened office
in every important hotel ON the 81
Lawrence river, and has made numel
GUS connections with railroads, pal