Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1902-06-28
In This City Likely to Result From
Deal lust CoDsummated.
THE WESTERN UNION 0USTED
And Contracts With the Postal Company Pre-
pared 70 Cover All The Lines Owned
or Controlled BY The Penn
syIyania.

suit IN another telegraph company
the Postal-extenoing its line 10 this
c ity were finally concluded vester-
day. The negotiations resulted in The
Postal Telegraph Company recovering
control ct the $500 offices and all the
lines owned by the Pennsylvania
Railroad, now operated by the West
ern Union. The Potsal will tnke pos
session of the offices on January |
when the Western Union will be com
PEELED to give up all of the trunk
lines now in use which are on the
property of the Pennsylvania Rail
road. This deal will deprive the
Western Union of it's chief outlets
West and South. in addition to the
$500 feeders thai cost little or nothing
to MAINTAIN.
The blow to the Western Union is
particularly severe for the reason that
as long ago as 1890 that company be-
gan neglecting it's pike lines and IN
some cases abandoned them entirely.
The Western Union wires now on the
lines of the Pennsylvania Railroad,
other than those actually owned by
the railroad company, will have to
come down as soon after January / as
practical, and more or less litigation
is sure to result.
The negotiations Just concluded
were conducted for the Postal Tele-
graph Company by W. "A. Baker. vice,
president and general manager of the
COMPANY, and Il. @ Bradley, the
first vice president, who dealt direct
Y with President Cassatt. of the
Pennsylvania Railroad. The contract
has been closed so far as the lines dI
rectly controlled bv the Pennsylvania
Railroad are concerned, and other
contracts have been signed for the
allied lines. which will 90 in effect.
as soon as existing contracts expire.
All these contracts will terminate
within three or four wears. at the
expiration of which time the postal
will W and control more
miles of wires, more cables and more
offices than all the previous opposI-
ton lines pnt together yer bad.
1t is understood that the loss of the
Pennsylvania Railroad system was
the direct cause of the reorganiza-
tion of the Western Union, which
has recently affected nearly every
body in the employ Of the comuany.
This new deal will force the West
ern Union to completely reconstruct
all OF its pike lines, none of which
are believed to be in shape to carry
the heavy copper wires now in use.
All the pike lines were constructed at
a time when galvanized iron wires
were in general use and the slender
poles will not carry the copper lines
over the long and circuitous routes
followed bv the American Union, the
American Rand, the United Lines.
the Mutual Union and other opposi-
tion lines from time to time absorbed
by the Western Union. which. with
the Pennsylvania Railroad system.
gave the company oyer %, 900 offices
in the United States. covering every
section OF the country almost as COM
pletely as the Post Office Department.
The Postal Telegraph COMPANY has
for sometime been considering ex-
tending It's lines from Hagerstown to
Martinsburg. Winchester and other
cities and towns IN this section and
since this deal the lines will doubtless
be extended. The Cumberland Valley
Railroad Comoanv owns It's own
lines, but it is so closely allied with
the Pennsylvania that the Postal
COMPANY could doubtless extend It's
lines over the q. V. poles without
much trouble.