Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1905-08-01
The Local Company In Fine Condition an
Almost Reddv FOR Business.

COluLluS
The Jefferson County Telephone Com
pany has its line up from Charles Town
to Harpers Ferry. and the work is now
being actively pushed. Serious delay
was caused by inability to get the cnarac-
ter of poles required, and this delay was
caused by the farmers not being able to
spare their teams to haul the poles during
corn planting. blowing, harvesting. etc.
The company has had the poles cut and
trimmed on the MOUNTAIN for some time
and now that teams to haul them are OBJ
tainable. the construction of all the lines
can and will be rapidly completed. 1t is
expected that within ten days the lines
of the company will connect Charles
Town, Harpers Ferry and Hagerstown,
Shepherdstown and Martlnsburg. The
central is now being installed in Harpers
Ferry by experts from Baltimore and that
town will be lined and connected with
Charles town next week,
The poles are laid from Shepherdstown
to Leetown and partially laid from Kear-
neysville to Duffields and Duffields in to
Charles Town, thus insuring quick work
in connecting Charles Town. Shepherds
town via Shenandoah Junction. Bardane
and Kearneysville. Most of the poles
are also laid from Charles Town to the
Clarke county line. A large force is be-
ing gathered preparatory to working on
all lines at the same time. Mr.. N. r
Roberts, the company's president. who
has been sick. will from now on devote
his entire time to the business until the
lines are completed Three hundred and
fifty subscribers are assured at the start
The lines of the company will aggregate
IS miles, as follows From Charles
Town to Harpers Ferry. from Charles
Town to Duffields, from Duffields to
Shenandoah Junction, from Shenandoah
Junction to Kearneysville. from Kear-
neysville to Shepherdstown, Kearneys-
vile to Summit Point, via Leetown and
Middleway. Charles Town to Nippon,
Rippon to Clarke county line. Charles
Town to Myerstown. Shepherdstown to
Harpers Ferry. via Moler's and Baker
ton. Harpers Ferry to Millville.
There are 26o stockholders in the COM
pany. all citizens of Jefferson county,
and among them are numbered our
banks bank presidents and directors,
real estate agents. insurance agents, doc
tors, lawyers, merchants and farmers.
The company is so planned that each
stakeholder on taking $500 of the re.
ferred stock is entitled to residence phone
at $40 so. or business phone at $40. so.
The saving to these stock holders in price
of phone service over the price before
prevailing is between $4,000 and So. 600
annually. Moreover. the franchise pro-
visions insure this community against the
danger of increased prices. In the fran
chise granted this company by the coun-
ty court and by the town councils of
Charles Town. Harpers Ferry and
Bolivar and Shepherdstown, the
prices of the company's phone
service can never exceed $500 tor
residence and $24 for business phones.
Moreover, the company will use nothing
but the latest improved Bell instruments
and switchboards. The pole specifca.
tons on the through lines are 22 inches
in circumference at the top. and 80 inches
at the ground line. and the poles are but
1872 feet apart. Moreover, the company
has the Bell system connection through
out the United States. The rates to for.
eign points are greatly reduced. Fol
instance, to Baltimore from Charles Towr
the rate is reduced from 65 to 45c for da,
messages. The company will have fou,
connections with the outside world-ons
at Harpers Ferry. one at Hagerstown
one to Martinsburg, and one by way OIL
Winchester.
The company is also offering to farm
ers the opportunity of building their own
lines into the towns. and on such farm
| CID AihCS, VIII NC dDlt 10 nave
| first-class telephone service at So year
We also trust and believe the company
IS. by means of the large number OF oul
prominent men interested as stockhold
ers. in position to prevent the Bell tele
phone monopoly from getting control OF
this. county. We also trust and believe
that this company will save this county
from the annoyance of having two tele
phone companies dividing the business
of the county. Having two telephone
companies in county means that each
company would be compelled to charge
higher rates, and each phone holder
would have to have two phones in his
place OF business and therefore pay dou
bic prices for the same service one sys
tenn should give. The danger of higher
prices being charged by the company by
reason of monopoly is avoided by rea
son OF this company having the low rates
of $IS and $24 fixed by the franchises.
Sheriff Gardner says that his yield Of
wheat was not correctly printed. Instead
of rs bushels. the averagewas a little less
than 81 bushels an acre.