Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1905-09-28

ritories, with the exception Of the
District Of Columbia and Utah, and
the American Telephone and Tele-
graph Company's systems operated
exchanges in all except Indian Ter
ritory.
AS reported, the local talks
amounted to 976 per cent. and the
long distance and toll talks to "a
per cent. of the total.
The commercial telegraph mes.
sages sent during the year 1902 were
less than l-56 Of the telephone mes
sages, and the pieces Of frst-class
mail matter that passed through the
mails during the same year were not
quite as many as the telephone mes
sages.
The rapid developmentof the tele.
phone industry necessitates large
expenditure for new construction.
In order to ascertain the expenditure
on such work during period of
twelve months, an answer was re-
CURED to the inquiry: Cost of
mes real estate, equipment, ETC..
added during the year, whether by
purchase or by construction" The
sum OF the amounts reported in the
year 1902 was $51 1903, O21.
The Physical Equipment.
The switchboard is the most i'm
portant feature-of the central, ,"
the success Of the entire system de-
pending on its proper operation.
Swltchboards are classed as Manual
or Automatic.
The manual switchboard, which is
in more common use, is operated by
the hand Of the operator, who con-
meets the lines of two subscribers at
the central Office by means of a pair
Of flexible insulated wires or cords
in accordance with the oral request
OF one Of the subscribers. There
are two kinds of manual boards:
The Common-Battery or Central
Energy board, and the Magnet
board.
The automatic switchboard is one
operated by the subscriber who, by
using a device attached to the tele
phone, makes connection with the
line of the person with whom he de-
sires to converse, without the inter
vention of an operator at central.
While there has been a wide ex
tension of the telephone service ir
the rural districts, the industry ma
turally shows the greatest develop
ment in the states having the great
est population and is carried to the
highest point in the large cities. OF
the 1,051 incorporated places in the
United States having a population
of 1000 or over LOOP are provided
with telephone facilities In 1877 of
these places, there IS located only a
telephone exchange controlled by a
company operating independently
of the American Telephone and Tel
graph Company. In Ala, there is
located only an exchange controlled
by that company; and in 451, there
are exchanges controlled by both
classes of companies.
Few industries have undergone a
more violent transition from a cen
tralized control of production so IN
limited manufacture of apparatus
than telephony, and the period of
greatest activity began with the
census year 1900. Having, after
tremendously expensive litigation,
established the supremacy of its pat
ents, the Bell telephone system en-
joyed for some years undisturbed
possession of the field, but the mo-
ment these patents could be assumed
to lapse, competition broke in from
every quarter, with the result that
the industry has of late undergone
an extraordinary development,
doubling its figures from year to
year, and witnessing a thorough
revolution in methods, apparatus,
and rates.
Beginning about 1894-1895, indie
pendent telephone exchanges sprang
up like mushrooms all over the
country; but more particularly in
al