Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1906-11-23
REGARDED AS A TOY.
Bells strenuous Struggle to In
trOduce the First Telephone.

CONerleS contributed largely 10 ule
commercial success of the telephone,
had been known only as a teacher of
deaf mutes previous to the time he
took out his telephone patents. He
native country, and when he emigrat-
ed to America it was with the inten-
tion Of continuing to teach here.
Important as this work was, he
could earn nothing more than a scan
ty living. Soon even this income was
threatened, for he began to devote
more and more time to the study of
sound transmission, and in order to
make a living at all by teaching it
was necessary to devote his entire
time TO it.
At the Centennial Exhibition, in
Philadelphia, he showed a crude
model of a telephone but it attracted
only passing notice from capitalists,
though eminent scientists predicted
a future for it. The results were not
what Bell looked for, but he took up
the work again, made some improve
ments and took out patents covering
the principal features of the tele-
phone as it is to-day.
Three hours after he filed his APP
plication, Elisha Gray filed a caveat
for his telephone.
On February /, 1877, Bell went to
Salem, Mass, and gave his first public
exhibition and lecture. 1t aroused
some curiosity, but drew no financial
backing. On May 10, he lectured be-
fore the Boston Academy, and there,
apparently, the results were little
more encouraging than they had been
at Salem. The general opinion ex-
pressed was that the telephone was a
remarkably clever toy, but that it
was nothing more.
The reception he met with did not
in the least shake Bells faith in his
money. He resolved on a desperate
move, and he went to Chauncey M.
Depew and offered him a one-sixth
interest in the company If he would
loan $4,000 to put the company on
it's feet. Depew took a week to con-
slider the proposition. At the end OF
the week he wrote back that the in
| cident might be considered closed.
The telephone was a clever idea but
it was utterly lacking in commercial
possibilities, and $40, 900 was far too
big a sum to risk in marketing an
instrument that at best could never
be more than a source of amusement.
Thus Depew let Slip an opportunity
to acquire for $4,000 an interest that
to-day could not be bought for less
than 1926, 900, 900.
Bell was being hard-pushed, and he
determined to make a last offer. Don
Cameron, of Pennsylvania, was then
one of the leading figures in the
United States Senate, and his influ-
ence throughout the country was very
great. Bell went to him and offered
him, for nothing, one-half interest in
the invention if he would endeavor to
have it introduced to the public.
Cameron would not even consider
the proposition, and gave orders
that Bell and his fool talking ma
chine be thrown out" If he again at
tempted to get ar interview.
While Bell was effectually strug-
Cling in this direction, a few men in
Boston. who had been interested by
the exhibition before the Boston
Academy, determined to give the
telephone a thorough test. A line
three miles long was built from Bos-
ton to Somerville, and this the first
practical telephone line in the world,
proved SO unequivocally the utility Of
the telephone that there could no
longer be any question of it's success.
The pioneer line, three miles long,
cost a few hundred dollars. In less
than 30 years the number Of miles OF
wire has increased to nearly 1900, 900
and 10000 persons are regularly en-
ployed by the telephone companies.
In the United States alone there are
each year 5000, OOO, 900 telephone calls,
and the American (BelD Telephone
COmpany is capitalized at Sl58. 66l 800.