Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-10-05

est
INTERESTING HISTORY.

nll-oonoroto business building IN the
west,
INTERESTING HISTORY.
The company has an interesting his
tory 1t began az q small local COM
pany I'm 1850. organized by William
Jennings l.. S. Hlns John sharp AID
other woll-known men or Salt Lake
The Rocky Mountain Bel Telephone
company was formed Feb, 70, 1883, TAX
ing over the business of the local COM
pany. The incDTpOrators of the new
company were j. j. Dickey. who was
the cOmpanys first president, Apple
ton j. Pattison, Charles william Cook.
William b. Hibard. Louis II. Korty,
Valentine NJ. C.. Silva, Frederick r.,
Mcconnell Jasper y. Keller. Frank
Medina, Charles Sidney Smith, George
NJ. Scott Thomas Sherwiu, II. C.. Hill.
G.. W. Lyman. George Albree ana
George Y. Wallace, now and for many
years past president of the company,
Several Of these men were operating
officers OF the Western Union Telegraph
company and the Union Pacific Rail
road company. Some Of them are still
active I'm railroad and telegraph work
and most OF them still have interests Ia
the telephone business.
TOOK OVER EXCHANGES.
The company took over the salt Lake
telephone exchange and added 20 IL the
property of the ogden Telephone EX-
change company. the Idaho Telephone
& Telegraph company, and the Mon
tana Telephone a. Telegraph company.
The names Of the acquisitions were the
most important things about them az
that time. All represented Isolated
exchanges. poorly equipped. The CONF
pany bought the exchange az PARK
city and secured from the late r. C..
Chambers "a line connecting Park city
and salt Lake, the company's first
long-distance line. An iron circuit was
built between salt Lake and ogden
and later some long-distance conUcc-
lions were made in Montana. The COM
pany bought from the government "a
line from Helena 10 Deer Lodge and
connected that with Butte ON line
bought from the late =. A. Largey OF
Butte. Another OLD line from Fort Benz
ton 90 Mlssoula helped 90 make the
beginning Of the company's long-dis-
lance system Ga Montana.
$1,000 MILES OF WIRE.
Exchanges and long-distance lines
were built as the country de-
ycloped and the Company's means per-
mlttod In Utah. Idaho, Wyoming and
Montana until now the company has
1856 exchanges and about - 600 miles of
toll lines. In exchanges ANA ON long
distance lines. the company operates
almost $1,000 miles OF wire. more than
enough 90 girlle tho earth two and "a
half times or this wire. 1000 miles
is underground. ln addition 90 .ts Salt
Lake property, The company owns
buildings at riaclf1ot, Hozomln. Butte,
Boise Billings. Cheyenne. Helena ld1-
no Falls. Living ton, LnhA Logan,
McrCur Milford. Missoula. ogden, Park
city. Tocltello. Provo, Robinson, Shcri-
dan. Wyo.s Lewiston. Mont, ana Wal
lace. idaho. New buildings win soon
De finished at Butte, Great FallF Plain
city. Huntsville. Pennington. Eureka,
Utah. ana Wardncr Idaho. The come
uany has about 1900 persons On its
payrols or this number about 900 are
employed at salt Lake. Tho salt Lake
payroll Tor 1906 was 8l3,a0'92.
FIRST SWITCHBOARD.
The first Salt Lake switchboard. with
capacity of 100 lines. "a one of tho
valued relics uf tho company ono
man may pick o. up easily and u would
make scarcely "a "spot against the
great new local switchboard
President wallace was ono of the
lueorp0ratnrs OF the company and was
its treasurer before hc became prtFl-
dent General Manager ID. b. Murray
entered the employ ~ the company us
collector in 1854 under j.. a.. Hold
inF. fho nrst manager mo Salt Lake, W.
~. Crossman, district manager Tor
northern Utah, and John Anslcy city
foreman at salt Lake, have been with
the company since iiH carly days and
dozens of other employees have served
tho company long uernlr some of them
as LONG as 20 years.
THE TALK MACHINE.
There are things within the walls of
the telephone building that arc not
dreamed Of in the phdlfophy of tho
man who passes the building day after
day or enters n merely 40 transact
business.
when the average telephone user