The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-06-05
VAIL TALKS OF
THE TELEPHONE
Head of Parent Bell Company
Impressed by Western
Development.
PIONEER IN THE BUSINESS
REMARKS ON CHANGES OF A
DECADE,lN SALT LAKE.

here IN 1868 with the pioneers. At that
time he was employed on the Union Pa
eiic railroad. His last visit here was
ten years ago.
Only ten years since I last saw the
salt Lake valley. and what wonderful
changes have taken place" he said
yesterday a decade ago, when l came
up the valley, there were in some pIaces
only sagebrush and jack rabbits. where
there are now farms galore Ii is the
magic worked by irrigation. The west
Is growing so fast that one must come
here at intervals 10 retain an inteli-
gent idea of conditions.
Back i'm the east. progress is SLOW
and or such a nature that IL can be
ieckoned upon long iu advance But
mere advancement goes by ma gnifcent
spurts, and you never can tell lust
where the whirl Of progress will build
up cities and Industrial centers. Only
a short time ago, who would have be-
Heved that a long-distance telephone
and numerous local lines would be de-
nanded IN Nevada? And yet, today the
telephone lines in that state are not
only useful, but profitable. The great
west Is full of surprises In one sec
tion energetic men are creating garden
spots with irrigation enterprises. AT
other points, great mines are being de-
Veloped and large SHELTERS erected.
giving employment 10 thousands of
men and demanding the building of
railroads and many other improve
ments.
First View of Salt Lake.
Il was in Salt Lake in 1868. when I
was employed on the Union Pacific.
and have seen almost all of the stages
OF progress mere. When 1 first saw Salt
Lake II was little country village. On
one street there We're but a few ware
houses and stores, a few of them brick.
but most Of them wooden. Down on
your business streets OF the present.
where the big buildings now stand.
were farm houses. The tabernacle had
been erected, but the temple foundation
Just showed above the ground.
There were clear, sparkling streams
OF water flowing through the streets.
and l thought Salt Lake the prettiest
place l had ever seen. But l had been
upon the plains for a year and my
eyes had had little opportunity to feast
upon the beautiful That NAV account
for my enthusiastic admiration Of the
village Of Salt Lake Of that time"
Mr.. Vail will remain in Salt Lake
several days and will then go TO Id 10
and Montana. He does not intend 10 go
10 California on this trip. He is ac-
companied by f. J. Hall, vice president
or the company. Mrs. Vail and niece.
Long Distance Wire.
Mr.. Vail said that the American Tel /
-ephone & Telegraph company is now
stretching a long-distance wire between
Kansas City and Denver, which will
complete cross continent telephone
connection. He said that although il
had been possible to converse over !. 500
miles OF wire, under favorable condi-
lions, communication between persons
1000 miles or more apart had not been
found entirely satisfactory
He said he did not look forward to
any extraordinary development of the /
telephone.
The wonderful thing was accom-
plished when Alexander Graham Bell
Invented the telephone he said. Since
that time there has been a gradual |
process Of evolution. improvements !
are being made from time TO time. but
do not look forward to the adoption /
OF any altogether astonishing and rev. /
dictionary ideas. In New York there |
are 100 men engaged in the investiga-
ton OF new ideas suggested by the /
users or the telephone. ANY man may
make a suggestion for the improvement /
OF the telephone and have it tested /
and there are many men with such |
ideas.
Just now the phantom circuit is the 4
most curious thing in telephoning.
Wires already in use are used for this /
circuit
Mr.. Vail said that the late financial /
furry had scarcely been felt by the tel /
ephone company AT first we curtailed /
construction 10 some extent" he said,
but we found that our receipts re-
manned substantially unchanged.
Good or bad times, busy people must
use the telephone"
Risen From the Ranks.
Mr.. Vail made his start in the world
from the ranks. He was born in Ohio.
and is now about 63 years old. He FIRST
taught school. then studied medicine
for two years. Turning his back uDon
medicine, he learned biography and
was for several years with the West
eFn Union company. After that. he
was appointed 10 the position of mail
clerk on the Union Pacific railroad /
and had the run between Omaha ana /,
Ogden for six years.
In 1873, with Bell, the inventor. and ,
Gardiner G. Hubbard, he formed the
first Bell Telephone company in Wash
ington, and was its first general man
ager. The company became the Amer
lean Bel Telephone company and then
the American Telephone & Telegram
company. The central company owns
a large interest in most Of the Bell i
companies throughout the country. II
In 1888 Mr.. Vail retired as general
manager, and for twenty years did not
hold Office in the company On the re-
tirement of Frederick p Fish as presi-
dent last year, Mr.. Vail was chosen as
head Of the corporation.
People Laughed at II.
After We had started the first Bell
il was five years before we
poeketed a cent Of profit" said Mr..
Vail. For the most part. people
laughed at US when we spoke OF the
merits OF the telephone TO them. They
called il Yankee toy
In the beginning, our idea was To
put in private lines. Then the exchange
system dawned upon US and the mod (
eTn system of telephoning was created.
IL would be hard 10 say which city was
the first TO have a system of telephones
THE distinction is claimed by LITTLE
Rock, Ark, by a town in Connecticut :
and by other places. Buffalo, n. Y. $
was one OF the first TO enjoy the ex-
change sVSfen1 After the idaa 80. a