The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-08-24
STATISTICS OF
THE TELEGRAPH
Single Wire Mileage Shows An
Enormous Total
MANY OCEAN CABLE LINES
Over One Hundred Wireless Stations
Have Been Erected in the United
States and Number of Mes
sages Is Increasing.
MANY OCEAN CABLE LINES

washington, August Especially y
The statistics for the telegraph in
dustry of the United States taken as
part of the third census of the electro
cal industries of the United States,
Tor 1907, have been compiled by Chief
Statistician Steuart and will be issued
in bulletin form by United States Cen
sus Director E. Dana Durand in a short
time. There are many tables, much ex-
planatory comment and a number OF
illustrations composing the Al pages of
the bulletin.
Conspicuous among the facts ex-
hloited are the stupendous single wire
mileage of the commercial telephone
and telegraph systems the millions of
messages annually carried over the
wires, the almost incredible growth
of the telephone system as compared
with the telegraph, the large 'capitaliza-
ton of the companies concerned and
the enormous sums expended by them,
and the difficult development of the
wireless system.
The first table relates to the tele-
graph systems and is a summary, by
classes. The total number of systems
is given as 1913, of which 25 are COM
mercial land line and ocean cable, six
wireless and 625 railroad telegraph
systems, the remainder not being in
volved in the topics treated of herein.
The 20 commercial land line and ocean
cable systems operated 1,577,961 miles
of single wire, employed an average
of 2S,c34 persons, paid $17,S0S,249 in
salaries and wages, expended $41S79,-
613, earned $51,5S3,S6S, and sent 1O3,-
794,706 messages. The 625 railroad tele-
graph systems operated S60,342 miles of
single wire, employed an average of
6S,i97 telegraph operators and dis
patchers, expended $S7,242.479 dncome
not stated, as there is no direct finan-
cial income from their own use of the
service) sent 264,512,S16 messages, of
which 5,923,4s3 were of a commercial
nature, the income for which is re-
ported by the commercial systems.
Telegraphs and Telephones.
Another table shows that there was
grand total of 15,072,220 miles of single
wire in the telegraph and telephone serv-
ice. OF this, the telephone system con-
trolled 1899, 1863 miles, of which there
were on pole or roof lines 5,092,22S, in
overhead cables 2,9l7,114, in subways or
conduits 1868, 1902, and in submarine cables
20 $50 miles. OF the grand total stated, the
telegraph systems used 2,072,s51 miles, of
which there were on pole or roof lines l.,
95S, 1856 miles, in overhead cables 1856, in
subways or conduits 65,247, and in sub
marine cables 1882 miles. These figures
emphasize the economic Importance of
the telegraph and the telephone.
A comparative summary deals with the
telephone and commercial telegraph sys-
TENS, not including railroad lines and the
wireless, giving the grand total as 1856
companies, of which there are 22.971 tele-
phone systems, which include 17,702 indie
pendent farmer or rural lines, and % COM
mercial telegraph systems, not including
the wilderness. The grand total of single
wire mileage was 1457O.142. of which the
telephone systems controlled 1898, 1863
miles, which include 294 miles of wire
on independent farmer or rural lines,
while the telegraph systems used 1,57O,173
miles, exclusive of 7lSS miles of leased
wire.
The grand total of ocean cable was 46, 30f
nautical miles, all controlled by the COM
mercial telegraph systems.
The grand total of salaried officials,
clerks, etc, was 29470 of whom 2529s
were employed by the telephone systems
and 4172 by the commercial telegraph. The