The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-02-01
IEOKUk WAS The
I FIRST TELEPHOhER.
..r,ission of Speech and Song
- ...w.en Here and Carthage Was
First Time West Of the
Mississippi.
mi. BEAR AND DAVIDSON
,,..d Telephone on the Telegraph
wires in the Night When the
old Man Was Sound
Asleep.

rhat the first practical use of the
,e1enhone west of the Mississippi was
i Keoklk, and the first long distance
talking in Illinois was at Carthage, !
i brought out for the first time this
week by the "reminiscences of !, G.
navidson. OF the Carthage Republican.
Anent the coming to Carthage of w.
u Dolbear to arrange for removal
II the telegraph Office, Mr.. Davidson
! q his paper tells about Mr.. Dolbear, 1
then telegraph manager here. getting
set of telephones and sending one
q Mr. Davidson who had previously
heen an operator in the railroad Of
fces here. How they talked between
the two cities is told in the article
below
man who was somewhat connect
81 with the telephone when it was a
L scientific curiosity and took part in
the first practical use of it in In
diana. somewhat like that described
hy Mr. Davidson, says that If the date
given by the latter is correct, there
Is not the least doubt that the Keo-
kuk-Carthage experiment was the
first use OF the telephone in Illinois,
IFS first use west of the Mississippi,
and its first use to bridge the Missis-
sppi. That the event has such his
torical and scientific Importance APP
parently is not known to Mr.. David
son himself. His article is as follows:
W. H. .Dolbear OF Chicago, special
agent for the Western Union Tele-
graph company, was in the city Fri
day interviewing our citizens regard
ing the necessity of a down town tele-
graph office. He met with decided
encouragement and J. II. McCulloch,
the druggist, agreed to furnish suit
able Office room in his store one year,
free, to test the experiment of wheth-
er down town office will pay. II
proper arrangements can be made to
bring a loop down on telephone poles,
the service may be established.
Mr.. Dolbear will report favorably
on the matter that a years trial may
be given our business men.
MI. Dolbear was taken over town
and introduced by ]. C. Davidson and
the curious coincident noted by both
that both have come together at least
twice before in matters OF public in
terest relating to telephones and tele
graph,
In 1876, Mr.. Dolbear, was manager
Of the Keokok Western Union tele
graph Office. Mr.. Davidson was ;
cub in the Wabash station at Car
thage Hearing of the Bell telephone
latent, then only used experimental,
N the east and not. regarded as prac
teal as commercial asset, Mr.. Dol
bear out of curiosity, wrote to tn
efaham Bell people for two of the re
cclving bulbs. They were PRACTICAL
'hc same as now Used, being littl
largeT end having two posts at the en-
With thumb screws to which to al
tach the wires.
One Oh these receivers he sent
Tie Wabash station here on the afte
noon train with instructions to col
meet it up with the telegraph wire 8
night after business was over and q
would attach the other to the KeolSu
ohd and a trial of the new telephon
would be made. Mr.. Davidson and
=. ROSS attached the phone as arran
Cd and at the given moment heard vel
clearly and distinctly, the voice of NJ
poioear, asking, How is it coming
FOR two or more hours Frank Wyma
and Ed Hardin, Keokuk's sweet sin
ers who were in the Office with M
poioear that evening, sang into Il
receiver to the delight OF the Carthae
audienee of two, who took turn abo1