The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1915-01-30

Wnen an lnulNluual OF q corpora
I ton accomp ishes a wonderful feat,
the idea naturally arises, how was It
accomplished? The other day the.
Bell Telephone System accomplished
the feat of transmitting distinctly the
human voice from coast to coast.
| Conversations were carried on be-
tween President Wilson of the Uni.
| ted States and President Vail OF the
company, President Moore OF tho
Panama Pacific Exposition, and many
others between the Atlantic and Pa
cihc cities. Perhaps every person
reading the story of those converse
tions will wonder how 1t was done.
No better description nor any better
story of how this remarkable achieve.
ment was accomplished has ever been
written or told than was told by L.
n. Bethel, senior vice president of
the American Telephone and Tee.
graph Company, when he reviewed
briefly the history of the telephone
system in the world to those who
we're gathered in the New York offi:e
to hear and enjoy the transcontinent-
al conversations. Among other
things, he said:
This afternoon we shall formally
open the first transcontinental tele.
phone line, spanning distance of
34O0 miles. This line forms a high.
way of speech between the Atlantic
and Pacific coasts; telephone net
work unequalled in its comprehen.
siveness now covers our vast coun.
try from sea to sea, connecting cities
towns, villages and firms into what
Is known as the Bel Telephone Sys
TEN. When we remember that the
telephone itself was invented nc
longer ago than 1875 we cannot bu
marvel at the position attained by
\ this wonderful instrument as an agen
, cy in the condu:t of social and com
mercial affairs throughout our coun
4 try.
y Some idea, however, necessaril!
incomplete and inadequate as to tn
J. size and Importance Of the Bell Sys
l. TEN as II is today, may be conveye,
by few figures:
Using round figures, there are 4
the system, including connecting CON
panies, 100000 telephone station
/ and 100000 miles OF wire. Tn
% plant OF the American Company an
u its associated companies alone repre-
= sents an investment OF $S50,000,O 900
The army Of men and women ell
III gagged in its operations. exclusive c
u those employed by connecting con
'e panies, numbers 100000.
's THE universally Of the system
u strikingy shown by the fact this
- while in our country there are a
proximately $4,000 places reached b
III the telegraph, 10000 railroad station
eS and like number OF postoflices, u
D. telephone Joins together no less tina
)" 600 communities.
eS THE value OF that agency as 10
~ by the existent to which 1t Is use
cannot be expressed in figures east
M comprehensive.
's' THE messages transmitted over !
hu lines, number approximately nine b
'u' lions a year. To aid us in our {
st. tempt to catch the significance OF tn
'a' figure, the statisticians say that It
w equivalent to twenty.six million me
is' sages day, or more than one m
Gu lion per hour throughout the TWEEN
four.
''s' The telephone has attained
ICY largest measure of usefulness In I
'e' land OF its birth. 1t is suficient
ms make but one comparison. In
ia' two cities We are Joining togeth
al telephonically-New York and S
TN Francisco-there are 6s5,OoO e
phone stations, more, by $4,000 tn
the number in London, Paris, Berl
., Vienna, Brussels, Amsterdam a
,er Petrograd combined.
,os The population OF these Europe
al capitals is more than three times Il
Nj. Of the two American cities name
MS The statistics as to those foreign
NV les, may say, relate to conditic
oy. before the commencement OF the
soc ropeOn war.
tor From the beginning, the devel
ment OF the art OF telephony !