The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1915-01-29

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 Unit
ed States and President Vail of the
company, President Moore of the
Panama Pacific Exposition, and many
others between the Atlantic and Pa
cific cities. Perhaps every person
reading the story of those converse
tions will wonder how it 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-presidcnt Of
the American Telephone and Telc-
graph company, when he reviewed
briefly the history of the telephone
system in the world to those who
were gathered in the New York of
fee to hear and enjoy the transcon-
tinental conversations. Among other
things, he said
This afternoon we shall formally
open the first transcontential tele-
phone line, spanning a distance of
3,400 miles. This line forms a high
way of speech between the Atlantic
and Pacific coasts; telephone net
work unequaled in its comprehensive
ness now covers our vast country
from sea to sea, connecting cities,
towns and villages and forms into
what is known as the Bell Telephone
system. When we remember that the
telephone itself was invented no long
er ago than 1875, we cannot but mar
vel at the position attained by this
wonderful instrument as an agency In
the conduct of social and commercial
affairs throughout our country.
Some idea, however, necessarily
incomplete and inadequate as to the
size and importance of the Bell Sys-
tenn as it is today, may be conveyed
by few figures:
Using round figures, there are in
the system, including connecting
companies, 100000 telephone sta
tons and 2l,000,0000 miles of wire,
The plant OF the American company
and its associated companies alone
represents an investment of SS50,O00-
100000.
The army of men and women en-
gagged in its operations, exclusive of
those employed by connecting COM
panies, numbers 10000.
The university Of the system is
strikingly shown by the fact that
while in our country there are ap-
proximatcly $4,000 places reached by
the telegraph, 10000 railroad stations
and like number of postofhces. the
telephone joins together no less than
10000 communities.
The value of that agency as told
by the extent to which it is used can
not be expressed in figures easily
comprehensive.
The messages transmitted over its
lines number approximately nine bill
/ lions a year To aid us in our at
tempt to catch the significance OF
this figure, the statisticians say that
it is equivalent to twenty-Six million
messages 4 day, or more than one
million messages Fer hour through
out the twcnty-four.
"Thctelcphone has attained its
largest measure OF usefulness in the
land OF its birth. 1t is sufficient to
makcmake but one comparison. In
the two cities we are joining together
lClG llOlllNhllN AVN YIN sRi'N N'''''
Francisco-there are 6S5,0O0 telephone
stations, more. by $4,000, than the
number in London, Paris Berlin,
Vienna, Brussels, Amsterdam and
Petrograd combined.
The population OF those European
capitals is more than three times
that of the two American cities nam
ed. The statistics as to those foreign
cities, | may say. relate to conditions
before the commencement of the Eu-
reopean war.
From the beginning. the develop
ment of the art of telephony has been
advanced in America more than in
any other country and more than in
lall other countries combined. Ameri,
can engineers, inventors and tinan-
ciers; American operating, CONNER.
cial and accounting forces, through
the introduction OF new ideas and
practices, have always kept the unit
system of the United States in tht
foremost position among the tele.
/ phone systems of the world and made
it, in all respects, the universally re
cognized model.