The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1915-04-17
VAIL BUILDS UPtl|
VAST SYSTEM WITH
BELL s INVENTION
STORY or TELEPHONE HEAD AN
INTERPRETING ROMANCE OF
es@ MODERN suslNEss.
OCEAN 70 OCEAN LINE
RESULT OF HIS EFFORTS
Crowns Achievements With Record
Long Distance Talk Cover
ing 400 Miles.

President Theodore N. Vail of the
American Telephone & N.egraph
Company enjoys the distinction of hav-
Ing sent the sound OF his voice over a
greater distance then any man who
ever lived.
Or January 25th, when long-distance
telephone records were being smashed
right and left at the celebration OF the
completion of the transcontinental line,
1t was the talk between San Francisco
and Jekyll Island that had the honor
OF breaking every worlds record for
long-distance transmission. President
Vail Is spending the winter on Jekyll
Island. and when he spoke to San
Francisco, his voice had to travel 1000
miles up the Atlantic seaboard to New
York before 1t started on its transcon-
tinental journey. When 1t sounded In
the receiver at San Francisco it had
gone 400 miles in all.
Mr.. Wallis Statement.
After he had finished speaking with
San Francisco, Mr.. Vail made the fol-
lowing statement concerning the new
hnes
AT the centennial exhibition at
Philadelphia, the exhibit OF the Bell
System consisted of two telephones
capable Of talking from one part Of
the room to another. Faint as the
transmitted speech was. It became at
once the marvel Of all the world, caus-
ing scientists as well as laymen to ex-
claim with wonder. Starting with
these feeble instruments only, the Bell
Company. by persistent. study. and In
cessant expenditures Of immense sums
Of money. created an entire new art.
inventing. developing and perfecting.
making improvements, great and
small. in telephone transmitter, line.
cable. switchboard and every other
piece OF apparatus and plant required
for the transmission Of speech. As
the latest product Of this unceasing
organised effort, there has been dedis
Gated to the service OF the public to-day
transcontinental line 3.400 miles
long, joining the Atlantic and the Pa
cific and carrying the human voice in.
stantly and distinctly between San
Francisco and New York and Boston
and Washington. This telephone line
IL part of the Bell System of 81, 100000
miles Of wire connecting 9.000,000 tele-
phone stations located everywhere
throughout the United States and CIV
ing to the American people telephone
service unparalleled among the ma
tons of the earth"
A Prominent Figure.
Theodore N. Vail is one Of the most
prominent figures In American bust
ness life. In 1878 he took hold Of
Bells invention. when few others saw
more than local possibilities for It. and
built up the greatest telephone system
In the world.
In 1887 Mr.. Vail retired from the
presidency Of the American Telephone
& Telegraph Company In 1890 he
resigned from the presidency of the
Metropolitan Telephone and Tele-
graph Co. Of New York, and, laying
aside business cares for a time, pur.
chased large farm In Vermont, which
he devoted to the raising OF fine live
stock.
In 1893 Mr.. Vail made trip to
South America, where he became much
interested in the Argentine Republic,
and, obtaining q government conces-
sion near Cordoba, he built an electric
power station. He also bought a
horse-car line in Buenos Ayres, con-
verted 1t into a trolley line, organized
a company and equipped It with the
best cars from the United States.
bought out all competing lines, and
gave the city complete service. A
company was organized, composed OF
| British capitalists, who operated the
road, and for some time Mr. Vail had
| his Headquarters In London; but final
| ", believing that the undertaking no
| longer needed his personal attention.
he retired from the company activities
| In 1904 and returned to his farm at
Lyndon, Vermont.
Returns to Bell System.
In 1907, urged by prominent officials
| Of the Bell Telephone Company, he re-
entered the telephone field and again
took the presidency Of the American
! Telephone & Telegraph Company.
Besides being president Of the Amer
lean Telephone a Telegraph Company.
Mr.. Vail IL director in many Of it, SUBJ
salaries and also of the Bell Tels-
phone Company Of Canada.
He II director Of the Aston Trust
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