Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1916-06-16
TELEGRAPH OFFICIAL.
Rise of w. I. Capen, a Brattleboro
Boy, to High Position in Postal Tel
cgraph- Cable Company.

The Postal Telegraph, the official
publication of the Postal Telegraph
company, in its June issue contains a
halftone picture and sketch of w. l.
Capen, vice president in charge of
construction, under the heading "Our
Construction Men" Mr.. Capen is a
native of this town and cousin of
Mrs. E. E. Flagg, sr., of Prospect
street. The sketch is as follows:
cit should be of interest to the con-
struction and line men of the company
to read something about their CO.
workers in different parts of the coun-
try, and we propose i'll these columns
from month to month to sketch briefly
the careers of those who help build
our lines and keep them in repair.
'lt is fitting, therefore, that such
a series should commence with the
general who directs the forces that
are stretched from the Atlantic to the
Pacific and from the Gulf to the Ca,
madam border, building new lines,
stringing wires and making repairs.
Mr.. w. l. Capen, vice president in
charge of construction of the Postal
Telegraph-Cable company, like most
telegraph officials, began his tele-
graphic career as messenger boy in
his native town, Brattleboro, Yer.
mont, with the Vermont, Boston and
Montreal Telegraph company, later
becoming an operator with that COM
pany. He subsequently served as man
agcr and wire chief with several of
the many telegraph companies which
were in existence in the early 80 s.
When the present Postal Telegraph
Cable company was being formed, in
1888, Mr.. Capen was appointed mana
ger of the Cincinnati office, where he
remained until he was made superin-
tendent in 1890, being the first super
intendent appointed in the western
division. In 1906 he was promoted to
the general superintendency of the
western division, with headquarters
iii Chicago. The East reclaimed him
as its own in 1909, and the young
operator who went out into the West
many years before now returned as
the general superintendent of plant
Tor the entire system. In 1912 he was
appointed vice president in charge of
construction, which is his present po-
siton.
Mr.. Capen is a New Highlander
and comes from Vermont, where they
produce lumber, maple sugar and
thrifty Yankces-the latter being the
principal output. 1t is proverbial that
a Vermont Yankee in business
transaction resembles the marble for
which Vermont is so famous. We
would not say exactly that of Mr..
Capen, but there is no doubt that his
early association with these hard
headed Vermont Yankees stands him
in good stead in his present position.
where he has under his control the
purchasing of thousands of dollars of
line material annually, and you could
no more sell him a load of imperfect
poles than you could sell a spawned
horse to David Harum.
cit has been said that A thing of
beauty is joy forever. There is moth
ing which appeals more to Mr. Capen s
sense of the beautiful, and hence
gives him more joy, than to ride along
a country road and see straight
standing up telegraph line with
wires taut and poles erect. Such
telegraph line make the same appeal
to him as a Rembrandt or a Raphael
does to an art lover. No highway is
complete without telegraph line,
says Mr.. Capen, and he is constantly
signing for new highways to decorate
with poles, crossarms and wires.'