The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1920-04-16
By ARTHUR +. STONE

Theodore Newton Vail was born
in Carroll county, Ohio, of English
Quaker stock July 16, 1845, being the
son Of Davis and Phoebe (Quimby)
Vail He was educated at the NJ orris-
town, n. j., Academy and afterwards
studied medicine two years with his
uncle. AS a young man he entered
the railway mail service, working side
by side with Harry G. Pearson, af-
terwards postmaster of New York
city, in the first railway postal service
between New York and Washington.
In the early 70's he was transferred
to the run on the Union Pacific from
Council Bluffs to Ogden, where he
first achieved fame by getting all the
rans-continental mails over tho
Rocky mountain divide when trains at
both ends of the blockade were stall
ed in snowdrifts. This incident
came to the attention of Gardiner &.
Hubbard, who was trying to establish
the Bell Telephone Company III New
England, but before MI Vail entered
the telephone service he had been
made assistant superintendent Of the
railway mail service in 1873, assistant
general superintendent in 1874, apd
general superintendent in 1873. IN
the meantime he had re-organized the
service and became tn one man IL
the country who had a comprehensive
view of the railways and telegraphs
of the United States.
1t was at this time that Mr. Hub
bard went to Washington and per
suaded this young man to become
manager of the Bell Telephone Com
pany. This was in 1878 and he held
this position until 1887. He inherited
. love for electricity rs Mr.. Walls
father and uncles had lived in New
Jersey and had backed Samuel b. =.
Morse in his experiments with the
electromagnetic telegraph. The
original company was capitali. ii st
100000 and Mr.. Walls salary as gen
er'al manager was $500 a year. The
story Of the development of the tele-
phone from 1878 to the present day
is the growth of great system OF
which Mr.. Vail was for many vars
president at salary Of 100000, the
invention Of the long distance tele-
phone, and last but least the wireless.
When Mr. Hubbard hired Mr.. Vail he
wrote him, 1--WE rely upon your exc
cutve ability, your fidelity, and your
unrcmitting zeal" and MI. Vail re-
piled My faith in the success OF the
enterprise is such that | am willing
to trust to it, and l have confidencc
that we shall establish ~ harmony
and cooperation that is essential to
the success of an enterprise OF TIM
kind" One Of the greatest legal bat
ties in the history of electrical inven
tions soon started when the Western
Union Telegraph Company entered
suit against Mr.. Nails telephone
company, demanding an injunction
claiming that the Western Union helt
the patents on the telephone and that
it was not invented by Mr.. Bell. Ovel
1000 witnesses we're examined in q
trial thai lasted more than a year, but
the result of the lawsuit was the es-
tablshment of the validity Of AleXan.
der Graham Bells invention and Incl
dentalv of the great rise in value OF
the Bell Telephone stock,
When Mr.. Vail left the Bell fele-
phone Company in 1887 he supposed
he had left it for good and from 1889
to 1891 he travelled extensively and
lived for a portion Of the time ir
Bcuno5 Ayrcs in Argentina. Through
(Contirucd on pagc threc)