Evening star., 1933-06-25

ing and our added pleasures OF life.
ONE of the greatest inventions we have been
~ privileged to enjoy, and which perhaps
our ancestors never dreamed Of Is the tele-
phone though even this may not appeal to us
in an extraordinary way unless we lived before
its invention and have grown up with its de-
velopment.
Just about so years ago on June 80 1888
the Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone Co was
incorporated and during the coming week the
company is celebrating its golden anniversary.
OF course the telephone had been in use
here several years prior to this date, but even
as it stands the charter Of 1888 is the oldest
with one possible exception-of any now in
force, and which makes the local company
probably the oldest in existence. At first the
telephone here was regarded as quite novelty,
just as it had been the year before when it was
introduced and exhibited at the Centennial at
Philadelphia by its inventor. Alexander Gra-
ham Bell who was to all intents a Washington
nian, he having married the daughter of Gar
diner G. Hubbard, who in 1878 acting
counselor before congressional committees with
his residence at 1882 street.
In October, 1877. the first practical use of
the telephone made in this city, when a
private line between here and the Office of the
chief signal officer of the Army at Fort Whip
pie. now Fort Myer, Va, was installed 1t was
a Bell telephone and from which the many
The first company formed here was the
National Telephone Exchange, which
founded in 1878 by George c. Maynard he
having secured the agency in September, 1877.
This was later superseded by the National
Capital Telephone Co, and this in turn was
absorbed SO years ago by the present organi-
zation Of which The Star Of January %, 1883,
has this to say
An important change was effected yester-
day and today in the management of the
Washington telephone company The controll-
ing interest has been purchased by syndicate
OF Eastern practical telephone men, but large
proportion is still held by Washington people.
Mr.. j. w. Thompson, who owned quarter
of the stock. has disposed Of his entire inter
est and Mr.. H. d. Cooke. who owned the same
amount has sold out portion of his stock.
MeSsrs. J. B. Edmonds and H. A. Willard dis
posed of all their stock to the same parties Civ
ing them controlling interest. Messrs. Ed
monds, Thompson and Willard today resigned
members of the board of directors and H. B.
Lytle of Boston, A. p. Sawyer of NewburypOrt,
Fl. W. Frost OF New Haven and w o. Fisk
OF Lowell Mass the new stockholders were
elected in their places. Messrs. H. d. Cooke,
board are members of the new. The man.
agement say that it is their intention to give
a better service now than ever before and at
the same time extend their connections and
facilities They will first build line to Balti-
more. and the erection of trunk lines to other
points throughout the country are possibilities
in the near future. The syndicate has secured
the controlling interest in telephone companies
in various places and their object is to form
one general company which shall control tele-
phones in much the same way as the Western
Union does the telegraph wires The new man
agement deny that they have any connection
with the Western Union Co. and further