the history of the telephone-第23章

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s　intellectual　and　moral　calibre。

He　gave　it　tone　and　prestige。　He　built　up　its　credit。　He　kept　it　clean　and　clear　above　all　suspicion　of　wrong…doing。　He　held　fast　whatever　had　been　gained。　And　he　prepared　the　way　for　the　period　of　expansion　by　borrowing　fifty　millions　for　improvements；　and　by　adding　greatly　to　the　strength　and　influence　of　the　American　Telephone　and　Telegraph　Company。

Hudson　remained　at　the　head　of　the　telephone　table　until　his　death；　in　1900；　and　thus　lived　to　see　the　dawn　of　the　era　of　big　business。　Under　his　regime　great　things　were　done　in　the　development　of　the　art。　The　business　was　pushed　ahead　at　every　point　by　its　captains。　Every　man　in　his　place；　trying　to　give　a　little　better　service　than　yesterdaythat　was　the　keynote　of　the　Hudson　period。　There　was　no　one　preeminent　genius。　Each　important　step　forward　was　the　result　of　the　cooperation　of　many　minds；　and　the　prodding　necessities　of　a　growing　traffic。

By　1896；　when　the　Common　Battery　system　created　a　new　era；　the　telephone　engineer　had　pretty　well　mastered　his　simpler　troubles。　He　was　able　to　handle　his　wires；　no　matter　how　many。　By　this　time；　too；　the　public　was　ready　for　the　telephone。　A　new　generation　had　grown　up；　without　the　prejudices　of　its　fathers。　People　had　grown　away　from　the　telegraphic　habit　of　thought；　which　was　that　wire　communications　were　expensive　luxuries　for　the　few。　The　telephone　was；　in　fact；　a　new　social　nerve；　so　new　and　so　novel　that　very　nearly　twenty　years　went　by　before　it　had　fully　grown　into　place；　and　before　the　social　body　developed　the　instinct　of　using　it。

Not　that　the　difficulties　of　the　telephone　engineers　were　over；　for　they　were　not。　They　have　seemed　to　grow　more　numerous　and　complex　every　year。　But　by　1896　enough　had　been　done　to　warrant　a　forward　movement。　For　the　next　ten…year　period　the　keynote　of　telephone　history　was　EXPANSION。　Under　the　prevailing　flat…rate　plan　of　payment；　all　customers　paid　the　same　yearly　price　and　then　used　their　telephones　as　often　as　they　pleased。　This　was　a　simple　method；　and　the　most　satisfactory　for　small　towns　and　farming　regions。　But　in　a　great　city　such　a　plan　grew　to　be　suicidal。　In　New　York；　for　instance；　the　price　had　to　be　raised　to　240；　which　lifted　the　telephone　as　high　above　the　mass　of　the　citizens　as　though　it　were　a　piano　or　a　diamond　sunburst。　Such　a　plan　was　strangling　the　business。　It　was　shutting　out　the　small　users。　It　was　clogging　the　wires　with　deadhead　calls。　It　was　giving　some　people　too　little　service　and　others　too　much。　It　was　a　very　unsatisfactory　situation。

How　to　extend　the　service　and　at　the　same　time　cheapen　it　to　small　usersthat　was　the　Gordian　knot；　and　the　man　who　unquestionably　did　most　to　untie　it　was　Edward　J。　Hall。　Mr。　Hall　founded　the　telephone　business　in　Buffalo　in　1878；　and　seven　years　afterwards　became　the　chief　of　the　long…distance　traffic。　He　was　then；　and　is　to…day；　one　of　the　statesmen　of　the　telephone。　For　more　than　thirty　years　he　has　been　the　〃candid　friend〃　of　the　business；　incessantly　suggesting；　probing；　and　criticising。　Keen　and　dispassionate；　with　a　genius　for　mercilessly　cutting　to　the　marrow　of　a　proposition；　Hall　has　at　the　same　time　been　a　zealot　for　the　improvement　and　extension　of　telephone　service。　It　was　he　who　set　the　agents　free　from　the　ball…and…　chain　of　royalties；　allowing　them　to　pay　instead　a　percentage　of　gross　receipts。　And　it　was　he　who　〃broke　the　jam；〃　as　a　lumberman　would　say；　by　suggesting　the　MESSAGE　RATE　system。

By　this　plan；　which　U。　N。　Bethell　developed　to　its　highest　point　in　New　York；　a　user　of　the　telephone　pays　a　fixed　minimum　price　for　a　certain　number　of　messages　per　year；　and　extra　for　all　messages　over　this　number。　The　large　user　pays　more；　and　the　little　user　pays　less。　It　opened　up　the　way　to　such　an　expansion　of　telephone　business　as　Bell；　in　his　rosiest　dreams；　had　never　imagined。　In　three　years；　after　1896；　there　were　twice　as　many　users；　in　six　years　there　were　four　times　as　many；　in　ten　years　there　were　eight　to　one。　What　with　the　message　rate　and　the　pay　station；　the　telephone　was　now　on　its　way　to　be　universal。　It　was　adapted　to　all　kinds　and　conditions　of　men。　A　great　corporation；　nerved　at　every　point　with　telephone　wires；　may　now　pay　fifty　thousand　dollars　to　the　Bell　Company；　while　at　the　same　time　a　young　Irish　immigrant　boy；　just　arrived　in　New　York　City；　may　offer　five　coppers　and　find　at　his　disposal　a　fifty　million　dollar　telephone　system。

When　the　message　rate　was　fairly　well　established；　Hudson　diedfell　suddenly　to　the　ground　as　he　was　about　to　step　into　a　railway　carriage。　In　his　place　came　Frederick　P。　Fish；　also　a　lawyer　and　a　Bostonian。　Fish　was　a　popular；　optimistic　man；　with　a　〃full…speed…ahead〃　temperament。　He　pushed　the　policy　of　expansion　until　he　broke　all　the　records。　He　borrowed　money　in　stupendous　amounts150；000；000　at　one　timeand　flung　it　into　a　campaign　of　red…　hot　development。　More　business　he　demanded；　and　more；　and　more；　until　his　captains；　like　a　thirty…horse　team　of　galloping　horses；　became　very　nearly　uncontrollable。

It　was　a　fast　and　furious　period。　The　whole　country　was　ablaze　with　a　passion　of　prosperity。　After　generations　of　conflict；　the　men　with　large　ideas　had　at　last　put　to　rout　the　men　of　small　ideas。　The　waste　and　folly　of　competition　had　everywhere　driven　men　to　the　policy　of　cooperation。　Mills　were　linked　to　mills　and　factories　to　factories；　in　a　vast　mutualism　of　industry　such　as　no　other　age；　perhaps；　has　ever　known。　And　as　the　telephone　is　essentially　the　instrument　of　co…working　and　interdependent　people；　it　found　itself　suddenly　welcomed　as　the　most　popular　and　indispensable　of　all　the　agencies　that　put　men　in　touch　with　each　other。

To　describe　this　growth　in　a　single　sentence；　we　might　say　that　the　Bell　telephone　secured　its　first　million　of　capital　in　1879；　its　first　million　of　earnings　in　1882；　its　first　million　of　dividends　in　1884；　its　first　million　of　surplus　in　1885。　It　had　paid　out　its　first　million　for　legal　expenses　by　1886；　began　first　to　send　a　million　messages　a　day　in　1888；　had　strung　its　first　million　miles　of　wire　in　1900；　and　had　installed　its　first　million　telephones　in　1898。　By　1897　it　had　spun　as　many　cobwebs　of　wire　as　the　mighty　Western　Union　itself；　by　1900　it　had　twice　as　many　miles　of　wire　as　the　Western　Union；　and　in　1905　FIVE　TIMES　as　many。　Such　was　the　plunging　progress　of　the　Bell　Companies　in　this　period　of　expansion；　that　by　1905　they　had　swept　past　all　European　countries　combined；　not　only　in　the　quality　of　the　service　but　in　the　actual　number　of　telephones　in　use。　This；　too；　without　a　cent　of　public　money；　or　the　protection　of　a　tariff；　or　the　prestige　of　a　governmental　bureau。

By　1892　Boston　and　New　York　were　talking　to　Chicago；　Milwaukee；　Pittsburg；　and　Washington。　One…half　of　the　people　of　the　United　States　were　within　talking　distance　of　each　other。　The　THOUSAND…MILE　TALK　had　ceased　to　be　a　fairy　tale。　Several　years　later　the　western　end　of　the　line　was　pushed　over　the　plains　to　Nebraska；　enabling　the　spoken　word　in　Boston　to　be　heard　in　Omaha。　Slowly　and　with　much　effort　the　public　were　taught　to　substitute　the　telephone　for　travel。　A　special　long…distance　salon　was　fitted　up　in　New　York　City　to　entice　people　into　the　habit　of　talking　to　other　cities。　Cabs　were　sent　for　customers；　and　when　one　arrived；　he　was　escorted　over　Oriental　rugs　to　a　gilded　booth；　draped　with　silken　curtains。　This　was　the　famous　〃Room　Nine。〃　By　such　and　many　other　allurements　a　larger　idea　of　telephone　service　was　given　to　the　public　mind；　until　in　1909　at　least　eighteen　thousand　New　York…Chicago　conversa…　tions　were　held；　and　the　revenue　from　strictly　long…distance　messages　was　twenty…two　thousand　dollars　a　day。

By　1906　even　the　Rocky　Mountain　Bell　Company　had　grown　to　be　a　ten…million…dollar　enterprise。　It　began　at　Salt　Lake　City　with　a　hundred　telephones；　in　1880。　Then　it　reached　out　to　master　an　area　of　four　hundred　and　thirteen　thousand　square　milesa　great　Lone　Land　of　undeveloped　resources。　Its　linemen　groped　through　dense　forests　where　their　poles　looked　like　toothpicks　beside　the　towering　pines　and　cedars。　They　girdled　the　mountains　and　basted　the　prairies　with　wire；　until　the　lonely　places　w