rate* and held at Omaha, Vieeauso the time, < -ippi. The Baltimore and < >h, : .. t 



w rate. was. much shorter than the water route, tin.-t organization, dated tiom Jan. I. ISSJ, ahl.oiuli 

 lama. \VhentheIndians ceased their opposi- the telegraph lines of the railroad were in operation 

 lion the Overland Telegniph Coinpanv LKcamc a \ery many years U'fore. During the civil war tii 



--'' ' c., m . 



fortunate v. mure. 



I. in con ..... -lion with the American 'IV 1. 



ert of Chicago ; the Northwestern May. IsT'.i. toroiuh the Ameneun ' 

 Company, those throndi Wisconsin ami Minnesota. When the oonaolidutiua of the latie 



which mtiinlained an independent organization until ern I'liion took place, in IsM, tlit 



their in I " I. These lines all worked in 



lion as one system, although under <i 

 ;s. The cajiital stock of the V 

 .ipany was $3,000,000, representing the 

 '.i><>il. to which it had lieen quadrupled, and 

 ' .im various sources. In 1st'. I a snick cliv- 

 iden I was added. In 1st',:; and iM'.l 



i.-d to repn.-ent extensions 



and n.-.v lin.s; and. in the latter year, tin; stock was 



doubled by an issue 01 M l.lMHI.iMi) a- a dividend. Ill 



:id Is.'. I the Iiiissiati e\!cti>ioti was organized 



with a capital of $10,000,000. During and after Uie civil 



War an active opposition arose from the I'nited States 



iph Company, eompeiing in the territory of the 



rn I'nioii over some 1 I. IKK) miles of wire. In 

 1866com'iien'-e.laplanofcon.-olidation ;the 1 1, ()( )0 miles 

 of the t'i. h Comp.-.ny's wires were i . , 



purchase<l with newsto<-k of the Western 1'nioii valued bunded debt, less balance in the sinking fund, was 

 at $6, The Illinois and Mississippi and l he $6,737,038.33. The gross revenues for the year cnd- 



Sonthwe-tern I lines were absorbed. l><". 



to the amount of #1 .r.."rJ,000 were issued for the Cal- 

 iforni-i 'I'.-le.'rapli lines, and for each share of the 



in 



May, ]>~,\>, through the American Inion Company. 



latter with the \\Y-I- 

 th>> I'.ahimore ami 

 Oliio determined in establish its telegraph s\ si . 



a thoroughly independent b;isis. ami the Baltimore and 



Ohio Telegraph CoUlptUiy \V;us formed. UK] it soon de- 

 termined t.i extend it- lines tn all important jioii- 

 ill' the IJocky Mountains. lint in I>s7 the \\ 

 Union gained complete control of the Baltimore and 

 Oliio Company, and sm.-c that time' it has had piacli- 

 eally no opposition. The special gain by the transfer 

 was the an | n i ring of many miles of wires that rail 

 '.ii I roads, but had been used hitherto chiefly to 

 help tin . r MI. -h roads. Ill October, 1888, tfafl 



\\"i-.-t.-rn I'nioii Telegraph Company reported it.s out- 

 standing eapilal slock at $86,lttV,86:2.06' 1 of which 

 *:.'>. '.'Ti', TOI I belongs to the company. The stock W;LS 

 1 din-ini; the year by the ]nirchase of tho 15al- 



tiiuore and Ohio Tcle.srr.ipli Company, fur which pur- 



po.-. .! of additional .-lock was i.^iu-d. The 



iug June JO, 1888, "ere $19,711,104.1-', and the ex- 

 irere jil4,ri4il.;VjJ. IS, leavin.ir a profit of $C>,u7U,- 

 ;-)7l.<l4. The Mirplns amounts to 7, 4'.^..'i4S. 1 .)l. _Ill 



American Com'| ll thr.-e shares were i. ned. a Idilion to the lialtimoru and Ohio syslein. eon-istjni; 



Whmthiai I, the West- of 1,711 miles of line, carrying ;"i4,ns7 miles of wire, 



crn I'liion Company stood \\ithoiit an important rival and the New York and Southern system, consisting 

 in the telegraph businOM of the country, with a capital of IfiiiS miles of line, and carry inir M'.n> miles of wire. 

 UXXMKX) and a total uouiinal investment, acquired during the year, the company cunsiructcd 

 of tt7 ':J-J^' miles of new line, carrying :!l!,4:j<) uiiles of 



The thus marked KB important epoeb in wire, on which account there wa.< appropriated jil.lil'.l.- 



the history of the telegraph system in this country. . r i'.lil.t>7. ''he total addil ions to the plant were II. .ml 

 I'Votu that time i 'the Western I'liion Coin- milisof line, and y|.i'iO7 miles of wir;, and ].">S;; ad- 



wd from $41^000,000 to $80,000,000 in ditiunal and Mwly equipped offiecs. The a. 

 In that year the National Telegraph lines were amount received ]KT message during the year was ;;!.:! 

 Hi>M to the liallimore and Ohio 'I'ele^iaph (Vmpany, cents as against ;in.4 cents the year belorc. At the 

 and the latter became a LTeat rival of the Western cl - i lie eoinpaiiy owned and operated 171, ;i7f 



l'nion T: a Company was llie re- ' miles of poles and cabli -.carrying i.h'.Llls n. 



( 

 ult of 





nimiiiiir from Buffalo to Clr.-ago 

 " 



; he two telegraph lines 



" Aiek 



wire, over which there were sent during the year 

 from 17.1MI ofTiees. In the l!lj 



Plate" Railroad, and from New York city to liulLlo 



along the \\'e-t Shore Kailroad. ... 



ne from New York to Chicago. The con.-olida- 'fhe following table shows the i-rowth ef ihe Western 

 tion extended the liniMif the Baltimore and Ohio from I'liion Telegraph Company in various years sinco 

 New York city to the principal cities east of the >l 



\ ears of its e\i.-ieiiee tin- company earned and <-,. 

 This made a enntii ..7l'''..>:;. and paid in divi 



' 



Sttitixtlrs of the. HV.sVrni I'liiim T<!<yr<i/>li Company. 



