158 GROWING IMPORTANCE OF THE ST. PETERSBURG BUSINESS. 



and travel to the fault. As the order was given to 

 supply our mechanicians with post-horses at once and 

 before all other travellers, the fault was nearly always 

 removed in the course of a few hours. 



In consequence of this arrangement the Russian 

 telegraph lines acted with great accuracy during the 

 period of our management, and interruptions of the 

 service rarely occurred for more than a day. in spite 

 of the enormous length of the lines, and in spite of 

 the desert steppes through which they mostly passed. 

 x The contract, almost forced upon us, for the watching 

 of the telegraph lines soon proved very profitable, and 

 amply compensated us for the losses which we had 

 suffered in the construction of many of the lines. 



Through the management of the remounts en- 

 trusted to us and the continued further constructions 

 of lines our St. Petersburg business obtained great im- 

 portance and a unique position in the Russian Empire. 

 We received the official title " Contractors for the con- 

 struction and remount of the Imperial Russian telegraph 

 lines", and obtained for our superior servants the right 

 to wear uniforms with badges of rank. The latter was 

 absolutely necessary for the thorough performance of 

 our tasks, for the Russian public only respects the 

 wearers of uniforms. To obtain this right I had a 

 number of handsome uniforms designed in Berlin. In- 

 stead of the epaulets, which in Russia were reserved for 

 officers, golden chenille of varying thickness, increasing 

 with the rank, was attached to the shoulders. Excellent 

 artists then painted various groups arrayed in such 



