the history of the telephone-第19节

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　a　Government　navy…yard；　has　so　many。　Nothing　is　too　small　to　escape　these　sleuths　of　inspection。　They　test　every　tiny　disc　of　mica；　and　throw　away　nine　out　of　ten。　They　test　every　telephone　by　actual　talk；　set　up　every　switchboard；　and　try　out　every　cable。　A　single　transmitter；　by　the　time　it　is　completed；　has　had　to　pass　three　hundred　examinations；　and　a　single　coin…box　is　obliged　to　count　ten　thousand　nickels　before　it　graduates　into　the　outer　world。　Seven　hundred　inspectors　are　on　guard　in　the　two　main　plants　at　Chicago　and　New　York。　This　is　a　ruinously　large　number；　from　a　profit…making　point　of　view；　but　the　inexorable　fact　is　that　in　a　telephone　system　nothing　is　insignificant。　It　is　built　on　such　altruistic　lines　that　an　injury　to　any　one　part　is　the　concern　of　all。

As　usual；　when　we　probe　into　the　history　of　a　business　that　has　grown　great　and　overspread　the　earth；　we　find　a　Man；　and　the　Western　Electric　is　no　exception　to　this　rule。　Its　Man；　still　fairly　hale　and　busy　after　forty　years　of　leadership；　is　Enos　M。　Barton。　His　career　is　the　typical　American　story　of　self…help。　He　was　a　telegraph　messenger　boy　in　New　York　during　the　Civil　War；　then　a　telegraph　operator　in　Cleveland。　In　1869　his　salary　was　cut　down　from　one　hundred　dollars　a　month　to　ninety　dollars；　whereupon　he　walked　out　and　founded　the　Western　Electric　in　a　shabby　little　machine…shop。　Later　he　moved　to　Chicago；　took　in　Elisha　Gray　as　his　partner；　and　built　up　a　trade　in　the　making　of　telegraphic　materials。

When　the　telephone　was　invented；　Barton　was　one　of　the　sceptics。　〃I　well　remember　my　disgust；〃　he　said；　〃when　some　one　told　me　it　was　possible　to　send　conversation　along　a　wire。〃　Several　months　later　he　saw　a　telephone　and　at　once　became　one　of　its　apostles。　By　1882　his　plant　had　become　the　official　workshop　of　the　Bell　Companies。　It　was　the　headquarters　of　invention　and　manufacturing。　Here　was　gathered　a　notable　group　of　young　men；　brilliant　and　adventurous；　who　dared　to　stake　their　futures　on　the　success　of　the　telephone。　And　always　at　their　head　was　Barton；　as　a　sort　of　human　switchboard；　who　linked　them　all　together　and　kept　them　busy。

In　appearance；　Enos　M。　Barton　closely　resembles　ex…President　Eliot；　of　Harvard。　He　is　slow　in　speech；　simple　in　manner；　and　with　a　rare　sagacity　in　business　affairs。　He　was　not　an　organizer；　in　the　modern　sense。　His　policy　was　to　pick　out　a　man；　put　him　in　a　responsible　place；　and　judge　him　by　results。　Engineers　could　become　bookkeepers；　and　bookkeepers　could　become　engineers。　Such　a　plan　worked　well　in　the　earlier　days；　when　the　art　of　telephony　was　in　the　making；　and　when　there　was　no　source　of　authority　on　telephonic　problems。　Barton　is　the　bishop　emeritus　of　the　Western　Electric　to…day；　and　the　big　industry　is　now　being　run　by　a　group　of　young　hustlers；　with　H。　B。　Thayer　at　the　head　of　the　table。　Thayer　is　a　Vermonter　who　has　climbed　the　ladder　of　experience　from　its　lower　rungs　to　the　top。　He　is　a　typical　Yankeelean；　shrewd；　tireless；　and　with　a　cold…　blooded　sense　of　justice　that　fits　him　for　the　leadership　of　twenty…six　thousand　people。

So；　as　we　have　seen；　the　telephone　as　Bell　invented　it；　was　merely　a　brilliant　beginning　in　the　development　of　the　art　of　telephony。　It　was　an　elfin　birthan　elusive　and　delicate　sprite　that　had　to　be　nurtured　into　maturity。　It　was　like　a　soul；　for　which　a　body　had　to　be　created；　and　no　one　knew　how　to　make　such　a　body。　Had　it　been　born　in　some　less　energetic　country；　it　might　have　remained　feeble　and　undeveloped；　but　not　in　the　United　States。　Here　in　one　year　it　had　become　famous；　and　in　three　years　it　had　become　rich。　Bell's　invincible　patent　was　soon　buttressed　by　hundreds　of　others。　An　open…　door　policy　was　adopted　for　invention。　Change　followed　change　to　such　a　degree　that　the　experts　of　1880　would　be　lost　to…day　in　the　mazes　of　a　telephone　exchange。

The　art　of　the　telephone　engineer　has　in　thirty　years　grown　from　the　most　crude　and　clumsy　of　experiments　into　an　exact　and　comprehensive　profession。　As　Carty　has　aptly　said；　〃At　first　we　invariably　approached　every　problem　from　the　wrong　end。　If　we　had　been　told　to　load　a　herd　of　cattle　on　a　steamer；　our　method　would　have　been　to　hire　a　Hagenbeck　to　train　the　cattle　for　a　couple　of　years；　so　that　they　would　know　enough　to　walk　aboard　of　the　ship　when　he　gave　the　signal；　but　to…day；　if　we　had　to　ship　cattle；　we　would　know　enough　to　make　a　greased　chute　and　slide　them　on　board　in　a　jiffy。〃

The　telephone　world　has　now　its　own　standards　and　ideals。　It　has　a　language　of　its　own；　a　telephonese　that　is　quite　unintelligible　to　outsiders。　It　has　as　many　separate　branches　of　study　as　medicine　or　law。　There　are　few　men；　half　a　dozen　at　most；　who　can　now　be　said　to　have　a　general　knowledge　of　telephony。　And　no　matter　how　wise　a　telephone　expert　may　be；　he　can　never　reach　perfection；　because　of　the　amazing　variety　of　things　that　touch　or　concern　his　profession。

〃No　one　man　knows　all　the　details　now；〃　said　Theodore　Vail。　〃Several　days　ago　I　was　walking　through　a　telephone　exchange　and　I　saw　something　new。　I　asked　Mr。　Carty　to　explain　it。　He　is　our　chief　engineer；　but　he　did　not　understand　it。　We　called　the　manager。　He　did　n't　know；　and　called　his　assistant。　He　did　n't　know；　and　called　the　local　engineer；　who　was　able　to　tell　us　what　it　was。〃

To　sum　up　this　development　of　the　art　of　tele…　phonyto　present　a　bird's…eye　viewit　may　be　divided　into　four　periods：

1。　Experiment。　1876　to　1886。　This　was　the　period　of　invention；　in　which　there　were　no　experts　and　no　authorities。　Telephonic　apparatus　consisted　of　makeshifts　and　adaptations。　It　was　the　period　of　iron　wire；　imperfect　transmitters；　grounded　circuits；　boy　operators；　peg　switchboards；　local　batteries；　and　overhead　lines。

2。　Development。　1886　to　1896。　In　this　period　amateurs　became　engineers。　The　proper　type　of　apparatus　was　discovered；　and　was　improved　to　a　high　point　of　efficiency。　In　this　period　came　the　multiple　switchboard；　copper　wire；　girl　operators；　underground　cables；　metallic　circuit；　common　battery；　and　the　long…distance　lines。

3。　Expansion。　1896　to　1906。　This　was　the　era　of　big　business。　It　was　an　autumn　period；　in　which　the　telephone　men　and　the　public　began　to　reap　the　fruits　of　twenty　years　of　investment　and　hard　work。　It　was　the　period　of　the　message　rate；　the　pay　station；　the　farm　line；　and　the　private　branch　exchange。

4。　Organization。　1906。　With　the　success　of　the　Pupin　coil；　there　came　a　larger　life　for　the　telephone。　It　became　less　local　and　more　national。　It　began　to　link　together　its　scattered　parts。　It　discouraged　the　waste　and　anarchy　of　duplication。　It　taught　its　older；　but　smaller　brother；　the　telegraph；　to　cooperate。　It　put　itself　more　closely　in　touch　with　the　will　of　the　public。　And　it　is　now　pushing　ahead；　along　the　two　roads　of　standardization　and　efficiency；　toward　its　ideal　of　one　universal　telephone　system　for　the　whole　nation。　The　key…word　of　the　telephone　development　of　to…day　is　this　organization。



CHAPTER　V

THE　EXPANSION　OF　THE　BUSINESS

The　telephone　business　did　not　really　begin　to　grow　big　and　overspread　the　earth　until　1896；　but　the　keynote　of　expansion　was　first　sounded　by　Theodore　Vail　in　the　earliest　days；　when　as　yet　the　telephone　was　a　babe　in　arms。　In　1879　Vail　said；　in　a　letter　written　to　one　of　his　captains：

〃Tell　our　agents　that　we　have　a　proposition　on　foot　to　connect　the　different　cities　for　the　purpose　of　personal　communication；　and　in　other　ways　to　organize　a　GRAND　TELEPHONIC　SYSTEM。〃

This　was　brave　talk　at　that　time；　when　there　were　not　in　the　whole　world　as　many　telephones　as　there　are　to…day　in　Cincinnati。　It　was　brave　talk　in　those　days　of　iron　wire；　peg　switchboards；　and　noisy　diaphragms。　Most　telephone　men　regarded　it　as　nothing　more　than　talk。　They　did　not　see　any　business　future　for　the　telephone　ex…　cept　in　short…distance　service。　But　Vail　was　in　earnest。　His　previous　experience　as　the　head　of　the　railway　mail　service　had　lifted　him　up　to　a　higher　point　of　view。　He　knew　the　need　of　a　national　system　of　communication　that　would　be　quicker　and　more　direct　than　either　the　telegraph　or　the　post　office。

〃I　saw　that　if　the　telephone　could　talk　one　mile　to…day；〃　he　said；　〃it　would　be　talking　a　hundred　miles　to…morrow。〃　And　he　persisted；　in　spite　of　a　considerable　deal　of　ridicule；　in　maintaining　that　the　telephone　was　destined　to　connect　cities　and　nations　as　well　as　individuals。

Four　months　after　he　had　prophesied　the　〃grand　telephonic　system；〃　he　encouraged　Charles　J。　Glidden；　of　world…tour　fame；　to　build　a　telephone　line　between　Boston　and　Lowell。　This　was　the　first　inter…city　line。　It　was　well　placed；　as　the　owners　of　the　Lowell　mills　lived　in　Boston；　and　it　made　a　small　profit　from　the　start。　This　success　cheered　Vail　on　to　a　master…　effort。　He　resolved　to　build　a　line　from　Boston　to　Providence；　and　was　so　stubbornly　bent　upon　doing　this　that　when　the　Bell　Company　refused　to　act；　he　picked　up　the　risk　and　set　off　with　it　alone。　He　organized　a　company　of　well…　known　Rhode　Islandersnicknamed　the　〃Governors'　Company〃and　built　the　line。　It　was　a　failure　at　first；　and　went　by　the　name　of　〃Vail's　Folly。〃　But　Engineer　Carty；　by　a　happy　thought；　DOUBLED　THE　WIRE；　and　thus　in　a　moment　establi