the history of the telephone-第7节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


the　latest　improvements　made　by　the　original　inventorsDolbear；　Gray；　and　Edison。〃

The　result　was　strange　and　unexpected。　The　Bell　group；　instead　of　being　driven　from　the　field；　were　at　once　lifted　to　a　higher　level　in　the　business　world。　The　effect　was　as　if　the　Standard　Oil　Company　were　to　commence　the　manufacture　of　aeroplanes。　In　a　flash；　the　telephone　ceased　to　be　a　〃scientific　toy；〃　and　became　an　article　of　commerce。　It　began　for　the　first　time　to　be　taken　seriously。　And　the　Western　Union；　in　the　endeavor　to　protect　its　private　lines；　became　involuntarily　a　bell…wether　to　lead　capitalists　in　the　direction　of　the　telephone。

Sanders's　relatives；　who　were　many　and　rich；　came　to　his　rescue。　Most　of　them　were　well…　known　business　menthe　Bradleys；　the　Saltonstalls；　Fay；　Silsbee；　and　Carlton。　These　men；　together　with　Colonel　William　H。　Forbes；　who　came　in　as　a　friend　of　the　Bradleys；　were　the　first　capitalists　who；　for　purely　business　reasons；　invested　money　in　the　Bell　patents。　Two　months　after　the　Western　Union　had　given　its　weighty　endorsement　to　the　telephone；　these　men　organized　a　company　to　do　business　in　New　England　only；　and　put　fifty　thousand　dollars　in　its　treasury。

In　a　short　time　the　delighted　Hubbard　found　himself　leasing　telephones　at　the　rate　of　a　thousand　a　month。　He　was　no　longer　a　promoter；　but　a　general　manager。　Men　were　standing　in　line　to　ask　for　agencies。　Crude　little　telephone　exchanges　were　being　started　in　a　dozen　or　more　cities。　There　was　a　spirit　of　confidence　and　enterprise；　and　the　next　step；　clearly；　was　to　create　a　business　organization。　None　of　the　partners　were　competent　to　undertake　such　a　work。　Hubbard　had　little　aptitude　as　an　organizer；　Bell　had　none；　and　Sanders　was　held　fast　by　his　leather　interests。　Here；　at　last；　after　four　years　of　the　most　heroic　effort；　were　the　raw　materials　out　of　which　a　telephone　business　could　be　constructed。　But　who　was　to　be　the　builder；　and　where　was　he　to　be　found？

One　morning　the　indefatigable　Hubbard　solved　the　problem。　〃Watson；〃　he　said；　〃there's　a　young　man　in　Washington　who　can　handle　this　situation；　and　I　want　you　to　run　down　and　see　what　you　think　of　him。〃　Watson　went；　reported　favorably；　and　in　a　day　or　so　the　young　man　received　a　letter　from　Hubbard；　offering　him　the　position　of　General　Manager；　at　a　salary　of　thirty…five　hundred　dollars　a　year。　〃We　rely；〃　Hubbard　said；　〃upon　your　executive　ability；　your　fidelity；　and　unremitting　zeal。〃　The　young　man　replied；　in　one　of　those　dignified　letters　more　usual　in　the　nineteenth　than　in　the　twentieth　century。　〃My　faith　in　the　success　of　the　enterprise　is　such　that　I　am　willing　to　trust　to　it；〃　he　wrote；　〃and　I　have　confidence　that　we　shall　establish　the　harmony　and　cooperation　that　is　essential　to　the　success　of　an　enterprise　of　this　kind。〃　One　week　later　the　young　man；　Theodore　N。　Vail；　took　his　seat　as　General　Manager　in　a　tiny　office　in　Reade　Street；　New　York；　and　the　building　of　the　business　began。

This　arrival　of　Vail　at　the　critical　moment　emphasized　the　fact　that　Bell　was　one　of　the　most　fortunate　of　inventors。　He　was　not　robbed　of　his　invention；　as　might　easily　have　happened。　One　by　one　there　arrived　to　help　him　a　number　of　able　men；　with　all　the　various　abilities　that　the　changing　situation　required。　There　was　such　a　focussing　of　factors　that　the　whole　matter　appeared　to　have　been　previously　rehearsed。　No　sooner　had　Bell　appeared　on　the　stage　than　his　supporting　players；　each　in　his　turn；　received　his　cue　and　took　part　in　the　action　of　the　drama。　There　was　not　one　of　these　men　who　could　have　done　the　work　of　any　other。　Each　was　distinctive　and　indispensable。　Bell　invented　the　telephone；　Watson　constructed　it；　Sanders　financed　it；　Hubbard　introduced　it；　and　Vail　put　it　on　a　business　basis。

The　new　General　Manager　had；　of　course；　no　experience　in　the　telephone　business。　Neither　had　any　one　else。　But　he；　like　Bell；　came　to　his　task　with　a　most　surprising　fitness。　He　was　a　member　of　the　historic　Vail　family　of　Morristown；　New　Jersey；　which　had　operated　the　Speedwell　Iron　Works　for　four　or　five　generations。　His　grand…uncle　Stephen　had　built　the　engines　for　the　Savannah；　the　first　American　steamship　to　cross　the　Atlantic　Ocean；　and　his　cousin　Alfred　was　the　friend　and　co…worker　of　Morse；　the　inventor　of　the　telegraph。　Morse　had　lived　for　several　years　at　the　Vail　homestead　in　Morristown；　and　it　was　here　that　he　erected　his　first　telegraph　line；　a　three…mile　circle　around　the　Iron　Works；　in　1838。　He　and　Alfred　Vail　experimented　side　by　side　in　the　making　of　the　telegraph；　and　Vail　eventually　received　a　fortune　for　his　share　of　the　Morse　patent。

Thus　it　happened　that　young　Theodore　Vail　learned　the　dramatic　story　of　Morse　at　his　mother's　knee。　As　a　boy；　he　played　around　the　first　telegraph　line；　and　learned　to　put　messages　on　the　wire。　His　favorite　toy　was　a　little　telegraph　that　he　constructed　for　himself。　At　twenty…two　he　went　West；　in　the　vague　hope　of　possessing　a　bonanza　farm；　then　he　swung　back　into　telegraphy；　and　in　a　few　years　found　himself　in　the　Government　Mail　Service　at　Washington。　By　1876；　he　was　at　the　head　of　this　Department；　which　he　completely　reorganized。　He　introduced　the　bag　system　in　postal　cars；　and　made　war　on　waste　and　clumsiness。　By　virtue　of　this　position　he　was　the　one　man　in　the　United　States　who　had　a　comprehensive　view　of　all　railways　and　telegraphs。　He　was　much　more　apt；　consequently；　than　other　men　to　develop　the　idea　of　a　national　telephone　system。

While　in　the　midst　of　this　bureaucratic　house…　cleaning　he　met　Hubbard；　who　had　just　been　appointed　by　President　Hayes　as　the　head　of　a　commission　on　mail　transportation。　He　and　Hubbard　were　constantly　thrown　together；　on　trains　and　in　hotels；　and　as　Hubbard　invariably　had　a　pair　of　telephones　in　his　valise；　the　two　men　soon　became　co…enthusiasts。　Vail　found　himself　painting　brain…pictures　of　the　future　of　the　telephone；　and　by　the　time　that　he　was　asked　to　become　its　General　Manager；　he　had　become　so　confident　that；　as　he　said　afterwards；　he　〃was　willing　to　leave　a　Government　job　with　a　small　salary　for　a　telephone　job　with　no　salary。〃

So；　just　as　Amos　Kendall　had　left　the　post　office　service　thirty　years　before　to　establish　the　telegraph　business；　Theodore　N。　Vail　left　the　post　office　service　to　establish　the　telephone　business。　He　had　been　in　authority　over　thirty…five　hundred　postal　employees；　and　was　the　developer　of　a　system　that　covered　every　inhabited　portion　of　the　country。　Consequently；　he　had　a　quality　of　experience　that　was　immensely　valuable　in　straightening　out　the　tangled　affairs　of　the　telephone。　Line　by　line；　he　mapped　out　a　method；　a　policy；　a　system。　He　introduced　a　larger　view　of　the　telephone　business；　and　swept　off　the　table　all　schemes　for　selling　out。　He　persuaded　half　a　dozen　of　his　post　office　friends　to　buy　stock；　so　that　in　less　than　two　months　the　first　〃Bell　Telephone　Company〃　was　organized；　with　450；000　capital　and　a　service　of　twelve　thousand　telephones。

Vail's　first　step；　naturally；　was　to　stiffen　up　the　backbone　of　this　little　company；　and　to　prevent　the　Western　Union　from　frightening　it　into　a　surrender。　He　immediately　sent　a　copy　of　Bell's　patent　to　every　agent；　with　orders　to　hold　the　fort　against　all　opposition。　〃We　have　the　only　original　telephone　patents；〃　he　wrote；　〃we　have　organized　and　introduced　the　business；　and　we　do　not　propose　to　have　it　taken　from　us　by　any　corporation。〃　To　one　agent；　who　was　showing　the　white　feather；　he　wrote：


〃You　have　too　great　an　idea　of　the　Western　Union。　If　it　was　all　massed　in　your　one　city　you　might　well　fear　it；　but　it　is　represented　there　by　one　man　only；　and　he　has　probably　as　much　as　he　can　attend　to　outside　of　the　telephone。　For　you　to　acknowledge　that　you　cannot　compete　with　his　influence　when　you　make　it　your　special　business；　is　hardly　the　thing。　There　may　be　a　dozen　concerns　that　will　all　go　to　the　Western　Union；　but　they　will　not　take　with　them　all　their　friends。　I　would　advise　that　you　go　ahead　and　keep　your　present　advantage。　We　must　organize　companies　with　sufficient　vitality　to　carry　on　a　fight；　as　it　is　simply　useless　to　get　a　company　started　that　will　succumb　to　the　first　bit　of　opposition　it　may　encounter。〃


Next；　having　encouraged　his　thoroughly　alarmed　agents；　Vail　proceeded　to　build　up　a　definite　business　policy。　He　stiffened　up　the　contracts　and　made　them　good　for　five　years　only。　He　confined　each　agent　to　one　place；　and　reserved　all　rights　to　connect　one　city　with　another。　He　established　a　department　to　collect　and　pro…　tect　any　new　inventions　that　concerned　the　telephone。　He　agreed　to　take　part　of　the　royalties　in　stock；　when　any　local　company　preferred　to　pay　its　debts　in　this　way。　And　he　took　steps　toward　standardizing　all　telephonic　apparatus　by　controlling　the　factories　that　made　it。

These　various　measures　were　part　of　Vail's　plan　to　create　a　national　telephone　system。　His　central　idea；　from　the　first；　was　not　the　mere　leasing　of　telephones；　but　rather　the　creation　of　a　Federal　company　that　would　be　a　permanent　partner　in　the　entire　telephone　business。　Even　in　that　day　of　small　things；　and　amidst　the　confusion　and　rough…and…tumble　of　pioneering；　he　worked　out　the　broad　policy　that　prevails　to…day；　an