the history of the telephone-第8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！


onfusion　and　rough…and…tumble　of　pioneering；　he　worked　out　the　broad　policy　that　prevails　to…day；　and　this　goes　far　to　explain　the　fact　that　there　are　in　the　United　States　twice　as　many　telephones　as　there　are　in　all　other　countries　combined。

Vail　arrived　very　much　as　Blucher　did　at　the　battle　of　Waterlooa　trifle　late；　but　in　time　to　prevent　the　telephone　forces　from　being　routed　by　the　Old　Guard　of　the　Western　Union。　He　was　scarcely　seated　in　his　managerial　chair；　when　the　Western　Union　threw　the　entire　Bell　army　into　confusion　by　launching　the　Edison　transmitter。　Edison；　who　was　at　that　time　fairly　started　in　his　career　of　wizardry；　had　made　an　instrument　of　marvellous　alertness。　It　was　beyond　all　argument　superior　to　the　telephones　then　in　use　and　the　lessees　of　Bell　telephones　clamored　with　one　voice　for　〃a　transmitter　as　good　as　Edison's。〃　This；　of　course；　could　not　be　had　in　a　moment；　and　the　five　months　that　followed　were　the　darkest　days　in　the　childhood　of　the　telephone。

How　to　compete　with　the　Western　Union；　which　had　this　superior　transmitter；　a　host　of　agents；　a　network　of　wires；　forty　millions　of　capital；　and　a　first　claim　upon　all　newspapers；　hotels；　railroads；　and　rights　of　waythat　was　the　immediate　problem　that　confronted　the　new　General　Manager。　Every　inch　of　progress　had　to　be　fought　for。　Several　of　his　captains　deserted；　and　he　was　compelled　to　take　control　of　their　unprofitable　exchanges。　There　was　scarcely　a　mail　that　did　not　bring　him　some　bulletin　of　discouragement　or　defeat。

In　the　effort　to　conciliate　a　hostile　public；　the　telephone　rates　had　everywhere　been　made　too　low。　Hubbard　had　set　a　price　of　twenty　dollars　a　year；　for　the　use　of　two　telephones　on　a　private　line；　and　when　exchanges　were　started；　the　rate　was　seldom　more　than　three　dollars　a　month。　There　were　deadheads　in　abundance；　mostly　officials　and　politicians。　In　St。　Louis；　one　of　the　few　cities　that　charged　a　sufficient　price；　nine…　tenths　of　the　merchants　refused　to　become　subscribers。　In　Boston；　the　first　pay…station　ran　three　months　before　it　earned　a　dollar。　Even　as　late　as　1880；　when　the　first　National　Telephone　Convention　was　held　at　Niagara　Falls；　one　of　the　delegates　expressed　the　general　situation　very　correctly　when　he　said：　〃We　were　all　in　a　state　of　enthusiastic　uncertainty。　We　were　full　of　hope；　yet　when　we　analyzed　those　hopes　they　were　very　airy　indeed。　There　was　probably　not　one　company　that　could　say　it　was　making　a　cent；　nor　even　that　it　EXPECTED　to　make　a　cent。〃

Especially　in　the　largest　cities；　where　the　Western　Union　had　most　power；　the　lives　of　the　telephone　pioneers　were　packed　with　hardships　and　adventures。　In　Philadelphia；　for　instance；　a　resolute　young　man　named　Thomas　E。　Cornish　was　attacked　as　though　he　had　suddenly　become　a　public　enemy；　when　he　set　out　to　establish　the　first　telephone　service。　No　official　would　grant　him　a　permit　to　string　wires。　His　workmen　were　arrested。　The　printing…telegraph　men　warned　him　that　he　must　either　quit　or　be　driven　out。　When　he　asked　capitalists　for　money；　they　replied　that　he　might　as　well　expect　to　lease　jew's…　harps　as　telephones。　Finally；　he　was　compelled　to　resort　to　strategy　where　argument　had　failed。　He　had　received　an　order　from　Colonel　Thomas　Scott；　who　wanted　a　wire　between　his　house　and　his　office。　Colonel　Scott　was　the　President　of　the　Pennsylvania　Railroad；　and　therefore　a　man　of　the　highest　prestige　in　the　city。　So　as　soon　as　Cornish　had　put　this　line　in　place；　he　kept　his　men　at　work　stringing　other　lines。　When　the　police　interfered；　he　showed　them　Colonel　Scott's　signature　and　was　let　alone。　In　this　way　he　put　fifteen　wires　up　before　the　trick　was　discovered；　and　soon　afterwards；　with　eight　subscribers；　he　founded　the　first　Philadelphia　exchange。

As　may　be　imagined；　such　battling　as　this　did　not　put　much　money　into　the　treasury　of　the　parent　company；　and　the　letters　written　by　Sanders　at　this　time　prove　that　it　was　in　a　hard　plight。

The　following　was　one　of　the　queries　put　to　Hubbard　by　the　overburdened　Sanders：

〃How　on　earth　do　you　expect　me　to　meet　a　draft　of　two　hundred　and　seventy…five　dollars　without　a　dollar　in　the　treasury；　and　with　a　debt　of　thirty　thousand　dollars　staring　us　in　the　face？〃　〃Vail's　salary　is　small　enough；〃　he　continued　in　a　second　letter；　〃but　as　to　where　it　is　coming　from　I　am　not　so　clear。　Bradley　is　awfully　blue　and　discouraged。　Williams　is　tormenting　me　for　money　and　my　personal　credit　will　not　stand　everything。　I　have　advanced　the　Company　two　thousand　dollars　to…day；　and　Williams　must　have　three　thousand　dollars　more　this　month。　His　pay…day　has　come　and　his　capital　will　not　carry　him　another　inch。　If　Bradley　throws　up　his　hand；　I　will　unfold　to　you　my　last　desperate　plan。〃

And　if　the　company　had　little　money；　it　had　less　credit。　Once　when　Vail　had　ordered　a　small　bill　of　goods　from　a　merchant　named　Tillotson；　of　15　Dey　Street；　New　York；　the　merchant　replied　that　the　goods　were　ready；　and　so　was　the　bill；　which　was　seven　dollars。　By　a　strange　coincidence；　the　magnificent　building　of　the　New　York　Telephone　Company　stands　to…day　on　the　site　of　Tillotson's　store。

Month　after　month；　the　little　Bell　Company　lived　from　hand　to　mouth。　No　salaries　were　paid　in　full。　Often；　for　weeks；　they　were　not　paid　at　all。　In　Watson's　note…book　there　are　such　entries　during　this　period　as　〃Lent　Bell　fifty　cents；〃　〃Lent　Hubbard　twenty　cents；〃　〃Bought　one　bottle　beertoo　bad　can't　have　beer　every　day。〃　More　than　once　Hubbard　would　have　gone　hungry　had　not　Devonshire；　the　only　clerk；　shared　with　him　the　contents　of　a　dinner…pail。　Each　one　of　the　little　group　was　beset　by　taunts　and　temptations。　Watson　was　offered　ten　thousand　dollars　for　his　one…tenth　interest；　and　hesitated　three　days　before　refusing　it。　Railroad　companies　offered　Vail　a　salary　that　was　higher　and　sure；　if　he　would　superintend　their　mail　business。　And　as　for　Sanders；　his　folly　was　the　talk　of　Haverhill。　One　Haverhill　capitalist；　E。　J。　M。　Hale；　stopped　him　on　the　street　and　asked；　〃Have　n't　you　got　a　good　leather　business；　Mr。　Sanders？〃　〃Yes；〃　replied　Sanders。　〃Well；〃　said　Hale；　〃you　had　better　attend　to　it　and　quit　playing　on　wind　instruments。〃　Sanders's　banker；　too；　became　uneasy　on　one　occasion　and　requested　him　to　call　at　the　bank。　〃Mr。　Sanders；〃　he　said；　〃I　will　be　obliged　if　you　will　take　that　telephone　stock　out　of　the　bank；　and　give　me　in　its　place　your　note　for　thirty　thousand　dollars。　I　am　expecting　the　examiner　here　in　a　few　days；　and　I　don't　want　to　get　caught　with　that　stuff　in　the　bank。〃

Then；　in　the　very　midnight　of　this　depression；　poor　Bell　returned　from　England；　whither　he　and　his　bride　had　gone　on　their　honeymoon；　and　announced　that　he　had　no　money；　that　he　had　failed　to　establish　a　telephone　business　in　England；　and　that　he　must　have　a　thousand　dollars　at　once　to　pay　his　urgent　debts。　He　was　thoroughly　discouraged　and　sick。　As　he　lay　in　the　Massachusetts　General　Hospital；　he　wrote　a　cry　for　help　to　the　embattled　little　company　that　was　making　its　desperate　fight　to　protect　his　patents。　〃Thousands　of　telephones　are　now　in　operation　in　all　parts　of　the　country；〃　he　said；　〃yet　I　have　not　yet　received　one　cent　from　my　invention。　On　the　contrary；　I　am　largely　out　of　pocket　by　my　researches；　as　the　mere　value　of　the　profession　that　I　have　sacrificed　during　my　three　years'　work；　amounts　to　twelve　thousand　dollars。〃

Fortunately；　there　came；　in　almost　the　same　mail　with　Bell's　letter；　another　letter　from　a　young　Bostonian　named　Francis　Blake；　with　the　good　news　that　he　had　invented　a　transmitter　as　satisfactory　as　Edison's；　and　that　he　would　prefer　to　sell　it　for　stock　instead　of　cash。　If　ever　a　man　came　as　an　angel　of　light；　that　man　was　Francis　Blake。　The　possession　of　his　transmitter　instantly　put　the　Bell　Company　on　an　even　footing　with　the　Western　Union；　in　the　matter　of　apparatus。　It　encouraged　the　few　capitalists　who　had　invested　money；　and　it　stirred　others　to　come　forward。　The　general　business　situation　had　by　this　time　become　more　settled；　and　in　four　months　the　company　had　twenty…two　thousand　telephones　in　use；　and　had　reorganized　into　the　National　Bell　Telephone　Company；　with　850；　000　capital　and　with　Colonel　Forbes　as　its　first　President。　Forbes　now　picked　up　the　load　that　had　been　carried　so　long　by　Sanders。　As　the　son　of　an　East　India　merchant　and　the　son…in…law　of　Ralph　Waldo　Emerson；　he　was　a　Bostonian　of　the　Brahmin　caste。　He　was　a　big；　four…　square　man　who　was　both　popular　and　efficient；　and　his　leadership　at　this　crisis　was　of　immense　value。

This　reorganization　put　the　telephone　business　into　the　hands　of　competent　business　men　at　every　point。　It　brought　the　heroic　and　experimental　period　to　an　end。　From　this　time　onwards　the　telephone　had　strong　friends　in　the　financial　world。　It　was　being　attacked　by　the　Western　Union　and　by　rival　inventors　who　were　jealous　of　Bell's　achievement。　It　was　being　half…starved　by　cheap　rates　and　crippled　by　clumsy　apparatus。　It　was　being　abused　and　grumbled　at　by　an　impatient　public。　But　the　art　of　making　and　marketing　it　had　at　last　been　built　up　into　a　commercial　enterprise。　It　was　now　a　business；　fighting　for　its　life。



CHAPTER　III

THE　HOLDING　OF　THE　BUSINESS

For　seventeen　months　no　one　disput