the history of the telephone-第7章

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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　disputed　Bell's　claim　to　be　the　original　inventor　of　the　telephone。　All　the　honor；　such　as　it　was；　had　been　given　to　him　freely；　and　no　one　came　forward　to　say　that　it　was　not　rightfully　his。　No　one；　so　far　as　we　know；　had　any　strong　desire　to　do　so。　No　one　conceived　that　the　telephone　would　ever　be　any　more　than　a　whimsical　oddity　of　science。　It　was　so　new；　so　unexpected；　that　from　Lord　Kelvin　down　to　the　messenger　boys　in　the　telegraph　offices；　it　was　an　incomprehensible　surprise。　But　after　Bell　had　explained　his　invention　in　public　lectures　before　more　than　twenty　thousand　people；　after　it　had　been　on　exhibition　for　months　at　the　Philadelphia　Centennial；　after　several　hundred　articles　on　it　had　appeared　in　newspapers　and　scientific　magazines；　and　after　actual　sales　of　telephones　had　been　made　in　various　parts　of　the　country；　there　began　to　appear　such　a　succession　of　claimants　and　infringers　that　the　forgetful　public　came　to　believe　that　the　telephone；　like　most　inventions；　was　the　product　of　many　minds。

Just　as　Morse；　who　was　the　sole　inventor　of　the　American　telegraph　in　1837；　was　confronted　by　sixty…two　rivals　in　1838；　so　Bell；　who　was　the　sole　inventor　in　1876；　found　himself　two　years　later　almost　mobbed　by　the　〃Tichborne　claimants〃　of　the　telephone。　The　inventors　who　had　been　his　competitors　in　the　attempt　to　produce　a　musical　telegraph；　persuaded　themselves　that　they　had　unconsciously　done　as　much　as　he。　Any　possessor　of　a　telegraphic　patent；　who　had　used　the　common　phrase　〃talking　wire；〃　had　a　chance　to　build　up　a　plausible　story　of　prior　invention。　And　others　came　forward　with　claims　so　vague　and　elusive　that　Bell　would　scarcely　have　been　more　surprised　if　the　heirs　of　Goethe　had　demanded　a　share　of　the　telephone　royalties　on　the　ground　that　Faust　had　spoken　of　〃making　a　bridge　through　the　moving　air。〃

This　babel　of　inventors　and　pretenders　amazed　Bell　and　disconcerted　his　backers。　But　it　was　no　more　than　might　have　been　expected。　Here　was　a　patent〃the　most　valuable　single　patent　ever　issued〃and　yet　the　invention　itself　was　so　simple　that　it　could　be　duplicated　easily　by　any　smart　boy　or　any　ordinary　mechanic。　The　making　of　a　telephone　was　like　the　trick　of　Columbus　standing　an　egg　on　end。　Nothing　was　easier　to　those　who　knew　how。　And　so　it　happened　that；　as　the　crude　little　model　of　Bell's　original　telephone　lay　in　the　Patent　Office　open　and　unprotected　except　by　a　few　phrases　that　clever　lawyers　might　evade；　there　sprang　up　inevitably　around　it　the　most　costly　and　persistent　Patent　War　that　any　country　has　ever　known；　continuing　for　eleven　years　and　comprising　SIX　HUNDRED　LAWSUITS。

The　first　attack　upon　the　young　telephone　business　was　made　by　the　Western　Union　Telegraph　Company。　It　came　charging　full　tilt　upon　Bell；　driving　three　inventors　abreastEdison；　Gray；　and　Dolbear。　It　expected　an　easy　victory；　in　fact；　the　disparity　between　the　two　opponents　was　so　evident；　that　there　seemed　little　chance　of　a　contest　of　any　kind。　〃The　Western　Union　will　swallow　up　the　telephone　people；〃　said　public　opinion；　〃just　as　it　has　already　swallowed　up　all　improvements　in　telegraphy。〃

At　that　time；　it　should　be　remembered；　the　Western　Union　was　the　only　corporation　that　was　national　in　its　extent。　It　was　the　most　powerful　electrical　company　in　the　world；　and；　as　Bell　wrote　to　his　parents；　〃probably　the　largest　corporation　that　ever　existed。〃　It　had　behind　it　not　only　forty　millions　of　capital；　but　the　prestige　of　the　Vanderbilts；　and　the　favor　of　financiers　everywhere。　Also；　it　met　the　telephone　pioneers　at　every　point　because　it；　too；　was　a　WIRE　company。　It　owned　rights…of…way　along　roads　and　on　house…tops。　It　had　a　monopoly　of　hotels　and　railroad　offices。　No　matter　in　what　direction　the　Bell　Company　turned；　the　live　wire　of　the　Western　Union　lay　across　its　path。

From　the　first；　the　Western　Union　relied　more　upon　its　strength　than　upon　the　merits　of　its　case。　Its　chief　electrical　expert；　Frank　L。　Pope；　had　made　a　six　months'　examination　of　the　Bell　patents。　He　had　bought　every　book　in　the　United　States　and　Europe　that　was　likely　to　have　any　reference　to　the　transmission　of　speech；　and　employed　a　professor　who　knew　eight　languages　to　translate　them。　He　and　his　men　ransacked　libraries　and　patent　offices；　they　rummaged　and　sleuthed　and　interviewed；　and　found　nothing　of　any　value。　In　his　final　report　to　the　Western　Union；　Mr。　Pope　announced　that　there　was　no　way　to　make　a　telephone　except　Bell's　way；　and　advised　the　purchase　of　the　Bell　patents。　〃I　am　entirely　unable　to　discover　any　apparatus　or　method　anticipating　the　invention　of　Bell　as　a　whole；〃　he　said；　〃and　I　conclude　that　his　patent　is　valid。〃　But　the　officials　of　the　great　corporation　refused　to　take　this　report　seriously。　They　threw　it　aside　and　employed　Edison；　Gray；　and　Dolbear　to　devise　a　telephone　that　could　be　put　into　competition　with　Bell's。

As　we　have　seen　in　the　previous　chapter；　there　now　came　a　period　of　violent　competition　which　is　remembered　as　the　Dark　Ages　of　the　telephone　business。　The　Western　Union　bought　out　several　of　the　Bell　exchanges　and