the history of the telephone-第6部分

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e　lecture　two　Japanese　gentlemen　were　induced　to　talk　to　one　another　in　their　own　language；　via　the　telephone。　At　a　second　lecture　a　band　played　〃The　Star…Spangled　Banner；〃　in　Boston；　and　was　heard　by　an　audience　of　two　thousand　people　in　Providence。　At　a　third；　Signor　Ferranti；　who　was　in　Providence；　sang　a　selection　from　〃The　Marriage　of　Figaro〃　to　an　audience　in　Boston。　At　a　fourth；　an　exhortation　from　Moody　and　a　song　from　Sankey　came　over　the　vibrating　wire。　And　at　a　fifth；　in　New　Haven；　Bell　stood　sixteen　Yale　professors　in　line；　hand　in　hand；　and　talked　through　their　bodiesa　feat　which　was　then；　and　is　to…day；　almost　too　wonderful　to　believe。

Very　slowly　these　lectures；　and　the　tireless　activity　of　Hubbard；　pushed　back　the　ridicule　and　the　incredulity；　and　in　the　merry　month　of　May；　1877；　a　man　named　Emery　drifted　into　Hubbard's　office　from　the　near…by　city　of　Charlestown；　and　leased　two　telephones　for　twenty　actual　dollarsthe　first　money　ever　paid　for　a　telephone。　This　was　the　first　feeble　sign　that　such　a　novelty　as　the　telephone　business　could　be　established；　and　no　money　ever　looked　handsomer　than　this　twenty　dollars　did　to　Bell；　Sanders；　Hubbard；　and　Watson。　It　was　the　tiny　first…fruit　of　fortune。

Greatly　encouraged；　they　prepared　a　little　circular　which　was　the　first　advertisement　of　the　telephone　business。　It　is　an　oddly　simple　little　document　to…day；　but　to　the　1877　brain　it　was　startling。　It　modestly　claimed　that　a　telephone　was　superior　to　a　telegraph　for　three　reasons：


〃（1）　No　skilled　operator　is　required；　but　direct　communication　may　be　had　by　speech　without　the　intervention　of　a　third　person。


〃（2）　The　communication　is　much　more　rapid；　the　average　number　of　words　transmitted　in　a　minute　by　the　Morse　sounder　being　from　fifteen　to　twenty；　by　telephone　from　one　to　two　hundred。


〃（3）　No　expense　is　required；　either　for　its　operation　or　repair。　It　needs　no　battery　and　has　no　complicated　machinery。　It　is　unsurpassed　for　economy　and　simplicity。〃


The　only　telephone　line　in　the　world　at　this　time　was　between　the　Williams'　workshop　in　Boston　and　the　home　of　Mr。　Williams　in　Somerville。　But　in　May；　1877；　a　young　man　named　E。　T。　Holmes；　who　was　running　a　burglar…alarm　business　in　Boston；　proposed　that　a　few　telephones　be　linked　to　his　wires。　He　was　a　friend　and　customer　of　Williams；　and　suggested　this　plan　half　in　jest　and　half　in　earnest。　Hubbard　was　quick　to　seize　this　opportunity；　and　at　once　lent　Holmes　a　dozen　telephones。　Without　asking　permission；　Holmes　went　into　six　banks　and　nailed　up　a　telephone　in　each。　Five　bankers　made　no　protest；　but　the　sixth　indignantly　ordered　〃that　playtoy〃　to　be　taken　out。　The　other　five　telephones　could　be　connected　by　a　switch　in　Holmes's　office；　and　thus　was　born　the　first　tiny　and　crude　Telephone　Exchange。　Here　it　ran　for　several　weeks　as　a　telephone　system　by　day　and　a　burglar…alarm　by　night。　No　money　was　paid　by　the　bankers。　The　service　was　given　to　them　as　an　exhibition　and　an　advertisement。　The　little　shelf　with　its　five　telephones　was　no　more　like　the　marvellous　exchanges　of　to…day　than　a　canoe　is　like　a　Cunarder；　but　it　was　unquestionably　the　first　place　where　several　telephone　wires　came　together　and　could　be　united。

Soon　afterwards；　Holmes　took　his　telephones　out　of　the　banks；　and　started　a　real　telephone　business　among　the　express　companies　of　Boston。　But　by　this　time　several　exchanges　had　been　opened　for　ordinary　business；　in　New　Haven；　Bridgeport；　New　York；　and　Philadelphia。　Also；　a　man　from　Michigan　had　arrived；　with　the　hardihood　to　ask　for　a　State　agencyGeorge　W。　Balch；　of　Detroit。　He　was　so　welcome　that　Hubbard　joyfully　gave　him　everything　he　asked　a　perpetual　right　to　the　whole　State　of　Michigan。　Balch　was　not　required　to　pay　a　cent　in　advance；　except　his　railway　fare；　and　before　he　was　many　years　older　he　had　sold　his　lease　for　a　handsome　fortune　of　a　quarter　of　a　million　dollars；　honestly　earned　by　his　initiative　and　enterprise。

By　August；　when　Bell's　patent　was　sixteen　months　old；　there　were　778　telephones　in　use。　This　looked　like　success　to　the　optimistic　Hubbard。　He　decided　that　the　time　had　come　to　organize　the　business；　so　he　created　a　simple　agreement　which　he　called　the　〃Bell　Telephone　Association。〃　This　agreement　gave　Bell；　Hubbard　and　Sanders　a　three…tenths　interest　apiece　in　the　patents；　and　Watson　one…tenth。　THERE　WAS　NO　CAPITAL。　There　was　none　to　be　had。　The　four　men　had　at　this　time　an　absolute　monopoly　of　the　telephone　business；　and　everybody　else　was　quite　willing　that　they　should　have　it。

The　only　man　who　had　money　and　dared　to　stake　it　on　the　future　of　the　telephone　was　Thomas　Sanders；　and　he　did　this　not　mainly　for　business　reasons。　Both　he　and　Hubbard　were　attached　to　Bell　primarily　by　sentiment；　as　Bell　had　removed　the　blight　of　dumbness　from　Sanders's　little　son；　and　was　soon　to　marry　Hubbard's　daughter。

Also；　Sanders　had　no　expectation；　at　first；　that　so　much　money　would　be　needed。　He　was　not　rich。　His　entire　business；　which　was　that　of　cutting　out　soles　for　shoe　manufacturers；　was　not　at　any　time　worth　more　than　thirty…five　thousand　dollars。　Yet；　from　1874　to　1878；　he　had　advanced　nine…tenths　of　the　money　that　was　spent　on　the　telephone。　He　had　paid　Bell's　room…rent；　and　Watson's　wages；　and　Williams's　expenses；　and　the　cost　of　the　exhibit　at　the　Centennial。　The　first　five　thousand　telephones；　and　more；　were　made　with　his　money。　And　so　many　long；　expensive　months　dragged　by　before　any　relief　came　to　Sanders；　that　he　was　compelled；　much　against　his　will　and　his　business　judgment；　to　stretch　his　credit　within　an　inch　of　the　breaking…point　to　help　Bell　and　the　telephone。　Desperately　he　signed　note　after　note　until　he　faced　a　total　of　one　hundred　and　ten　thousand　dollars。　If　the　new　〃scientific　toy〃　succeeded；　which　he　often　doubted；　he　would　be　the　richest　citizen　in　Haverhill；　and　if　it　failed；　which　he　sorely　feared；　he　would　be　a　bankrupt。

A　disheartening　series　of　rebuffs　slowly　forced　the　truth　in　upon　Sanders's　mind　that　the　business　world　refused　to　accept　the　telephone　as　an　article　of　commerce。　It　was　a　toy；　a　plaything；　a　scientific　wonder；　but　not　a　necessity　to　be　bought　and　used　for　ordinary　purposes　by　ordinary　people。　Capitalists　treated　it　exactly　as　they　treated　the　Atlantic　Cable　project　when　Cyrus　Field　visited　Boston　in　1862。　They　admired　and　marvelled；　but　not　a　man　subscribed　a　dollar。　Also；　Sanders　very　soon　learned　that　it　was　a　most　unpropitious　time　for　the　setting　afloat　of　a　new　enterprise。　It　was　a　period　of　turmoil　and　suspicion。　What　with　the　Jay　Cooke　failure；　the　Hayes…Tilden　deadlock；　and　the　bursting　of　a　hundred　railroad　bubbles；　there　was　very　little　in　the　news　of　the　day　to　encourage　investors。

It　was　impossible　for　Sanders；　or　Bell；　or　Hubbard；　to　prepare　any　definite　plan。　No　matter　what　the　plan　might　have　been；　they　had　no　money　to　put　it　through。　They　believed　that　they　had　something　new　and　marvellous；　which　some　one；　somewhere；　would　be　willing　to　buy。　Until　this　good　genie　should　arrive；　they　could　do　no　more　than　flounder　ahead；　and　take　whatever　business　was　the　nearest　and　the　cheapest。　So　while　Bell；　in　eloquent　rhapsodies；　painted　word…　pictures　of　a　universal　telephone　service　to　applauding　audiences；　Sanders　and　Hubbard　were　leasing　telephones　two　by　two；　to　business　men　who　previously　had　been　using　the　private　lines　of　the　Western　Union　Telegraph　Company。

This　great　corporation　was　at　the　time　their　natural　and　inevitable　enemy。　It　had　swallowed　most　of　its　competitors；　and　was　reaching　out　to　monopolize　all　methods　of　communication　by　wire。　The　rosiest　hope　that　shone　in　front　of　Sanders　and　Hubbard　was　that　the　Western　Union　might　conclude　to　buy　the　Bell　patents；　just　as　it　had　already　bought　many　others。　In　one　moment　of　discouragement　they　had　offered　the　telephone　to　President　Orton；　of　the　Western　Union；　for　100；000；　and　Orton　had　refused　it。　〃What　use；〃　he　asked　pleasantly；　〃could　this　company　make　of　an　electrical　toy？〃

But　besides　the　operation　of　its　own　wires；　the　Western　Union　was　supplying　customers　with　various　kinds　of　printing…telegraphs　and　dial　telegraphs；　some　of　which　could　transmit　sixty　words　a　minute。　These　accurate　instruments；　it　believed；　could　never　be　displaced　by　such　a　scientific　oddity　as　the　telephone。　And　it　continued　to　believe　this　until　one　of　its　subsidiary　companiesthe　Gold　and　Stockreported　that　several　of　its　machines　had　been　superseded　by　telephones。

At　once　the　Western　Union　awoke　from　its　indifference。　Even　this　tiny　nibbling　at　its　business　must　be　stopped。　It　took　action　quickly　and　organized　the　〃American　Speaking…Telephone　Company；〃　with　300；000　capital；　and　with　three　electrical　inventors；　Edison；　Gray；　and　Dolbear；　on　its　staff。　With　all　the　bulk　of　its　great　wealth　and　prestige；　it　swept　down　upon　Bell　and　his　little　bodyguard。　It　trampled　upon　Bell's　patent　with　as　little　concern　as　an　elephant　can　have　when　he　tramples　upon　an　ant's　nest。　To　the　complete　bewilderment　of　Bell；　it　coolly　announced　that　it　had　〃the　only　original　telephone；〃　and　that　it　was　ready　to　supply　〃superior　telephones　with　all　the　latest　improvements　made　by　the　original　inventorsDolbear；　Gray；　and　Edison。〃

The　result　was