_Official Statistics of the Telegraphs in Europe for the Year 1866._
┌─────────────┬──────────────┐
│ │ Total Number │
│ │ of Messages │
│ Name of │ transmitted, │
│ Country or │ including │
│ Company. │ inland, │
│ │international,│
│ │ and transit. │
├─────────────┼──────────────┤
│Austria │ 2,507,472│
│Belgium │ 1,128,005│
│Bavaria │ │
│Denmark │ 308,150│
│France │ 2,507,472│
│Great Britain│ 5,781,189│
│ and Ireland│ │
│Italy │ 1,760,889│
│Norway │ 269,375│
│Prussia │ 1,964,003│
│Russia │ 838,653│
│Switzerland │ 668,916│
│Spain │ 533,376│
│Submarine │ │
│ Telegraph │ 410,760│
│ Co. │ │
│Malta & │ │
│ Alexandria │ 28,067│
│ T. Co. │ │
│Mediterranean│ │
│ Extension │ 77,400│
│ Telegraph │ │
│ Co. │ │
│ │ ———————│
│ │ 18,683,727│
└─────────────┴──────────────┘
┌─────────────┬────────────────────────────┬──────────────┬──────────────┐
│ │ │ │ │
│ │ │ │ │
│ Name of │ │Value in U. S.│Value in U. S.│
│ Country or │ Receipts │ Gold Coin. │ Currency.[2] │
│ Company. │ │ │ │
│ │ │ │ │
│ │ │ │ │
├─────────────┼────────┬───────────────────┼──────────────┼──────────────┤
│Austria │Florins │1,644,742 x $0.48 =│ $789,476.16│ $1,168,424.71│
│Belgium │Francs │ 961,112 x 0.19 =│ 182,611.28│ 270,264.69│
│Bavaria │Florins │ 322,886 x 0.41 =│ 132,383.26│ 195,927.22│
│Denmark │Dollars │ 308,150 x 1.09 =│ 335,883.50│ 497,107.58│
│France │Francs │7,707,590 x 0.19 =│ 1,464,442.10│ 2,167,374.30│
│Great Britain│£ │ 512,707 x 4.86 =│ 2,491,756.02│ 3,687,798.90│
│ and Ireland│sterling│ │ │ │
│Italy │Lire │4,120,311 x 0.19 =│ 782,859.09│ 1,158,631.45│
│Norway │Dollars │ 343,645 x 1.09 =│ 374,573.15│ 554,368.26│
│Prussia │Thalers │1,275,785 x 0.72 =│ 918,565.00│ 1,359,476.20│
│Russia │Roubles │1,872,659 x 0.77½ =│ 1,451,310.72│ 2,147,939.86│
│Switzerland │Francs │ 684,471 x 0.19 =│ 130,049.49│ 192,473.24│
│Spain │Dollars │ 554,475 x 1.04½ =│ 576,654.00│ 853,447.92│
│Submarine │£ │ │ │ │
│ Telegraph │sterling│ 60,368 x 4.86 =│ 293,338.48│ 434,214.95│
│ Co. │ │ │ │ │
│Malta & │£ │ │ │ │
│ Alexandria │sterling│ 52,142 x 4.86 =│ 253,410.12│ 375,046.97│
│ T. Co. │ │ │ │ │
│Mediterranean│ │ │ │ │
│ Extension │£ │ 31,200 x 4.86 =│ 151,632.00│ 224,415.36│
│ Telegraph │sterling│ │ │ │
│ Co. │ │ │ │ │
│ │ │ │——————————————│——————————————│
│ │ │ │$10,328,994.37│$15,286,991.61│
└─────────────┴────────┴───────────────────┴──────────────┴──────────────┘
Average cost of telegrams in Europe 81⅚ cents.
Footnote 2:
The Commercial and Financial Chronicle gives the lowest price of gold
in 1866 as 124⅞, and the highest 167¾, making the average 148, which
we have adopted as the standard value for that year.
_Statistics of the Western Union Telegraph Company of the United States
and of the Montreal Telegraph Company, Dominion of Canada, for the year
ending June 30, 1867._
┌─────────────────────┬───────────────┬───────────────┬───────────────┐
│ Name of Company. │Total Number of│ Receipts. │ United States │
│ │ Messages. │ │ Currency. │
├─────────────────────┼───────────────┼───────────────┼───────────────┤
│Western Union │ 10,067,768[3]│ │ $5,738,627.96│
│ Telegraph Company │ │ │ │
│Montreal Telegraph │ 573,219│$258,000 gold =│ 381,840.00│
│ Company │ │ │ │
├─────────────────────┴───────────────┴───────────────┼───────────────┤
│Average cost of telegrams in the United States │ 57 cents.│
│Average cost of telegrams in the Dominion of Canada │ 66 cents.│
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┴───────────────┘
Footnote 3:
These are exclusive of railroad messages, of which this company sends
many millions per annum. In fact, the safety of all the roads in the
United States is largely due to the free use of our wires in running
trains.
The total receipts of the Western Union Telegraph Company for the above
year were $6,568,925.36; but of this amount $521,509 were received for
transmitting regular press reports on contract, and $308,788.40 from
other sources,—leaving only $5,738,627.96 for telegrams.
Of the 10,067,768 messages sent during the year, 8,004,770 were on
commercial and social matters, and 2,062,998 containing special press
news, the latter amounting to 75,359,670 words.
Of the regular reports there were delivered to the press 294,503,630
words, which, allowing 20 words to each message,—the European
standard,—would amount to 14,725,181 telegrams, in addition to the
number given in the table. The average telegraphic tolls on these
reports were three and one half cents for a message of 20 words, or one
and seven tenths of a mill per word.
THE ASSERTED UNION OF THE POSTAL AND TELEGRAPH SYSTEMS IN EUROPE AN
ERROR.
In referring to the action of European governments, in their early
recognition of the telegraph system, Mr. Washburne says:—
“At once, after the invention and successful establishment of
electric telegraphs, every government in Europe where lines were
built, except that of Great Britain, established a telegraphic
system in connection with its postal system. _Anticipating, as they
might well do, that in private hands it might be so constructed as
to draw to it, by its speed, safety, and economy, a large proportion
of the correspondence, and thus become a rival of the post_, these
governments, acting in the interests of the people, have made the
system part and parcel of the postal system, and have thrown around
it all the safeguards which in every civilized country the postal
system enjoys.”
The above statement, with the exception of that portion printed in
italics, is remarkably incorrect.
In no country in Europe does it appear that the telegraphic
administration is connected with the post-office.[4] In France and Spain
the telegraphs are under the control of the Minister of the Interior. In
Russia, Prussia, and Italy they belong to the Ministry of Public Works.
In Belgium the telegraph, railways, and the post-office form a general
division under the Minister of Public Works, but are kept distinct. In
Austria the administrations of the telegraphs and the post-office were
at one time united, but it was found expedient to separate them. In
Switzerland the telegraphic organization is nearly the same as
Prussia’s; the post-office, customs, and private establishments supply
the elements of an auxiliary staff, but all the persons employed in the
transmission or delivery of telegrams depend on the administration of
Telegraphs for their compensation, and in the annual budget an
appropriation is made for that service distinct from the post.
Footnote 4:
Telegraphic Journal, (London: Truscott, Son, & Simmons,) Volume XI.
page 131.
An effort was made in France in 1864 to consolidate the post-office and
telegraph service, but, owing to the strong opposition evinced on the
part of the chief functionaries of both services to such amalgamation,
it was relinquished.
It was not until several years after the introduction of the electric
telegraph in America that it was opened to the people by any European
government. Even in France the electric telegraph was established as
late as 1851, and its spread throughout the empire was exceedingly slow.
The semaphore telegraph, a defective and inefficient system of conveying
intelligence by the exhibition of signals,—introduced by Napoleon at the
beginning of the present century,—was still in use, and, notwithstanding
the manifest advantages of the electric telegraph, as shown by Arago to
the House of Deputies, government long refused to employ it, and, when
finally adopted, it was for some time used in connection with the old
system.