TELEGRAPHS
clvii
NUMBER AND GROSS TONNAGE OF SAILING VESSELS, STEAM VESSELS,
CANAL BOATS, AND BARGES, ON THE NORTHERN LAKES, VARIOUS
YEARS, 1870 TO 1898
| Year | Sailing | Steam | Canal Boats | Barges | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Tons | No. | Tons | No. | Tons | No. | Tons | No. | Tons | |
| 1870 | 1,699 | 264,609 | 642 | 142,973 | 2,894 | 249,553 | 114 | 27,569 | 5,349 | 684,704 |
| 1880 | 1,459 | 304,933 | 931 | 212,045 | 572 | 47,159 | 165 | 40,965 | 3,127 | 605,102 |
| 1890 | 1,272 | 328,656 | 1,527 | 652,923 | 657 | 67,574 | 54 | 13,910 | 3,510 | 1,063,063 |
| 1894 | 1,139 | 302,985 | 1,731 | 843,240 | 386 | 41,961 | 85 | 39,214 | 3,341 | 1,227,400 |
| 1895 | 1,100 | 300,642 | 1,755 | 857,735 | 406 | 44,074 | 81 | 39,008 | 3,342 | 1,241,459 |
| 1896 | 1,044 | 309,152 | 1,792 | 924,631 | 416 | 45,109 | 81 | 45,175 | 3,333 | 1,324,067 |
| 1897 | 993 | 334,104 | 1,775 | 977,235 | 361 | 37,978 | 101 | 60,785 | 3,230 | 1,410,102 |
| 1898 | 960 | 333,704 | 1,764 | 993,644 | 384 | 40,456 | 148 | 69,696 | 3,256 | 1,437,500 |
Telegraphs
MILEAGE OF LINES AND WIRES, NUMBER OF OFFICES, AND TRAFFIC OF THE WESTERN UNION TELEGRAPH COMPANY, VARIOUS YEARS, 1866 TO 1898
| Year ending June 30— |
Miles of Line |
Miles of Wire |
Offices | Messages Sent |
Receipts | Expenses | Profits | Average per Message | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toll | Cost | ||||||||
| Dollars | Dollars | Dollars | Cts. | Cts. | |||||
| 1866 | 37,380 | 75,686 | 2,250 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1870 | 54,109 | 112,191 | 3,972 | 9,157,646 | 7,138,738 | 4,910,772 | 2,227,966 | 75.5 | 51.2 |
| 1880 | 85,645 | 233,534 | 9,077 | 29,215,509 | 12,782,895 | 6,948,957 | 5,833,93s | 38.5 | 25.4 |
| 1890 | 183,917 | 678,997 | 19,382 | 55,878,762 | 22,387,029 | 15,074,304 | 7,312,725 | 32.4 | 22.7 |
| 1894 | 190,303 | 790,792 | 21,166 | 58,632,237 | 21,852.655 | 16,060,170 | 5,792,485 | 30.5 | 23.3 |
| 1895 | 189,714 | 802,651 | 21,360 | 58,307,315 | 22,218,019 | 16,076,630 | 6.141,389 | 30.7 | 23.3 |
| 1896 | 189,918 | 826,929 | 21,725 | 58,760,444 | 22,612.736 | 16,714,756 | 5,897,980 | 30.9 | 24.0 |
| 1897 | 190,614 | 841,002 | 21,769 | 58,151,684 | 22,638,859 | 16,906,656 | 5,732,203 | 30.5 | 24.3 |
| 1898 | 189,847 | 874,420 | 22,210 | 62,173,749 | 23,915,733 | 17,825,582 | 6,090,151 | 30.1 | 24.7 |
MILEAGE OF LINES OPERATED, NUMBER OF MESSAGES SENT, AND NUMBER OF OFFICES OF POSTAL TELEGRAPH CABLE COMPANY
| Year | Miles, Poles, and Cables |
Miles of Wire | Offices | Messages |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1885 | 2,811 | 23,587 | 260 | 1,428,690 |
| 1890 | 11,142 | 67,751 | 1,050 | 7,380,000 |
| 1894 | 17,715 | 108,695 | 1,759 | 10,965,509 |
| 1895 | 19,477 | 117,344 | 2,067 | 12,493,892 |
| 1896 | 20,165 | 126,483 | 2,101 | 13,461,452 |
| 1897 | 21,098 | 130,449 | 2,133 | 13,628,064 |
| 1898 | 24,547 | 143,290 | 2,601 | 15,407,018 |
The aggregate mileage of telegraph lines which carry varying numbers of wires, according to the business requirements of the localities through which they run, in the United States, open for public business, exceeds 210,000 miles, besides railways, government, private, and telephonic lines; length not ascertainable.
