Show r When the Telegraph Came to o Pioche BY JOSIAH ROGERSON Early in the summer of ot 1871 the prom prominent promInent prominent citizens of Pioche Nev Ne availed themselves thc of ot the facility of ot the stage 1 I ne tIe from Pioche to Beaver City In the sending Bending of ot telegrams to Salt Lake Chi ChU Chiago sago ago New York points In Nevada Neada and San Francisco inclosing gold coin with th the telegram in enevol to the manager of ot the Deseret telegraph office at Beaver City CIt This continued to increase dally till tillIn tillIn tillIn In the month of or September the Ole citizens of Pioche merchants and nd others made madean an application to Superintendent A M f Musser at Salt Lake and President Brigha i Young that If It they would ex extend extend extend tend from St George to Pioche a R distance of ot miles they would ma materially materially materially contribute for the extension at its completion President Young endorsed the appU application application cation atlon and Instructed Superintendent Musser to obtain the necessary wire brackets insulators etc for the dis distance distance distance tance to be covered Promptly respond responding ing to the order of ot President Young Superintendent Musser went to St StGeorge StGeorge StGeorge George and Bishop Dan McArthur was given charge of ot the construction par party party party ty with the veteran Harry Cox as line builder and electrician George Smith and five or six Ix others to dig the holes erect the poles and string the lines JInes Over Difficult Route A rougher country and a harder route can hardly be found In southern Utah or the American desert Standing ce cedar cedar cedar dar trees and pinon pine were Improvised Improvised for poles is as many instances s as possible and when within about or thirty miles from Pioche the writer being on his way from the Og Ogden Ogden Ogden den office to take charge at Pioche when the line was completed was met by Superintendent Musser at Panaca Nov about the p q October r 1871 Superintendent Musser Mus e had been out southwest and had met the builders of the line Une and as the men needed some oney and supplies sup to complete the f of the line Une he was at a loss p now how to raise some means then greatly needed The writer remarked I 1 have got It ft you get me a good pony from the livery stable at Panaca or Bullionville and I will ride from Pioche to 10 the end of ot the line Une daily dally you ou re 11 remaining remaining in Pioche receiving the tele telegrams telegrams grams grans that the merchants and other patrons want to be transmitted and I will Ill leave Pioche at noon every even eve day going to the end of at the line sending them to Salt Lake the same afternoon or night remaining there until 10 0 clock oo k or noon the next day and bring bringing bringing ing back the by the pony ex express express express press the next afternoon Telegraphing Under Difficulties When the writer would reach the line fine builders camp each evening St StGeorge StGeorge George orge having been previously ad Rd advised would let his battery onto the extension and then the old electrician Harry Cox would put his steel crow crowbar crowbar crowbar bar into the ground digging a R hole around It pouring three or four buck buckets buckEts buckets ets of ot water into the hole and connect connecting connecting ing the line with a copper wire to the bar The operator then called S St with the of a wagon lox Jox for an office table knelt thereon with a pocket relay and key ke attached Thus he sent all aU that Salt Lake had for forthe fort forthe the t then great George Hearst Uncle Billy Raymond RaJmond J D E Cavellier ex 1 f resident of the San Francisco stock board and a hundred others of the great gnat g at mining giants that ever eer attacked Nature In her fortresses This service was kept up till the line got to t Panaca where the office was waa opened about the lith of oC October 1871 then at Bullionville a day or 01 two afterward aft art afterward erward and at Pioche In the afternoon of Oct 23 1871 Rejoicing In Pioche To say sa that the advent of the line with Its desirable facilities afforded the greatest of If pleasure Is putting it mild mildly Jv ly During the day a committee of two or three was appointed to solicit con contributions contributions contributions for the banquet to be held that evening over which General Ed Edward Edward Edward ward P Connor presided pre It was a common contribution In response to Here now whack up x Why Wh put me down for a basket of champagne Others nave gave a Ii half bait a basket etc so o that In the evening be between between between tween 9 and 19 10 oclO k there were wre not less than eight el ht or ten kneading pans that would hold fifty pounds of flour each filled with Held elk Cliquot and Mouse Mou e and with the addition of or chickens and sandwiches the contributions amounted to over oer It was said to be bl one on of the most royal and regal banquets that had been heM held 1 In the state of Nevada and when General Connor the leading lM mining su superintendents superintendents barristers at law Jaw prom nent merchants helped themselves with beer ber mugs to the champagne the first fast toast proposed by b General Connor as to the health of ot President Brigham fis ung lung who had brought the telegraph flue e to their camp amp The population of or Pioche when we reached there with the theline theline theline line was about The next Fourth of July there were between and an people Mining Companies Help During the first week of ot the advent of ot the line Into the Raymond Ra mond Ely Mining company came Caine promptly with its material contribution of 1500 The Meadow Valley Mining company compan followed with 1060 and the Pioche Mining company with its These companies agreed to take out only one fourth tour h of ot their monthly bills duo due the Deseret company for business handled between Pioche and Salt Lake paying In full the tolls and bills on other lines however which handled the business to points east and west of Salt Lake The receipts for the first six days amounted to some with the checks amounts paid at other offices mak making ing the business for that week in Oc October October October tober about 1000 In November the receipts re were over 1800 with checks over 1 1200 00 making the tho business In December there was an Increase in receipts and checks of from to 1000 so that in March 1872 the receipts were vere and the checks made the business all of ot Success Is Continued This success continued to Increase monthly till Ull in September 1872 the ac actual actual actual receipts were and the checks nearly neady During the months of ot July Tul and August the Raymond Ely company brought suit against the Her Hermese Hermese Hermese mese company all aU of which has been heretofore published and the shameful bribery of ot the Jury During the trial the Deseret Telegraph company built and erected a copper wire from its of ot office fice lice on Main street over oer the tops of ot the highest buildings to the court house and there kept a competent operator every day of the trial for the tha trans transmission transmissIon transmission mission of ot specials to the leading news newspapers papers of California Nevada Salt Bait Lake and nd the east The office also handled a press report and a complete com lete stock re report report report port Business Is Divided In October 1872 the Western Vestern Union realizing the harvest that the Deseret line Una had been reaping since Its advent into the camp completed its it line from Hamilton White Pine county count Nevada to Pioche and consequently the re receipts receipts receipts then became divided From this on until 1875 the receipts for both companies diminished as the water had come into the Lightner shaft of at the Raymond Ely company compan and virtually stopped the th hoisting of their carbonate ores which for six months at a time previously had averaged ounces of silver sUver to the ton and from 58 8 to 20 In gold The bars of bullion shipped by Gilmore stages from Crom Pioche to Salt SaU Lake by the score and averaged from 1300 to 1800 1500 to the bar In the specie value Line Works Well The Deseret line at the time of ot Its reaching Pioche ran through Panaca Hebron St George Beaver and from Round valley to Gunnison Utah then round through all aU the settlements of ot Sanpete county count down through Salt Creek canyon to Nephi to Salt Lake Ogden and thence via the Atlantic Pacific lines Unes from Ogden to California This formed a circuit of over 1400 miles passing pa through a large Jarge battery and a pair of repeaters at Salt Lake the same at Ogden Osden and the same lame at Virginia City Nev Notwithstanding all this circuit of offices the line Une worked so well for weeks and months at a time that the writer transmitted in September 1872 messages inside the hour from Pioche to San Francisco which were checked as they passed through the Salt SaU Lake office and averaged 1250 each In the same month one Sunday night from 40 till the next morning words were I transmitted to the two leading papers at San Francisco two In Sacramento and the Virginia CIty Nev Ne Enter Enterprise Enterprise prise All AU of these offices were wre in the I circuit but in spite of their number and the length of the line the wire I worked as smooth as glass Some of the Prices Having said something about the I receipts of ot the Pioche office in these 1 days da s it t may ma perhaps be well to say ay a afew afew 1 few tew words about the expenditures The rent for the office was and the of office office fice flee was waa only feet feel at that ten i common red pine poles cost cosh only 50 I two line Une repairers fares to Bullionville twelve and a half miles 10 board 45 4 for month lodging lod ing single bed 25 23 per month water bill for use of office and battery batter 2850 0 The water was de delivered delivered livered by the barrel system Every Everything Ever thing else was In proportion Being at the mil tuii end of ot the line as every evory practical operator who has been there can well understand the writer labored under many trying tring circumstances circum circumstances circumstances stances On account of the leaving open of ot keys kes by pupil operators for hours at a time the interruptions of or ground wire plugs and the malicious I shooting oft off of ot insulators by Inconsiderate erate orate teamsters freighting from Salt Lake and other points to Pioche and making target practice of the tele telegraph telegraph telegraph graph line Une as they passed by and un under under under der it compelled the company to put a apony apony pony express rider on the line Une from Pioche to Toquerville and making from thirty to fifty tift miles a day da reporting morning yoon noon and night so as to keep the line In anything like Uke good working order By B this means the company was enabled to keep the line In reliable working order This was at an expense of UiO a month Great Future for Pioche Even after the mines had ceased to tobe tobe tobe be anything nearly as productive as In Inthe Inthe inthe the palmy days of 70 71 and until 75 the Deseret company continued to maintain its office at Pioche till Ull the whole of Its lines and interests were sold to the Western Union Telegraph company in 1900 That there still is a gre gr it Lt t future for I Pioche Is beyond question and with the theY Y arrival of ot the Salt Lake route there such a development of Its ore bodies and daily shipments will be heard of beyond expectations |