Year

Ending

June

30 -

Miles of Line.

Miles of Wire.

Number of Offices.

Number of

Messages

Sent.

Receipts.

Expenses.

Profits.

Average per Message.

Toll.

Cost.

Dollars.

Dollars.

Dollars.

Cents.

Cents.

1868.. .

50,183

97,594

3,219

6,404,595

7,004,560

4,362,849

2,641,711

104.7

63.4

1878. . .

81,002

206,202

8,014

23,918,894

9,861,355

6,309,813

3,551,543

38.9

25.0

1888. .

171,375

616,248

17,241

51,463,955

19,711,164

14,640,592

5,070,572

31.2

23.2

1898...

189,847

874,420

22,210

62,173,749

23,915,733

17,825,582

6,090,151

30.1

24.7

1903. . .

196,517

1,089,212

23,120

*69,790,866

29,167,687

20,953,215

8,214,472

31.4

25.6

*Not including messages (probably 10,000,000) sent over leased wires or under railroad contracts.

The greatly increased mileage since 1880 is principally due to the fact that in 1881 the Western Union Telegraph Company absorbed by purchase all the lines of the American Union and the Atlantic and Pacific Telegraph Companies, the former having previously in operation over 12,000 miles of line and the latter 8,706 miles. Capital stock of the Western Union, $100,000,-000.

The Morse Telegraph Code. (Used In The United States.)

The Morse Telegraph Code. (Used in the United States.)

The International Telegraph Code. (The Cable Code.)

The International Telegraph Code. (The Cable Code.)

The Western Union has exclusive contracts with several international cable companies, operating eight Atlantic cables, and guarantees 5 per cent annual dividends on the stock of the American Telegraph and Cable Company; amount $14,000,000. Besides the above, there are new lines of telegraph which have complied with the United States telegraph act of 1866, and are operating wires with or without connection with railway companies in many parts of the country. - Statistical Abstract of the United States.