Mr.Day was succeeded by James Swan,^the present efficient manager, wno is very^popular with the people and who manages^the office to the satisfaction of its patrons.
TheWestern Union has to day fifteen^wires which it uses jointly with tbe Union^PaT^^ operate these wires 2 300 cells
ofbattery are needed. In the Helena of^^fice there are seventeen operators, three^clerks, two office boys and six messengers,^a total of twenty-eight hands. A ^iuadru-^plex is in operation to Portland, wbich is^said to be tne longest (753 milesl quadru^^ples wire without a repeater in the world.^A duplrx instrument is worked to St. Paul^in the day time and at night to Chicago, so^that in 8-.ii.^^!^ and cables for New York^have only to be repeated once, tbus avoid^^ing liability to errors which is incident to^each repetition. In addition to the duplex^a single wire is also worked to Chicago.
Aduplex is also in operation to Ugden,^and anotner will be put up for Spokane^Falls in a few weeks In an emergency-^like the Spokane lire when we had four^wires to Chicago, we can increase our fa^^cilities. At pret^ent the office has what^might be called three trunk routes. One^by St. Paul, one by Ogden, and one by^Portland and San Francisco. The advan^^tage in this is that Helena is never entirely^cutoff. Helena can reach Chicago just as^handy by Ogden. or Portland and San^Francisco, as by St. Paul.
Mr.Swan says be does not think in the^last hv^^ years there ever was an occasion^on which the Ixdkpkxdeht did not get^its report, certainly not in the last three^years. This is a boast tbat not another^newspaper west of St Paul can make, ex-^cep'ing perhaps the H-rald.
