Vail  on  December  12,  1881  : —

I  first  established  a  system  of  connecting  private  telegraph
wires  through  a  central  office  in  this  city  in  the  year  1867  (in  August),
as  I  find  by  my  records.  These  lines  were  Morse  telegraph  wires,
and  the  subscribers  to  my  plan  of  intercommunication  included
the  largest  houses  in  the  city.
In  September  1871  I  arranged  a  central  office  for  intercom-
munication between  some  twenty  odd  of  the  banks  and  bankers
of  this  city,  having  said  central  office  in  a  room  adjoining  the  clearing
house.  .  .  .  Within  the  five  years  following  my  establishment  of
a  central  office  for  private  wires  my  subscribers  increased  to  some-
where about  fifty.
The  first  telephones  We  ever  worked,  so  far  as  I  find  any  record,
were  four,  which  were  sent  to  myself  personally  by  Mr.  G.  Hubbard,
or  by  his  direction.  My  books  show  that  I  received  them  by  express
August  31,  1877,  worked  them  around  on  various  short  wires  to  test
them,  and  on  September  ir  following  we  connected  the  office
of  H.  D.  Davis,  3rd  and  Walnut  Streets,  also  in  the  mean  time  the

1  From  statement  of  Mr.  G.  F.  Wiley,  an  officer  of  the  Gold  and  Stock
Telegraph  Company,  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  T.  D.  Lockwood.
86       THE  TELEPHONE  AND  TELEPHONE  EXCHANGES

Stock  Exchange  and  my  office.  These  were  of  course  experi-
mental tests.  I  give  this  to  you  for  what  it  is  worth.  Finally,  Mr.
Cornish  was  directed  to  get  the  Phones  from  me  and  that  ended  that
matter.
The  first  telephones  we  rented  for  pay  from  this  office  was  on
February  14,  1878.
Another  system  of  the  same  character  was  that  established
in  New  York  by  the  Law  Telegraph  Company.
