Telegraph communication line Telegraph pole

In 1854 the telegraph line was relocated — it became an overhead line. Three wires were suspended through insulators on wooden poles spaced at 67 m intervals. It was through this overhead line that government communications passed. The underground wire was intended for private telegraph communication: now anyone could use it.

Initially, only members of the government and railway employees could use the telegraph between the two cities. Railway workers needed the telegraph to report breakdowns or other emergency situations to other stations. Matters of state importance also began to be resolved along the way.

The standard height of the poles was 8.5 m. When telegraph lines crossed each other, or when crossing railways and highways, the height of the poles reached 12.5 m. If the telegraph pole was made of metal, it was equipped with a lightning rod with a copper or gilded tip to prevent rust and pins with platinum ends.

Long-distance telegraph communication was not cheap. The cost of sending a message consisted of a base rate and the price for each word in the message. On average, a short telegram cost ordinary people about 50 kopecks: that's how much a kilogram of meat cost in the mid-19th century. Usually, no more than a couple of hours passed from the time a telegram was sent until it was received by the addressee, sometimes less.

By 1855 telegraph lines connected cities throughout Central Russia.