Cost of Telegraph losses in 1859 Carrington event

Putting religious and metaphysical questions aside, how much did all this disruption cost the US telegraph system? The compilers of these eyewitness accounts note a subsequent assessment by Scientific American that the average telegraph operator was worth about $75 a day to his company. Assuming that half the extant telegraph stations (1,500) were disrupted in some way, the researchers guesstimate a cost of $56,000 to the States, and perhaps $270,000 to the whole world. Combining general telegraph business revenue loss with operator labor revenue loss, they expand the global sum to something in the neighborhood of $300,000.
end partial quote from:
http://arstechnica.com/science/2012/05/1859s-great-auroral-stormthe-week-the-sun-touched-the-earth/2/

However, it might be important to understand that the value of 1cent was worth much more then than now.

For example, when I was little even in the 1950s I could buy a large candy bar for 5 cents (now 1 to 2 dollars). The difference was even more marked then in 1859. So, the value of $300,000 likely would be in the neighborhood (value wise of 100s millions of dollars or more today) to calibrate it to todays values and buying power.

In 1964 at age 16 I could buy a good 1956 ford stationwagon (8 years old) for around 600 to 800 dollars. The minimum wage was around 1 dollar an hour. I had no trouble at all between 15 and 16 of saving enough money to buy this car and to continue pay for gas and repairs ongoing until I sold it and traded it for a 1965 VW bug for college to save money on gas in 1966. Even a brand new VW Bug only was about 800 dollars then and likely I paid around 500 to 600 for a 1965 Bug then used.

Imagine how much a quarter could buy in 1859?

How much would a dollar buy in 1850?

It would buy a 2002 car.
This answer came from:http://www.answers.com/Q/What_could_one_dollar_buy_in_1850