The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1863-02-13
TIL T. CALIFORNIAN n,
Gentlemen ofthe Press.

The following lively story of newspaper
reporting in from an article with the above
title, in Harpers monthly Magazine for
February:
AT Niagara Falls an incident occurred dur
ing the Princes stay, which illustrates some
of the pecularites of reporters, and which
has been frequentlyibut never correctly, re-
lated by the English papers as proof of
American enterprise. The special reporter
of New York journal had ordered the tele-
graph line to be kept open one Sunday eve
ming, when the offices were usually closed,
and had engaged to pay the operators liber-
ally for their extra work. Before he had
finished telegraphing his usual reports
along came the reporter of another New
York journal, who, having obtained some ex-
elusive news, and finding the line in fine
working order, asserted his right to have his
dispatches transmitted to New York also.
Reporter the first resisted. Reporter the
second insisted. Reporter the first appealed
to the telegraph operators, and after great
deal of conversation between the Niagara
and Rochester offices, the operators decided
that both reports must be telegraphed. Re-
porter the second was calmly triumphant
and coolly prepared his notes. Reporter the
first attempted to bride the operators, and
finding them incorruptible, began long and
desultory argument over the wires in order
TO Kill time and crowd out his opponent
Reporter the second thereupon obtained an
interview with the Hon. John Rose, the Pre-
mier Of Canada, who sent down message to
the operators that he was or had been presi-
dent, vice-president, OR director-he really
could not tell which-ot the telegraph CON-
pany, and that by virtue of this authority ne
ordered both dispatches to be telegraphed
Immediately. This order added fuel to the
fire of indignation which glowed in the bo-
som of reporter the first. A Canadian Off
clai dictate to an American reporter? New
er! Meanwhile the moments slipped hur-
ridly away, and the hour was approaching
when It would be useless to attempt to send
a despatch to New York in time for publica-
ton in the morning papers.
Observing this, reporter the first suddenly
recovered his self-control, and referred all the
parties concerned to the standard rule of the
telegraph company that " dispatches must be
sent in the order in which they were receiv-
ed, and that one dispatch must be finished
before another could be transmitted" This
rule was acknowledged to be Geographic law.
Repo rter the first then claimed priority for
his report, This point was also conceded
The reporter then briefly but eloquently in
formed the by-standers that they might as
we'll go to bed as his report could never be
concluded while chance Of dispatch reach
ing New York that night remained to his
competitor. Immediately he set to wolk to
telegraph against time. His original report
having been dispatched he jotted down every
item worth sending, and ransacked his brain
for any little incident of the Princes doings
which might possibly have been forgotten.
His pencil flew over the paper like lightning.
Cllck-click -clck-the operator hurried off
page after page almost as rapidly as the re-
reporter could indite them.
Reporter the second stalked gloomily up
and down the office, despairing but uncon-
quered. 10 him the minute hand of the
clock moved with terrible swiftness. To re-
porter the first the moments seemed shod
with lead. Every item being exhausted,
description of Niagara Falls, carefully re-
served to be sent by mall was handed to the
operator and flashed over the line at a cost
Of six or eight cents a word This done,
there was moments pause.-Reporter the
second breathed more freely, and even ven
tnred to smile hopefully and nervously finger
his detained dispatches. Alas. reporter the
first again writes-this time "a note to the
Rochester operator: (Which would you pre-
fer to telegraph, chapter of the bible or a
chapter of Claude Duval the highwayman
These are the only two books l can find in
the hotel" The lightning dashes off with
the query and returns with the answer: {" it
Is quite immaterial which You send" The
reporter siezes the bible; transcribes the
first chapter of Matthew, with all its hard,
genealogical names; adds this to his previous
dispatches tacks portions of the twenty
hrst chapter of Rsvelatlon-describing the
various precious stones-to the homogeneous
report; hands it all to the operator sends
his blessing and an injunction to be careful
OF the spelling to the Rochester office, and
gleetully awaits the result with eyes ON the
clock. Before this scriptual news is fully
transmitted the hour arrived when no more
kilograms could be sent. Reporter the first
retired in glory; but although his kilograms
reached New York safely, the biblical Dor.
tons we're unfortunately never published
Reporter the second telegraphed his news
and his Indignation the next morning, and
then good naturally acknowledged bis defeat
Another Kind of Slavery.