New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1872-10-17
Our Bulletin.
Scenes and Incidents at the Times Election
Returns, Corner of Twenty-Third Street
One Hundred and Seventy Dispatches Dis

|
All day on Tuesday the people in this city
who had the election interests in Pennsyl
vania, Indiana, and Ohio at heart, were
eagerly watching for the first whisper of news
from those States. Naturally the bulletins
were scanned through the afternoon, anG
every letter indicating the chances devouret
with avidity. But the center of attration in
this city was certainly at the Erie offices, cor.
ner Twenty street and Broadway, where
it was announced the New York Times re.
turns would be given to the public by the
Stereopticon Advertising Company. Ger.
tainly their novel method of advertisement
found general favor with the throngs of mer.
chants, brokers, and professional gentlemen
packed on the sidewalks and crossings that
evening. Nothing could exceed the efficiency
of their operators and apparatus for the rapid
transfer of communications from the tele-
graph wires to the illuminated canvass out
side. People had heard of this new bulletin
IN the morning. and were ready to see it at
night, if, thought they, the thing can be done.
But they had grave doubts of its success,
believing that the issue of the returns must
be attended with delay consequent ON the
transmission Of messages from Printing
house Square to Twenty-third street. The
facts proved them unfounded.
A wire was laid between the Office down
town and Mr.. Keeler's office, in which the
stereopticon is fixed; telegraph operators
were specially engaged for the occasion, and
just asaast as the editors of the Times re-
ceived their specials from the three States,
they had them repeated to the Twenty-third
| street office. There was an attachG of the
paper in charge of matters in that place, and
his duty was to sec the messages properly
transferred to the glass plates by MIR. Keel
er's assistants and displayed as rapidly as
possible. From the time that each dispatch
was received at the uptown Office until the
crowds in the streets read it on the canvas,
scarcely five minutes elapsed. From the
moment Of the first announcement at 1925
p. NJ. until goodnight" was shown, the
interest in the display and its purpose never
once abated among the people.
This was no ordinary gathering of guid
nuncs. Every man present had q lively sense
of personal interest in the news for which he
awaited. Moreover, the persons who came
II O'Clock yesterday morning, were of the
best classes of society. No ribald jests or
vulgar slang found cOuntenance or liberation
there. Indeed, scarcely any was heard.
This was an assemblage of the wealthy, we'll
to-dO and commercial citizens of New York,
who, having large pecuniary and lifelong
reasons for wishing this country good Gov
eminent, had worked and hoped for the con-
tinuance of Gen. Grants administration.
There was no need of police, except to look
after pick-pickets, whom it is only natural to
suppose there would be a great many where
well-flled wallets and costly watches were
SO numerous. Their presence for any other
use was needless. Rowdies, if any sauntered
thither, were ovcrawed by the weight of ster-
ling responsibility, and subsidized for the nonce
into orderly citizenship. Alas! poor Tam
many and its Liberal friends, they were few,
and hid their diminished heads. In front of
the Fifth Avenue Hotel, down Twenty-third
street and Fifth Avenue, around the park
opposite and in the windows of the houses
near by, were thousands of people. Seen
from the window of the stereOpticon office,
the square und open space at the juncturc OF
the streets presented the appearance of an
immense arena filled with a highly-pleascd
audience, whose upturned faces formed a
white surface running far up and down each
thoroughfare, ever swaying, undulating, and
sending forth cheers of enthusiasm.
AT 1925 z. M. the Fifth avenue Hotel YES
Thule was almost impossible, so dense was
the crowd of politicians and other people
pressing in and out of the reading and bar
rooms, and walking up and down the vesti-
bule. There were the well-known leaders
of the Republican party in this city, members
of the State, Central, general and national
committees, also the magnates of the several
sections of the Democratic party in this city
and other parts of the State. Impromptu
caucuses were held upon the tessellated pave.
ment of the hotel, andmysterious whispering
could be hearl from obscure corners of the
passagc-ways. This was before the Times
bulletin had made any announcement. In q
moment or so after the hour before named
there was general crush toward the street
entrance, and a greater rush to the corner o.
Twenty-third street by the throng outside
The cause was the display on the canvas o.
the words in immense letters, the shadows
of those on the little plate within: "Tht
New York Times Report election returns will
be given as rapidly as received" Then fol
lowed pause of some minutes, during which
the crowds grew more dense, and the even
ing's excitement began. Betting men, who
had read the afternoons dispatches of the
probable Republican victory, were very &C
lively engaged in trying to hedge where they
had evidently lost, or get new bets where
gains were apparent. The principal charac
teristc of the multitude at this time, how
ever, was it's silence. Nothing definite hat
yet been heard, and pail of uncertainty
overhung the whole. Gradually it was dis
| PEELED, and before 81 O'Clock enthusiasm con
| trOlled and gave birth to Il feeling of victor,
| which carried everything before it.
At last the first despatch came from Tho
Times Office, and with almost incredible rap
idity was written on the glass plate, ant
shown on the canvas by Mr.. Kcelcr's opera
tor. 1t read: Philadelphia has given Hart
ranft from 10000 to $4,000 majority, n
least" Then such cheer rent the air a
had not been heard in this section of the cit
since the announcement of Lees surrendc
at AppOmattoX Courthouse. Another came
increasing the figures, and still another, unit
they reached $4,000. At this point tn
shouts and hand-clapping must have fright
ened the horses and aroused the people Oh
Sixth Avenue, who had not yet heard of tn
new enterprise. Pennsylvania news grew
better and more decidedly victorious, unit
the gladness of the spectators knew n
bounds, and they gave cheer after cheer 70
Grant, Wilson, and the New York Times
But the supreme moment of rejoicing Nigh
be said to have been reached when the bul
letin told, in splendid letters two feet long
that Ohio had gone Republican. Verbal de
scriptiOn is faint here. Thundcrs of applaus
and jubilant shouts followed each other il
quick succession, which broke or rather dis
solved into peals of laughter as the face c
the canvas grew dark moment, and lit u
anew portrait of a delighted Southern col
Ored man in an attitude of exuberant dance
But this moment of pleasant relaxation wa