Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1873-11-05
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News Gettins im France, Whore
There 10 tso Mach Govcrnmens
Of the Telegraph.

LAWN Az SonbL A0AVN0s
S
News gesting im France, Whore
There 10 Goo Mach Govcrnmene
Of the Telegraph.
Versailles Correspondence, New York Times. ]
Perhaps II IL worth while noting
here one novelty IL the way of trans
mitting news. The Paris Journals
are not greatly noted for enterprise,
and all Of them appear to think that,
for anything that transpires beyond
the French frontier, few days more
Or less in the transmission of news
can make very little difference. But
it is very different matter with
news from Versailles. The smallest
journals have two or more men COLI
stantly there, ut salaries of eight
hundred or one thousand francs per
month, aided by messengers and au-
thorized to use n cab whenever nec-
essnry. In tie stable adjoining miuc
II GauIois reporter keeps his horse at
the expense of the Journal, and drives
to Versailles every morning before
nine o'clock, coming back in the
evening. Those who rcproacl the
French press for want of enterprise
little know their .libcrali,y in getting
news from Versailles. But the hcav-
lest expense falls upon the evening
journals. They so to press at $3.50,
and hence must have the news sent
by express, by special courier, or by
telegraph. AS general thing the
latter mode is found too slow, owing
to the regulations Of the servirc. a
piece of news which does not please
the eye OF the operator has 10 be SUBJ
mitted to his chief, who may, per-
haps, demand the signature of the
Minister of the Interior before he
could scnlli il. AS this would require
two or three hours, and perhaps an
entire day, the telegraph is not cx-
actly trustworthy for the transmits
sion Of political news, when one is
| ItNSSSh ict Al oSf"ShSS
the telegraph is given up to the Off
cial and semi-oliicial press. In the
present case The Libcrtc has sur
mounted the difficulty by employing
carrier-piyeons. a cage of birds is
taken to Versailles by train every
morning. The reporter writes in
ri, t;cSun
paper, and every half hour sends his
notes out TO All assistant in the yard
of the Trianon, who attaches them To
the bird and starts him off at orce
The trusticst dispatch agents arc
kept for the last. The bird rises
straight fiito the air for about a huu-
dred feet, remains poised there for a
moment while getting his bearings
then shoots away with remarkable
rapititv. and ia direct line for his
familiar cote. lie Gashcs in without
delay, rushes to his master, who is
waiting for him with his dinner, anu
offers no resistance willie the manu-
script is,.bcing detached. a messenger
takes it at once to the printers. The
birds take from Is TO 20 minutes 10
make the trip, just about the time it
would take a messenger boy to stroll
from the telegraph Office to the
bureau of the journal, and he brings
each time the matter OF eight or ten
ordinary dispatches. But care mus,
be taken in writing, so that the
words can be read by magnify;ng
glass. The last bird is dispatched
about 10 minutes after 3 O'Clock. and
being an old an experienced carrier, he
is generally Gil hand at $3.50 with "tlle
very latest news" Yesterday the
birds were OH time, while the telr-
graphic dispatches sent off at the sam"
moment were only published in the
edition of Z o'clock in the evening.
having arrived half hour too late
for the first edition. lam told thai
the forms are kept open for four or
five minutes when bird is expected,
but never delayed an instant for the
telegraph. All this is not very cred
liable to the telegraph men who h ave
inveatcd the means for sending four
messages by the same wire at the
same instant, two in each dircctior,
but it is, nevertheless, Il curious com
mrntary upon the times.