The New York herald., 1877-09-07
An Important Engagement Reported
On the Lom.
BATTLE AT KECHLOWA.
Russian Loss Placed at 5000
Turks 900.
TEN HOURS DESPERATE FIGHTING
English Journalism and
the War.
rBY GABLE TO THE HERALD


LONDON, Sept z. 1877.
Thus far the war has given very few op-
portunities for great newspaper feats. These
few, however. have been made the most of,
and the London press especially deserves
the highest praise for it's enterprise and
vigilance At the outset the Times laid
its plans with great vigor and foresight,
promising to overmatch all its rivals. 1t
sent out regiment of correspondents, COW
ering every point with princely disregard
Of ofexpense, depending, apparently, upon the
number of its men for q certainty of success.
The correspondents of the Times are, un-
aoubtedly, an able corps of gentlemen,
worthy of all the prestige and dignity of
that illustrious English journal.
THE WAR CORRESPONDENT
Unfortunately, however, these gentlemen
have seemed to be lacking in the one essen
tial element of enterprise. To use sporting
metaphor, "They have shown plenty of action
but no speed" However excellent are the
qualities of war correspondent the first
great essential is that he shall be able to
get through to his journal the account
which he has written. News differs from
all other marketable articles in that it is the
most perishable of all.
WHAT Is AND IS NOT NEWS.
Unlike other men in responsible positions.
the war correspondent may wreck career
of success by one failure. The cashier or
teller OF bank, who receives worthless
check believing it to be good, simply adds
the deficit to the account Of profit and loss
1t is something for which recompense can
be found in additional caution for the fu-
ture. But the news Of to-day becomes his
tory tomorrow, and its use to the journalist
is lost forever. The most graphic description
of a great battle is valueless if it comes an
hour too late. For the war correspondent
who fails there is no forgiveness, no atone
ment. There is no such thing as q valid ex-
cuse for failure.
PRECIOUS MOMENTS.
So, while the Times dispatches have
shown exceeding cleverness, its correspond
ents have somewhat impaired the value of
their work by delay in getting them
through to their destination. In other
words, they have been too late. The
Daily Telegraph is not open to the same
criticism. With the advantage of it's
Turkish leanings, and by dint of its own
enterprise it hos run brilliant race with
it's penny rival, the Daily Ne,es. The Daily
1slegraphs strong point has been the
Russian atrocity business, with the Cossack
as bete noir. The number of its correspond
ents is second only to that of the Times.
WHERE HONOR is DUE.
The Daily Telegraph has shown. much en-
terprise, notably in the engagement at Eski
Saghra when General Gourkha made his
famous dash through the Balkans and
in having the first rumors Of the Rus
sian defeat at Plevna. But the longest
Plevna feather belongs to the cap of
Mr.. Archibald Forbes, correspondent of the
Daily Ne,os, who spent more than twenty
hours in the saddle under fire. Riding
with the retreating Russian army he wrote,
off hand, the most brilliant war despatch
ever sent to any newspaper.
EQUAL TO RUSSELL OF THEIRS.
The readers of the HERALD, to whom this
splendid despatch was given in full, will
remember il as magnificent specimen OF
descriptive writing, combining beauty of
style with clear statement of the military
situation and the consequences of the de-
feat. The London critics consider it better
than the best work OF the celebrated DIR.
Russell, OF the Times, and quite equal to
Theirs most graphic battle pen pictures.
The Russian authorities have paid MIR.
Forbes, and through HIM the Daily News,
the compliment of using his despatch as
the official account of the battle throughout
the Empire.
THE TURKS AGGRESSIVE ON THE LON.
If Turkish accounts may be trusted-and
they seem to be confirmed in these particu-
lars by Russians admissions-a Turkish
force has crossed the LON aud reached the
neighborhood of Obirteni, while another
force has crossed the Kara-Lom to Poto-