The Portland daily press., 1881-10-13

Compared with tbs British Lloyds-HoW
the latter Originated. and What 1t Costs
to Support it.
There Is no department Of daily paper 30
uninteresting to the general reader ~ that
which is headed 'Ship News" Men and wom-
Gu regularly peruse the marriage and death
notices, without any special reason for so doing
and without any expectation OF finding either
good or evil news of friends; they read with
interest advertisements Of articles which they
do not want and which they would not buy
even at bargain; they read telegrsphic news
from all quarters Of the globe Of which they
know nothing and care less, but it is seldom
that you find any others than those specially
interested in some particular vessel engaged In
examining the ship news of their newspapers.
The editors themselves would seem to look on
it as Of littls importance and interest, for they
print it in the smallest and least attractive
type, In the least prominent part OF the psper.
The ship news Is the news OF the sea. The
paper has its paragraphs for fires, tho sporting
record, its arrivals and departures, its obftua-
ries OF old vessels and its birth or launches OF
new ones, its marders and other horrors. and
its piracies. 1t records daily the actions and
decisions and orders of the admiralty and light
house boards OF all maratims nations Its
mariners' notices tell of the changes in tke
guide posts of the ocean, the beacon lights, and
the discoveries made by hundreds Of pilots Of
the changes in the deep sea soundings 1t re-
cords the whereabouts OF dangerous icsbergs,
that they may be avoided or that owners ashore
may guard against losses by them through ths
agency of the insurance companies 1t traces
the routes of the great storms by the wrecks
that have marked their disastrous ways. 1t
tells of the wreckers' daring labors in saving
the wrecked; their profitable work In stripping
the lost vessels. From day to day it locates the
vessels on the high seas in its paragraph Of
Spoken" telling each owner where his vessel
lies or sails, and IN what condition, and telling
each woman whore her lover is aad how he
fares. "All well" and ga speedy voyage" are
the glad tidings 1t frequently pronounces, and
many are they who read them with heartfelt
"Thank God" The
SHIP NEWS EDIToR
is the local reporter of the ocean, and Is often
as singular as is his department he must nee
essarily have q smattering OF several languag-
6es
eign newspapers, particularly Spanish French,
and Portuguese, and sometimes GerHan and
Chinese. He must be a COED gsogrspher, in
order that he shall make no mistake in locali-
ties, as it is not very creditable to the repatsr
ton of . paper to be detected in such mistakes.
Aud he must be something Of \ mariner, too. .
practical sailor, in order that his dates and
routes may be correct He must not confound
ships and sloops and barks and schooners and
brigs of the same name. Then the phraseolo-
gy Of the sea must be corrsstly Published, and
this is only thoroughly learned BY practical
seamen He must know the currents OF the
sea, the winds OF the heavens. Beside be must
have retentlve memory, for Practically 40
has to keep in his head the names Of all tho
merchant navy of his own country, and much
OF that of all the rest OF the world, and be able
to recall at moments notice the changes that
occur from time to time. More than that, he
must be man OF great patience, ever ready to
ply loquacious iniormaDts with questions which
will divulge the facts rather than the opinion
they have Of wrecks and fires and other disas-
ters, and equally ready to answer innumerable
questions Of all kinds. He must always DO
ready with an opinion which will not only con-
sole sweethearts and wives and unclss and
aunts, but also owners and insurance agents.
The
SHIP NEWS EDIroR's ROOM
of great daily Is as often frequented by those
ia search of news as by those with news; par
nounced as overdue. II one Of the steamers be-
tween Liverpool and New York Is delayed two
days, the ship news editors room in Nav York
city and the Office Of the Liverpool agency OF
Lloyd's ara filled with anxious inquirers In
search of news. On such occasions, poor, lone
women, young and old, come to tell their sad
stories, and make anxious inquiries about ab-
sent oues supposed to be delayed on the vessel.
The New York papers pay hsndsonely for
all reports Of wrecks, arrivals, etc., whsther
laffo s.vnA fIwT sail
ors and wreckers bring OF send from distant
places information of this kind.
The ship news column has its history, too.
Although the present form of Publishing ship
news was not invented and systemattzsd until
about 1887, still the collection of shipping in
tallipenss NAV be said to have beeu the Begin
ming of news gathering in this country, in fact,
of the present system OF American journalism.
IL has only seen within the last Atty years,
that we first began to collect news Tor the por-
pose of sale, and ship news was the trss that
was supposed to have o marketable vaiEo.
Previous to 1928 there was no regular system Of
journalism. The papers which existed before
that time used to publish whatever came 20
hand and made no effort to collect news. They
discoursed very learnedly abost parties and
were then two and tnrss
coluans long-but, as far as news was con-
cerned, the paper contained only brief abstracts
of whatever the editors happened to hear.
The ship news of the New York harbOr vas
collected by two or three small boats. At ths-
present time the news boats OF the Now York
press form miniature fleet, composed OF all
classes OF small vessels, from steam yachts to
row boats. Many of the vessels are larger in
size than the feet in which
COLUMBUS DISCOVERED AMERICA.
These boats are maintained in every impor-
tant part OF the country, and the news which
they collect ia transmitted to the New York
press by telegraph at an expense OF many
tn ousands Of dollars annually.
Very different from our own Is the system OF
ship news gathering in England and on ths
European Continent In America the papers
reverse is almost the case, particularly In the
matter OF telegraphic and maritime news, and
the papers publish OF the former what Reuter-,
the telegraph news monopolist, doles out to
them and of the latter what they ind recorded
daily on the books of Lloyd's, or "Lloyd's
List" as it is called the world over. And all
the world over there is but one Lloyd's; it isa
peculiar institution, without rival or paral-
iel In this conntry the general pablo knows
little or nothing of this great establishment,
though its ageuts are everywhere and "Lloyd's
List" is to be found on every sea coast mer-
chants table. 1t Is an association Of London
merchants for the purpose of maritime assar-
ance and for the security and credit OF meFcan-
tile navigation throughout fhe world.
"Lloyds List" treats of the character OF ships
rather uuA0 Oh ubn, auU gives LILO
benefit of merchant shippers who employ yes
sells and insurance agents who take risks on
them, the age, tonnage and ratio of merchant
vessels throughout the werld. But as 1t is Q
combination OF London merchants for the coli
lection of ship news, just as the Associated
press Of New York is = combination OF journal.
lists for the same purpose, an account CT
Lloyd's may be OF interest to the reader
AN ACCOUNT OF LLoYD's.
large number of the great commercial
bonses and corporations OF England, and in
deed of all countries, are carried on under
names no longer borne by the members.
Lloyd's is still more singular in this respect,
for there has never been prominent, GER
tainly not leading member OF the association
bearing that name. Mr.. Lloyd, to WHOM
thousands of letters are addressed annually By
ship owners, captains aud crews, is myth.
From about 1905 to 1850 there was one Lloyaa
that kept a chop or coffee house on Lomoand
street, London, to which many merchants en-
gagged in maritime adventures resorted Ior
meals. But though his house was the focus OF
news, Mr.. Lloyd seems TO have mad no ulrecs
agency in making 1t so beyond the preparation
ri the roast beef and tt dispensing OF the ale
20 antieing TO all Britishers He doubtless
m ade a noint of listening to and then repeat
inc to new comers the maritime news which
ne had heard from his customers so that his
place became noted therefor But he probably
never took risks on vessels at sea, as the mer-
chants who dined at his house were Accus-
toned to do. He simply knew how TO keep
hotel, and doubtless died without dreaming
that the name OF his obscure coffee house was
TO be given to the busiest aud most peculiar