The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1888-03-31
INCOMING SHIPS.
How Maritime News is Collected
and Distributed Daily.
The Little Boat That Goes Out
to Meet Big Vessels.

do not read the two or three columns
that mako up the marine Intelligence IN
most of tho grca. daiIies. The coming
and going of ships over the great seas
have not much of special interest Tor tho
ordinary citizen, and yet there are
thousands who watch that corner OF tho
paper with an attention that they pay to
no other portion of the news.
1t is easy enough to ascertain the time
of the arrivals and departures OF vessels
from their docks along the picr', but
how is the history of the incoming ships
voyage spread out before the people in
the journals long before the vessel has
anchored safely in the bay:
Ovcrhanging the water down IN Bat
terry Park, just away from the surge and
hustle around Castle Garden, is little
square built, brownstoue building with
big sign on the entrance that tells the
passcr by that there is the 'Ship News
Office"
Brown-faccd mel with sunburned
noses, wcather-beaten faces and gen.
eral air of loosencss and hitching about
their attire lounge in and out OCCASION
aIly. and the stairs and rooms of the lit
Ito place have a salty, ship-likc look
about them. There arc two or three re.
porters and a superintendent, who look
a good deal like amateur scadogs them
selves, and there is n general sprlnkling
of tobacco juice and emphatic explc-
tivcs in the air that gives one some idea
of ships forccastlc.
The happenings of the seas are gath
cred together, told in columns or con-
dcnscd into a paragraph in this water
Down at Sandy Hook, on the best
point of observation along that part OF
the coast, there is a watch tower that is
never left untcnanted.
Day and night n lone sentinel turns
his eyes toward the blue waters and
notes the coming aad the going of ships.
The dainticst little pleasure yacht
catches his eye, and SO also does the
great transatlantic steamer, and tho op-
orator beside him sends on the wings OF
lightning the news of the incoming
craft to the ship news office long before
the vessels spars have shadOwcl the
Hook.
As the ship passes up towards quaran-
tine the Associated Press tug swings out
TO meet her, and from the deck Of Tho
boat the captnin Of the craft is hailed
and questioned Where docs he come
! from2 What cargo has he on board
To whom con'isnedl Has he any
/ prominent people on board, and wha
kind OF weather dill he havc' Did IL
,, meet any oth"r vcssclS and what di
! they tell himi These and dozen mor'
questions are thrown upon the deck o
the vessel and at its master, in a voic'
in which only tho ship reporter Cal
shrek them forth.
| AID thy are answered promptly
; chccriuily and gladly, for every mastc
|. OF vessel knows Tint tn, OwEcrG, con.
! signecs and hi, own frienls are watch
, ing the column of ship news carefully t.
note hi, safe arrival and to learn th'
story Of his v1yag.
= Sometimes, especially from the Erca
| ocean steam RI, a package Is hove t
the news Gua,, and 70 questions ar
, necessary. A passenger list, a copy o
the ship log. memoranda of every thiul
remarkable or of ncwsy nature on tn
voyage. letters to editors from passcn
, gers who want somc especial notori"t.
3 ard whose iricrd, have net sailed dow
D with tug and brass band to me-
them, everything wcrh telling to TN
, pubic is III one way or another Gath"rc,
{ up by that little bot dancing along III
chopry and often stormy waters in dag
light or darkness 10y the sile Of tn
, Homecoming ship.
\ The news orcc gathered, The pres
boat swing away to the Staten lslnn'
shore, and if time is pressing the Who'll
budget sings over the wires 10 the lit.
browa house in Bttcry Park, where
: i, edited. maEifolled and laid upo
editorial desks in the newspaper Offices
, put into type aud printed for mllio1s q
readers before the ship comes With
sight Of the IN, city.