The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1888-05-15
HEYtALDING Ships.
How Chc Maritime News ia Collected
and Distributed Daily.

Anahe up Cne marine intelligence In
most OF the great dailies. The coming
and going of ships over the great seas
nave not much Of special interest for
the ordinary citizen, and yet there are
thousands who watch that corner of tile
paper with an attention that they pay to
no other portion Of the news.
lt IS easy enough to ascertain the
time or the arrivals and departures of
vessels from their docks along the piers,
but how is the history Of the incoming
shlp's voyage spread out before the
people In the journals long before the
vessel has anchored safely in the bay2
Overhanging the water down in Bat
terry park, just away from the surge and
bustle around Castle garden, is q little
square-built, brown-stbne building with
o big sign on the entrance that tells the
passer-by that there is the "ship news
office.".
Brown.faced men with sunburned
noses, weather. beaten faces, and a.
general air of looseness and lhitching
about their attire, lounge in and out oc-
casionally, and the stairs and rooms Of
the little place have salty, shiplike
look about them. There are two or
three reporters and a superintendent,
who look a good deal like amateur sea-
dogs themselves, and there is general
sprinkling Of tobacco juice. and en-
phatic expletiyes in the air that gives
one some idea of q ships forecastle.
The happenings of the seas is gathered
together, told in columns or condensed
into a paragraph in this watered build
ing. This is how it is done:
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 untenantod.
Day and night lone sentinel turns
his eyes toward the blue waters and
notes the coming and the going Of ships.
The daintiest little pleasure yacht
catches his eye and SO also does the
great transatlantic steamer, and the
operator 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 shadoWed the
hook.
AS the ship passes up toward Quar-
antine the Associated Press tug swings
out to meet her, and from the deck of
the boat the captain Of the craft is hailed
and questioned. Where does he come
from? What cargo has he on board?
TO whom consigned?. Has he any
prominent people on board, and what
kind Of weather. did he have? Did he
meet any other vessels, and what did
they tell him? These and a dozen more
questions are thrown upon the deck Of
the vessel and at it's master in a voice
in which only the ship reporter can
shrek them forth.
And they are, answered promptly,
cheerfully, and gladly, for every mas
ter OF a vessel knows the owners, con-
signees, and his own friends are watch
ing the column Of ship news carefully
to note his safe arrival and to learn the
story Of his voyage.
sometimes, especially from the great
ocean steamers, a package is hove to the
news boat and no questions are neces-
sary. A passenger list, copy of the
ships log, memoranda Of everything re.
markable or of. q newsy nature on the
voyage, letters to editors. from pas
sengers who want, especial notoriety,
and whose friends have not called down
with tug and a brass band to meet
them, everything worth telling to the
public Is one way Or another gathered
up by that little boat dancing along the
choppy and often stormy waters In day
light or darkness by the side of the
nome coming snip.
The news once gathered, the press
boat swings away to the Staten island
shore, and if time Is pressing the whole
budget sings over the wire to the little
brown house in Battery park, where it
is edited, manifolded, and laid. upon
editorial desks in the newspaper offices,
put into type, and printed for millions
of readers before the ship comes within
sight of the big city.
1t is q cheerless life for the boys In
tho tall observatory on the coast at
Sandy Hook for there Is no more des-
olate outlook on the Atlantic coast than
that same spot. Yet the corps Of news
gathers there and at the Quarantine
which Is an almost equally cheerless
spot, seldom changes. ,'
Most OF them are men III middle age,
without families, and have grown to
like the rough, careless, and sea-dog life
they live on the coast OF in the cabin Of
their little tug, or lounging OH the sea-
shore watching the far-away horizon
and its vision Of coming ships.
Persian Cavalry ltepulsed by Prayer
MIR. .saltet, a German Missionary, was
richly blessed in gathering little
church Of converts in Shushi, q Per-
sian town, ceded to Russia, In his
memorials John Venning relates that
zone morning, think III 1926, the
town was struck with dismay on per-
ceiving the hills covered with o body
Of Persian cavalry, .I0, 900 in number,
under the command of Abbas Mira,
who had thus invaded the country
without provocatlon, in time Of
peace, when the Russians were unpre-
pared to meet such a force. "a herald
was sent by the Persian Prince, using
.menaces like those of Rabshakeh, bid
ding the heretics open their gates. and
adding, see If your King Jesus can
help you, whom we dery2 The few
troops in the town were called to arms;
all was confusion and dismay. Saltet