Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-06-17
FRONTIER TELEGRAPHY,
How the News From Oklahoma
was Sent to the Press.

On April 22d the largest and most COM
plete, to say nothing of being the most
intricate, lot Of circuits ever put upin the
state OF Kansas were arranged at the
Wichita Western Union office on the oc-
casion Of the filing of $4,000 words of
oklahoma" press news. A special press
representatives train was run from Guth-
lie, Oklahoma Territory, to Wichita,
containing twenty.seven newspaper men
with their correspondence for the
Eastern papers. The train made no stops
between Guthrie and Wichita, and when
it reached Wichita it was discovered that
the rival reporters had adopted all man.
ner OF means to get their respective
copy" to the telegraph office first, that
1t might have the preference in being
sent out. Some two or three of them had
racehorses, ridden by expert jockeys, in
waiting at the depot, and before the train
had fairly stopped, the daring reporters
sprang from it, and, rushing up
to the riders, handed them an
envelope containing their manz~
script, and the word $50" was given.
when the horses dashed off on a dead
run for the telegraph office. Others had
secured fast cabs, and yet others, not to
be outdone, had secured light buggies
and fixed alarm gongs on the front, that
could be operated from the seat by their
feet, in order to warn the street passen-
gers at crossings to look out for their
mad fight, and as quickly as possible
they jumped into them and started. The
scene on the route to the office was
indescribable. First came large white
horse ridden by the correspondent
OF the New York World, closely followed
by another ridden by the correspondent
OF the Herald; then came the buggies,
with their gongs Changing as they sv ayed
from side to side in their mad career.
They were followed by the slower cabs
on the dead run. The police in vain
tried to stop the headlong fight. So
cunningly was it planned that casual
observer standing at the depot five min
utes before the arrival of the train would
bave noticed nothing uncommon.
At the office each man had boy
posted who would catch his horse
as he dashed up. When the cav
alcade reached the space in front OF the
office great shout went up from the
people on the streets, the various cores
pondents threw themselves from their
horses and buggies, and made rush for
the door, which had been left open for
the purpose, and all tried to hand their
copy to the receiving clerk at the same
time. The World correspondent (who,
by the way, is red-headed and rode
white horse) was the first to file his stuff.
At the operating room Chief Operator
B. G. Elder was in charge,
with the assistance of Night Chiet
Operator E. S. Bowers. A new
squad had been run to Arkansas City and
was looped on all four corners to the
regular Wichita Kansas City circuits.
The men were placed at table each,
and were all ready, tie Kansas City
operators being in waiting, and when
the specials were filed they were quickly
distributed, and three minutes after the
train pulled in at the depot the
matter was being transmitted az
rapidly as fifteen frst-class operators
could handle it. 1t was filed at
10: AS p. M, and at IL 80 a. m. the last
words had been cent. Manager Hackett
was in attendance at the counter and
distributed the copy; Night Chief
Bowers kept business moving, while
Chief Operator Elder looked after the
wires. Strange to say, not one of the
fifteen circuits went down during the
squirt and all worked fine. Kansas City
handled, the same night, 100, 600 words
of press matter from the various Kansas
points.-[W Wichita Notes in Electric Age,