The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-08-28
BY PUBLISHING NEWS.
How Bennett Made the New
York Herald a Great Paper.
REvOlUTiONiZEO JOURNALISM.
The First Use of the Telegraph Was for
Sending Market Observation-Disclosures
for Dramatic Critics.

BY way of preface to what follows, il
should be remarked that time has wrought
great changes in the character of the Lead
ing Journals of America These changes
are due IN a large measure to the tele-
graph, which has superseded the mail and
express in the transmission of news. Eff
ty years ago the most profitable Journals
IN the country were those which devoted
more space and attention TO market re-
ports, shipping intelligence. stock tables,
etc, than 10 general news. The matter of
most Importance first transmitted by tele-
graph was of Il strictly commercial nature,
the transactions in cotton being para
mount. A decline or advance of one
eighth of cent per pound involved mill
ions of dollars in the aggregate, and meant
ruin or wealth TO many engaged in the
cotton trade. 1t also seriously affected the
rates of exchange and disturbed the money
market. Growers of the staple, as well rs
manufacturers and shippers and buyers
and sellers, were alike interested in its rise
or fall.
The movements of ships ranked next in
Importance. All the shipping ports of the
world were ransacked bv the ship news
compiler to trace the arrival and depart
ure of ships in their voyages around the
globe. From the time ship lett her
home port in Europe or America, whether
on trading voyage of three or four years
or under charter TO single port and re-
turn, she was not lost sight of long. One
or more vessels spoke her in certain lati-
tudes and iongtitudes, others reported her
in some harbor, trading or seeking a
charter, and so on until her return. 1t
was the duty of the ship news compiler to
note aud chronicle ali these movements
Each of the leading journals then en-
pioyed market reporter and compiler, 4
financial editor or writer Of money articles
exclusively, ship news compiler, Il COM
pI!er OF general news, who was sometimes
assistant editor also, a police reporter, q
musical and theatrical critic, a legal or
court reporter and a city news gatherer in
addition to the editor-in-chief, who was
usually the proprietor.
1t was not unusual ut this period for
ships to arrive at New York with from one
months to two months later European
news. The reader should remember that
this was prior to the days OF ocean steam
erS. For news as well as for intercourse
with Europe we depended upon sailing
vessels, which sometimes crossed the At
lantic in twenty days and sometimes were
two months on the passage. On the ar
rival of these ships in the harbor OF New
York there was always a strife among
boatmen to be the first to board them.
Cornelius Vanderbilt, the progenitor of the
now wealthy family Of that name, was one
of these boatmen for some years. The
first boatman to board the ship secured
copy of the memoranda, manifest and a
few foreign papers, with which he would
row off to the city to deliver to the journal
which employed him. If this matter came
to hand soon after the forms had gone to
press, as often happened, the order would
go down through the speaking tube. stop
the press!' The foreman, three or four
compositors and somebody in the editorial
room were generally on hand to attend to
this belated news. The press was often
stopped for the insertion OF q ships man
ifest, composed of fourth of a column of
agate names and figures. In later years
newspaper publishers came to the conclu-
sion that this was gratuitous advertising
for wealthy importers, and gradually
dropped it.
While the competition in the lines just
mentioned was greatest in New York soon
after the Herald started, Bennett often as
tonished and COMPOUNDED mis- contempora-
ries by the publication of important news
twenty-Iour hours ahead of them. Some
times IL was one or two months later
news from Europe; at other times
startling change in cotton quotations;
anon his paper appeared with the result of
an election III Connecticut, Massachusetts
or Pennsylvania, while the other city pa
,NatianfI,- fnr ha r,lx,
mails to bring them the same news in let
tiers or exchanges; not inirequently IL was
an account of destructive fire in the up
per part of the city. perhaps mile or two
distant from the publication office. To
the reader at this late day it Will seem
strange that one could so often outstrip his
competitors; but the truth is that until
Benefits time newspaper publishers had
not learned how TO win popularity and
success in their business. He soon made
the Herald Indispensable TO such degree
that many people who heartily hated the
man found it impossible to do without the
paper. In short, James Gordon Bennett,
ST., made it the leading aeWspaper Of the
world fifty years ago, and James Gordon
Bennett, jr., makes it the leading ne0s-
paper of the world today. For intelligence
of the most important events of the pres
ent time the world is indebted to the New
York Herald. No one who notes the ire
uuency with which the Herald is credited
in the Geographic news will question this
statement.
How did the elder Bennett succee d. 1"
some readers will ask, 'in so often getting
ahead OF his contemporaries? Simply
by paying for all the news he received. II
a man, woman or child witnessed an acci-
dent in q remote part of the city and was
first TO carry the news to the Herald office
he or she never failed 10 receive from 81 TO
s.. Ii a tire of any magnitude occurred in
a distant part OF the city alter midnight,
there were always iiremen ready as soon
as the flames were subdued 10 convey the
details 10 the Herald office. where they
never received less than 50 and sometimes
SO. So with the boatmen; ii they were
so fortunate rs 10 furnish memoranda and
foreign papers at a late hour of the night
to the Herald exclusively, they were sure
of receiving not less than so on the fol-
lowing day. Other journalists, even when
better able to do so, did not think these
| things worth paying for; not so James
| Gordon Bennett, who was certainly the
shreWdest newspaper man OF his time.
Though wise and shrewd III regard to
news matters, Bennett was singularly ig-
norant Of the system by which his print
| ing office Was governed. Every day he
carefully scanned the paper and some
| times grew angry at the errors he saw.
| When he complained to the foreman of
| these errors the latter told him the sub"
| made them. This usually appeased his
! wrath until the next time. One day,
| while ascending dark stairway which
| led to both the editorial and composing
| rooms. he came in violent contact With "A
| stranger on one Of the landings.
.Enilow y said Bennest VINO the dell