The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-01-07
Good Stories Of the Pioneer
Navfsgatsaerer Of the
United States.
RIVALRY KEEN AND BITTER
HOW A RIVAL WAS cLEvERLy orr
wITTED.


New York, Jan. 6.--dany stories have
been told in connect4oaa with DIR. Clair.
the pioneer news gatherer in the
United States.
When in 1914 the telegraph line from
Boston was completed to Calais, Me-,
M. Craig established a pony news ex-
press covering tine one hundred and
NIFTY miles between Halifax and Digby,
n. S., and engaged an express steamer
thence fifty miles across the Bay of
Fundy to ST. Johns, n. B. This en-
abIed him to distance competition and
put st in his power to command ex-
trayaganIt prices for his budget of
news. 1t also earned for him the posi-
ton of European news agent Of the
New York Press.
Rivalry Was Keen.
John T. Smith was at this time
Craig's most formidable competitor.
The riyalries Of the two men constitu-
ted a subject of frequent interest to
residents of Halifax. who enjoyed
watching the races from the steamer
TO the telegraph office. On one occa-
sion Smith succeeded in catching one
OF Craig'S packages as 1T was tossed
by the ships purser from the paddle
box TO the dock and a few minutes
later it Yves being transmitted by the
only wire from Halifax TO Smiths pat
Tons in New York Craigss revenge
came a few weeks afterward and all
WAS carefully preaITanged. He instruc-
ted his Liverpool agent to send by spec
hal messenger on succeeding steamers
duplicate copies Of latest European
journals and news summaries; one par
Gel 70 be thrown over to his news boat
5sYe, miles below the city and the other
10 be thrown over to another tow boat
stationed opposite and near to the tele-
graph Office, one mile from the steam
erS wharf. A week before the next
steamer was due Craig engaged his
two new boats and arranged for a fast
horse express from a, point Ave miles
heiow the city and caused the secret
to leak out to Smith that his news
parcels were to be thrown over to his
boat as the steamer neared the city.
The evening before the steamer was
due Craig made up a lot of parcels of
European journals. including Wilmer
and Smiths European Times, then a
NOTED paper of Liverpool, taking care
. to have a. portion of the name, outside
she wrapper, but carefully concealing
dase date. A truSty agent was en-
ployed TO stand by the waters edge,
and as the steamer passed up the har-
water, recovered it and then the mes
senger rushed at the top of his speed
to the telegraph office and deposited
the dripping bogus parcel upon the
table of the office with the breathless
announcement:
Here's Craig's parcel of European
news
CIeverIy Hoaxed.
Fifteen minutes afterwards Smith.
n n,
steamers wharf to the telegraph Of
fee. Before the horse had fairly
stopped, Smith had cleared the carriage
at one bound and was at the top OF
the flight of stairs which led to the
operating room. The clerk pointed to
sac package on the table and told him
he was beaten. With a single glance
at the dripping package and a maledic-
tion upon his competitor, Smith turned
upon his heel, drove to his hotel and in
half an hour afterwards was steaming
out Of the harbor ON board the steamer
bound for Boston, having been hoaxed
into leaving his rival the wire undis-
puted.
Craig meantime proceeded at his Ieis-
ure, after receiving his parcel from the
steamer to prepare the news for the
telegraph. After this Smith, who was
the largest stockholder in the New
England Morse lines, undertook to
shut out his rival from the use of that
company's lines, which extended from
Portland to Boston Craig letaliated by
inducing the managers of the Maine
Telegraph company's line, another link
in the system, to stop Smiths messages
from Halifax to Portland until his own
press and other European members
were served at the point. Craig then
ran a. locomotive express over the East
ern railroad from. Portland to Boston,
carrying his press news and other
messages, and at Boston they were
telegraphed by the Balm line to New
York This was only a, temporary ex-
pedient, but it served until the Balm
line could be extended to Portland, es-
tabli5hing direct communication by
wire between New York and Halifax.
This was the first telegraph monopoly
broken.
Associated Press Organized.
Mr.. Craig remained at Halifax in
charge of the Press and Commercial
Transatlantic telegraph business until
1851, when he removed TO New York
and thoroughly organized the Associ-
ated Press service. which may be sail
to have been the parent of all the
press news agencies which have an ex-
sstence TO the present day. His con-
nection with the Associated Press con-
Iinued until about 1867. Since that
time he has been engaged in numer-
Gus enterprises
Mr.. Craig was born in Rumney, n.
Y, on November 4, 1911. He came to
New York in 1851.
His death resulted from heart dis
ease while he was sitting in a chair.
He leaves a widow, one daughter, Mrs,
7. B. Brown, and one son, w. L. Craig,
who is connected with the New York
health department