St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-01-06
Interesting "reminiscences of
the Early Newspaper Ri
VaIpies.


At first his operations were between
New York and Boston. and later be-
tween Boston and Halifax. At first he
was engaged upon his own account, but
in 1S47 he entered into an arrangement
with Willirm Swain and A. S. Bell,
joint proprietors Of the Philadelphia
Ledger and Baltimore Sun, which by
degrees developed into the Associated
Press. Just prior to engaging in this
service Mr.. Craig bad been associated
with F. 0. j. Smith, and the rivalrleS Of
the two men constitute an interesting
chapter in the history of DeWsgather-
ing. 1t is related of him that on one
occasion when bis rival, backed by Bos-
ton and New York newspapers. had
chartered steamer to express European
news from Ha lifax to Boston. Craig
travelled overland to Halifax, taking
some carrier pigeons with him in baS-
ket. At Halifax he took passage on the
steamer inward bound from Europe,
and when il was within safe distance of
the Massachusetts coast he let loose his
pigeons, freighted with the cream OF
the news Of the old world. The birds
beat the chartered steamer to land, and
the newspapers served by Craig were
enabled to
Score a Beat
upon their rivals. This success so added
to the prestige of Mr.. Craig that the on
position papers gave up their chartering
of steamers and left the field in the I'M
disputed possession of Mr.. Craig.
When in 1S49 the telegraph line from
Boston was completed to Calais. Me-.
Mr.. Craig established pony news ex-
press covering the $50 miles between
Halifax and Digby. N. S., and engaged
all express steamer thence fifty miles
across the bay of Fundy to st. John. n.
b. This enabled him to distance COM
petition and put it in his power to COM
mand eXtravagant prices for his budgets
Of news. 1t also earned for him the
position OF European news agent of the
New York Press.
John Il. Smith was at this time
Craig'S most formidable competitor.
The rivalries of the two men constituted
a subject of frequent interest to resi-
dents of Halifax, who enjoyed watch
ing their races from the steamer to the
succeeded in catching one of Craig's
packages as it was tossed by the ships
purser from the paddle-boX to the dock,
and few minutes later it was being
transmitted by the only wire from Hall
fax to Smiths patrons in New York.
Crais's Revenge
came few weeks afterward, and was
all carefully prearranged. He instruct
ed his Liverpool agent to send by spe-
cial messenger by succeeding steamers
duplicate copies of latest European
journals and news summaries, one par
eel to be thrown over TO mis- news boat
five miles below the city, aud the other
to be thrown over to another news boat
stationed opposite and near to the tele-
graph office, one mile from the steamers
wharf. A week before the next steam
er was due Craig engaged his two news
boats and arranged for fast horse eX-
press from point five miles below the
city, and caused the secret to leak out
to Smith that his news parcels were to
be thrown over to his boats as the steam
er neared the city. The evening before
the steamer neared the city Craig made
up parcel Of old European journals.
including Wilmer and Smiths European
Times, then a notable journal of Liver
pool, taking care to have a por
ton OF the name outside the
wrapper, but carefully concealing
the date A tPuSty agent was employed
to stand with this parcel by the waters
edge, and as the steamer passed up the
harbor this parcel was thrown into the
water and recovered and then the
messenger 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 GREATNESS announce
ment: Here Is Craig's parcel of
European news"
Fifteen minutes afterwards, Smith,
driving a fast horse, rushed from the
steamers wharf to the telegraph office
Before the horse had tairly 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 the pack
age on the table and told him he was
beaten. With single glance at the
dripping package and malediction
upon his competitor, Smith turned upon
his heel, drove to his hotel and in half
an hour afterwards was steaIning out of
the harbor OH board the steamer bound
TO Boston, having been noaXed into
leaving his rival the
Craig meantime proceeded at his leis-
ure, after receiving his parcel from the
steamer, to prepare the news for the
telegraph. After this, Smith, who was
the largest Stockholder of the New Eng
land Morse lines, undertook to shut out
his rival from the use of that company's
Boston. Craig retaliated by inducing
the managers of the Maine Telegraph
companing's line, another link in the
system, to stop all of Smiths messages
from Halifax to Portland until his own
press and other European messages
were received at that point. Craig then
ran locomotive express over the East
ern railroad from Portland to Boston,
carrying his press news and other mes
sages, and at Boston they were teie-
graphed by the Balm line to New York.
This was only temporary expedient,
but 1t served until the Balm line could
be extended to Portland. establishing
direct connection by wire between New
York and Halifax. Thus was the first
Telegraph Monopoly Broken.
Mr.. Craig remained at Halifax IN
charge of the press and commercial
trans Atlantic telegraph business until
1851, when he removed to New York. |
and thoroughly organized the AsSo-~
ciated Press service, which may be said |
to have been the parent of all the press |
news agencies which have had an eX- |
istence to the present day.
His connection with the Associated |
Press continued until about 1867. Since |
that time he has been engaged in nu-
merOus enterprises. Mr. Craig was
born in Rumney, n. f., on Nov. 4, 1871. |
He came to New York ID 1850 His l