The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1895-01-07
STORIES TOLD.
He Distanced Competitors and
Made Big Money.
RETALIATION UPON A RIVAL.
Career of the Man Whose LaborS
Caused the Formation OF the
Associated Press.

NEW YORK, Jan. 6.-NanY stories nave
| been told IN connection with DR.. Craig.
he pioneer news-gatherer in the United
| States.
| When in 1874 the telegraph line from
| Boston was completed to Calais. Maine,
| Mr.. Craig established pony express COW
ering the $50 miles between Halifax and
| Digby. Nova Scotia, and engaged an ex-
! press steamer Themes fifty miles across the
| Bay of Fundy to ST. John, Nova Scotia.
| This enabled him to distance competition
| and put It In his power to command eX-
| travagant prices for his budget of news.
| Ii also earned for him the position OF
European news agent of the New York
| press.
John T. Smith was at this time Craig'S
most formidable competitor. The rival
eyes of the two men constituted a subject
! OF interest to the residents of Halifax.who
enjoyed watching the race from the steam
er to the telegraph office. On one coca
sion Smith succeeded in catching nne of
| CraIg's packages as it was tossed by the
| ships purser from The paddle-box 10 the
dock and a few minutes la er it was being
Transmitted by the only wire from Halifax
to Smiths patrons in New York.
IL
ard. and all was carefully prearrauged
He instructed his Liverpool agent to send
by specia. messenger Oh succeeding steam
ers duplicate copies of the latest European
jJurnals and news summaries, one parcel
t. be thrown over to his newsboat five
miles below the city and the other to be
thrown over to another towb0at stationed
opposite and near to the telegraph Office,
one mile from the steamers wharf.
week before the next steamer was due
Craig engaged his two newSboats aud ar
ranged for a fast-horse express from a
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 boat as the steamer neared the city.
The evening before the steamer was due
Craig 10 ade up lot of parcels OF European
journals, including Wilmer & Smiths
European Times, then a noted paper of
Liverpool, taking care to have portion
of the name outside the wrapper, but care
fully conceaIing the date. A trusty agent
was employed to stand by the waters
edge. and as the steamer passed up The
harbar he threw his parcel into the water,
recovered 1t and then The messenger
rushed at the top of his speed to The te E.
graph Office and deposited the dripp ng
bogus parcel upon the table of the Office
with the breathess announcement:
Here's Craig's parcel of European
uews"
Fifteen minutes afterward Smith. driv-
! ing fast horse, rushed from the steam
er's wharf to the teleGr phi Office. Before
the horse had fairly stopped Smith had
| 81
at the top of the flight of stairs which led
| to the operating-roOm. The clerk pointed
to the package on the table and told him
he was beaten. With a single glance Al
the dripping package and curse upon his
competitor Smith turned upon his heel,
drove to his hotel and half an hour after
ward was steamlng ou, of the harDor on
the steamer bound TO Boston. having been
hoaxed into leaving his rival the wire IN
disputed.
Craig in the meant time proceeded at his
leisure, after receiving bis parcel from the
steamer, TO prepare the news for the tele-
graph. After this Smith, who was The
largest stakeholder 10 the New England
Morse lines. undertook to shut out his
rival from the use of the company's lines,
which extended from Portland to Boston.
Craig retaliated 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 men,
bers were served at that point. Craig then
ran a locomotive express over the Eastern
Railroad from Portland to Boston, carry.
ing his press news and other messages.
and at Boston they were photographed By
me Balm line to New York Ills was
only a temporary expedient. but 1t showed
the Balm line could be extended to Port.
land. establishing direct communication
by wire between New York and Halifax.
| This was the first telegraph monopoly
broken.
Craig remained at Halifax In charge of
the Press and Commercial Trans Atlantic
Telegraph business until 1851. when be re-
moved to New York and thoroughly or
ganlZed the Associated Press service,
| which may be said to have been the parent
of all the press news agencies which have
had an existence to the present day. His
i connection with the Associated Press con-
timed until about 1867 Since that time
he has been engaged in numerous enter
prises.
Craig was born in Rumney. n. Y, on
November 4. 1911. He came 10 New York
in 1851 His death resulted from heart
disease while he was sitting in a chair.
He leaves widow, one daughter, Mrs. j.
B. Brown, and one son, W. L. Craig, who
is connected with the New Y ork Health
Department.
81