The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-09-09
A ROAST ON BOGUS BULLETINS.
ANGRY HOWL ABOUT FAKE NEWS
SENT IN THE YACHT RACE.

hind the Wooden sIOOps"-The
Yachts That Backed Nnter--W est
ern Press Association sends En-
tireIy Misleading and Erroneous
Bulletins Throughout the Race and
Is Accused of Reporting the Great
International Cup Contest with
out seeinE Ii.
New York. Sept S.-The Sun. comment
/ ing on the yacht race bulletin service on
Saturday of the western organization styl-
/ ing itself the Association Press. this morn
ing says:
"A crowd that had been getting its feet
wet watching piece Of green canvas and
boards, cut in the shape of yachts in front
of the World Office. still fingered in doubt
at 5:45 o'clock last evening. The Evening
| sun had said two hours earlier that the
stakeboat had been rounded. according to
unofficial time. by the Defender at $4,000
and by the Valkyrie at 3:43:OO. This time
was taken by an Evening sun reporter
who was near the stake boat. The paper
that was published behind the little wood
en- ships brought more gloom to the wet
| feet brigade when 1t came out at $50 with
| this red hot news: outer mark (unofciaD
Valkyrie 2:S5:0o; Defender, 100000
From the official time given out last
| night something must have been wrong
with the so-called Associated Press and
the little wooden ships and the paper that
was printed behind them. Nearly half
hour after the Sun had received the result
Of the race the World learned that it
might cheer up. The Valkyrie had not
won. The Defender was the victor.
1t was difficult to show this by the little
wooden ships. Sailing yachts are not
equipped for our cup races with auxiliary
screws that will permit them to back
water when necessary. The so-called As
soctated Press has another and well-tried
method of backing water. 1t has used it
frequently. but it was still in good order
last night. 1t pulled the wire and to the
surprise OF the wet feet brigade, the little
wooden Valkyrie, with her nose almost
across the home plate. was. rudely yank-
ed back two yards across the painted
! canvass.
This motion was a surprise to the
/ yachting sharps in the wet feet brigade.
Il
about that motion. 1t was hot stuff and 1t
was new. While the crowd watched 1t and
| wondered if the Valkyrie had turned tail
and run just as she was about to win,
another wire of the so-called Associated
| Press was pulled and the little wooden
ship that represented Defender was yanlI-
| ed forward with a spasmodic jerk that
| landed her safely across the line
| a winner. The predicament that
| the so-called Associated Press
dispatches had led them into and made
the two spasmodic yanks necessary was
| the result of a fake.
The papers taking the service of the
| United Press received accurate accounts
Of what the yachts were doing, and they
received them just as promptly as the
news could be furnished over the wires
The London agent of the United Press
cabled at $50 o'clock last evening: "Reu-
| ter's Telegraph Company and the Teie-
graph Exchange Company of London are
giving Valkyrie leading one mile at stake
boat" THE Central News, with the Unit
| ed Press dispatches, was at the same
time telling in London how the Defender
had won the race
The Tribune says: "The World, which
had announced with a grand flourish Of
| trumpets that it would report the race
by means of balloons carrier pigeons.
Japanese day fireworks, etc, reported the
Nalkyrie ahead almost from the
start and until late IN
the afternoon. 1t continued to
display the misleading bulletins until the
yachts were near the finish, and then an
nounced the true results. There were
hoWls of derision when the World admitt-
ed its error and the foolishness of its
panoramic display, representing painted
sloops on a painted ocean.
The Times says: when the bulletins
of the New York Times announced yester-
a oft. hot -,
the first race for the'America's cup. Asso-
ciated Press papers were trying to make
the thousands who stood in and around
Printing House Square and Park Row
believe that ValSyrie had such lead that
the nations hope had no chance for real
ization. It was Just 542 o'clock when the
announcement was made that the De-
fender was the victor. The Times had
told the story at 5:25 o'clock and the other
United Press papers proved the superb
ority of their news service by getting out
their final bulletins few minutes later
AS the Associated Press papers failed
at the finish of the race, so they failed
almost at the start to tell the public
how the battle of the deep was going on
New Orleans. La, Sept. S.-The Times
Democrat, this morning, thus apologies
for yesterdays fiasco: THE Times-Dem-
ocrat owes and hereby renders an apology
to the crowd Of people who were fooled
with the bogus news on our blackboard
yesterday in reference to the information
al race between the Defender and Val
kyrie III. for Americas cup.
''Vexed and chagrined, however, al be-
ing made the medium of incorrect news.
we need hardly assure our readers that il
was not through any fault of ours, that
we furnished such misleading informa-
tion. 1t was the fault, pure and simple
OF the Associated Press, which mistook
the one boat for the other, and deluded
millions of people with false news. For
such a grevious mistake, there is only
the excuse that no human system is per-
feet But this is an excuse that would be
better not be made"
The Picayune had nothing to say this
morning by way of apology for its bulle-
tins yesterday. No language can express
it's profound humiliation and deep disgust
for the way the Associated Press deluded
il and the crowds who stood around the
Picayune's bulletin boards
Under the caption "A Grand Scoop" the
States this morning devotes three-quar-
ters OF a column editorially roasting the
Times-Demoerat and Picayune for the
ridiculous blunder Of the Associated Press
yesterday in reporting the yacht race.