The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-01-10
Death Of Francis o.. Smiths Ancient
Rival.
HOW EUROPEAN NEWS WAS
CARRIED THROUGH PORTLAND.
Pony Expresses, Carrier Pigeons and
Special Trains Put Into Requisition-
How Smith stopped Topographic News
at PortIands

at PortIands
The death of Daniel Craig, which occurred
at Asbury Park, n. j., on January D, is
matter of considera BILE interest to the older
Portlanders. who remember Francis U. ..
Smith and his long contest over the early
telegraph system in Maine.
Craig was one of the early newsgath theirs,
having an office in New York, where he
sold the news for commercial purposes. In
England news gathering ii still in private
hands, renters and similar agencies supply
ing the newspapers even. In America the
private news collectors were soon merged
in the Associated Press. In 1847, MIR. Craig
entered into arrangement with VIM. M.
Swain and A. $. Bell. joint proprletors of
the Philadelphia Ledger and Baltimore Sun,
which by degrees developed into the
Associated Press. just prior to engaging
in this service Mr. Craig had been associated
with f. o. j. Smith, and the rival1ies of
the two men constitute an interesting
chapter in tie history of news gathering.
The Atlantic cable was not laid finally
and successfully until after tie Civil war.
r'long years before that:all the news came
by steamers, and enterprise in news
gathering consisted in devising schemes
for getting dispatches off the steamers
before coming to the dock in New York, in
taking it from steamers In
BOSTON AND PORTLAND
TO forward it by rail, wire or pony express.
AS telegraph lines began to extend from
New York to Boston, thence TO Portland,
and thence to Halifax. the steamers were
met as far east as possible. and the news
forwarded by wire.
But Craig began to get news before the
Telegraph reached from Boston to Halifax.
1t is related of him that on one occasion
when his rival, backed by Boston and New
York newspapers, had chartered steamer
to express European news from Halifax to
Boston, Craig travelled overland to Hallfax,
taking some carrier pigeons with him in
basket AT Halifax he took passage on the
steamer inward bound from Europe. and
when it was within safe distance OF Inc
Massac husetts coast he let loose his carrier
pigeons freighted with the cream5@of the
news from the old world. The birds beat
the chartered steamer to land, and the
newspapers served by Craig were enabled to
SCORE A "SCOOP"
upon their rivals. This success SO added to
the prestige of Mr. Craig that the opposition
papers gave up their chartering of steamers
and left the field in the und1sputed
possession of Mr.. Craig.
When in lS49 the telegraph line from
Boston was completed to Calais, Me. MIR.
Craig establishing the only news express
covering the $50 miles between Halifax and
Dieby. N. s., and engaged an express
steamer thence fifty miles across the Bay of
Fundy to st. Johns: N. E. This enabled
him to distance competition, and put it in
his power to command extravagant prices
for his budgets of news. 1t also earned for
him the position of European news agent of
the New York Press.
John II. Smith of the Boston News Room.
was at this time Craig's most form;daole
connection. The rivalres of the two men
constituted subject of frequent interest to
residents of Halifax. who enjoyed watching
their races from the steamer to the tele-
graph Office. On-one occasion Smith sue
ceeded in catching one of Craig's packages
as it was tossed by the ships purser from
the paddle box to the dock. and a few min
utes later it was being transmitted by the
only wire from Halifax to Smiths patrons
in New York.
Craig's revenge came few weeks after
wards, and was all carefully prearranged.
He instructed his Liverpool agent to send
by succeeding steamers dupliate copies of
latest European journals and news sum-
maries; one parcel to be thrown over to his
news boat five miles below, the city and. the
other to be thrown over to another news
boat stationed opposite, and near the tele-
graph Office, one mile from the steamers
wharf.
A week before the next steamer was due.
Craig engaged his two news boats. and
arranged for
A FAST HORSE EXPRESS
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 steamer neared the city.
The evening before the steamer was due,
Craig made up a parcel of old European
journals. including Wilmer & Smiths
European Times, then a noted journal of
Liverpool, taking care to have portion of
the name outside the wrapper, but care
fully concealing the date.
trusty agent was employed to stand
with this parcel by the waters edge, and as
the steamer passed up the harbor this
covered, 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
breathless announcement: 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 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 the package on the table and
told him he was beaten. With single
glance at the dripping package and a
malediction upon his competitor, Smith
turned upon his heel, drove to the hotel.
an in half an hour afterwards was steaming
out of the harbor on board the steamer
bound to Boston, having been hoaxed into
leaving his rival the wires undisputed.
Craig, meanwhile. proceeded at his leisure,
after receiving his parcel from the steamer
to prepare the news for the telegraph.
Craig's
CONFLICT WITH f. o. j. SMITH,
who was an entirely different man from
John T. Smith. came over the transmission