Omaha daily bee., 1896-06-19

by the other regular line. They reached
New York about G o'clock the next mornint
and the extras were Immediately sold q
the newsboys. Meanwhile the Sun express
had made special time from city to city
and there was great commotion in the SUI
office. All was bright and watchful. bu
quiet at the Herald establishment. There
was no new there. The Herald is beaten,
g~leefully exclaimed the happy fellows in tn,
sun building. But to their bewildermen.
about 6 o'clock they heard the cry: 'Ere''
the extra 'Eraldl Important news from
Europe! under the very windows. 1t was
too late: the Sun was eclipsed that morning
Thousands and thousands of dollars were
spent In these delightful contests. Some
of this money was apparently thrown away
but none was in reality wasted. 1t as
sisted in the great development OF news
paper enterprise which has become a charac.
~teristic of the American press"
GETTING NEWS FROM EUROPE.
1t was the successful efforts of the Herald
to obtain foreign news ahead of its rivals
at no matter what cost that gave 1t the
pre-eminent position in American journalism
which 1t so long held. So commanding was
the lead it thus obtained that In 1876 the
Tribune, Sun and Journal of of
New York, combined with the leading news
papers in Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore
and Washington. made one or two prodigi-
Gus Efforts to destroy its prestige. An out
line account OF one of these will Illustrate
the manner in which the newspaper enter
prise of those days in many respects sur
passed that of the present time. On Feb
ruary 6, 1916. all Of the New York news
papers. including the Herald, published the
following advertisement:
Letters for Europe-A vessel of extra
ordinary speed, with choice sailing master
and picked crew, will leave New York for
Liverpool . on Monday. tliS, 9Th inStr at II
on or about the 26th or eth inst. Letter
bags will remain open until Monday morn
Ing at 10 o'clock.
Public curiosity was greatly excited by
this mysterious advertisement. 1t was as
certained that the vessel was one of the
famous and fast boats of New York, but as
to her mission, all manner of speculation
was INDUCED in. The names OF the persons
who had chartered the William j. Romer,
for that was her name, were kept such a
profound secret that 1t was believed for
some time after her departure that she had
either been dispatched by the national au-
thorities at Washington, or by the British
minister with a treaty bearing upon the
Oregon question, which was then exciting
this country. AS a matter OF fact she was
engaged by the Tribune, Journal of Com
merce, Courier and Inquirer and Sun, of
New York; the Philadelphia North Ameri-
can and several newspapers In other cities
for the purpose Of getting news from
Europe in advance of the Herald, and put
ting a stop to the unpleasant boasting of
That paper on the arrival Of each packet
UA'P Sidh II was uttIltu eS-
pecially necessary to accomplish this object
at this particular time, when many believed
a war between the United States and Great
Britain on the Oregon question was i'm
minent. The Herald had, by the assistance
OF the New York pilots, its own news boats,
and It's expresses from Boston, anticipated
its contemporaries so many times that they
say the necessity of one or two great efforts
to counteract the effect Of their neighbours
enterprise.
IT WAS A FLUKE.
1t was believed by the managers of the
new enterprise that the pilot boat would
make a shorter passage across the Atlantic
than any of the famous packet ships of that
period. and the only ocean steamers then
running were the Cunarders. making
light. carrying only two mysterious pas
sengers, with glazed caps on their heads,
besides the regular officers and crew. These |
mysterious passengers were the assistant
collector Of the Sun. On the 18th of April
the Adirondack, Captain Hackstaff, arrived
at New York. She reported the arrival of
the Romer at Cork on the 9Th of March
18th of that month. The Adirondack sailed
on the 18th, and the news she brought was |
in the Herald. 1t was deemed |
an act of ironical courtesy to advise the
editors of the Tribune of this fact. 1--WE
are certainly obliged to Mr.. Bennett" said |
Mr.. McElreth, with cool suavity, "but isn't |
he mistaken about our connection with the
Romer?"
II don't know about that" replied the
messenger. "He thought that you would
like to know of her arrival. and especially
of her departure, as the foreman OF you
office is on board"
Shortly after the Romer arrived and the
two mysterious men, with glazed caps on
their heads and carpet bags filled with old
papers, were safely landed after
their vain but plucky Journey. Thus ended
the great Jews combination against the
The day of pony express and special
packets and all contests OF that kind has
passed away, the Introduction of the tele-
graph and the submarine cable making them
But the feats of those times
gave the first great incentive to the enter
Prise of American journalists, and while
hose of today surpass all those who pre-
,eded them in everything that goes to make
Up the perfect newspaper man. yet the
greater enterprise of the present does not
consist in special engines and special trains.
n those subsidiary efforts of a great profess
ion. or rather a great art, we of today were
by the men of half a century
Igo, simply because they labored under the
pur of a greater necessity. American
has now greater things to be
Of.