Omaha daily bee., 1896-06-19
'OLD-TIME JOURNALISTIC PUSH
Newspaper Enterprise Of Today Equalled,
Comparatively Speaking.
NEWS SCHooNERS AND PONY EXPRESSES
Great Rivalry AmonEbthe Publishers
and Wonderful scoops Attempted
Under Adverse Conditions
The Spur of Necessity.

A gossipy writer on the Philadelphia Time!
recalls the enterprise boosted by the news
papers of a half-century ago. Few news,
paper men, he asserts, are acquainted will
the amazing news enterprise of the penny
press of fifty years back. A few instances
are cited in support of the assertion that the
old-time hustlers could keep up with theft
professional descendants.
1t is not necessary, says the Times writer
TO go back to the time when the editor OF
the Boston Newsletter in 1903 publicly re.
GREETED the fact that he was thirteen
months behind in giving the news from Eu
rope" but one can properly refer to the
time, surprising as 1t may be, when the
North American was spoken Of "as the most
sprightly managed newspaper in Philadel-
phia," and was actively engaged in the
spirited race for news that preceded the
construction of an ocean cable, and so CO.
operated with the great New York journals
In the support Of expensive expresses that
were run with European news from Boston
and Halifax. The contest for news which
agitated the newspaper world fifty years ago
would make some of the journalists of TODAY
dizzy. All information concerning European
affairs was received by steamers and sailing
packets and the most amazing efforts were
made to secure foreign newspapers in adj
vance of hated rivals. The big Journals of
new York had as a portion of their eouin-
mehts news schooners and pony expresses.
Inc Courier and Inquirer, for instance. con-
tinuously engaged two pilot boats and sinh
sequently built a superb clipper which had
the name of the newspaper upon its bow.
ltS most yigOrOlls rival tho Jo,,rnot - 49,.
merce, had two schooners, one named the
Evening Edition and the other the Journal
of Sometimes these five swift
vessels would be together from fifty to 100
miles at sea from Sandy Hook in the exciting
pursuit of ships and foreign news. The
races between them were almost equal to
those of the fast yachts of the New York
squadron. The enterprise of these two Jour
nails alone cost each of them $40, 900 a year.
1t was begun in 1881, and was continued I'M
til 1884, when the schooners were disposed
OF and small rowboats resumed their occupa-
ton in the harbor. These blanket Sheets
as the large newspapers were termed even
in those days, also had special pony expresses
to carry their dispatches from Washington,
and the races between these were most ex-
citing. These efforts appear still more mar
Vicious when you consider that although the
circulation of these newspapers was consid-
cred very large, none Of them sold more than
from 1000 to $500 papers daily.
STORY OF A GREAT SCOOP.
The smaller penny press of that day was
not one whit behind their larger contempt
raries. The New York Sun was the leader
among this class of journals. and it did not
to endeavor to rival the boastful
Herald in the acquisition of foreign news.
When it was managed by Moses S. and
Joseph Beach, prior to its purchase by
Charles A.. Dana and associates of one
wing Of the republican party of New York,
its enterprise was at times both amusing
and expensive. Frederick Hudson gives the
following instance of the energetic endeav-
ors of the Beaches: ION one occasion two
were arranged to bring the Euro
news from Boston to New York, one to
run over the Norwich & Worcester road for
the Sun, and the other to run over the
Providence & Stonington road for the Her.
aid. The Cunard steamer made a longer
passage than usual, and was not telegraphed
at Boston until early Saturday morning. !
The Herald was not then published on Sun
day and the Sun never issued a regular issue
on that day. If the expresses were run they
would reach New York about midnight on
What was to be done? The agent
Of the Herald determined not to run his ex-
press, but he was not anxious for the Sun
10 ENJOY the luxury. so, with locomotive
lred up, he made arrangements to start
The moment the news reached his hands.
The wideawake agent of the Sun was not
20 be beaten. He was watchful. The mo-
nent the Cunarder touched the wharf at
East Boston he started with the news for the
depot. John Gilpin's time was
beaten through the streets of Boston as
'aslly as Bonner's team afterward distanced
III others on Harlem Lane. On the pant
ng and putting locomotive jumped the indie
'atigable man of the Sun, and, with one
thrill whistle, he was off for New York.
THE agent of the Herald, as soon as his
,lucky companion was out of sight and going
off at the rate of a mile a minute. had his
run in the engine house and
cooled Off. He then went down to the
,fflce of the Boston Mail. published in State
by Purdy G. Bradley, and quietly got
tut the news and had it printed on extra
with the New York Herald head. He
ook several thousand by one train that
and sent as many by a messenger