Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-05-30

last, but not least, boarding and lodging
facilities. and it keeps the managers of
the Geographic offices busy for weeks in
advance preparing for the battle royal
between time and electricity.
Another snug income that must be look
cd after is that derived from the hotels.
Ordinarily, one operator can be placed in
q hotel and easily handle he business,
but at such times the politicians want to
Keep their friends posted at home or keep
in close tab with their political leaders,
who may be located a mile away at an
other hotel. Then, again, the shrewd news
paper correspondent wants 20 be Johnny
on the spot, and if he learns a piece of
news at the hotel a telegraph office cannot
be too close to meet his desires. For these
reasons the force will be trebled at all
the hotels, and most likely be kept going
throughout the entire twenty-four hours.
Private Wires at Hotels.
cat the hotels used as headquarters i'm
portant confabs and caucuses will be held,
and it can be easily imagined the import
ance of the news likely to develop at any
moment. new feature of this hotel bust
ness will be several private wires working
directly from the hotels into the newspaper
offices in New York. The great rivalry re-
Gently developed in that city between two
or the prominent papers has no doubt led
Up TO this. With each private wire goes a
special correspondent and from the out
look at present, il appears as If the eastern
journals Will be swamped with convention
news.
Both the Western Union and Postal
companies maintain bulletin wire at the
conventions and over this string usually
comes the hrst announcement of the name
OF the successful candidate.
TO guard against a jam al the halls
either in st. Louis Chicago, it is pro-
posed that corps of bicycle riders lie
pressed into Service to carry kilograms from
me nails to the main offices. In this way
1t Is believed greater speed can be attained
in working off business than could possibly
be done if all the dispatches We're to be
sent from the halls of the conventions as
at the main offices there are always hun
dreds of w.res available and operators al
ways ready to be pressed into service
nave been in attendance al several of
the late conventions, and, among other
ulnSS, noticed that there is very little in
dlVlduai wiring done by the delegates The
great bulk of the business is newspaper
specials and queries back and forth OF
course, now and then, a delegate who has
d SICK wife or child at home, or perhaps an
important business deal to look after will
use the Wire, but the Individual convention
man pays very little toll to tie telegraph
companies. Even after the nomination is
made the delegate refrains from using the
wires 10 announce the fact to his con-
sutuency, as he knows very well that hun
dTeos Oh newspaper messages are flashed
all over the country, carrying the news
more rapidly than his money could paw for
For the Candidates.
1T sometimes occurs that a delegate who
causes stampede by casting an unexpect-
ed vote that either brings defeat or vic
tory Will Wire the news home to his friends
beng proud Of the position he has taken be
lore the country and the great prominence
INTO which he has been thrown, but that
Is about all the money delegates as a ruIe
spend for telegraphing.
In years past all the ca ndidates had pri-
sate wires to the convention, and it is a
1cregone conclusion that the same state of
affairs Will prevail this year These pri-
Vate wires are very essential, as a minutes
ume at such periods is worth thousands
OF dollars. A candidate and his lieuten-
anus must keep in constant touch with
eacH othef and every move recorded. AT
me last convention it will be recalled that
PRESIDENT Harrison had a direct wire TO the |
M!hcapoilS convention and that the few
privileged persons at the White House |
knew more about the proceedings taking
pace III the far-away city than did thoyS- |
anus OF people directly overlooking the |
people engaged in the great la title
Inc telegraph offices in both the conyen- |
lon nails at St Louis and Chicago will be |
located directly under the Speakers stand |
ana pneumatic tubes go down from the |
space above to the operators below In This |
way a special correspondent sitting AT a |
tap!e directly IN front of the speakers can |
nave a man sort his copy, dump it into a |
pneumatic carriage and like a fash II viii !
boD up at the operators right arm Thara !
VIII be no time lost in counting words as
That will be attended to afterward tho
retaining the copy and sending |
IL 10 the main office for checking off Thai |
scene under the stage will be worth yoin,r
miles to see. A couple hundred oDcratnrs
at work, the same number of saunders and |
Keys chIrping out the pleasing metallic
IlHs ana the numerous messengers rushing
ere and there, the noise being entirely losI
on the convention people outside owing TO |
the heavy partitions and ceilings
As TO who will make up the operstinar
force to so from this city | am una HE as |
yet to say We have several men who are |
equal to the best in the business. ard thar |
the Washington office Will be called on TO |
1urnlsh its quota of experts goes without |
saying"