The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-05-30
. ANXIETY OF WAN REPORTERS.
Csrrespsndenss ut Key West Nave an M
citing Time.

think and write something that will bet
ter bear inspection through a literary mi
| croscope than the hurried dispatches
that they are compelled to dash on at
| present, not the least interesting of the
articles they will then prepare Will he
those descriptive OF the extraordinary
difficulties under which they labored to
get the news. There never was a wa In
which the unfortunate war correspondent
was so beset with perils and so harassed
by that most awful OF possibilities, get
ting left on the news" as in this present
remarkable war.
To take the men who are stationed at
Key West as an example: This Is. OF
course. the great center for war news. III
Manila has had the first great story, II u
here In Key West, where the CUBAN news
centers. that the most important events
OF the war are destined to occur. ana
where the newspapers have stationed
their best men. With the cable cut, there
II only one way of getting news-by
means of swift dispatch boats. Now the
broad expanse OF blue sea is a very VIDE
stretch for a little boat to cover. No mat
ter how active the crew and how vieiiant
the captain and the newspaper men who
are on the boat for the purpose OF VIII
Messing and writing up anything that
may occur of Importance anoat. II Is not
possible for the boat to be I'm more than
one place at a time. and while she is cruis-
ing off one section of the coast OF Cuba,
IL Is not at all improbable that a great
battle may be taking place at another
point. While one Dispatch boat Is pilins
up steam i'm an earnest and well meaning
effort to keep up with a cruiser or gun
boat thai Is chasing a Spanish nshing
smack or lumber barge. the rival dispatch
boat, better informed or more lucky. may
be racing to Key West with news OF a
bombardment or of a capture that double
discounts that of the fishing smack or
lumber barge.
And then the man at Key West. Out
across the sea there Is a blank expanse
of blue water. Away of In the distance
there suddenly appears a spa boat,
pilins along apparently for dear lie. The
men ashore are snatching a few hours
sleep. They have been watching all day
for the news that did not come, and Just
as soon as they are wrapped In siumber
there comes q hurry call to get up and go
TO meet the incoming craft. Then hurryi
slap-dash. down to the docks to meet the
incoming steamer. Any craft the news
paper man can get hold or Is hired SO
that he can go out and be first II possible
to catch the news from the incoming
steamer or at least get 1t ar soon as the
next man.
III the newcomer proves to be the dis
patch boat of a rival newspaper 1t is sad
for the man who meets her. There Is no
such thing as dividing up down mere.
IL is every man for HIMSELF and a sorry
fate for the hindmost. The beaten man
knows that his own dispatch boat mas
been ~gloriously left when he sees the r.
val come in and no other boat In sight,
but he must swallow his grief and wait
for the next arrival. Meanwhile. the tele-
graph Office is in the possession OF the
, victorious newspaper man and there is
no sleep for the rest Of the fraternity.
Possibly the boat that comes in is q
gunboat towing a prize, or a captured
boat in charge of a prize crew. In tina
/, event the newspaper men must swarm on
and meet the vessel. catching at any
strsys in the way of news that may bt
floating on the surface. The reporter mus
ascertain the circumstances OF the cap
, ture, the name of the prize and her value
r get any interesting point about the ON
GERS and crews. and get Ii the best way
he can, for United States naval officers
Z even when flushed with the happiness Of
walking the deck OF a captured boat. ar,
not going out of their way to provide new
[ ! for the newspapers.
> Having got the news, then the repor
ter's troubles are about over. thinks th'
i. inexperienced newspaper reader. Arr
|. they? They are just about beginning. IL Il
! the man who first gets hold of the wir'
down here who enables his newspaper 4
d be ahead with an extra on a live inciden
!, of the war. The reporter who allows him
e self in his enthusiasm to stay too loni
getting material for his story Is likely 4
. find the telegraph wire pre-empted by
/. whole row OF rivals, and his dispatch lei
? until all the others have been sent away
{ Have you ever tried to write on boar
a boat that is pitching and tossing In
e choppy sea? If so, you will know VIII,
e the men who are getting the news her
4 are acquiring the art or using a pencl
under circumstances never before consid
!. cred possible. 1t Is fatal to leave the dis
patch to be written when the boat lands
II must be ready for the race to the teie
graph Office by that time.
" 1t is the same with dispatches writte
by the men on board the yachts. tn
e copy must be written during the ru
for the shore. II II is not finished by tn
e time the yacht reaches the harbor II mus
10 be continued during the journey Of tn
d small boat to the dock. Quickness is es
II sential II the reporter wishes to be mrs
8 with the wire.
a Al frst the dispatches that were ser
out from here were voluminous an
wordy. The reporter spread himself I
give the American public graphic ID
scriptions OF war incidents that woul
picture the scenes to the reader and er
i able his imagination to have free pia!
re Some of the reporters reveled In word
q and the readers who like that kind
u, thing were happy. Suddenly there appeal
l. ed on the scene q bogy with q blue penc
r whom they called the censor. Away WEI
D. the imaginative reporters beautifuI
* written descriptions. dead and burie
DR. were his plans of campaign CAREFUL
thought out and admirably written; rutl
L Iessly blue-penciled was his inside info
"a nation about the intentions of the nav
commanders. Only the news as the cens'
il saw fit to see 1t was allowed to .
through.
II saves a good deal of writing. thong
,s What the censor will not allow to {
through, the terrible individual who 81
~ in the editorial chair cannot compla
~ about not getting. 1t is much easier
IA write a story according to the censor
sS idea OF how IL should be written than a
e cording to the ideas OF an editor. and q
wspap per boys are gradually eetti
~ down TO the new style of things and ga
l. ing the blue pencil much work and q
re journal that employs them much expen
te for telegraph tolls.
n But even under the best circumstanc
ny II is a tireless task to report a mode
n war. What IL will be when the real. ga