The herald., 1898-05-22
THE RACE FOR
NEWS BEATS"

spondent Of the Herald.) When the war
is over and the newspaper men have leis-
ufe to sit down and think, and write s0me-
thing that will Better bear inspection
through literary microscope than the
hurried dispatches that they are compelled
to dash of at present. not the least inter-
esting of the articles they will then pre-
pare will be those descriptive of the extra
ordinary difficulties under which they la
bored to get the news. There never was a
war in which the unfortunate war corre-
spondent was SO beset with perils, and so
ties, getting 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
If Manila has had the first great story, it
IS here in Key West. where the Cuban
news centers, that the most important
events of the war are destined to occur
and where the newspapers have stationed
their best men. With the cable cut there
is only one way Of getting news: by means
of swift dispatch boats. Now the broad
expanse of blue sea is very wide stretch
for a little boat to cover. No matter how
active the crew, and how vigilant the cap
tain and the newspaper men who are on
the boat for the purpose of witnessing AMI
writing up anything that may occur Of
Importance ahoat, 1t is not possible for the
boat to be In more than one place at a
time, and while she is cruising OFF one Sec
ton Of the coast Of Cuba, It is not at all
improbable that a great battle may be
taking place at another point. While one
dispatch boat is piling up steam in an earn
est and well meaning effort to keep up
with a cruiser or gunboat that is chasing
a Spanish fishing smack or lumber barge,
the rival dispatch boat, better informed
or more lucky, may be racing to Key West
with news Of bombardment, or of cap
ture that double discounts that Of the fish,
ing smack Or lumber barge.
And then, the man at Key West. Out
across the sea there is blank expanse of
blue water. Away off in the distance there
suddenly appears dispatch boat, piling
along apparently for dear life. The men
ashore are snatching 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 slumber there
comes hurry call to get up and go to
meet the incoming craft. Then hurry!
slap-dash! down to the docks to meet the
incoming steamer. Any craft the news
paper man can get hold of Is hired so that
he can go out and be the first, If possible,
to catch the news from the incoming
steamer, or at least get 1t as soon as the
next man.
If the newcomer proves to be the dis
patch boat of q rival newspaper it is sad
for the man who meets her. There Is no
such thing as dividing up down here. 1t
is every man for himself. and a sorry fate
for the hindmost. The beaten man knows
that his own dispatch boat has been glo-
riously left when he sees the rival come
in and no other boat in sight, but he must
swallow his grief and wait for the next ar
rival. Meanwhile the telegraph Office Is in
possession of the victorious newspaper
man, and there is no sleep for the rest Of
the fraternity.
Possibly the boat that has come in Is
gunboat towing prize, or a captured boat
in charge of a prize crew. In that event
| the newspaper men must swarm out and
| meet the vessel, catching at any straws IN
the way of news that may be floating on
| the surface. The reporter must ascertain
| the circumstances Of the capture, the name
| of the prize and her value. get any inter-
esting point about the officers and crew and
get 1t the best way he can, for United
States naval officers, even when flushed
with the happiness of walking the deck Of
a captured boat, are not going out of their
way to provide news for the newspapers.
Having got the news. then the reporters
troubles are about over, thinks the mex
perienced newspaper reader. Are they?
They are just about beginning. 1t is the
man who first gets hold Of the wire down
here who enables his newspaper to be
ahead with an extra on live incident OF
The war. The reporter who allows him.
self in his enthusiasm to stay too long
getting material for his story Is likely to
| find the telegraph wire pre-empted by a
whole row of rivals and his dispatch left
until the others have been sent away.
Have you ever tried to write on board