The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1898-01-08
IN QUEST OF A SCOOP.
A REPORTERS MIDNIGHT CHASE
AFTER BIG NEWS.

ceo0o0eeooeooo eeeeeeoeoeee
TT WAS 1890 o'clock one night last
week. The local room of the office
was shrouded in semidarkness, lit
up only by the soft glow of the mean
descent lights that shone family
{ through the green shades hanging oysr
each typewriter. In front of each ole
sat a reporter in shirt-sleeyes, some
without collars or cuffs, and all turn
ing out copy" as fast as their fingers
could fly over the keys of the machines.
"B-r-r-r, Bril-" rings the bell in
the telephone booth. No answer.
"B-r-r-r, B-r-r-r-r," this time longer;
still no answer. "B-r-r-r, B-r-r-r-r;" it
does not stop until young man rises
and with remark not at all compil-
mentary to the person at the other end
of the line takes down the receiver.
llo-hello-hel-well what is it?'
Silence. whats that? Where? What
boats? Jerusalem!" and without the
usual 9" by he rushes into the city
editors room.
ssWestcott's mar just called up. He
wants to know if we've heard anything
about-a collision at Smiths coal dock.
Says he was towing by there when he
heard two. big fellows come together
with a crash and there was iots OF
screaming. Fog was too thick to see
anything"
The city editor looked up, half buried
in copy. Call up the dock ana ask
them"
"He says they have nothing to say,
and won't tell even the names OF the
boats. 1t must be big thing or they
wotild be. willing to tell something,
ne reported minute later.
Then ask the drydock # they have
heard"
..They don't know anything about It
vet" he said, when he had called them
up.
"How far is it down there?"
sits pretty nearly seven miles, l
guess"
"Well, call up IS livery stable ana
ask them if they can send us last
horse to go down there and back by
three o'clock. Do you think you can
find the way in the dark? II not, get
somebody to go with you. ] know it's
past the Rouge, but that's all. You will
have to find telephone and call us
I'D on it, or it will be too late for the
city edition. / don't suppose that fel-
low at the dock will let you use the
phone and you will probably have
some fun waking people up at that
time of night. If you think it's a scoop
we will throW it up" Which in news
paper parlances meant that IT the other
papers did not get it tte account would
be given the most prominent place u
sn Tl pap nainut ter the reporter and
j friend who sid he knew the way were
going rapidly out Fort street on their
cold ride to the coal dock. BY George.
muttered the newspaper man, IF TINS
fog doesn't clear away see our finish
in one of those Ecorse marshes. | wish
I had worn my overcoat; I'm being
slowly frozen to death. Say! l won
der how the G. E. expects me to find
anything such night as this? This
internal fog is getting SO thick that
If we want to change our positions we
will have to cut piece out with our
knives. Keep watch or We'll run
down the fort.'
The street was almost deserted. once
or twice some belated wayfarer dodgeo
from in front of the horse, and as they
swiftly passed into the darkness be
yond, yelled "a warning to look ollt.
4 policeman stopped them once, bu'
with laughing admonition to pc care = :,
ful or they would be killing some Douy
he went back to hisslonely beat, whei
ha saw who they were When the.
turned toward the river the fog becam
so thick that they could not see tn
horses head and it was only when e:
vbsals erntsa n TIE saad &, e tae 6; sn q
behind. + was i'm
@'For n. b to guide the horse,
instinct, he was
mel at the
assed it;
told