The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1901-10-26
LUCK HELPED HIM
CHANCE ACQUAINTANCE GIVES A
REPORTER INFORMATION.
NEWS OF WRECK IN A MINUTE.
Railroad Disaster Caused Lively Hust-
ling. But List of Victims Was
Furnished by Thoughtful
Stranger.

r.
II am not a fatalist nor anything of
that kind, but think there is sonnet hing
in luck al times declared John Ross to
a party OF friends at the Finlen this
morning, as he lighted a cigar and
Tipped match into a cuspidor
Il will just tell you of a little expert
ence of mine" he continued, that went
a long way to convince me that a line
of good fortune sometimes beats hard
work.
1T was over 10 years ago that I was
doing reporting for the Associated Press
dn an Eastern city. In those days the
United Press was a competitor of the
concern l represented. and We had some
pretty lively times fighting each other in
getting the news
Il was doing night work at the time
I had the experience l am about to re-
late, and fellow had to be pretty care
full along towards morning to get hold
of all that was worth sending over the
wires to outside papers.
News of Wreck.
NATURALLY, in order to keep track 4of
things, l had to watch around the police
stations and learn what was happening.
One morning about 2 o'clock l was sit
ting in police station, talking with the
officers, when the telephone bell rang.
THE night had been quiet, and We all
stopped talking for a minute to see
what was the occasion for the call over
the phone.
The sergeant who answered the call
listened for minute and then turned
and ordered the patrol wagon to rush to
the Santa Fe depot.
II knew that meant there was trouble
o,,J
formed me that there had been a serious
wreck on the Santa Fee, about 40 miles
out of the city. l called up my office and
found that there was no news in about
the disaster.
.Then l hustled for the depot. Arriv-
ing there. I found that train was COM
ing in with the dead and wounded peo
pie I could get no details about the
wreck, but in some way l did learn that
there was a United Press reporter on the
train.
THAT meant that I was standing a
pretty poor show to get the news of the
wreck and have it on the wires as soon
rs the man who represented the other
news concern.
Wonders What to Do.
IT paced up and down the platform.
wondering What | was going to do to
keep my ONCE from getting lett on the
news of that wreck. 1t was getting late
I knew l would not have time to hustle
around among the trainmen and passen-
gers and get the information after the
train came in.
when the headlight of the engine
that was drawing the train hove in sight
I admit l was a little ratified. AS the
cars pulled up to the PLATFORM the first
man that stepped from the train was
the United Press correspondent.
THAT settled it, was beaten. sure
enough, as l viewed the situation.
pushed by the other reporter as he
grinned at me and sailed away to his
office.
Il started out among the passenger,
to see what could learn. The first man
I questioned ran his hand down in his
pocket and pulled out couple of slips
of paper.
HE handed me the pages and ex-
planned at the same time that they con-
tanned the names of all those who ha |
been killed or injured in the wreck
There We're two dead and II wounded.
THE list that was handed me by my
stranger friend contained IA names
copied them in hurry and listened a
minute to the account of the wreck rs
given by the man who had made out the
list.
All the News Given.
'Then I rushed away to a telephone
and sent all the information in to my
Office. The next morning, when the AS
ISOLATED Press papers came out they had
all the information in regard to the
wreck that was contained in the United
e Press Sheets.
Il don't know to this day who the
fellow was that gave the names of the
unfortunates that figured in the Santa
Fee wreck. / have no idea what prompt.
ed him to make out the list that he did
for he evidently was not an employee o,
the railway company.
One thing do know, and that is thai
his precaution in getting the informa.
tion he did saved me from being badly
beaten by the United Press man tina.
morning.
II could never have picked up The
facts I needed in time to have gotter
them to the newspapers. I am grateful