New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-12-20
ACCORDING

lar distributors Of these finding that the profits
OF the boys amounted to more than their small
weekly salaries set 20 work 70 procure sub
scribers to The Sun" and TO establish news
paper routes private speculations- And thus
were established some OF our large newspaper
distributing companies
An authority says: The most curious fact In
the history Of this first penny paper was the
publication Of the celebrated Moon Hoax or
discoveries in the moon. written by Richard
Adams Locke. at that time Editor OF The Sun
1t purported to be account OF Sir John F. W.
Herschefs discoveries at the Cape OF Good Hope.
taken from The Supplement OF The Edinburgh
Philosophical Journal and was written with
every appearance OF consistency. To disarm sus-
picton a scientific description OF an tngeniousIy
invented telescope by which these discoveries
had been made was given. The author then
proceeded to delineate the geographical features
and the inhabitants OF the moon with such
graphic power and show of probability that the
gravest journals swallowed the bait and took
the account as an historical fact. though they
were piqued at the lucky chance which had
thrown the earliest intelligence Of so important
discovery into the hands OF the despised penny
paper One journal. on the day after the story
of the lunar discoveries appeared in The Sun
gravely assured its readers that it had also
received the account by the same mail. but
through want Of sufficient space was unable to
publish it The article was copied and COM
mented on throughout the country by other
papers. and Sir John Herschel was everywhere
extolled as the greatest discoverer OF the age.
Enthusiasts even began to speculate on the pos
sibility Of opening telegraphIc communication
with their newly deserted neighbors. When the
hoax was discovered universal nerrinent was
excited but the offence was not soon forgotten
or forgiven by the cheated contemporaries of
the paper which had issued the canard." In
1888 Day disposed OF his paper to Moses 7.
Beach for $4,000.
A second One-cent paper, The Transcript"
was published in 1884, and continued until 1889
Then another. The Noon" was issued. which
survived two or three years. A fourth one
THE Morning STAR soon after made its ap-
pearance. as did The Morning Dispatch" pub
hshed in 1889 by Day. owner Of the first one
cent paper. They both proved failures
Some of the oldtime journalists made their
debut during this period. On March %, 1884.
Horace Greeley, Jonas Winchester and z. Sib-
bett began the publication Of The New Yorker
printed at first on large folio sheet and after
ward IN two forms, folio and quarto. the former
at - and the latter at So a year. Park Ben1a-
min was a contributor 70 its columns and In
1910 Henry J. Raymond, afterward Editor Of
'"Ihe New ork Times then a recent graduate
of Burlington College, Vt began his editorial
career on IL at a salary Of IS a week On Nav
1885, The New-York Herald" made It's appear
ance as two cent paper. under the auspices
OF James Gordon Bennett, father of the present
owner. and Anderson & Smith. printers in Ann
ST. 4 few months after its pubuca ton the office
and printing establishment were destroyed by
hre. Anderson & Smith withdrew from the
firm, leaving the paper in the control of the
elder Bennett. The New York Express" was
issued in June Of the same year by James and
ErastUs Brooks and on April 10 1871 The
Tribune appeared edited by Horace Greeley.
with the assistance of Henry ]. Raymond. 1t
was daily One-Cent paper, one-sfxth the size OF
this paper. The foregoing may be called the
senior papers Of New-YOrk The juniors are
known to the reader.