The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-10-17
NEWS BEFORE THE CABLE.
JOURNAL MAGAZINE WILL GIVE
INTERESTING ACCOUNT OF
EARLY TRANSATLANTIC NEWS
PAPER WORK.

Tho leading article in the Sunday
Magazine of 7 h e.tsaJ ournal next
Sunday, entitled Reporting the
Worlds Ncws Befors the Atlantic Ca
BILE may seem as Anticipated to the
present day reader as almost any chron-
icle from the dark ages, and yet 1T is
only forty years since those. wonderful
news were instituted. The election Of
a. new pope proclaimed in Rome at
nearly noon was announced in the
American newspaper extras OF the
same day and date from Chicago to
San Francisco, and the death of Queen
Victoria was announced everywhere IN
America several hours in. advance Of
the recorded moment Of her death in
England. We have become SO accus-
toned to this sort of thing that it has
almost ceased to excite comment. 1t
and back Of those eventful years:
Prior to the first Atlantic cable it
took the average ocean mail boat thir-
teen days to make the voyage between
Liverpool and New York, seven from
Liverpool to Cape Race, the half way
house, Of the ocean highway, and six
between Cape Race and New York. The
Liverpool-New York service was the
original and most effective avenue for.
TRANSMITTING newspaper budgets n
| ting the world s news across the At
lantic. Earlier in the century it took
much longer to make these trips, but
gradually boats between Queenstown
and Nova Scotia reduced the time and
the invention of the telegraph made it
possible to speed the messages quick
ly to the great publishing centers, once
they touched the American continent.
| The great battles of the civil war
were not chronicled in Europe until
nearly two weeks after they: occurred.
Their he effect upon the movements. of Eu-
/ ropean diplomacy and finance was not
known in the United States for SINH
lar period; and because Of this isolation
/ occasions Of national estrangement and
| discOrd arose, which are impossible
with the speedy interchange of COM
munication which we now enjoy.
g: Il. McGrath, who relates this story
for The Journals Sunday Magazine,
located as he has been for many years
at St: Johns, Newfoundland, is we'll
Johns was for many years the first
point Of contact for the news destined
for America. On the other side, the
telegraph Z was extended for similar
purpose Of speed to Galway on the west
coast of Ireland. There were many
thrilling episodes in this new service,
for during many months Of the year the
Newfoundland coasts. and ,harbors are
most dangerous for mariners and the
hazardous work Of the fishermen in
taking the news budgets from the liners
unable to approach the shore were fire.
quently attended with the utmost dan
GER The loss Of the; Allan liner Anglo
= Saxon, while attemptingt TO- deliver news
dispatches at Cape Race, was one Of
the terrible tragedies IF this service
land. more than one other,liner narrowly
escaped the same fate, for SO intense
was the rivalry between different aags
that the greatest risks were taken t.
! connect, with the news. boats.
The land adventures were scarcely
less dangerous than those at sea, #fo
the telegraph lines We're projected TO
miles and miles thru an mlpenetrabl
) wilderness and Mr.. MnG rathl chfoR
I icles the fact that the first telegraph
/, wire, strung across Newfoundland hat
to be strung anew the second year o.
Its existence and was practically out O
service during a great portion Of tn
Isevere winter. ~