East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1906-03-05
FIRST NEWS OF
VALENCIA s LOSS
"SCOOP" OF SEATTLE PA
PER'S MARINE REPORTER.
Jack Wishaar Sent First News to the
World After RiskinS His Life In
the Surf in an Effort to Reach Tel
cgraph Office at 3 O'Clock I'm the
Morning.

The following account of how the
first news of the wreck of the Valen-
cia was given to the world is taken
from the Fourth Estate, a journal
published for newspapers. The re-
porter. Fred L. carp, mentioned in
the article, formerly worked for the
East Oregonian:
The sleep of the telegraph operator
at Port Angeles, Wash, was broken
at 5 o'clock on the morning of Janu-
airy 25 by a laundering knock at his
door. He got out of bed and hurried
downstairs. Confronting him as he
opened the door was a man covered
with mud from crown to toe. Dirty
streamlets poured from his body and
formed a puddle about his feet. He
was bareheaded and gasping. A
mask of mud half hid his face.
I'm Jack Wishaar, of the Seattle
Post-Intelligencer,' said the man,
"and want to send some stuff to my
paper. open your office and call up
Seattle"
The operator did so. The first
message was a flash" dictated, not
written. Seconds were precious for
Wishaar knew that the days issue of
the Post-Intelligencer was on the
press. The flash stopped an exo-
dus of men from the editorial and
mechanical departments They took
off their coats and began work on an
extra of supreme importance for the
undiscovered reporter at Port Ange-
les began sending the story of the
wreck of the Valencia, the biggest
scoop a paper on the coast had had
in many day.
The Valencia had been lost Janu-
airy %. Word of the disaster reach
ed the Post-Intelligencer the next
day Jack Wishaar, marine reporter,
and Asabel Curtis, a staff photog-
rapher, went out in the relief steam
er City of Topeka, sent to look for
survivors of the wreck.
on the afternoon of the cath the
Topeka picked up a raft with is half
starved. half frozen men from the
Valencia. They were taken on board
the steamer and Wishaar got their
names and as much of the dreadful
story as they were able to tell.
At 10 o'clock that night the Topeka
spoke the steamer Texan, bound up
the strait of Juan de Fuca.
Wishaar got aboard the Texan with
much difficulty and at 2:SO in the
morning of January 25, started for
Port Angeles in a boat that had
brought a pilot to the Texan. After
a fierce battle with the surf the boat
reached the shore.
The impatient reporter jumped in
to the water without waiting for the
boat to land. He fell and was cover
ed with mud. Scrambling to his feet
he ran to the telegraph office as fast
as his legs could carry him.
On receipt of the "flash" the plates
of the Post-Intelligencer city edition
were killed. New ones containing
Wishaars story were made in record
time and although the paper was a
little late all the subscribers got the
news from Port Angeles. A later edi-
ton contained further details.
Mr., Wishaar remained at Port An
geles till the departure of the sound
steamer Alice Gertrude, which he
boarded for Seattle, arriving there on
the afternoon of January &c and de-
| spite his hard work and lack of sleep
| for many hours Mr.. Wishaar wrote
the full story of the wreck and the
interviews with the survivors for the
next days paper.
Mr.. Curtis, the photographer, had
remained on the Topeka discharging
the duties of both photographer and
reporter Frederick L. carp, of the
| Post-Intelligencer staff, was sent to
| Port Townsend January 25. The To-
peka stopped and took him aboard
there the next morning. on the trip
down to Seattle other interviews were
obtained with survivors who had been
too weak to talk to Mr.. Wishaar.
Mr.. carp and Mr.. Curtis arrived in
| Seattle after 6 o'clock a. m. January
90. Their story was written, the
photographs of the survivors ant
scenes of rescue taken by Mr. Curtis
were developed, etchings made, stere'
otyped ana printed ana Ine pdper'
were on the streets at OILS that morn
ing with the first photographs relat
ing to the wreck printed in any news
paper
Pressure for time did not permi
full use of Mr.. Curtis work, but OF
Saturday morning, with time for de
velopment and suitable enlargement
tha Post Tnte1lipencer made n Dresen
tation Of the product of its art anC
mechanical departments of which th'
management felt 1t had reason to b.
proud.
The best way to rid the system o
a cold is to evacuate the bowels. Ken
nedy's Laxative Honey and Tar act
aa 4 nlnasant Mnt effnclnal catharIL