The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-08-05
THOUSANDS READ
HERALD WINDOWS
Popularity of Free News Serv-
Ice Is Shown on a
Slack Day.
RICH AND POOR MINGLE
CLASS DISTINCTION Is FORGOT.
TEN IN DESIRE FOR NEWS.

The bulletin service given free to the
public each day IN the windews of the
business office of The Herald II popular.
To determine the measure Of popularity
which this service enjoys, a watcher was
posted at a point Of vantage yesterday
morning at Ii o'clock when the bulletin
service was begun for the day, TO check
off the number who paused I'm their bus
mess long enough to read the bulletins
The watcher WIS Harry Siskind, bet
ter known among the newsboys as Chi.
Chi is one OF The Herald's newsboys,
and when he was given his instructions he
man who stopped before the windows and
read the bulletins.
From IL o'clock until IL o'clock the boy
had an easy task. Business men engaged
with their problems, and clerks were be-
hind the counters. Bookkeepers had not
closed their books, and only a few strag-
glers paused TO read the happenings of
the day.
Sig Rush at Noon.
When the whistles blew in the factories,
and the bells changed in the offices, sig
Mailing the arrival of the hour for the
midday meal, there was a rush, and
Chi had all he could do to keep a check
on the crowd that thronged the sidewalk
in front of The Herald windows
There were men from every walk of life.
Sons of toll brushed elbows with wealthy
mine owners. A newswoman stood be-
side United States senator. A policeman
piowed through the crowd to force a pas
sageway for those who did not stop to
read. A saloOnkeepeF fraterniZed with
preacher and every one read the news of
the day, told in the crisp, interesting style
followed in the preparations of the bulle-
tins for the public.
The bulletin service begins each day at
IL O'Clock, though if anything of great
local interest occurs before that hour it
1t posted for the benefit of the public.
AS soon as the telegraph service of the
Associated Press begins to sing over the
wires. every item is carefully scanned,
and the brief stories of the days news
are prepared for the public by a staff
man. These short stories cover the entire
gsmHt of the news of the day. Whether
II Is the condition of the nations finances
or the discovery of a beggar's hoard;
whether it is the death of a great man or
the birth of prineeling; whether it is
charity or crime. or human bravery or
selfishness-all these stories are shown.
and the crowd in front of the windows
keeps its finger on the pulse of the world.
"slack" Day Yesterday.
II was what is termed in newspaper
offices, a slack day yesterday. There
was no crisis in the history of the nation;
a statesman or a ruler was not lying at
the point OF death; there had been on cat
the public with fear or horror. 1t was
just an everyday sort of day, without
feature.
Notwithstanding this fact. the bulle-
tins were eagerly read. and the boy with
the counter In his hand was kept busy
watching the readers. From II o'clock in
the morning until o'clock last night,
there had been . 30 men and women who
had paused In their walk long enough to
read the brief summary OF the news. That
was at the rate OF so readers per hour,
or five pausing each minute Of the busy
part OF the day.
During a time of great interest, when
disaster or other news event of great in
terest is reported, the crowds In front of
the windows are sometimes enormous. An
example of this was seen when the first
news OF the San Francisco earthquake
was reported. and in the few days that
followed when news began to Sift
through.
There were times when ii was esti-
mated that 1900 people read the bull
ietins IN a single day At times the crowd
extended over the sidewalk to the street
car tracks. impeding the passage of the
street cars and other traffic, and almost
closing Main street to business.
II was then that the popularity OF the
bulletin service given by The Herald was
shown. and 1t was then that the people
knew. from past experience, that the best
that could be had in the way of news,
was given on The Herald's bulletins