The Washington herald., 1907-09-29
Steamboats, and Correspondents
By FREDERIC J. HASKIN
By FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

Such was the condition that it rould not
be repeated iu the world to-day because
Of the fact that there are steamships
and correspondents.
Imagine if you can, the capture of an
English ship by a French privateer in the
Patuxent River, twenty miles from Balti-
more. and twenty miles from Washing
ton. Imagine the news Of that occur
renee leaking into a New York newspaper
ten days later. Imagine an administra-
ton At Washington attempting by poIit-
zeal movements 20 rebuke such viola
items of sacred neutrality. because
fearful OF It's inability % rebuke them by
force Of arms Imagine a New York pa
per glorying In its journalistic enterprise
because it is able 10 give the news Of
the latest London scandal only forty
days after the London papers, the while
IL neglects 10 mention the first successful
steamboat voyage. and gives less than
0ue-haif of its space 20 American news.
and less than oHe-tenth TO New York
news. Imagine the New York Evening
Post publishing the details of a London
trial which would nowadays be too raw
for the yeilOwest Of yellow journals This
is u picture OF the times.
Henry Crabb Robinson, the first news
paper correspondent, was born the year
before the American colonies declared
their independence. He was articled 10
an attorney at the age Of fifteen His
memory was 50 remarkable that he could
repeat the substance OF a speech made
| by the great Erskine ifty-four years aft
/ sr he heard it. He heard John Wesley
preach, and felt the greatness of the
power of reform When he was twenty
three he went abroad, learned German,
and met Goethe, Schiller, and Nine de
Stael- He went back 10 England on the
same ship that carried the news of Ma
p0leons victory al Austerltz. It was
then that he met John Walter. the sec
ond of the Walter dynasty in control Of
| the London Times.
Struck by Robiuson's knowledge Of men
and things, and rightly estimating the
advantages of his linguistic powers. Wal
ter decided to send a special correspond
ent TO the continent upon whom ne could
rely TO send accurate news OF the polit-
ical and military battles then raging
Robinson went 10 Altona then the DAN
ism rival of Hamburg. From there he
wrote a famous series Of letters which
gave the English people an Insight into
affairs which they had never had before.
II was the first time any newspaper had
! ever sent q man anywhere for the ex-
| press purpose of getting the news and
telling the truth The few correspondents
before that time had been sent out with
a view to obscure rather than 10 clarity
I Nrs sit fffarr a
went TO the Peninsula. and followed the
fights Of that great campaign. He did
not continue TO follow Napoleon to the
end of his career, but in 1863 returned to
London and the study Of law. He was
an intimate friend of Lamb CoIeridge,
| Wordsworth. and Southey He lived to
be ninety-one years old. retaining his fac
ulties until the last, and passed away
/ In 1861, living TO see the modern Journal
ism well established
Robert Fulton was not the inventor of
/ the steamboat but 1t was he who gave
| ii 20 the world as an accomplished fact
and utility. Therefore. he is entitled to
( oil the honors that have been bestowed
! upon him. The very first steamboat was
| built by William Henry, Of Lancaster.
/ Pa, and was tried on the Canatoga
! River in 1863. 1t went to the bottom. but
/ Nh Henry still believed that steam could
! be successfully applied to navigation
/ The unfortunate John Fitch conceived
| the Idea of steam navigation. although
| he did not know that there was such a
thing as a steam engine in the world
/ When he went before the Philadelphia
/ Philosophical Society. he was told of Mr.
/ Henry's boat, and that Thomas Paine
had also thought Of the same thing
| Fitch made boat which was propelled
by oars worked by steam power. Il was