The San Francisco call., 1908-11-04
CALLS BULLETINS
DRAW HUGE THRONG
Largest Crowd Since the Fire
COngregates in Front of the
Claus SpreckeIs Building
Screens Contain News Fifteen
Minutes Ahead of COMPETE
tors and People See 1t

me largest crowd drawn by cleo
lon returns in several years gathered
last night in front of The Calls bulle-
an boards and followed with eager
enthusiasm the brief dispatches as they
We're flashed upon the screen. No such
demonstration has been seen since the
disaster OF April. 1906 In fact. the
throngs that gathered last night were
as large as those which congregated
70 read Of the Roosevelt victory in
1904
II was an imposing spectacle. Solid
banks Of humanity stretched for two
blocks in Market street reaching al
most from Montgomery street past
Third and up 10 Grant avenue. all ewes
turned toward the white screens on The
Call building. The other papers made
pretense of flashing bulletins, but
The Call service was from 10 to Is
minutes ahead of its competitors, and
before long the entire crowd had TO
.cused its attention on The Calls re-
ports.
The people began 10 gather in front
OF The call Office at 4 o'clock in the
afternoon when the first bulletins be-
gan 10 come in from the east 1t was
at once apparent that Taft was running
almost as strongly as Roosevelt in the
campaign Of 1903. BY making comper
ative calculations. The Call was able
10 fash positive assurance of Taft's
election AT 8 o'clock, which breaks all
records for election bulletins 1t was
some hours later before the other pa
pers announced Tafts election.
Just before dusk The Call hoisted
TWO great white screens for the night
bulletins. With a man at every cleo
tion booth in the city, with a corps
Of trained men in the registrars Of
fce making rapid calculations, with
special wires bringing the returns from
New York and the other eastern states,
and a state service covering every
point in California The Call was able
TO keep up a rapid fire bulletin service
from early evening until the days
returns had been completed. Inter
spersed were q number of cartoons.
specially drawn by The Call artists,
which dealt in pointed fashion with
the news as il came in and drew roars
Of laughter from the crowd.
IL was not long before the throng.
assured Of the election of Taft and
Judge Dunno, had been seized with the
old tine election spirit. There were
cheers for the successful candidates and
cheers for The Call. A picture of The
Call cOngratulating Taft and Judge
Dunno drew forth a shout Of approval
A picture OF Judge Dunno was greeted
with an enthusiastic outburst.
Across the street. looming out of the
darkness like a sail on a phantom ship.
rose the white sheet that marked the
spot where the Examiner building had
once stood. The news was not Of the
Hearst sort and the sheet slipped its
rollers early in the evening.
At the other corner, the Chronicle
bulletins were so tardy that before
long the entire crowd had deserted and
lined up in front Of The Call Office.
II required but a few cartoons to
- demonstrate that William r. Hearst is
not exactly the idol OF the people Of
san Francisco. An illustrated refer
ence 10 the Examiners % story bulle-
tin board and a suggestion that Hearst
ask Heney for that $4,000 to begin
construction struck a popular chord.
II was a good natured crowd and 1t
stood for FIVE solid hours reading The
Calls bulletin with intense interest It
was a demonstration that spoke vol
urnes for the future OF san Francisco.