University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1909-03-30
HF "BEAT" THE WORLD ON
STORY OF EARTHQUAKE
S,..,~e Cortesi Got Out OF Sick Bed and
S,, News to America While Other
Correspondents Ragged HelPlessly.

tc-i promptly engaged him AMI sent
him 10 Mc->ina.
Durland started out with Iuid, Par.
do. an Italian correspondent with whom
he had worked and bunkrd in the, tre.t
war. the RU>>ian-.Iapanc-r war and the
Russian revolution. Iardo Wa~ tn acr
IL colleague and interpreter. The two
took the first train out from Rome. to
Maple The ears wrr'. "rcupird cNrln-
-ivclv hv army Officers and corresponds
rnt~. all cI,attciiny ont th,ir ~urmi>,,
/ When the train >t"ppu at Naples
there wa~ a mad dash for cabs. ear.
ria"c- and convryarcc~ t. the water
front Like the front al Il tidal uay.
the officers and newspaper men ~w,.p,
across the city. Arrived al the dock
, Duiland learned that no "Ir could yet
! ON the Italian ships. all al WhirL, ha>
been commissioned by the government.
wi,h"u, Il passport. lie wa~ >tumprI.
ParIu hv chance. heard some one in
I he street say that there wI~ Il German
ship in the harbnr about /" sail fuI Mes.
-iia. They hastily r"wrd ont to the
only ship hearing Il German ilJ.. Was
the captain about {" ~ail i"r Mr--ina.
He ua-. Would he taxi TIE Amrrirar
c"rrc- -rnndrnr and his fri,ud. Tie
would. In forty minutes they were oil.
while, Il muh "I Italian and French cor
respondents all with tIrir passports
carefully buttonrd in ,hrir coats. hi,
their lips and hoped the ""vrrumrn,
would >""h move Il ship.
Beat the Other Correspondents.
Duriand and Pardn reached Nr,~ira
tw"utN-forr hours before amy rhrr cor
respondents. They stumbled about in
the ruins "f III" city under the r."rd
"f dark volranic dusk and learned Tor
the first time the extent of the disaster.
and then engaged i'll Il wild hunt for 4
wire. They found one Il milo from tn,
city "n the railway I" Palermo. Here
ia" fir, News dispatch from the virini-
tv "i Mc~-ina was filed
Til" telegraph wire Wa simply =
TAPPED wire run down int" u freight
ear. l;Ht the first M, --a-r hat reached
Rom" was filed by DUrIand The n,.Nr
mnrnIn" at tatania. which hr rra,h,,
aftcm an eleven hour train rid" iu = ear
tiIl,s !, N-.np.l,,J IL.
in" the day he ha-trnrd back To- NJ
>ina.
The journalists from Naples arrived
th" n"Nt morning. They all ,lrci,ird tr
return /" Naples AT once tu write their
Impressions. Their vessel wa- ~tiIl IN
the harl'"r AT nightfal. They We're ~,lIi
there al breakfast time the next day.
Pard" had forwarded report from
I atlanta twcnty-f"ur hours before. -
that Durland did not ~lrr,. th,. frenzy
Of tli" picked European journalists
Pard" gained passage on IL French tor
ped" boat and forwarded another him
die "f trr"rim> from Il point nut sid.
of Reggie.
The tw" Associated Press men rr-
manned in Nc->ina fortnight. with
: he exception "f Il day nr two -p.mt IN
Il trip to Naples and Rome. tranpir-
miles over the ruins. now -lrr,iu" in
wet rl"ihin% on the quay getting az
"cca -'"nai night on Il German. French
or English war vessel but constantly
>"n'iin" ont the prccinu- messages which
enabled the organization tn triumph
continually over th" flower al old w"rid
journalism. Chicago Ec,nn" Post.
A Great Newspaper Feat.
Rr"ardin" the feat "i Cnrtc-i. the
I lrica"" Ey"nin" Post ~ay~ c,irorially:
For plain tale al achievement in
he iac" al overwhelming" odds commend
IL I" the story al what Salvador. Cor
test al the Associated Press did at Me-
>I'ia. lmpcricrtlv We tell it in IN al
l"inln" column but il speaks f"r it eli
'ni II will stand for it-ri anon. al
he h"r"i. fcat- which put the rnman-..
mt" journalism. That Cor,.~i rot Hp
from sick bed and beat the world
IN trllin" the news of the "rcat,.-t
'artlIqulik" disaster in history wa
'"'n"'ilIn" more than u newspaper tri-
impi. II meant relief from -uffrrin.
'"r thousands upon thorI-;,nd- "f home
">~ people. i"r ii Instantly stirred IN"
'EnPa'hr ii the great republic over
seas. In ,lIankin" th~ country for it.
generous all the Italian government
should thank most Cortc-i and III" ~
,ut lated Pros