Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-12-06

leiSurely into the ONCE. SuHuaS 10 Z"
bad day for news. Nothing much hap
pens but sermons. He had expected
no opportunity that day to add to his
laurels. but just as he entered the city
editor rushed at him.
Here, Bronson, here's great story.
The Cunarder Oregon as she came up
the bay ran into lumber-laaeh
schooner and went down almost IN
stantly. A German boat, the Fulda'
took off the passengers. That's all the
marine observers can tell US. we must
have the whole story-the passengers
descriptions of the accident, all the de-
tails-everything Take Tom F1elders
with you"
Like the good reporter he was, Tracy
Bronson thought quickly. 1t was late
in the afternoon. The only place oe-
tails of the disaster could be had was
from the rescued passengers on the
Fulda. How was he to reach the Full
da.
A bright thought came to him. he
grabbed the nautical almanac. Inc
vessel drew twenty seven feet. Ihere
was only twenty-four feet on the bar
q ten o'clock She must wait at an
chor there till high tide. But how was
he going to get an ocean going tug OH
Sunday to reach her. He recalled tha'
the night before there had been prize
fight off City Island on the tug ocean
King. She probably would still be al
her pier perhaps with steam up
The partv-there were four of them
Bronson, Felders, Billy Kenny, ana
telegraph operator-raced to Brooklyn
after the tug On the way over they
prepared an order to the captain ol-
recting him to let them have the tug
Perhaps the captain would recognize II
and perhaps he wouldn't They must
take the chance.
They found only the captain aboard
He accepted the order and they sour
ried around the neighborhood looking
for the crew. All they could find were
the engineer and the cook. They TOOK
turns in stoking as they went down
the bay. AS they approached the Full
da they discussed ways of getting
aboard. No one was allowed on Ves-
sci until the health and customs men
had been there.
'I could blow the boarding signal
said the captain, but it might cost me
my license"
They persuaded him to do 1t, and'
raising a ladder to the ships slde the
three of them sprang over the rali'
leaving the telegraph operator behind
They had brought him along IN case
they might have to tap the government
wire at Sandy Hook to get the news
back to their office.
The Fulda's officers drawn up to re-
ceive boarding officials were highly IN
dignant at the reporters ruse. Ihey
did not interfere however, with inter-
viewing the officers and passengers or
the sunken Oregon, although the in
dignant captain raised anchor and
started up the bay, leaving the tug be-
hind. When the Fulda stopped at
Quarantine the tug had caught up and
drew alongside. 1t was near midnight
and pitch dark.
How a Historic Beat Was Scored.
The three reporters, who had been
writing for dear life, mounted the rail-
and prepared to climb down the wait
ing ladder. At a signal from Captain
Ring they were seized from behind.
Gentlemen" said the captain, you
are prisoners for violating the harbor
laws"
Fielders, an athlete in splendid train
ing, swung his fist in the fact OF the
inf, swung his fist in the face OF the
man holding him. AS the man relaxed
his grip Fielders sprang out into the
darkness. He caught the stay leading
to the mast of the tug and slid un-
harmed to the deck.
Throw me your copy, fellows, ne
yelled, "and I'll see that it reaches the
office"
While those on the deck of the Fulda
stood spellbound at Fielders' daring
leap in the dark, Bronson and Kenny
hurled their copy" to him. All the
way UP the bay Fielders lay on his
stomach writing by the light of Ian
tern. BY the time the tug reached port
he had the facts they had gathered
whipped into shape. He reached the
Office at two in the morning. The pa
per put out a special edition with a
page account of all the details of the
disaster, while all the other newspa-
pers had but the barest bulletins and
the passenger list.
The two reporters left behind were
turned over by the captain to the
health officer, who berated them for
violating the laws, but said that inl
view of the anxiety with which the
whole country would be awaiting the
Associated Press's report of the dsas-
ter he would be blind to their offense.
You do represent the Associated
Press, don't you?" he asked.
Not at ALL" said the reporters. I'VE
represent the -" and they named a
newspaper that the health officer hap
pened to be suing for two hundred and
fifty thousand dollars for libel be-
cause it had criticised his management
of his office. But it was too late. He
had pardoned them before all the pas
sengers.
Such is the way that one of the his
toric beats of newspaperdom was OBJ
tained-through foresight, alertness,
and daring coupled with good luck.
But all efforts to score beats" do not
turn out so successfully.
There was once the managing editor
of a great newspaper who had what
seemed to him a brilliant idea.
Mr. Smith," he said, calling into his
office one of the brightest reporters on
the staff, here is five hundred dollars.
Mr.. Croker is sailing on the Etruria at
noon for Europe. He has refused to