Perth Amboy evening news., 1910-06-14
HOW THE NEWS OF
HAMlL TON WAS HANDLED
CONTINUED from page 1.)

Continued. from page ~
However, such tips are never neg
lected In newspaper office. A
NEWS man was at once ON his way
10 keasbey. On his way he dropped
In at the Perth Amboy garage, in
Madison avenue, where he told of
the report of the landing of the aero
plane. In the garage at the time
We're men who had just returned
from Metuchen. They said they
| thought the story was not true. as
they had seen Hamilton in fight at
Metuchen only few minutes before
and he was then making for New
York at terrific speed. The NEWS
man telephoned his information to
the office and this seemed to throw
some doubt as to the aeroplane be-
ing on the meadows.
In the meantime, the Office force
was busy changing the story already
prepared for the press so as to in
sert, in the most conspicuous place,
the latest developments Just what
these were was hard to say. yet the
paper must go to press within ten
minutes in order to catch the trains
to neighboring towns, and it must
contain the latest news.
The supposition at that time was
that Hamilton was on his way to
New York as per schedule, and that
the aeroplane on the meadows was
that of some unknown party expert
menting. A story to this effect was
written and made ready to be put in
type, not overlooking the possibility
that, after all, it might be Hamil-
ton.
But hardly had this been done,
when the NEWS man, who was out
on the job, telephoned from Keas-
hey to the effect that there was
surely an saeroplane on the meadows
on the south shore, as he could see
1t plainly and he thought 1t was
Hamilton, but was not certain. A
minute or two later he telephoned
again, sayin~ that 1t was Hamilton,
as several ersons had seen him
land and that he had come down the
river from the direction of New
Brunswick.
This seemed to settle 1t. In the
meantime, in the office, another re-
porter had called up Railway to as
certain whether or not the aeroplane
had passed over that place. 1t was
learned that the special train had
gone through, but it was stated that
the aeroplane had gone by the way
OF Staten Island. This sounded Pc
culiar and added strength to the
supposition that the aeroplane on
the meadows was Hamilton's. Be-
fore this another reporter had been
hustled off to the meadows on the
south shore to run down the report
from that section. Then a resident
of Perth Amboy called up on the
phone and said that he had been at
Railway when the special train went
through, but had seen no aeroplane
He said the people in the cars mo-
toned in the direction of Amboy
but he could not understand and he
wanted to know II We had seen any
thing of the machine In this vicin.
ity. 1t now was pretty certain thai
the man on the meadows was Ham.
ilton and the story, as it appeared in
the first edition of the EVENING
NEWS, was prepared and sent tc
press.
No sooner had the press started tc
run, however, than there was placed
on the editors desk a special des
patch from New York saying thai
Hamilton in his aeroplane, haC
passed over Jersey City at 1:1t
o'clock and that he would proceed
to Yonkers. The despatch also tolt
The time of his passing over Eliza
beth. 1t was too late then to stoy
the press for the trains would no
wait. For few minutes there wa,
despair in the editorial rooms, a.
the realization of what appeared Il
be great blunder dawned upon tb,
stan.
The United Press Association II
New York, which furnishes tn,
EVENING NEWS with its specia
telegraphic news, was called on th,
telephone and was questioned abou
the report that the aeroplane hat
passed over Jersey City. The Unite,
Press stated that it had learned tha
the Jersey City report was a mistak,
and they had just sent out a kill
for the despatch. The EVENING
NEWS told the United Fress abou
the aeroplane on the south shore ant
the New York people at cnce seized
1t, declaring that 1t must be Hamil
! ton. The fact that the special trail
had passed Elizabeth and reached
Jersey City had misled the press as
ISOLATION.
This relieved the tension in tn,
editorial room a great deal for tn,
bundles of the EVENING NEWS
were at that moment being piled In
to a waiting wagon te, be rushed t.
the station to catch the trains carry
ing he news of Hamilton being OF
the meadows to all the neighborinl
towns.
The next moment the reporte
who had been sent to the meadow
,, to investigate rushed in and told o
! his interview with Hamilton, settin,
at rest all doubt as to the where
! abouts of the aviator Then begaj
the demand for the facts from 0at
side parties. The United Press a
once put on the wire, for all paper
taking Its service, the story of Ham
ilton landing as told them by tn
(, EVENING NEWS. Within fey
! minutes the New York Globe calle,
/. the EVENING NEWS for more facts
They were given all that was knowr
!, lOther New York papers called, a
/ did the Associated Press, the Aer
! Club of New York, the Philadelphi
. Bulletin and score of New Jerse
papers from all~seetions of the state
: One man In the EVENING NEW