The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1911-09-05
History of Wheeling Newspapers, Past and Present

Nothing indicates The improvement
and progress 90 community so much
as It's newspapers. and the Wheeling
publications OF today rerec' IN the
highest degree the step by step march
OF Advancement the city has made IN
all lines OF commercial and nous
trial affairs. In no one activity. me-
chanical or otherwise. has there been
such advancement scored as In news
paper making II has kept pace with
the improved methods OF iron and
steel manufactures and other relative
Industries. IL is an object lesson In
progress 10 scan the four-page issues
OF The lntelligencer in the early days
OF Its existence and compare them
with the twelve and sixteen pages OF
the present day. The early days Of
newspaper making in Wheeling were
quite primitive. Tho newspaper ser
vice was very deficient. the slow going
stage coach mails being relied upon to
furnish knowledge OF the events trans
piring in the world. Now we have that
marvellous gatherer OF information. the
Associated Press and kindred associ-
atoms. whose news sources encOm-
pass the whole world The old news.
papers OF Wheeling were satisfied 70
have two or three inches OF telegra.
phic matter: now they contain from
ten TO twelve columns on an average.
and on special occasions nearly twice
as much. Today the facilities for
gathering news is almost unlimited
since the telephone has come into
use, and which has proved to be In
valuable in covering short distances
The most radical change that has
taken place In the making OF a news
paper IA I'm the mechanical depart
ment OF the business.
Revolution In PRINTING.
The compositors work I'm tho old
days was a wearisome task and n com.
paretively slow one This was revol.
utionized with the invention of tho
Mergenthaler linotype machine. which
performs the work OF four or five mon
at the case, and with greater precision
But this improvement in tho printing
art would have amounted 20 hut lit.
tie II the printing press had not kept
up with the pace of progress In for
mer days IL was slow work getting
the paper OF the press Two hundred
four-page papers an hour used 10 De-
considered feat Now the Wheeling
papers are equipped with immense
perfecting presses that reel or 10000
papers OF from ten 20 sixteen PAGES
an hour. pasted. folded and counted
As emQloye OF labor and talent. the
news papers OF Wheeling rank htgl
among rho Industries O, The commun-
ity. afford.ng employment 20 between
$50 and 500 persons
The Ancient Dead.
In looking hack over th" past. the
record oi the first NEWSPAPER i-
rather ind.st.uct. but We have material
evidences OF the Whooliu. Repository
which Hourished a. Tar back as I>ot.
the Times and Advertiser. which We're
consolidated. and also m" Gazc',.
Thes" latter had vogue 20 tte years
between $3.50 and 1880. Then tho
Argus sprung into * -feuce. and lived
for a snort time. 49,. America. n
penny evening paper was published
for short time bv tho McI.ain
brothers. vino afterwards became drug.
gists. The Wheeling Union was IN
existence at he outbreak of the Civi!
war. bur was suppressed ON account
Of is secession utteraucos. 9, Ras fol
lowed ny the Pross. which WIS alb.
sorhed by the Register when that pa
per was established IL 1sC2
The first venture IN Sunday Journal
Ism in Wheeling was not O success
The Sunday News was established DO
The early '7o's. bur died through lack
Of advertising patronage In those
days tho prejudice against Sunday
wspapers was very strong The
News had but ono "ad." small one
Of A merchant tailor The Sunday e.
sue never met with success until 'he
Sunday Leader was established hy
Mr. Charles e. johnson. a bright novs
paper man. Vho has heon associated
with the Evening Standard r was
followed by another success. the Sun
day News-Letter Mr. Johns0n's am.
hif'ons IN Journalism led him 90 eetab.
llsh a daily issue % The Leader. which
proved 20 he his undoing. as q enjoyed
but a brief existence
Lacked Vitality.
The Evening STANDARD r. a.ef v-i'h.
In tho recollection 81 the present ger
Grafton. T. VAS established IN 1872 hv
The late Hon q. u. Hubbard and
others r. prospered for while. but
fell among tad tines and FINAL, BIDS
pended publication ~ ono sine %
yrs edited BY tho Hon George S. A.
kinsOn. former governor ~ fhis e.a,e