The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1914-12-12
Reporting a
Hurricane
By F. A. mitchell

years ago was the scene OF a rivalr,
between two newspapers. The fielt
was barely large enough for one jour
nal, the Chronicle, which had occupied
| 1t ever since Joe Baxter established 4
during the last century. When Bax
ter died his son. Captain Joe, Jr. car
ried 1t on. But the captain had beer
In the Confederate army during the
war between the states and received q
| wound that had crippled him for life
The girl he had left behind him, how.
ever, was true TO him and married him
in a hospital after the surrender.
Joe was fitted to perform the indoor
work connected with newspaper, but
was not able to do much getting about
gathering news. Mrs. Joe did good
deal of that, and. having many friends,
she was kept well posted on the social
news which is important to any news
paper She and Joe managed to keep
the wolf from the door till Philip
Stringer came from New Orleans, look
ed the place over and determined that
there might be room enough for two
papers.
The truth is that the place was be-
ginning to fill up with northern visitors
during the winter, and the more peo-
pie the more chance for a newspaper.
But the special inducement was that
Joes physical handicap kept him from
getting about to gather In the news,
and Stringer calculated to get ahead of
him In this respect every time. Be
sides, Springer, having been connected
with New Orleans paper, believed he
knew better how to cater to city peo-
pie than did Baxter.
So the Gazette was established and,
being the more enterprising Of the two
papers, got most of the new subscrib-
ers and advertisers, the old residents
standing by the Chronicle. But the
new was more valuable than the old,
and the former was constantly eating
into the latter till 1t looked as II the
Bakers would soon have to discontin-
ue their paper.
One morning Molly Baxter after hay-
ing cleaned up the breakfast dishes and
sent the children TO school, reported at
the Office to find Joe very gloomy.
1.-THE weather bureau reports a hur
ricane coming up from the West In
dies and says that 1t win probably
reach our coast today. If it should be
here l ought TO go to the coast and
write a description of 1t. But / can
feel the storm in my wound now. and
1t takes all the starch out Of me. |
Strlnger will be there and will write II |
up with all the grandiloquence of which I
be Is capable"
You stay where you are. I know
how bad weather affects you. I'll do 1
what work is to be done here between
now and II o'clock, go home and get
The dinner ready for you and the chill n
lren, and | Will take the 2 o'clock train
'or the coast"
AS the afternoon train neared its ter
ninal on the coast on passing between
,wo hills ii was struck by n gust OF
wind that lifted 1t clear off the track.
Molly Baxter was on II and consider
Ibly bruised She thought Of how Joe,
when he was wounded In Pickett's
barge at Gettysburg, got up and went
IN till he was driven back with the
est by murderous fire, and, pulling
erself together, she forced her way
gainst what wind there was on the
pc side OF hill facing the ocean 10
he top and found herself in the corner
{ stone wall. where she was perfect
= protected and with her eyes Just
bove IL saw one OF the biggest storms
hat have evervislted the Atlantic coast.
he did not have writing materials
nth her, for she would not have been
BILE TO use them, but she had fine
lemory and stacked II with numerous
etalls. She saw the waves envelop
ne town below, its shrieklng citizens
limb the hills, one ship riding nc an
nor buried by huge billow and then
fled over dock and landed up among
he houses. These and many more
lings as terrible she saw and cram
ed them all down IN the storehouse OF
sr memory. b
When she had got enough the problem
as 10 get back home with Il. About b
lsk the wind went down inland =
rough 10 admit OF a vehicle not be
& blown over. and. hiring a farmer 20
Ike her IN his wagon. she reached the
lr0nicle Office about II O'Clock. where X
e found her husband anxiously wait
g for her. Assured OF her safety. he .
I'VE her copy paper and a pencil and
epared 70 set up what she wrote. =
O'Clock the next morning she had -
Iished her description and helped &c
n set up the last column. N
When the Chronicle and the Gazette
me cut those who read the Chroni-
account remarked. what a big
grm that was Those who read the
lzette said. THAT storm has given
ringer a chance O. spread himself
correspondent Of q northern paper
% hnd not seen the storm. but saw
ny BaHters account Of Il. telegraph
Il verbatim 70 his paper A mes
re came hack
who wrote that description o. the
rricHnef"
-he reply rtnted that - was written
Nrs. Rarfer. wife - tire owner -
) - Chronicle
he next mai brought Molly Barter
nWrr u 81 pr0 rpar e srserfni