The Corpus Christi caller. [volume] (Corpus Christi, Tex.) 1918-1987, 1918-10-23
WAR NEWS AND HOW IT
Is BEING CHRONICLED

Did YOU ever stop TO think how vhu
camc To learn of some rrcat event or
happening that was ~ world interest
pcfhar. YOU have not
" IN said that an electrical engineer
once remarked that not one man ln
thousand knew what operated tie
trolley ear ON Witch hu rode 20 hts
business ~ the mornings ne further
said that not one M a hundred knew
what actuated the wheels of the inco-
motives ON the railroads lie mighf
have gone fusihci and stated that not
one man OF woman IN ten thonsand
ever thinks of how the news comcs TO
ilr PAPERS ur how IL is subsequently
scattered about.
10 bring ti. matter nome to us ai
Just at this time. who has ever though,
~ how the message coniinu from ger-
many saturday night. October 3. was
known va promptly in almost every
home in the cities. or IN the smallest
American viiluecs2 This is what hap
pened
There are great news associations.
made up oi newspapers in this country
and Europo, which maintain lcpre-
Fentaiivcs or reporters Ia an the coun-
tries ~ the world When anything uf
general interest occurs those Uni4'c-
spundent- on the ono I'm the plnce
whore The thing happens. fcicrraphs II
tc the nearest newspaper This paper.
being Il membcr Of the association
sends ii TO the nearest distributing
point Of the association There 10 ~
edited. rewritten and whipped into
siinpe for transmission over telegraph
and long distance telephone wires tn
Ni fhp papAts balongimr 10 that aeeo.
citation The newspapers receiving the
message print it ana then the sub
scrihcrs get their papers aud are nj
libefts 90 read the news
on thu occasion nf the German
peace npte' the people 90 the United
states knew. within p few hours OF tho
time that is was started fro., tcr-
many. about what the contenis were
The news came from Somewhere
near the origin ~ tho note Anyway. IL
correspondent. or correspondence. OF
( the news associations found our whit
was going on They wired it ur cablcd
~ 10 America Tho great American
newspapers many of them. Issued OK
ira editions and those were sold cvcry
whore on the streets. Millions of na
peers wero sold bar even these papers
did not reach the people in their numcs
on the might Of October ~
What Actually Happened
What actually happened was this
People on the streets heard The nows-
boys crying the papers. Members Of
{ families bought the papers read "a lin.
or twn. then rushed 60 the ncarcs; tel
( ephone and called up their homes The
switchbourds Of The telephone offices
Z became one bl1ze of light as the small
! signal lamps fram tens of thousands.
/ from millions OF calls, flickered before
the operators cvcs. Everybody want
eel 10 notify everybody riso ihat Ger
many WIS trying Cor pcaco. Millions
~ homes were where there were fcr-
sice flags u the windows We're inter-
estcd In the news. and the telephones
! in thousands OF citics ANA towns were
rcsortrd to. From the rural districts
came calls TO the cities and long dis
4 lance messages flashed here and There.
/ everywhere "A telephone wire stretched.
People rushed out ct their homes 10
notify other geopl" that Germany. the
! desperate nation. was asking for peace
terms
The big telephone exchanges in Fort
| worth Dallas. san Antonio. Houston.
I Corpus christi Beaumont Austin md
/
\ by the number az calls and EVERY one
{ who could operate the switchboaids at
4 an was impressed into service
II would have been interesting II one
could have been suspended over the
middle statea Of ihe Emitted states.
\ armed with a powerful telescope aud
could have watched ,he spread of the
news Assuming that as the messages
F, progressed tho telegraph and telephone
f, wires could have become luminous
\ with the great message tho watcher
4 abort would have Witnessed an lnter-
estng sight
\ First Ia Car away ENGLAND hc would
have noticed glow that cropi along
F., the bot ON of the Atlantic. following
the route OF the cables TO America
\ Again, he would have seen luminous
A flashes from great international wire.
less sending stations as duplicates of
the message were flashed across IN,
4 ocean to government receiving sta.
lions. Perhaps looking towards New
York. he would have noticed Sec
ond's delay. then the lines OF tight
\ would nave been secn creeping across
n the continent westward. Ana. as They
crept along sinuous. bfanchinr lei,
4 phone lines of light would spring from
each side OF the main line Whrr,
cities were reached hy The line OF
light, they would almost Instant,
\ flare into a web of line fire. ana those
Il We're the telephone messages. spread
I ins from home To- home from cltv 10
4 smaller towns from The smaller towns
and villages TO the farmers homes
! Thus The observer in the make -htiicv,
/ balloon miles NhoNp the Ifnftpg -f4fas
| could have watched the progress of the
/ II takes TO read this, until criss.
crossing the continent t lighted the
! fires 90 enthusiasm in san Francisco
| Los Angeles. Portland and Seattle.