The Nelly By Advertisement.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue III, 8 April 1890, Page 2

The Nelly By Adver tisement.

We recently referred to the exploit of the New York World in sending

a young woman known ftg " $elly Bly " round the globe with riew of seeing what time it could be done in. Ab a matter of fact, the feat was achieved in 72 days 6 hours and 11 minutes. We. have not, however, giren any particulars as to the way in which the \ enterprising journal managed to make its profit out of this singular proceeding. First of all it was utilised to the utmost as an advertisement, Each day the paper announced the progress of the fair traveller ou her journey, and every I means was adopted to keep up the excitement. Then we further learn . from the American correspondent of the Age, that every day the World had in its columns a " guessing blank " which any one was at liberty to fill out with a guess as to the exact time id day, hours, minutes and seconds of the young woman's trip. The exact time ofthe departure of tho stoamer from its dock was given ; it was arranged that a crowd should be in waiting at the Railway station when she arrived, and the time when ■he put her foot on the platform was to be taken by three sporting men all armed with stop watches of the latest and most improved pattern. The successful guessor, or the one who came nearest to the actual time consumed, was to be rewarded with a steamship ticket to Europe anc back and.a cheque hook for £100 for pocket money on land. ••- There had been over 1,000,000 guesses (the cor-re-pondent adds), and each one of them required the purchase of a copy of the fPurld, as the guessing ooupon was to he cut from its columns to make it of any "use For the last three weeks every copy of the World has found a customer, and every back number since the match began has been sold instead of going to the paper mil according to the usual custom. . Several customers are known of who have bought 100 copies daily. One man sent to the office and bought ;jOO copies, and speut the best part of three da •.« in tilling out the coupons. After Miss Bly's arrival twenty men were kept hard at work s -jrfci g out the coupons to determine th« name of tho winner. When then was decided on it was announced that the name w<>uld be published in the Sunday World of a certain date, thus of course adding to the boom, and securing the sale of a great many exfra copies. The Van kees are indeed a " sinari " people, and whatever may be the rule e'sewhere, the journalists of the United States are not the least go-ahead and ingenious part of the population. — Exchange.