COME OCEAN NEWSPAPERS.

Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume 8, Issue 29, 9 April 1907, Page 7

COME OCEAN NEWSPAPERS.

t 1 In* mean daily newspaper may bo ( escril ed as a bye-product of wiroles-, t< leg raphy, Prior to the arrival oi .Marconi in the World of science, I Is* i re! sui Uui(ic passenger was cut °h irom lbe world for six or seven da\s, but he can now have his news served up hot at breakfast-time every morning, just as if he were sipping his matutinal coffee on terra linua. The most ambitious maritime venture into the realms of daily journalism is that for which the On nard Company are responsible. Evolving from a single sheet, which made its appearance once during the voyage, it Ims grown into a 32-page paper which contains not only the news of the day, (but also a serial story, chatty paragraphs, poems, extracts from standard authors, descriptive articles, items of useful information, and advertisements galore. It is, in fact, precisely the class of production to enable the idle passenger, lounging in a deckchair or comfortably ensconced in a corner of the smoke-room, to while away the hours between breakfast and lunch. The modest sum of five cents is all that is demanded for a single copy of the “Cunard Daily Bulletin” ; and the parsimonious voyager, who likes to know what he is going to get for hia money, may satisfy himself on that head by studying the contents bills displayed in various pails of jthci ship. The Editor-in-chief of this highly up-to-date journal is vested in the person of tho purser, and one of that officers assistants plays the useful part of “sub” ; while two printers take charge of tho mechanical side of the work.

Ono noticeable feature about the ‘'Bulletin 1 ' is the strict avoidance of anything in the shape of personality. An ocean publication which runs the "Bulletin” somewhat close is the “Atlantic Daily Nows,” issued daily aboard the Hamburg-American liner “Amerika.” This journal is issued both in English and German. Tho “Transatlantic American,” published aboard tho American Line steamer, is a somewhat less ambitious affair than the foregoing. It makes its appearance only once during tho trip across—once outward and onco homeward; a page of “Mareonigrams,” two pages of •“Flotsam and Jetsam”—mostly humorous paragraphs—and a page of “Log Extracts” make up the sum total.

“Little and good” is evidently the American Lino motto. At the same time, we must give the American Lino all credit for tho fact that the Marconi wireless ocean telegraphy was first installed on the S.S, “St. ■Paul,'' of that line, in November, 185)9. Mr. Marconi was a passenger and despatched a message 66 miles from the Needles, and afterwards several messages were exchanged. W# reprint Marconigrams that appeared tho first issue of the “Transatlantic Times,’’ which was the first of these papers printed* BULLETINS, 1.50 p.m. . First Signal received, 66 miles from Needles. 2.40 “Was that you “St. Paul’’ ? 50 miles from Needles. 2.50 Hurrah I Welcome Homo ! Where are you ? 3.30 40 miles. Ladysmith, Kimberley and Mafoking holding out well. No big battles. 15,000 men recently lauded. 3.40 “At Ladysmith no more killed. BoMbardment of Kimberley otfeqted tho destruction of One TIN POT. It was auctioned for £2OO. It is felt that period of anxiety and strain is over, and that our turn has come.’’ 4.00 Sorry to say tho U.S.A. Cruiser “Charleston” is lost. All hands saved. A pcrsiml of the bulletins brings back a crowd of bitter sweet memories of the anxious days of the Boer War, and of tho long investments of Ladysmith, Kimberley, and Mafeking, memories which, happily, we can recall with a sentiment of pride and thankfulness. It is interesting to note that the celebrated “Mntanzns mule” of the SpanishAmeriean war, tho only victim of n prolonged bombardment, prompted a jest in connection with the siege of Kimberley, where, after a peppering by Boer shells, it is gravely reported that one tin pot was destroyed ; while even tho Russians plagiarised the original incident at TPort Arthur, when, subsequent to a fierce assault by the Japs, they announced one casualty—the death of a fox terrier. The “Mutauzas mule” yarn may bo looked for, in some form, in all tho wars which the present century has in store for this unhappy sphere. The development of ocean newspapers has been so rapid that it does not require ft very vivid imagination to picture in tho not very remote future even more ambitious projects. It is a wonder that before now tho proprietors of the morning paper with the largest circulation in iida or any other world imu) nut inaugurated floating print-

mg wnencd Atlantic and Pa'dfic editions (also with colossal and amazing circulations) would be turned out and distributed, not merely to passengers on ocean liners, but to grateful crews of tramps and lightships. Then it would be a proud boast that nobody could escape the “Daily Wail,” short of taking up residence on an inaccessible desert island.-r” Syren and shipping.' ?