UC-NRLF 
 
 $B 112 ^21 
 
 
 i iWMw i 'jwiinmini l ii 
 
i 
 
Digitized by the- Internet Archive 
 
 in 2007 with funding from 
 
 Microsoft Corporation 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/bostonheralditshOOperrrich 
 
'I'lKvllcrhitype J'riiitiii-Co 
 
 Devonshire .street, Jioston. 
 
 Wi 
 
 NEW HERALD BUILDING. 
 
 Washington Street Front. 
 
THE 
 
 BOSTON HERALD 
 
 ITS HISTORY. 
 
 HOW, WHEN, AND WHERE IT WAS FOUNDED. 
 
 ' ITS EARLY STRUGGLES AND HARD-WON SUCCESSES. 
 
 THE PROMINENT EVENTS OF ITS. CAREER. 
 
 THE NEW HERALD BUILDING FINISHED AND OCCUPIED, 
 
 A DESCRIPTION OF ITS EXTERIOR AND INTERIOR. 
 
 A GLIMPSE INTO ITS DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS. 
 
 THIRTY-TWO YEARS OF JOURNALISM IN BOSTON. 
 
 , ., o * o o 
 
 BOSTON, MASS 
 1878. 
 

 
ORIGIN OF THE HERALD. 
 
 THE EVEISIXG EDITION OF A " KNOW-NOTHING " DAILY. — THE ENTERPRISE OF AN 
 ASSOCIATION OF PRACTICAL PRINTERS. — THE FIRST NUMBER AND HOW IT 
 WAS ISSUED. — ITS APPEARANCE AND CONTENTS. — ITS FIRST PROPRIETORS, 
 EDITOR, AND LOCAL STAFF. — JOURNALISM IN BOSTON THIRTY YEARS AGO. — 
 REMINISCENCES AND ANECDOTES. 
 
 In the summer of 1844 a number of journeymen printers, who had been 
 connected with the "Boston Daily Times," then published at No. 3 State street, 
 conceived the idea of starting a morning paper of their own, and, in the following 
 December, carried their design into execution. Their paper was called the 
 "American Eagle," and was "published at No. 5 Devonshire street, third door from 
 State street," at three dollars a year and one cent per copy, "by an association of 
 practical printers, under the firm of Baker, French, Harmon & Co." The pro- 
 prietors were announced to be Albert Baker, John A. French, George W. Harmon, 
 George H. Campbell, Amos C. Clapp, J. W. Monroe, Justin Andrews, Augustus A. 
 Wallace, and James D. Stowers ; and W. H. Waldron was also at one time associated 
 with them. The " Eagle," as its name indicated, was devoted to the interests of the 
 Native American party, which was then a comparatively strong organization ; and 
 among its first regular and occasional editorial contributors were Dr. Palmer, George 
 W. Tj'ler, Alfred B. Ely, W. S. Damrell, Moses Kimball, and other gentlemen 
 prominent in the party. The paper was successful at first, but declined with the 
 decline of the cause with which it was identified; and, in the summer of 1846, when 
 its editorial and press rooms were in the old brick building on the corner of Wilson's 
 lane (now Devonshire street) and Dock square, it was found to be quietly dying, in 
 spite of the efforts of its publishers, then John A. French & Co. Nun^erous consul- 
 tations were held ; and, finally, it was decided that, as aboriginal principles did not 
 pay, it was best to establish a new evening daily, neutral in politics, as a venture ; 
 and, if it proved successful, to let the "Eagle" die, and grow the green off'shoot 
 over its grave to commemorate it. Thus the Herald originated. Its founders 
 were young and sanguine men ; but, with all their hopes for the new enterprise, 
 they never dreamed it would eventually become the leading daily of New England. 
 They were advised by some of their friends that they were building castles in the 
 air, and half feared it might be true ; but they " builded better than they knew." 
 
 M126917 
 
History of the Herald. 
 
 The new paper settled on, the next thing to look for was an editor. In August, 
 1846, William O. Eaton, a Bostonian, and brother to the popular star actor, Charles 
 H. Eaton, returned to the city after two years of travel, and, as his contributions to 
 the "Post," "Evening Gazette," "Bee," and several New York papers, had displayed 
 much talent, he was asked by the publishers to edit the forthcoming sheet. Being 
 young (he was then but twenty-two years of age) and doubtful of his ability to 
 manage a daily, he asked twenty-four hours for deliberation, and went home, where 
 he wrote the first six editorials which were published in the Herald. Finding that 
 he could turn out enough leaders in one day to last for a week, he returned at the. 
 end of the specified time, and accepted the position offered him. He wrote the 
 poster announcing the first issue of the paper, and headed it with the startling cap- 
 tion, "Another Richmond in the Field!" This manifesto proclaimed independence 
 in politics and religion ; that the new candidate for daily favor would be liberal, 
 enterprising, industrious in all the departments necessary to the popularity of such 
 a concern, and would devote a large share of its attention to literary and dramatic 
 matters, as well as to local and other news ; and, in return for its ambitious efforts, 
 all it asked was three dollars a year, or one cent a copy. 
 
 The Evening Herald came into existence on the afternoon of August 31, 1846, 
 and an edition of two thousand was printed of its first number. It was a small, 
 four-page paper, five columns to a page, the pages being about fourteen by nine 
 inches in dimensions. The title was in large Old English letters, resembling 
 German text. All the type was old and worn ; it had done the State some service. 
 Materially speaking, this precocious infant looked like some ancient rural paper, 
 that had never had any second suit of type, had outlived all its subscribers, and took 
 its pay " in trade." But it did not talk so. It was really the liveliest of the Boston 
 papers, from the first hour of its birth, and was received with generous encomiums from 
 the whole editorial fraternity. During its first four months (until January i, 1847) 
 the first page was chiefly literary, — about half filled with stories and poems, written 
 wholly by the editor; the leader, on the second page, and about a column of 
 pungent paragraphs were also written by him; and so also was the "Dramatic 
 Bulletin," from one to two columns more, which gave reports of the doings at all 
 the places of public amusement on the preceding evening. It has been said, and 
 with truth, that there was not another daily paper of its kind in the city or country, 
 and there probably never will be. For four months the total editorial and reportorial 
 force consisted of only two men. The editor received considerable aid in his efforts 
 to "fill up "the paper, however, by the daily transposition of several columns of 
 non-political matter from the " Eagle," which was conveniently at hand, like an old 
 tender to a new locomotive, with this difference, that, while the tender furnished 
 only woody and watery stuff, the locomotive got up all its own steam without help. 
 Mr. Thomas W. Tucker became connected with the new paper in September, 1846, 
 and acted as assistant editor and reporter, varying his duties as circumstances 
 
History of the Herald. 
 
 demanded ; but he was not publicly announced as associate editor until the following 
 March. The late Mr. David Leavitt, familiarly known in the fraternity as "Dave,'" 
 who was employed as reporter and assistant in the editorial department of the 
 " Eagle," worked for the Herald later. His specialty was local news, of which he 
 was a tireless and adroit collector. It will be seen that the staff of the Herald 
 was, like Poor Pillicoddy, " slim but desperate," the gentlemen composing it being 
 young, tough, determined, and contented with great promise and little pay. 
 
 The editorial, composing, and press rooms of the Herald were the same as 
 those of the "Eagle," in Wilson's lane. Six compositors only were employed, 
 several of the proprietors officiating in that capacity, while the presswork was 
 mostly done by Mr. French and Mr. Stowers, both stockholders in the concern. 
 The first counting-room was at 15 State street, where Frank (called by the boys 
 "Fatty") Adams officiated as cashier. 
 
 "Running a newspaper" in Boston thirty years ago was a different matter 
 altogether from journalism at the present day, as the extracts from the Herald of 
 that time, quoted further on, will show. The telegraph was in operation between 
 this city and New York, it is true, but the tolls were high, and the dailies could not 
 afford to use it to any great extent, except on the most important occasions. More- 
 over, people had not been educated up to the point of expecting to see reports of 
 events in all parts of the world printed on the same day of their occurrence, or, at 
 the latest, on the day following. Still there was a great rivalry between the Boston 
 papers, especially in the matter of publishing foreign intelligence. For several 
 years before the extension of the telegraph overland to Nova Scotia, the news- 
 gatherers of Boston and New York resorted to various devices in order to obtain the 
 earliest advices from Europe. From 1846 to 1850 the various revolutionary move- 
 ments in many of the countries on that continent were of a nature to be especially 
 interesting to the people of the United States, inasmuch as such struggles were 
 regarded as indicating a sure progress among the "effete despotisms" towards 
 republicanism. This stimulated enterprise, and Mr. D. H. Craig, afterwards known 
 widely as agent of the Associated Press, conceived the design of anticipating the 
 news of each steamer by a kind of pigeon express. 
 
 With this design he procured a number of African carrier-pigeons, and kept 
 them at his house in Roxbury until they became thoroughly domesticated. Several 
 days before the expected arrival of an English mail steamer he would take three of 
 them to Halifax, where he would board the vessel, procure the latest British papers, 
 and take passage in her for Boston. During the trip he would write a summary of 
 the most important and interesting European intelligence, upon thin "manifold" 
 paper. When the steamer came within fifty miles of land, he would secure the 
 despatches to the three pigeons, and liberate them. They would then fly home- 
 wards, generally reaching Boston several hours before the arrival of the steamer. 
 Mr. W. G. Blanchard, to whom the news thus obtained was immediately sent, — and 
 
6 History of the Herald. 
 
 who was then on the "Daily Mail," — would have it at once put into type, and 
 printed in the shape of an extra. The other Boston papers, the proprietors of 
 which paid for the news, were also furnished with it at the same time. When the 
 "Mail" extra was printed, the heading "New York Herald Extra" was put over it, 
 and a large number of copies printed. These were at once forwarded to New York, 
 by way of the Sound steamers, and, on arrival, were put upon the street by Mr. 
 James Gordon Bennett. The proprietors of the " New York Sun," however, were 
 determined not to be outdone in this way, and, in order to have the news as early as 
 Mr. Bennett, put type and cases and printers on board the Sound steamers, and, in 
 this way, had also its news on their arrival in New York. Mr. Bennett then outbid 
 the others with Mr. Craig, offering him five hundred dollars an hour for every hour 
 that he could furnish the news ahead of rival New York papers. This, no doubt, had 
 some tendency to increase the intensity of a bitter feeling that had sprung up in 
 Boston against the New Yorkers having the news so promptly furnished them by 
 means of the pigeon express. So hotly waxed the feud that representations were 
 made to the captain of one of the British steamers that the despatches sent by Mr. 
 Craig, with his pigeons, were used by New York parties to aftect the stock market, 
 and operate against the interests of Boston. This captain, believing, no doubt, in 
 these representations, attempted to defeat the enterprise, and caused, as it was 
 supposed, the pigeons that Mr. Craig liberated on one occasion to be shot. The 
 weather was hazy, and the first pigeon thrown up was killed while circling around 
 the ship before deciding to start. Another was thrown up, and shared the same 
 fate. Mr. Craig then went below into his state-room, and threw the only remaining 
 pigeon out of a port-hole, as far as he could, and had the satisfaction to know that 
 it got away unobserved. It reached its destination in safety, and the news appeared 
 in the streets of Boston before the steamer got to her moorings. During the year 
 of the Irish rebellion this pigeon express was looked for with unusual interest, and 
 the news brought by it made the papers sell like hot cakes. 
 
 " Steamer Nights," as they were called, on account of the arrival of steamers 
 from Europe with several days' later news than had already been published, were the 
 especial aversion of editors and reporters, and at once the dread and pleasurable 
 anticipation of compositors. The former had sometimes to wait into the morning 
 before the papers from the steamer, which had been signalled below before dark, 
 were delivered. Then they had to go over them, pick out and collate the latest and 
 most interesting items of news, and put them in shape for the printers. Sometimes 
 the news would be quite important, and at others flat, stale, and unprofitable. The 
 interesting news could be easily arranged and put into shape, under long and often 
 elaborate headings, which sometimes gave more information than was contained in 
 the matter thus heralded. But when the news was barren, it was a puzzle how to 
 write headings, and what to put in them to catch the eye of the general reader. In 
 such cases resort was usually had to vague and startling phrases, such as " Antici- 
 
History of the Herald. 
 
 pated Outbreak in India," which had no foundation except the statement that the 
 " ryots (laborers) were gathering in the indigo crop, which had, in some districts, 
 been largely destroyed," etc., etc., the editor, of course, mistaking "ryots" for 
 "riots," and clapping on a line to some such effect as that given. The waiting for 
 the papers was often long and tedious, and various devices were resorted to to kill 
 time. In those days — thirty years ago and upwards — drinking was a very much 
 more common amusement, among newspaper men, than it is to-day ; and, as liquor 
 was cheap and good, and saloon-keepers accommodating, resort was often had to 
 some "tavern" near the office, where the time was passed in playing dominos, or 
 other games, and drinking Santa Cruz rum and molasses, Scotch or Irish whiskey 
 (Bourbon was then little known or used), in the form of hot punches; or ale (lager 
 beer bei*ng likewise almost unknown) ; it being arranged that a messenger from the 
 office should at once apprise them of the arrival of the papers, when they would 
 hasten to their desks, grumbling and damning everything, foreign news in 
 particular. The printers, as a rule, liked steamer nights, though they dreaded a 
 heavy "grist" of copy to set. The later the news came in, the better it was for 
 them, because for every hour they waited they were paid at the same rate as for 
 composition, allowing one thousand ems to the hour. If, however, there was any 
 copy of a general character to set up, it was given out, and put into type during 
 " waiting time," much to the disgust of the printers. But, as a rule, such copy was 
 "rushed up," and every printer had several hours' waiting to score up against the 
 office on steamer nights. This was, no doubt, the origin of the usage which has so 
 long prevailed, and is still in force, of charging for time spent by the printer in 
 waiting for copy. Sometimes, for economy, the printers would be allowed to go to 
 their homes after all local matters had been put in type on a steamer night; the 
 understanding being that they would be called up if the papers were received in 
 time to use the news in the morning edition. When they were thus called, they 
 were usually allowed one dollar extra for leaving their beds ; an arrangement which 
 pleased many of them best, though the majority preferred waiting, as it gave them 
 an opportunity to follow the example of their editorial co?ifreres and indulge in 
 dominos, poker, hot Scotch, or in "jeffing" for coppers, — "jeffing" being a kind 
 of "prop" game, em quads being used, and those turning up the larger number of 
 "nicks" being the winners. Steamer nights were the best nights for printers to 
 enlarge their weekly bills, these usually returning them more than double the 
 amounts realized on other nights, and enabling them to hire "subs" (men to take 
 their places) on the following days. But gone are steamer nights, with their 
 pastimes and camphene lights, their startling news from abroad, and hot Scotches at 
 home. The Atlantic cable has put them out of existence, and now only the most 
 extraordinary occurrences call for a stay of editors and printers on morning papers 
 beyond the usual late hours. 
 
 It was customary in the early days of tha Herald, and for many years after. 
 
History of the Herald, 
 
 for newspapers to take pay "in kind," from advertising patrons. In the case of 
 grocers, provision dealers, tailors, dry goods and clothing dealers, this was, of 
 course, easy to manage, for the proprietors could obtain food and raiment in return 
 for the use of their columns, and could also make arrangements to pay employes in 
 the same manner. But when it came to taking patent medicines for advertising, 
 there was a difficulty to be overcome. To swallow the doses would be to invite 
 death, perhaps, and it was not always easy to sell the stuff; so a large amount of it 
 was frequently accumulated before it could be disposed of. Some amusing stories 
 are told by old "typos" of the troubles of this sort which afflicted the early 
 proprietors of the Herald. Sometimes the cash would run short on pay-day, and 
 the cashier would say, " Hold on, boys, till I run out an^d sell another gross of 
 sarsaparilla ! " And the boys would patiently " hold on" until he had disposed of a 
 lot of the " infallible," at reduced rates, to some neighboring apothecary. Mr. 
 French at one time kept in the Herald counting-room for sale a large assortment 
 of patent medicines and periodicals, mostly obtained in this way, there being no 
 other method of getting any pay for a number of advertising bills of long standing. 
 
 3>K< 
 
 II. 
 
 THE HERALD IN 1847. 
 
 AN IMPROVEMENT AND ENLARGEMENT. — A MORNING EDITION ADDED, AND THE 
 
 EDITORIAL STAFF INCREASED. — THE FEATURES OF THE NEW SHEET. — 
 
 PROMISES FOR THE FUTURE, AND HOW THEY WERE KEPT. — CHANGES IN 
 
 PROPRIETORS AND EDITORS. — CHARACTERISTIC LEADER WRITING. — INCREASE 
 
 , IN ENTERPRISE AND CIRCULATION. 
 
 The Herald, feeble as it was in many respects at first, managed to struggle 
 through the financial diseases incident to newspaper infancy so stoutly, that, at the 
 opening of 1847, the proprietors were enabled to give it and the " Eagle " a New Year's 
 dress of new type, to increase its size, and to come out with a Morning, Evening, 
 and Weekly Herald. The paper enlarged (its pages then containing seven col- 
 umns, and measuring 21 X 17 inches) and in its fresh dress, and printed on a new 
 Adams press, presented a remarkable contrast to its predecessor. The quaint and 
 top-heavy head was replaced by one much smaller, in plain Roman letters ; the 
 advertisements were- reset in a neat and business-like style, which was a vast improve- 
 ment over the " poster " fashion it succeeded; and the captions pver the reading 
 
History of the Herald. 
 
 matter were in " full-face caps," and " lower-case," far more tasteful than the clumsy 
 type previously used. The leader of the first issue of the renovated Herald was 
 headed " Our New Paper," and opened in this wise : — 
 
 "In making our bow to the public we suppose we shall be called upon to 
 announce the reasons which have induced us to add another daily sheet to the num- 
 ber at present established in Boston. Since the publication of newspapers in a 
 cheap and compact form, the demands of the reading public have increased in a 
 ratio which puts all comparison at defiance. The newspaper is not now, as formerly, 
 the dictator of the people. It possesses, however, an influence more favorable to 
 the progress of the community than was exerted when the dicta of a single editor in 
 a town or city was the popular tribunal from which there was no appeal. The day 
 when a staid and solemn article, originating in presumption and sustained by arro- 
 gance, could overawe the people, has passed. The competition of the penny press 
 has caused a mental activity among all classes ; rash and impulsive it may be, but, 
 nevertheless, far preferable to the dignified stagnation which, in times of yore, was 
 seldom broken by the larger and more expensive journals. 
 
 "It is our purpose to establish a journal which shall be truly independent — 
 pledged to no religious sect or political party — always ready to rebuke both spiritual 
 and political wickedness in high places, and call the servants of the public to an 
 account whenever they abuse the trusts committed to their care. At the same time 
 we shall endeavor to judge impartially of all matters which shall come under our 
 cognizance ; and in no case shall we second the clamors of those who would injure 
 a faithful public servant, or who would urge the people to the adoption of any 
 measure incompatible with the general welfare. 
 
 "In the present organization of political parties, no really independent man can 
 become a partisan without being required to sacrifice his opinions upon the altar of 
 expediency; and so much unfairness is perceived among those who assume the 
 political direction of the people, that a journal is absolutely required which will 
 expose the corrupt practices of those who, under the guise of patriotism, would 
 make the general good subservient to their sinister intentions. In politics we shall 
 be firm and consistent. We shall endeavor to review impartially the conduct of the 
 leaders of the parties into which our political arena is subdivided. Our opinions 
 shall be frankly given ; and, in our comments upon the acts of those in power, we 
 shall be governed by an earnest wish to promote the best interests of the com- 
 munity. . Faithful representatives of the people will have nothing to fear from our 
 pen, while nothing shall protect those who are unfaithful from our strictures. 
 
 "While our best eiForts wiH be made to supply the want indicated in what we 
 have already stated, our journal shall take proper notice of all subjects which attract 
 the attention of the community. As a local paper we mean to take the highest 
 stand. Everything that occurs in our city and vicinity shall be promptly and fairly 
 recorded, and those who are engaged in these matters are fully competent to do 
 
10 History of the Herald. 
 
 justice to the task they have undertaken. . . . Our paper will be open to 
 communications from our friends and the public; and we intend to keep a journal 
 through which every one who has anj^thing to say can be heard ; candor, fairness, 
 and truth being the only qualities we shall require in our correspondents. 
 
 "We have made such' arrangements with the Magnetic Telegraph that our 
 paper will give, each morning, the news which shall arrive previous to the preced- 
 ing midnight, and in this respect every caution will be taken to insure perfect 
 accuracy. 
 
 " In a word, we mean to supply the demand for a thoroughly independent 
 journal, which shall preserve the even tenor of its way, ' unawed by influence, and 
 unbribed by gain,' and hope to receive, as we shall attempt to merit, the sanction 
 and approval of the reading public. Here, then, we submit our enterprise, feeling 
 that if success attends us in the degree which we shall endeavor to merit, our 
 success will be certain ; and, whatever may be the result, we shall maintain a manly, 
 independent, and consistent course in our observations upon the topics which we 
 may be called upon to discuss." 
 
 In another article addressed " To our readers," the editor said : — 
 
 " With good type, good paper, a good press, independence, honest industry, 
 and equally good facilities for obtaining news with any other paper in the city, we 
 believe we stand a good chance to succeed in business. There is nothing like 
 trying! . . . With us there is no night now; farewell to slumber and darkness! 
 Business is business, and midnight oil must be consumed in large quantities. 
 Reader! always depend upon the Herald for as late news as can be obtained in 
 the city. What comes in the night you will have in the Morning, and what comes 
 during the day you shall have in the Evening Herald, as regularly as the sun 
 and moon follow each other. The Weekly Herald will contain all the most 
 important news of the week; it will be a ticws paper in the true sense of the word." 
 
 The Evening Herald of the same day contained a greeting to its patrons, 
 which went over the same ground as the above-quoted articles, and was concluded 
 thus : — 
 
 "We hope, by unflagging perseverance and ambition, to receive a continuance 
 of public favor extended to us when we less merited it than at present. We neither 
 demand nor claim support. Bring on your red cent or keep it in your pocket. 
 ' Every man hath business and desires,' Hamlet says, and every one to his taste. 
 We prefer, however, that the taste should incline our way. One cent is not much, 
 but it is the foundation of a fortune ; when the fortune is made you may despise the 
 cent; till then, look upon it as a friendly, copper-skinned son of a dollar, which will 
 buy you a crust of bread when dignity would starve you to death." 
 
 The new paper became more popular than ever with the reading public, and the 
 evidences of its prosperity were kindly noticed by the other Boston newspapers. 
 
History of the Herald. 11 
 
 Here are two specimens of friendly mention of the Herald, in its new dress and 
 enlarged form at the beginning of the year 1847 '• — 
 
 '•The Bostox Herald, which has for some time been published as an even- 
 ing paper, appeared yesterday as a morning paper, enlarged and with new type. 
 It looks remarkably well, and is conducted with energy and spirit. We can say the 
 same of the 'Eagle,' whose size and appearance are also greatly improved, and 
 which is as exclusively American as ever." — Boston Post, Jan. 2. 
 
 "The Herald, a very clever evening contemporary, has enlarged its borders 
 and put on a new and handsome dress. It has also become a morning as well as an 
 evening paper, and has thus doubled its means of usefulness. Our New Year's 
 wish is that it may double its subscription likewise." — Boston Journal, Jan. 2. 
 
 Mr. Eaton continued in charge of the evening edition, while the new morning 
 edition was placed in the hands of Mr. George W. Tyler. The Herald, under this 
 joint management, presented to its readers from eight to ten columns of reading 
 matter daily, though frequently it contained as many as twelve or fifteen when 
 important local events demanded an unusual amount of space. Two columns of 
 editorials, four of "Town Talk," and two of clippings from the exchanges, were 
 about the average. News by telegraph was not plenty, and very little of it was 
 printed during the first year of the Herald's existence. The evening edition Avas 
 a reprint of the morning issue, with from two to four columns of fresh matter on 
 the third page, and this was carried over to the next morning under the head, 
 " From our Evening Edition of Yesterday." Notwithstanding its meagre facilities 
 for obtaining news outside the city, the Herald was a live and lively paper, and 
 published nothing but live matter. Much prominence was given to reports of afiairs 
 about home, and in consequence the circulation soon exhibited a marked improve- 
 ment. On January 12 the following good-natured "brag" was indulged in : — 
 
 "As it is customary among us penny papers to exult when we do anything to 
 brag of, we think it but a reasonable compliance with the established rule to say 
 that we. gave the only report of Parker^s Opening Address to the Jury, yesterday, 
 in the case of Albert J. TirrelVs trial for arson. Of a large edition of between 
 seven thousand and eight thousand we have but few, if any, copies left on our 
 counter; and they, if they remain, linger behind but to show what an extent of 
 business was done, and as monumental memorials of the reward of merit." 
 
 On the 13th of January the Herald beat the newspapers in another field, and 
 thus exulted over it : — 
 
 " In getting out the Governor's message yesterday, we had the satisfaction of 
 coming out ahead of our contemporaries. The public had the earliest report of the 
 document from the Herald office. We say this intending no disparagement to our 
 neighbors, — their enterprise is undoubted, — but in justice to ourselves, and to show 
 that some things can be done as well as others." 
 
 On January 21 one of the largest fires which (with, of course, the exception of 
 
12 History of the Herald. 
 
 the great fire of 1872) ever occurred in Boston, consumed an immense amount of 
 property at the North End. It began in Haverhill street, and swept over the area 
 bounded bj that, Travers, Causeway, and Charlestown streets. More than one 
 hundred buildings were reduced to ashes, and nearly as many families were ren- 
 dered homeless. "Dave" Leavitt on this occasion performed a feat which has 
 since been handed down in traditions of Boston journalism as a shining example to 
 his successors in the reportorial field. He was promptly on the spot, and fore- 
 seeing, from the direction of the wind, the fury of the conflagration, and the nature 
 of the buildings in the vicinity that they were doomed, though as yet untouched by 
 the flames, he visited many of them, and obtained the numbers, names of occu- 
 pants and owners, etc., and had them all jotted down in his capacious note-book, 
 long before many of the occupants imagined they were in danger. And, on the 
 following morning, after the destroying angel had consigned the wide district to 
 ashes, our recording angel astonished the city by publishing in the Herald a four- 
 column report of the fire, as remarkable for its accuracy as its fulness ; while the 
 reports in the other papers were necessarily meagre and erroneous, not having been 
 prepared till after the majority of the buildings had been destroyed. This coup de 
 feu stamped "Dave" as a first-class news-gatherer, and he sustained the reputation 
 till the day of his death, some three years ago. Leavitt's enterprise enabled the 
 Herald to crow over its contemporaries in this style : — 
 
 "We are safe in saying that the morning edition of the Herald contained the 
 fullest and most particular account of this calamity of any of the morning papers, 
 not excepting the regular * six-pennies ! ' We are yet in our infancy, but have 
 learned to keep late hours, and our patrons and the public generally are assured 
 that, while they are quietly reposing in the arms of Morpheus, our corps of news- 
 collectors are on the alert, and will frequently be enabled to furnish a budget of news 
 early in the morning which will not be forthcoming in any other paper until their 
 ' second editions ' are issued, or until the following morning. We are not disposed 
 to crow, but ' Brag is a good dog,' when ' Holdfast' is with him." 
 
 This was rapidly followed by other " exclusives." Such enterprise naturally 
 made the paper popular, and, on the nth, it remarked editorially: — 
 
 "The Herald, although but recently started, has already established its 
 reputation as tJie paper for early news, interesting local matter, etc. During a few 
 days past the morning and evening editions have been exhausted within an hour 
 from the time they left the press. Yesterday afternoon we were unable to supply 
 the demand, having disposed of nearly five thousand copies beyond the regular 
 evening edition." 
 
 On February 10 the name of George W. Tyler appeared at the head of the edito- 
 rial column, and the public were informed that Mr. Eaton had severed his connection 
 with the paper. As has been before stated, the proprietors adopted the plan, at the 
 opening of the year, of having the morning and evening editions separately edited. 
 
Histofy of the Herald, 13 
 
 the latter bj Mr. Eaton and the former bj Mr. Tyler. Mr. Eaton had a leaning 
 toward the Democracj', as it existed thirty years ago, and Mr. Tyler was a Whig. 
 Each freely expressed his political views editorially, so that the combined editions 
 of each day showed two faces under one hood, — Whig in the morning, Democrat in 
 the evening, — and the proprietors supposed that a double-jointed paper like this 
 ought to suit everybody. But it didn't. Mr. Eaton complained of the inconsistency 
 and the apparent injustice of permitting a new-comer thus to alter the tone of a 
 paper which had become so early popular under his exclusive editorial management 
 and his unusual exertions as a writer. The result was, that, as the proprietors 
 would not yield, declaring that they alone were responsible for the double tone of 
 the paper, Mr. Eaton felt aggrieved, and withdrew. Since his retirement, thirty 
 years ago, he has been connected, as editor or author, with leading literary or 
 commercial publications in Boston and New York, and for about twenty years has 
 been chiefly resident in the latter city. 
 
 Mr. Tyler, while nominally holding the position of editor-in-chief, in reality did 
 little else than write the leaders, and made his head-quarters, not in the oflice, but 
 at his room in the old Exchange Coffee House. 
 
 From January i, 1847, "P to the date of Mr. Eaton's resignation, the names of 
 the publishers had not appeared, the announcement, "William O. Eaton, Editor," 
 in the date line, under the head, being the only indication of personality about the 
 paper. When he withdrew, however, a card appeared, signed "John A. French & 
 Co., Publishers and Proprietors," in which it was stated : — 
 
 "The Herald will be hereafter, as it was originally intended, Independent. 
 It is pledged to no political party. Whenever any political ineasure is projected, it 
 will be fairly and justly commented upon, without regard to the party from which it 
 emanates. At the same time, knowing, as we do, the general political views of the 
 present editor of the Herald, we have no desire to interfere with his productions, 
 and we believe they will be satisfactory to the mass of the people." 
 
 Mr. French had, it seems, bought out the original proprietors, one by one, and 
 at this time owned the Herald, with the exception of one share, the "& Co." 
 attached to his name being merely to include that. He gave his sole personal 
 attention to the paper, and did not disdain to perform ofllices which few citv news- 
 paper proprietors of the present day would attempt. For a long time he did all his 
 presswork, and frequently tried his hand at reporting. On February 14 the publica- 
 tion office was reinoved to more spacious quarters, and the press was thereafter run by 
 steam power, rented from a neighboring manufacturing establishment. On March i 
 Mr. James D. Stowers of South Boston, one of the original proprietors, who had 
 sold out to Mr. French, repurchased an interest, investing several thousand dollars, 
 and "French & Stowers, Publishers," appeared at the head of the paper. On the 
 same day they took a step which had been for some time contemplated, and issued 
 a second morning edition at eight o'clock, in which the news received through the 
 
14 History of the Herald. 
 
 early morning mails was published. On March 2 the evening edition was trans- 
 ferred to the fourth page of the paper, under a heavy head, and was placed in charge 
 of Mr. Thomas W. Tucker, who, though for some time connected with the Herald, 
 had not until this time been "officially recognized" by the publication of his name 
 over the edition he controlled. This edition was then published at two P.M. (going 
 to press about noon), and contained most of the city news, while the morning issue 
 was devoted to outside intelligence and editorial matter. The difficulty of getting 
 news from other States was illustrated on March 10, when the vote in only ten 
 towns in New Hampshire at the State election was reported in the morning edition. 
 Nowadays, if as many as ten towns are not heard from on such an occasion, the 
 omission is commented upon. But local matters were well and fully reported, under 
 Messrs. Tj'ler and Tucker'^ management, columns having been devoted to such 
 events as the great Irish relief meeting in Faneuil Hall, the presentation of a sword 
 to Caleb Gushing on his departure for Mexico, a grand ball in aid of volunteers for 
 the Mexican war, etc. News from the war was slow in reaching Boston, and was 
 nearly all obtained from files of New Orleans papers. Thus the intelligence of the 
 investment and battle of Vera Cruz on March 7-9 was not received here until April 
 I, and, even then, was supposed by many to be an " April-fool " joke of the papers 
 which published it, as was also the case with news of the battle of Buena Vista, 
 fought on March 9, and reported at the same time with the first-named event. The 
 Herald, however, kept pace with its competitors on war news, and published plans 
 of the -Mexican battle-fields and cities, views of Vera Cruz, the city of Mexico, etc., 
 as well as portraits of Generals Taylor, Scott, and other distingushed officers engaged 
 in the campaign. The public appreciated the enterprise shown, as is evinced by the 
 following from the Herald of March 26 : — 
 
 "Probably no paper ever started in this city has met with such a rapid increase 
 in circulation as The Boston Herald. We have daily, for the past fortnight, added 
 largely to our regular morning and evening editions, but have been wholly unable 
 to supply the demand so constantly increasing. Our circulation has more than 
 doubled within the last three weeks, and we are in hopes shortly to rival, at least, 
 those papers which have for a long time been established in the good graces of the 
 public. We feel truly grateful for the unprecedented patronage bestowed upon us, 
 and no exertions on our part shall be spared to make the Herald one of the best 
 business papers in the country. We mean to keep ' posted up ' on news of every 
 description, and the Herald will never be found in the rear of its contemporaries." 
 
 On March 28 a statement of the circulation during the week ending that day 
 showed a total of seventeen thousand one hundred copies of the first edition, thirteen 
 thousand two hundred of the second, and thirty-seven thousand three hundred and 
 twenty of the third, an aggregate of sixty-seven thousand six hundred and twenty, 
 and a daily average of eleven thousand two hundred and seventy. " It will be 
 seen," said the editor, '* that our circulation has increased in a manner wholly 
 
History of the Herald. 15 
 
 unprecedented in the history of Boston newspapers. Our advertising, too, will 
 bear favorable comparison with that of any other penny paper published in the city. 
 We are happy to perceive by these unmistakable demonstrations of public favor that 
 our efforts to furnish the community with the earliest information on all subjects 
 connected with the prosperity of our citizens and countrymen generally, are justly 
 appreciated and rewarded." 
 
 On the 30th of March the counting-room was removed to No. 12 State street, 
 nearly opposite its former location. 
 
 On April 19 a description was published of a "wonderful printing-press, on a 
 new principle, the contrivance of Richard M. Hoe, Esq., capable of printing from 
 ten thousand to twelve thousand impressions per hour," a rate of speed which was 
 considered marvellous in those days, — and that was not so long ago, either. 
 
 On April 26 a new head appeared on the paper, the type being plain Roman, of 
 the same style, but much smaller than that which it superseded, and even less in 
 size than that which appears on the first page of the present issue. It was selected 
 by Messrs. French and Tucker, to resemble, as nearly as possible, the head of the 
 "New York Herald." 
 
 April 27 (the day the corner-stone of the Boston Athenaeum was laid (Messrs. 
 French and Stowers sold out their interest in the "American Eagle," which had for 
 some months previously been edited by Rev. Charles W. Denison, the latter beifig 
 recompensed for his services by composition and presswork on his own paper, the 
 "Bower." The "Eagle" lingered on but a short time after this, and died on 
 May 19, its few remaining subscribers receiving the Herald in its stead, and 
 unexpired contracts for advertising being fulfilled in the Herald. 
 
 Of the original proprietors of the "Eagle," Albert Baker was the oldest, and 
 was a compositor on the Herald till his death. George W. Harmon is still at the 
 case in Springfield, Mass. A. A. Wallace became an assistant editor of the Herald 
 and afterwards of' the "Ledger," and died many years since. George Munroe 
 became incurably lame, and did not long survive the " Eagle." Amos Clapp 
 remained long at the case, and for some years has been the faithful janitor of the 
 "Journal" building. James D. Stowers was for years the chief pressman of the 
 " Eagle" and the Herald, and still lives. George H. Campbell became a reporter, 
 went to California, was there made a judge, returned to Boston for a short time, 
 and, on his way to California again, died in Mexico of yellow fever. Justin Andrews 
 joined the " Times " staff", then became connected with the Herald, as one of its 
 editors, and subsequently was one of its proprietors, as will be seen farther on. 
 
 Of the earliest compositors on the Evening Herald, when in Wilson's lane, 
 Byron Cole was one of the best. In 1848 he with others started the " Boston 
 Museum," a handsome weekly, of which Mr. William O. Eaton was for years the 
 editor, at 27 Devonshire street and 12 School street. Cole finally went to California 
 and Nicaragua, in which latter country he became a colonel under General William 
 
16 . History of the Herald. 
 
 Walker, " the graj-ejed man of destiny," who was afterward garroted. Cole had 
 previously captured a hacienda, called San Jacinto, and afterward died on the battle- 
 field fighting against overwhelming numbers. Moses W. Fiske took to the stage, 
 and is a favorite comedian. Frank Lakin became publisher and editor of various 
 weeklies, served in the late war, and was afterward with Alfred Mudge, in School 
 street. He died a few years ago, and lies buried in Mount Auburn. We particularize 
 these few, because they were identified with the founding of the Herald. The 
 majority of its earliest attaches are dead. 
 
 On May 12 the names of '* French & Stowers, Publishers," disappeared from the 
 head, but no explanation was afforded of the change until May 28, when the follow- 
 ing " card " appeared at the head of the editorial column : — 
 
 "A change has recently taken place in the proprietorship of the Herald, and 
 arrangements have been made to conduct the paper in a manner worthy of the 
 liberal patronage bestowed upon it by the Boston public. Nothing shall be found 
 wanting on the part of the new proprietor to make The Boston Herald one of the 
 first in the city in point of early news and interesting miscellaneous matter." 
 
 Immediately following this was a notice to the public, that, as the paper had 
 changed hands, no person was authorized to receive moneys on its account, without 
 a written certificate signed by J. Child. 
 
 • The change in the proprietorship was the withdrawal of Mr. Stowers, and the 
 accession of Mr. Samuel K. Head, whose name, however, was not announced until 
 June 23, when it appeared at the head of the paper as sole publisher. Mr. French, 
 though still retaining an interest and working upon the paper, kept in the back- 
 ground and his name did not appear. Under the new management changes occurred 
 in the editorial staif. Mr. Tyler's name disappeared from the morning edition on 
 June 10, and Mr. Tucker's, which, on June 15, was put up as "editor," vanished on 
 July 15, — just a month later. Mr. Tyler's departure from the paper at this time was 
 not final, however, for he again became connected with it in i'849 i'^ ^^ editorial 
 capacity (as will be seen later on) ; and in 1850-51 went to Washington, where he 
 wrote for the Herald for some years, mostly leading articles. He died at Fort 
 Leavenworth, Kansas, August 22, 1870. Though he was the indirect cause of the 
 retirement of Mr. Eaton from the Herald, he was involuntarily so, and the latter 
 writes that he has ever cherished and reciprocated his friendship ; for, indeed, he 
 was a gentleman of the old school, liberal to a fault, appreciative of genuine merit, 
 and tenderly regardful of the rights and feelings of others. Mr. Tucker is still liv- 
 ing, and frequently refers to the hard work he performed, and the small pay he 
 received, in those early days. "I retired," he writes from Neponset, where he now 
 resides, " after months of toil by day and night, with heavy heart and light pockets ; 
 but I have always watched with interest the career of the Herald, and can heartily 
 congratulate its present proprietors on the great success of their well-directed 
 ability and enterprise." 
 
History of the Herald. 17 
 
 Mr. Tjler's immediate successor, as editor-in-chief of the Herald, was Mr. 
 William Joseph Snelling, who was one of the ablest and brightest, and, at the same 
 time, one of the most fearless and independent writers ever engaged on the Boston 
 press. He was born in this city, at the North End, December 26, 1804; his father 
 was Colonel Josiah Snelling, of the Fifth Regiment, United States Infantry, who was 
 a distinguished soldier, a noted Indian-fighter, and built the famous Fort Snelling, 
 which was named for him. William was sent to Dr. Stearns' Academy, at Medford, 
 until he was fourteen years old, when he received an appointment as a West Point 
 cadet ; but an inborn independence, and a deep-seated aversion to submission to any 
 man's rule, made life at the military academy extremely distasteful to him, and its 
 discipline so unbearable that his stay there was limited to two years. He next went 
 to St. Louis, and engaged in trapping for furs, and subsequently spent some time in 
 the lead mines at Galena. His life, short as it was, was crowded with adventure. 
 Attendance on the army in his youth, with the regiment commanded by his father, 
 and his later life in the West, exposed him to many temptations ; and the necessity 
 which followed him in after-life to earn his bread by literary labors gave him not 
 much choice in selection, and operated adversely to his intellectual development and 
 the lasting renown he must otherwise have acquired. In 1832 he published a satire 
 styled "Truth, a Gift for Scribblers," which by many has been pronounced equal to 
 Byron's "English Bards and Scotch Reviewers." He was also author of "Tales of 
 the North-west," to be found in most public libraries, and of "The Rat-Trap," a 
 reformatory treatise, containing a scathing description of the barbarous misrule then 
 predominant at the House of Correction, South Boston, and to this day character- 
 istic of other penal institutions in this country. He was a poet of no mean ability ; 
 and as as atirical prose writer he has had few equals in the United States. In 1833 
 he was associate editor with Joseph T. Buckingham, in the management of the "New 
 England Galaxy;" and his resistless onslaughts upon a horde of gamblers in this 
 city finally drove them from it, though they contrived to have him imprisoned, for a 
 time, on a charge of libel. Previous to Mr. Snelling's connection with the Herald 
 he was also distinguished as a writer in New York. He edited the Herald with 
 signal ability, from the summer of 1847 to the time of his death, on Sunday morn- 
 ing, December 24, 1848. Mr. Elizur Wright, at that time editor of another caustic 
 sheet, the " Chronotype," with whom Mr. Snelling had fought many a hard battle 
 with the pen, then wrote : " Boston owes more to Snelling than to many men who 
 have received her highest honors. None will deny him genius, strong sense, and 
 vigorous satire ; and those who knew him best have always maintained that his 
 nature was amiable and honorable." Occasionally Mr. Snelling's strong feelings 
 and prejudices led him astray, however, and, now and then, opposition would drive 
 him into a position hurtful to his personal reputation. But he did not spare him- 
 self, and took hard blows as he gave them, scorning a retreat even in the face of the 
 most overwhelming array. He always took the side of the oppressed, and no one 
 
18 History of the Herald, 
 
 ever fought harder against any public measure which he conceived to be unjust. 
 His whole editorial life in Boston was a series of battles, and he "made it exceed- 
 ingly lively" — to quote a Mark Twain expression — for the other newspapers. 
 City officials, too, he allowed no rest, if they chanced to move contrary to his views 
 of right and wrong, and his warfare upon the then City Marshal Tukey (which is 
 still occasionally referred to by old newspaper men) was marked with a degree of 
 ferocity that an observer, unacquainted with his peculiarities, would think could 
 only spring from some deep-seated hatred. Yet subsequent events proved that 
 Mr. Snelling entertained not the slightest personal ill-feeling against the marshal. 
 The Prohibitionists were also objects of Mr. Snelling's wrath, and he "pitched 
 into " the liquor law and its advocates at least twice a week during the whole term 
 of his editorship; but he warmly advocated the Washingtonian "moral-suasion" 
 movement. Such laws as those forbidding selling papers and smoking in the 
 streets, horse-racing, etc., he held up to ridicule; and the practice of "city 
 junketing," which was even then in vogue, received many a sharp stab from his 
 pointed pen. The paper, under his administration, had an intense personality; he 
 took his readers into his confidence, as it were, and many of his leaders were 
 written in very much the same style he adopted in conversation with his friends. 
 He took great interest in the Fire Department, among other local institutions (he 
 was a member of an engine company in Chelsea, where he resided), and hardly a 
 fireman in the city or suburbs but considered him a personal friend. Still, he was 
 not easy of access, and exacted of all who approached him the manners, at least, of 
 a gentleman. 
 
 After the retirement of Mr. Tucker, Mr. Snelling announced his advent (on 
 July 15) in this style : — 
 
 "A new era now begins in our history. The Herald is about to open upon 
 the town in new fashion, and with very particular force and effect. A fresh hand 
 will be applied to the bellows ; and though blowing up will not constitute the 
 business of the new editor, yet sufficient heat will be created to cast things in a new 
 mould and form. The Herald now proposes to furnish a style of journalism 
 different from anything heretofore existing in this city, — something fresh, original, 
 and attractive both to readers and newsmen. We shall, in a few days, depart 
 entirely from the beaten track of newspaporial travel, and open some unexplored 
 region to the public eye, replete with interest to all classes of readers. Our chief 
 object will be to make a universal sale paper ; and to do this we shall endeavor to 
 embody the spirit of THE LIVING PRESENT! in such thoughts, words, and 
 general lineaments as the genius within may inspire. More anon. But remember, 
 we are about to open upon the town." 
 
 In the next issue appeared a column editorial, after the same style, from which 
 the following extracts are taken : — 
 
 "We intend to disregard entirely all the old rules and forms of making up a 
 
History of the Herald. 19 
 
 daily paper ; to be governed by none of the old customs and supposed requisites of 
 a newspaper ; to give nothing stale, flat, and unprofitable, because it is the general 
 practice to do so, — but to make the Herald entirely unique in all its contents, 
 from beginning to end. Take any half-dozen daily papers, and you will find that at 
 least two-thirds of the contents of any one of them is but the reflex of any other, or 
 all of them. Read one, and you have the spirit of the whole. The same rules of 
 preparing matter are observed by- all; the same sources of supply are sought by all. 
 The stereotyped ' leader ; ' the current exchange papers ; scissors and paste, — furnish 
 the material of the common journals from the Aroostook to the Rio Grande. 
 Throw such journalism to the dogs ; we'll have none of it ! We intend to start off 
 on a new track, and give the public a ' hasty plate ' of something that can't be got 
 elsewhere for the same money. We will endeavor to put our columns to a better 
 use than reprinting for the hundredth time all the minor ' shocking accidents ' 
 which occur throughout the length and breadth of the land, which are now 
 displayed with such uncommendable industry by other journals. We shall open a 
 new vein for our supplies of excissorizings ; and, as to the original articles, we have 
 not a word to say about them. 
 
 *'The Herald will be a paper having, every day, some \Q2id\ng feature of 
 interest. It will be no study of ours to spread what brains we possess over a large 
 expanse of items; for fear, like some who have tried that practice, we should be 
 found spreading them rather thin. But we shall throw our missives in lumps, like 
 the shell thrown into Vera Cruz, though we shall generally fill them with rather 
 more kindly materials. Yet, if occasion demands it, we shall not spare the slugs 
 and scrap-iron which are used in real warfare. 
 
 " The leading purpose of our labors will be to give expression to the spirit of 
 the age ; to furnish a faithful chronicle of the progress of the age in arts, science, 
 religion, law, literature, medicine, and everything else. We shall seek to be an 
 humble exponent of the instant present ; a zealous historian of the Aour that has 
 passed, and a discriminating reflector upon the day that has closed, — generalizing, 
 rather than laboriously itemizing, all things. We shall group and picture the 
 events of the passing time, and daguerreotype them for the public eye, in unfading 
 lines. Whoever and whatever sees a portrait here will find a faithful and 
 unflattering likeness. 
 
 " We repeat what we have said before, to impress it upon the mind of the 
 reader : the Herald will be a paper having each day a distinctive feature^ which 
 will make it worth buying for that day alone, if you never expect to buy another. It 
 will be a capital paper to make bulletins about, and to excite the zeal of newsmen, 
 who are often asked, very reasonably, as to other papers, whether there is ' anything 
 in them ; ' for, in truth, there is often either anything or nothing, as the supply ot 
 shocking accidents and scissors-matter runs flush or low. We shall take up an 
 entirely new set of subjects, and shall dissect them with a bold hand. Those who 
 
20 History of the Herald. 
 
 wish to study the anatomy and physiology of the age will do well to patronize our 
 cli?nque. 
 
 "Thus, then, without further parley or explanation, we fling our new banner to 
 the breeze, inscribed THE HOUR AND THE MEN! Ay, and we shall not 
 forget the women either, the ever-delightful, charming, teasing, precious plagues, 
 spendthrifts, and comforters ; d — ear souls I To the men we shall apply the crucible 
 and the probing-iron ; to the women, the kindliest mirror and the softest shaded 
 pencil ; to the hour, a microscope with an unflattering lens ; and to all, the irresist- 
 ible power of modern steam^ with the latest high-pressure improvements. So look 
 out for a grand newspaper avalanche, a great landslide, an outpouring of Mount 
 Vesuvius, and a tremendous moral and intellectual earthquake ! Sinners, re- 
 member the fate of Goldeau, and tremble ! " 
 
 In the same issue of the Herald, Mr. Snelling began a series of jottings, 
 headed "Aspects of the Hour," of which the following is a sample : — 
 
 "2 o'clock P.m. — Weather cool and comfortable. Temperance no virtue. 
 Morning papers supposed to be laboring under the influence of ether, being down to 
 the lowest degree of dulness. The ' Daily Advertiser ' is seriously thinking about 
 something ; says little. The ' Atlas ' is wordy, without any apparent meaning. 
 The ' Post ' is less lively than usual, Mrs. Partington being out of town. The 
 editor of the ' Mail ' is also out of town, hoeing potatoes. The * Times' is zealously 
 political, a matter of no account to anybody. The ' Chronotype ' is getting no 
 better very fast, — a case of confirmed chlorosis. The 'Whig' is whig — in its 
 way. The ' Bee ' seems to have found no sweets. Newspapers from abroad are 
 equally vapid and spiritless. The dog-star is rising. News is a nonentity. 
 
 " We are pitching in fuel under our big boilers, and shall get up a great steam 
 in a day or two. For news we care not the value of a sour fig. We will soon show 
 you how to gain an entire ' supremacy over our accidents,' as the apostolic Brownson 
 once said. 
 
 "Electric fluid is an article much employed at the present time in science and 
 in newspaper work. We intend, presently, to direct from our battery a few small 
 shocks of the invisible and all-powerful fluid into certain nests of evil-doing public 
 functionaries, who may as well, therefore, make their wills at once, and prepare to 
 close up their accounts with this town decently and in order. Let the guilty ones 
 take warning. Lightning-rods won't save them." 
 
 A day or two later Mr. Snelling discussed "The Dignity of the Penny Press," 
 saying, among other things : — 
 
 " The time has come when the respectable portion of the community no longer 
 looks to the big, sixpenny, lying oracles of politics for just notions on government, 
 exalted piety, or pure and chaste morality. The low price of the penny papers 
 endows their publishers with a philanthropical spirit of disinterestedness, and a 
 regard to the purity of public morals not dependent on pecuniary considerations. A 
 
History of the Herald. 21 
 
 cent is but a nominal price for a newspaper, and, therefore, the publishers and 
 editor of a penny print are moved only by an earnest and prayerful wish for the 
 spiritual and temporal good of their readers. Much diurnal good may now be had 
 at the very low price of one cent. It would be folly to deny that a pure and 
 refined taste has been engendered by the cheap literature of the day." 
 
 Later, at intervals, appeared the following : — 
 
 "The Herald is coming out, reader! Don't you perceive it.? We are intro- 
 ducing a new style of journalism, as we told you some days ago ; a style hitherto 
 unknown in Boston. It is a very simple style, too; one that everybody can com- 
 prehend. We are going to TELL THE TRUTH boldly and fearlessly, without 
 regard to the smiles or frowns of the would-be moral governors of Boston. . . . 
 The Herald is going to tell the truth on all subjects, — a thing never yet done in 
 Boston, — and if this will not constitute a new era in journalism, we know not what 
 will." 
 
 "The Herald is impudent, fearless, and determined to the last degree, and 
 will seek, deserve, compel, and take success — just as the warrior of old came, saw, 
 and conquered. The Herald is no milksop, or greenhorn, and is not to be bluffed 
 off from getting its share of porridge, by no manner of means whatsoever. We are 
 in town, and about town, and we shall dance a big figure with as much freedom as 
 the jackass did among the chickens, — albeit we claim no relationship to that long- 
 eared animal, — and we say to all persons who live in this fine old city, Look out for 
 your corns ! " % 
 
 The bold, slashing style in which Mr. Snelling wrote immediately gave the 
 Herald a wonderful lift in its circulation ; he spared nobody who, he thought, was 
 in the wrong; and, while this made him popular with a large class of readers, even 
 the persons attacked, and their friends, bought the paper, "just to see what the 
 fellow would say." The following, published on August 26, shows this fact : — 
 
 "The public have begun to appreciate us. . . . Hardly once within the last 
 three weeks have we had a single copy of the Herald left two hours after issue ; all 
 not supplied to regular customers have been bought at the counter. During the 
 same time our impression has increased two thousand copies, and we are still 
 adding to it at the rate of hundreds a day. Our advertising patronage has increased 
 beyond our most sanguine expectations; and it is of the right sort, — our adver- 
 tisers pay." 
 
 On September 15 the editor indulged in this joyful strain : — 
 
 "lo triumphe ! Te Deum laudamus ! In six short weeks we have achieved 
 such a triumph as never daily penny paper achieved before. From the nothingness 
 of Natyve Americanism we have created the Herald, taken the highest notch of 
 newspaper rank by storm, shown the public where to look for independence, honesty, 
 and instruction, and obtained a sound, healthy, paying circulation, not among the 
 class who are contented with the dribble of mere literary pretences or records of 
 
22 History of the Herald. 
 
 incalculable cucumbers and preposterous pumpkins, but among men who seek some- 
 thiiTg more than mere amusement, or to kill time, and who reflect as well as 
 read." 
 
 But there were many who did not relish Mr. Snelling's scathing sarcasms ; and 
 that they seized upon every means to retort to them is evident by the following from 
 the Herald of October 5 : — 
 
 "To whom it may concern : We make all men and women welcome to say and 
 print whatever they may think proper, false or true, of our life, character, morals, 
 acts, writings, or opinions ; but we shall hold any editor who may give publicity to 
 any communication derogatory to our moral character responsible for the same, just 
 as if he had written it himself. In fact, we consider him the author." 
 
 And so war was waged, with a fierceness and personality hardly known in these 
 days, the Herald's opponents "getting as good as they sent," and a cessation of 
 hostilities being unthought of so long as Mr. Snelling controlled its editorial 
 columns. 
 
 Local matters were not neglected, however, during this heated campaign. For 
 some time, during the summer of 1847, M^- Charles Layton (since deceased), a gradu- 
 ate of the composing-room of the " New York Herald," and a very clever, upright 
 young man, acted as assistant editor and reporter, on a salary of fifteen dollars per 
 week. He was homesick, however, and later in the autumn returned to New York, 
 married, and settled down to type-setting again. Mr. Samuel R. Glen, another 
 New York man, was then offered the place, and, after some modifications of its 
 duties, accepted it. He had the idea that there was a chance in Boston for a paper 
 conducted on the same plan as the "New York Herald," under whose chief, the late 
 James Gordon Bennett, Sr., he had served in various capacities, and with whom, 
 before he left for this city, he had a long private interview, in which the young 
 journalist received much excellent advice, based on the extensive experience of his 
 old employer. Mr. Glen was young, vigorous, and ambitious, and, though nomi- 
 nally in charge of the city department only, soon had practically the sole management 
 in his hands, Mr. Snelling rarely meddling with anything outside the editorial 
 columns, and the proprietors and publishers attending only to the business and 
 mechanical departments. The local field was not so closely raked for news as it is 
 at the present day; but it was not then so extensive. Still, it was gleaned with a 
 minuteness that was really wonderful, when the small size of the local staff of the 
 city newspapers is taken into account. As late as August 6, 1847, the Herald 
 remarked, in its " Town Talk : " — 
 
 " Reporting city news seems to have become a matter of special importance to 
 the Boston press within a few years, and the various daily papers now employ con- 
 siderable talent on this department of business. Time was, within our recollection, 
 when few items of city news found their way into the daily papers, unless carried 
 into the offices by some citizen. The first regular reporter of any note was em- 
 
History of the Herald, 23 
 
 ployed by the 'Morning Post' — the veteran who still occupies that position. 
 Other papers soon followed the example, and reporting is now one of the specialties 
 of the press. The reporter of the 'Post' is a philosopher. The reporter of the 
 ' Dailv Advertiser' is a legal sage. The reporter of the 'Atlas' is a gentleman and 
 a scholar, and would conduct that paper more acceptably than the real editors. The 
 reporter of the 'Courier' is nobody at present. The reporter of the 'Evening 
 Journal ' is a new hand in this metropolis, but exhibits evidence of good metal, and 
 is a classical scholar. The reporter of the ' Mail ' is qualified for his station, as 
 all know. There are several other pickers-up of unconsidered trifles about town 
 whom we have neither the pleasure nor the misfortune to know much about ; but 
 they seem to be very busy in their vocation, and the public are pretty likely to be 
 well served by the competition." 
 
 The Herald, though it did not "run to items" so much as some of the other 
 Boston dailies of that day, nevertheless excelled most of them in the length and 
 excellence of its reports when anything of real importance came up, as will presently 
 be seen. It was, however, lamentably deficient in election news on the morning 
 after the State election on November 8, 1847, ^or it reported only the vote of Boston, 
 Chelsea, Maiden, Hingham, Hull, and Easton, and in the afternoon published, with 
 due credit, the nearly full returns which the "Atlas" had presented to its readers. 
 
 The "Times," by a bit of enterprise, secured and published, on December 8, 
 ahead of all the other city papers, the President's message ; whereupon the Herald, 
 which was among the " beaten " that morning, vented its disgust after this style : — 
 
 "A full and complete synopsis of the 'Times' full and complete synopsis of the 
 President's message, brought five hundred miles by telegraph, to be completed by 
 special express ; to be sold at a dollar a hundred ; dear at a mill a thousand — 
 Words! Words!! Words!!!" 
 
 In city politics the Herald took a hand that year, and worked with all its 
 might in opposition to the election of Hon. Josiah Quincy, Jr., to the Mayoralty, 
 even issuing an extra for gratuitous circulation on the Saturday before election day, 
 filled with stirring appeals to voters to oppose him at the polls. But Mr. Quincy 
 was elected, and the Herald took its defeat very philosophically. 
 
 "Well," it said, "the election is over, and, notwithstanding the vaticinations 
 of our enemies, we are alive and lively, which is more than ever strong drink has 
 been able to make some of them. But we forgive them, and hope they will one day 
 come, like us, to know the comfort of a conscience void of offence, and the proud 
 satisfaction of being of some use in their day and generation. We did not win the 
 election, because it appears that whiggery is a chronic disease of Boston, not to be 
 cured in one year. We came pretty near winning it, though ; we deprived Mayor 
 Quincy of twelve hundred votes, at least. We say we, and we have a right to say 
 so ; for there would have been no opposition worth speaking of but for us. . . . 
 We can tell the papers who, prophesying according to their wishes, predicted that we 
 
24 History of the Herald. 
 
 should not survive the election, that the prosperity of the Herald in no respect 
 depended on any political excitement. We circulate more copies now than any daily 
 paper in New England. . . . We intend to apply to the Mayor and Aldermen 
 for the public advertising, which we claim as a right, having more circulation alone 
 than any of the papers which already have it ; probably more than all of them 
 collectively." 
 
 The city election was the last event of note which occurred during the first year 
 of the new Herald, 
 
 III. 
 THE HERALD FROM 1848 TO 1852. 
 
 THREE YEARS OF VARYING FORTUNE. — INTERESTING LOCAL REMINISCENCES.^ 
 SOME NOTABLE SUCCESSES AND SOME LAMENTABLE FAILURES IN NEWS- 
 GATHERING. — DEATH OF EDITOR SNELLING. — THE PARKMAN MURDER AND 
 THE WEBSTER TRIAL. — SALE OF THE HERALD TO JOHN M. BARNARD, AND 
 RETIREMENT OF JOHN A. FRENCH AND SAMUEL R. GLEN. 
 
 The year 1848 opened with the Herald in a prosperous condition, and the 
 editor, in wishing his readers a happy New Year, dwelt at some length upon this 
 fact. Many improvements were made during this year. Through Mr. Glen's 
 enterprise special telegrams were regularly received from New York, giving the 
 cream of all the news obtainable there. A Washington correspondent was also 
 secured, who wrote weekly letters during the session of Congress, and the paper 
 covered a much broader field than it had ever before. Eight to ten columns of 
 reading-matter were printed daily, and it was kept bright and entertaining. Much 
 prominence was given, during this as well as the previous year, to sporting matters, 
 and a large number of events on the turf, etc., were reported by |:elegraph, — some- 
 thing new for the paper. The circulation showed, according to the statements from 
 time to time published, a pretty steady increase. In July two capital trials occurred, 
 — that of Augustus Dutee for the murder of Ellen Oakes, and that of James Murphy 
 for killing his wife, — and these, being very fully reported, sent the editions up to 
 eighteen thousand, the publishers offering to make oath to that amount of circula- 
 tion. The French revolution and the Irish rebellion assisted in swelling the 
 subscription list, and the activity of the Herald in furnishing early and full news 
 concerning the last-named struggle made for it many friends among the Irish 
 population, who had previously been almost exclusively attached to its rival, the 
 "Times." On August 17 a " statement of the actual circulation of The Boston 
 
History of the Herald, 
 
 25 
 
 Herald " was published, and is worth reproducing here, as showing where the 
 paper went in those days : — 
 
 Boston city • 6,500 
 
 East Boston 520 
 
 South Boston 430 
 
 Charlestown 670 
 
 Chelsea '. 365 
 
 Brookline • • • 98 
 
 Roxbury 537 
 
 Hingham 235 
 
 Plymouth 275 
 
 Braintree 100 
 
 Weymouth 96 
 
 Randolph 150 
 
 Providence 487 
 
 Fitchburg 218 
 
 Milton 100 
 
 Waltham 150 
 
 Sto-nington 260 
 
 Portsmouth 370 
 
 Pawtucket 297 
 
 Dover, N.H 220 
 
 Quincy 150 
 
 Newmarket 90 
 
 Bridgewater 60 
 
 Worcester 475 
 
 New Haven 165 
 
 Portland 445 
 
 Lynn 350 
 
 Manchester, N.H 437 
 
 Concord, N.H 112 
 
 Springfield 395 
 
 Hartford 287 
 
 Dedham 210 
 
 Marblehead 235 
 
 Ballardvale 65 
 
 Saco, Me 165 
 
 New Bedford 325 
 
 Salem 425 
 
 Lowell 625 
 
 Maiden 198 
 
 Nahant 60 
 
 Woburn 1 50 
 
 Reading 106 
 
 Concord, Mass 127 
 
 Lexington 78 
 
 Fall River 160 
 
 Mansfield 97 
 
 Taunton 160 
 
 Woonsocket 130 
 
 Newport 240 
 
 New York city 265 
 
 Total circulation 18,715 
 
 There were some black sheep among the subscribers at this time, as there 
 always wnll be when a newspaper is " sold on credit" by the year; and on August 29 
 the Herald began the publication of a "Black List of Delinquent Subscribers," 
 which it continued for some months. 
 
 On August 7 the counting-room was removed to 19 State street, second door 
 from Devonshire street, and handsomely fitted up, Mr. French placing therein a 
 stock of books and periodicals for sale. The editorial and mechanical departments 
 remained, however, in the top story of an old building on the north side of State 
 street, midway between Washington street and Wilson's lane, and opposite the Old 
 State House. 
 
 On October 16 the paper appeared in a new suit of type, and the editor con- 
 gratulated himself and his readers upon the event, referring with pride to the 
 statement for the first time printed at the head of his column, that "The Herald 
 enjoys a larger circulation than any other paper in New England." 
 
26 History of the Herald. 
 
 This year (1848) will be long remembered in Boston on account of the political 
 campaign which terminated in the election of " Old Zach " Taylor to the presidency. 
 The Herald, which early espoused the Taylor cause, at once commanded the 
 respect of the leading Whigs for the novel methods it adopted to carry the canvass. 
 Besides strong editorials from the cultured pen of Snelling, reports of public 
 meetings, processions, and demonstrations of all kinds, were given with a vigor 
 and freshness that made the old fogies of those days open their eyes with amaze- 
 ment. On one occasion (November 3J Messrs. French and Glen attended a Whig 
 torchlight procession in Lynn. Many thousands were there in line, and nearly 
 every house was illuminated. With Mr. French's assistance, Mr. Glen made up a 
 four-column report of the affair, giving the names and places principally illumi- 
 nated, all of which appeared in the next morning's Herald, and reached Lynn 
 before the embers of the fireworks of the night before had died out. This was 
 considered a great achievement, and it was repeated at Lowell a few nights later. 
 Another achievement of Mr. Glen's was a four-column report of the speech of 
 Daniel Webster, in Island Grove, Abington, — that famous oration on October 9, in 
 which it was never definitely settled whether or not he made the remark that the 
 nomination was " one not fit to be made." Of this Mr. Glen says : " I reported the 
 speech in my long-hand way, and was sittin'g at a table beside which the immortal 
 Daniel was standing and speaking. I heard every word he uttered, and I can- 
 not believe, and never did believe, that he used the expression as popularly 
 interpreted." 
 
 The Herald was not always so fortunate in obtaining good reports of political 
 speeches. Charles P. Bosson, a Chelsea boy, familiarly known as " Charlej^" a 
 clever writer, but somewhat unreliable upon emergencies, occasionally contributed 
 to its columns; and when it was announced that, on September i, Webster was to 
 deliver a campaign speech at Marshfield, Bosson was furnished with money to pay 
 his expenses, and sent to report it. The Herald of September 2 thus mournfully 
 completes the story : — 
 
 " He returned, and instead of fulfilling his contract with us, he went to the 
 ' Mail ' ofl!ice, and there performed the duties for which he contracted with us. 
 Upon inquiring of the gentlemanly editor of that journal, we learned that this 
 miserable miscreant had received his expenses from that establishment prior to the 
 time he applied to us for pecuniary aid, when he asserted to us that the ' Mail ' 
 proprietor was indebted to him for previous services, — an infamous libel upon a 
 gentleman. We shall have more to say of this fellow hereafter." 
 
 Of the speech, a full report of which the Herald had promised its readers, it 
 had only the following : — 
 
 " Mr. Webster, in his remarks, was entirely non-committal, expressing his 
 determination not to oppose General Taj^lor as the People's candidate. Having 
 no reporter present, we can say no more." 
 
History of the Herald. 27 
 
 The next day, and for many days thereafter, this notice appeared at the head of 
 the editorial column : — 
 
 " Charles P. Bosson is requested to call at this office immediately, and pay the 
 twenty-two dollars he owes us, or he will see lightning and hear thunder ; the bolt 
 will strike, and no mistake ! " 
 
 Later, Mr. Bosson was associated with Mr. George Lunt in editing the "Daily 
 Courier," in Lindall street, now Exchange place ; and he subsequently returned to 
 the Herald when Mr. Bailey was proprietor, and was for a number of years at his 
 old business of editing and reporting. He died suddenly at the age of fifty-five 
 years, in New York, some years ago, of enlargement of the heart, and his funeral, 
 in this city, was attended by a large concourse of friends and admirers. His writings 
 were the true reflex of a bright intellect and genial heart, and he left no enemy. 
 
 The presidential election occurred on November 7, and on the morning of the 
 8th the Herald reported the vote of ninety-nine Massachusetts cities and towns, in 
 Suffolk, Essex, Norfolk, Bristol, Plymouth, and Barnstable counties ; fifteen in Maine, 
 eight in New Hampshire, one (Providence) in Rhode Island, New York city, and 
 Buflfalo, and gave brief general statements by telegraph as to the complexion of the 
 vote in the States of Vermont, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Mary- 
 land, and Virginia. In the afternoon edition the vote of Suffolk, Hampshire, Wor- 
 cester, Hampden, and Franklin counties was given complete, and returns from seven 
 towns in Essex, twelve in Middlesex, nineteen in Berkshire, three in Norfolk, four- 
 teen in Bristol, and seven in Plymouth. In addition there were despatches indicating 
 the probable majorities in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, Con- 
 necticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, Maryland, Virginia, 
 North Carolina, and Michigan. On the next day it was announced, for a fact, that 
 Taylor had at least one hundred and fifty-four electoral votes, and was elected, and the 
 editor rejoiced thereat, referring, with pleasure, to the fact that the Herald, so far 
 back as April 10, 1847, ^^^ declared that "Old Zach " would be the next President. 
 And when, on the 4th of the following February, an autograph letter, dated Baton 
 Rouge, La., January 19, 1849, from President-elect Taylor, to the editors and publish- 
 ers of the Herald, thanking them for their " courtesy and kindness," was received, 
 it was printed in full, in double leads, with 2i facsimile oi his signature appended ; and 
 the editor rejoiced again to the extent of a column and a half, with a " scare " head. 
 . When the California gold fever broke out the Herald was the first to give 
 authentic and official information concerning the discovery and locality of the 
 precious metal. This was contained in a letter from Mr. J. Ross Snowden, the then 
 treasurer of the United States Mint at Philadelphia, and addressed to " Samuel R. 
 Glen, The Boston Herald," and published on December 11, 1848. The Herald 
 then had a correspondent on the " New York Herald " editorial staff, William H. 
 Hamilton, one of the best, kindest, and readiest journalists of his day. He furnished 
 The Boston Herald with all valuable information by telegraph, and wrote a 
 
28 History of the Herald. 
 
 weekly gossiping letter. During the height of the California excitement he tele- 
 graphed, on January 21, 1849, ^ vivid account of new discoveries in El Dorado, and 
 added, '* Spread out as much as you please, Sam ; it will stand it." In order to 
 stamp the report with authenticity, Mr. Glen affixed this addendum, after " spread- 
 ing" the thing gushingly. Hamilton always thought that was piling it on rather 
 thick; but whenever he made a visit to Boston he and Glen would have a laugh over 
 it and a "jorum" at the old "Ben Franklin." Hamilton died in 1852, on his last 
 trip to California, whither he was going with an office to establish the " San Fran- 
 cisco Herald," and was buried at Acapulco. He has two sons living, both rare boj^s 
 and able writers, — one being now the writing manager for the "New York Aqua- 
 rium." 
 
 The chief local event of the year 1848 was the celebration of the introduction of 
 Cochituate water into the city, on October 26, a seven-column report of which was 
 given. The afternoon editions were suspended on that day and the first morning 
 edition on the next, " in order," it was stated, "to enable everybody about the 
 Herald establishment to enjoy the festivities." The editor-in-chief marched in the 
 procession with the fire company to which he belonged, and referred to the fact with 
 due prominence on the following day, greatly to the delight of the " fire laddies." 
 
 On November 9, William A. Dame, a Harvard graduate and a graceful writer, 
 who had been employed for some months as local reporter, sailed for Europe, and 
 the Herald announced that arrangements had been made with him for foreign 
 correspondence ; but ill-health prevented him from carrying out his design. He 
 returned to Boston the next spring, and, on August 27, 1849, ^^^^ dead of heart 
 disease. , 
 
 On Sunday morning, December 24, 1848, Mr. Snelling died very suddenly, at his 
 residence in Chelsea, of apoplexy or congestion of the brain, at the age of forty-four 
 years. He ceased to breathe at four o'clock ; and only three hours later Mr. Simon 
 Jordan, his wife's father, who had entered the house to comfort the widow in her 
 affliction, dropped dead at her feet. The sad event created a great sensation at the 
 time, and Mrs. Snelling, thus suddenly bereft of husband and father, was the object 
 of much sympathy. Mr. Snelling's funeral took place on the Tuesday following his 
 death, and was attended by a large concourse of people, including all the Herald 
 employes and Hamilton Engine Company, of which he was for several years a mem- 
 ber. His remains were interred in the old burying-ground on Copp's Hill, near 
 where he was born. Of a free-handed, generous disposition, Mr. Snelling had 
 saved little or no property, and his family was left in reduced circumstances. Upon 
 learning of this, arrangements were made for a performance at the Boston Museum 
 (the free use of which was tendered by Moses Kimball, Esq.) for the benefit of the 
 widow and orphans, and it took place on February 3, 1849, about a month after his 
 death. The chief (then William Barnicoat) and all the assistant engineers of the 
 Boston Fire Department, the foremen of all the engine, hose, and hook-and-ladder 
 
History of the Herald. 29 
 
 companies, all the officials of the Chelsea Fire Department, and fifty prominent 
 Bostonians, connected with the press and the learned, professions, served as a com- 
 mittee of arrangements, and personally sold tickets for the performance ; and the 
 managing committee, Messrs. William B. English, William O. Eaton, John A. 
 French, and Samuel R. Glen, took charge of the details. The house was crowded 
 from front to back, every inch of standing-room being occupied in aisles, staircases, 
 and lobbies ; but as the tickets were sold at twenty-five cents each, the net proceeds were 
 only between four hundred and five hundred dollars. Among the volunteers who 
 appeared on the stage were many well-known actors and actresses, as will be seen by 
 the programme, a copy of which (with comments in brackets) is here arppended : — 
 
 PART I. 
 
 Overture —" William Tell " Rossini 
 
 Boston Museum Orchestra, Thomas Comer, Leader. 
 
 Recitation — " The Fireman " Christopher North 
 
 Mr. W. H. Smith, Stage Manager, Boston Museum. 
 
 Song — " Meet Me by Moonlight " Wade 
 
 Mrs. Frary and Mr. E. F. Keach, of the National Theatre. 
 
 Elegiac Address W. O. Eaton 
 
 Mr. J. B. Booth, Jr. 
 
 Song — "The Little Maid" . 
 
 Miss Helen Western, of the Infant American Sisters. [Then 5 years old.] 
 
 Grand Polacca 
 
 Miss Adelaide Phillipps. 
 
 Recitation — " The Shot Eagle " W. J. Snelling 
 
 Mr. H. W. Bland, Manager Sudbury Street Lyceum. 
 
 Comic Recitation (in costume) — " The Country Girl " 
 
 Mrs. Western [Mrs. W. B. English], of the National Theatre. 
 
 Irish Song — "Sprig of Shillalah" 
 
 Mr. S. Johnson, of the National Theatre. 
 
 Recitation — "Passing Away" yohn Pierpont 
 
 Miss Gann, of the Boston Museum. 
 
 Dance — Double Polka 
 
 Misses E. and C. Ince, of the National Theatre. 
 
 Song (in costume) — " Brother Jonathan " 
 
 Mr. Jacob W. Thoman, Prompter of Boston Museum. 
 
 PART II. 
 Introduction — Orchestra 
 
 Marc Antony's Oration Shakespeare 
 
 Joseph Proctor, Manager Beach Street Museum. 
 
 Scotch Dance — Highland Fling 
 
 Miss Lucille Western, of the Infant American Sisters. [Then 8 years old.] 
 
 Buffo Song — "Tippety Witchet" 
 
 Mr. J. R. Vincent, of the National Theatre. 
 
 Song — "I'll Tell Nobody" 
 
 Miss Adelaide WagstafF, of the Boston Museum. 
 
 Song— "The Fine Ould Irish Gintleman" Brotigham 
 
 Mr. Frank Whitman, of the Boston Museum. 
 
 Recitation — " Fireman's Address " 
 
 Mr. W. G. Jones, of the National Theatre. 
 
 Song — "Independence Day" 
 
 Mrs. Charles Mestayer, of the Beach Street Museum. [Now Mrs. Barney Williams.] 
 
 Quartet 
 
 Harmonic Vocalists — Messrs. Wheat, Moore, Spear, and Warren. 
 
30 History of the Herald, 
 
 Fourteen of the performers on this occasion have since died, and many members 
 of the committee of arrangements have "passed over to the majority." 
 
 Mr. Eaton, the first editor of the Herald, had a benefit the same year (Oct. 25) 
 at the National Theatre, upon which occasion he appeared as Brutus. 
 
 For a few weeks the once well-known New Yorker, Mike Walsh, a Tammany 
 politician, was associated with Snelling in the editorship. But Walsh proved a crude, 
 superficial, and indolent writer, and soon returned to New York, where, some years 
 afterward, he was one morning found dead and mangled on the pavement, and was 
 supposed to have been thrown from an upper-story window. 
 
 After the death of Mr. Snelling, Mr. George W. Tyler was recalled to the chief 
 editorial chair, and, at the beginning of the year 1849, resumed the duties tempo- 
 rarily interrupted by the events above mentioned. The proprietors agreed with 
 him and Mr. Glen that the Herald should be made valuable to the public as a 
 gatherer and disseminator of news, especially that of a local character ; and, con- 
 sequently, more work was put into the news columns. But the editorial department 
 was by no means neglected, and every number had its leader from the able pen of 
 Mr. Tyler. Mr. Glen labored vigorously to keep the paper abreast of the times in 
 matters under his charge, and, on April 2, chiefly through his influence, the custom 
 of printing four editions daily was inaugurated. The first was dated 5 o'clock, A.M. ; 
 the second, 8; the third, 12, M. ; and the fourth, 2.30, P.M. On the day before, the 
 editorial, composing, and press rooms were removed to Nos. ih. and 3 Water street 
 (the counting-room still remaining at 19 State street), where the force of compositors 
 was increased by four men, and the paper was, for the first time, printed on one of 
 Hoe's double-cylinder presses, run by steam power, and capable of producing six 
 thousand impressions per hour. 
 
 The following statistics concerning the printers employed at that time on the 
 Boston press may not be uninteresting : The whole number of journeymen at work 
 in the city (for 25 cents per 1,000 ems) was 362, of whom 147 set type on the dailies, 
 19 on the weeklies and semi-weeklies, and 196 on book and job work. Besides these, 
 119 received less than 25 cents per 1,000, 9 of whom were in daily offices, making a 
 total of 481 whose average wages were $7 a week. No female compositors were 
 employed by the dailies, but 66 set type for the weeklies and semi-weeklies, and 22 
 on book and job work ; total, 88 ; average weekly wages, $3. Total number of 
 employing printers, 220; apprentices, 166. A day's work in a daily newspaper 
 office was 12 hours ; in a weekly office, 10. Early in November the journeymen 
 demanded 28 cents per 1,000. The Herald was the first paper to accede to the 
 demand, and was followed by all the other dailies except the " Advertiser," "Journal," 
 and "Traveller." 
 
 Early in 1849 Messrs. Head & French had found a difficulty in agreeing as to 
 the share of the property each had, and on Feb. 16, during the absence from town 
 of the former, Mr. French placed his own name, with an " & Co." appended, at the 
 
History of the Herald. 31 
 
 head of the cokimns, as proprietor. Matters looked stormy upon Mr. Head's return, 
 but the dispute was finally settled through the arbitration of their mutual lawyer, 
 William H. Farrar, Esq., since Attorney-General of Oregon, and now deceased. 
 Mr. Head withdrew from the concern, and Mr. French's name was retained in the 
 imprint, with " & Co." dropped, as sole proprietor, throughout the remainder of 
 the year. 
 
 The circulation improved wonderfully under the new methods of management. 
 On Feb. 27 the announcement was made, and kept standing for some time at the head 
 of the editorial column, that the regular daily editions had reached twenty-two thou- 
 sand copies. One reason for the increase of the city circulation was the passage, on- 
 Jan. 21, by the City Council, of an ordinance allowing minors to sell newspapers on 
 the streets, provided they obtained licenses for the business and complied with cer- 
 tain school regulations. Before this no newsboy was allowed to vend papers " out 
 of doors," on pain of arrest and fine or imprisonment, and the Herald had fired 
 many a broadside at the city government and police for this restriction of its sale 
 to its office, the news stands, and shops. On April 2 the line "Largest Circulation 
 in New England " was prominently displayed. The "Times " had excelled the Herald 
 in circulation up to about this time by a few thousands, but the latter gained rapidly 
 on its rival, and finally outstripped it. Mr. French, on June 5, formally demanded 
 the post-office advertising, which had been given to the "Times" up to that date. 
 " We claim this " — so ran a double-leaded editorial — " by the right guaranteed to us 
 by the law of Congress passed March 15, 1845, which contains the provision that 
 such advertisement (of unclaimed letters remaining in the post-office) shall be 
 officially published in the paper or papers having the largest circulation. 
 In order to sustain our position, we are ready to make the following wagers, 
 and dare the ' Daily Times,' and all other papers published in Boston, to accept 
 them : — 
 
 " I. — One thousand dollars that the circulation of the ' Times ' is not three times 
 larger than that of any other three daily papers published in Boston. 
 
 "2. — One thousand dollars that it is not larger than that of any two daily 
 papers published in Boston. 
 
 "3. — One thousand dollars that it is not larger than that of The Boston 
 Herald alone. 
 
 "4. — One thousand dollars that it is not as large as that of The , Boston 
 Herald. 
 
 "5- — Two thousand dollars that the circulation of The Boston Herald is one 
 thousand greater in the city of Boston than that of the 'Boston Daily Times.' 
 
 "We do not solicit the post-office printing from any pecuniary profit that 
 may arise therefrom. We can fill our paper to the chin with better-paying adver- 
 tisements ; but, as it is generally looked upon as the point which settles the question 
 of superior circulation, we have been induced to present our claims for that 
 
32 History of the Herald. 
 
 honorable distinction, and are determined not to let the matter rest until thej are 
 satisfied." 
 
 A long controversy ensued, in which many bitter words were written and said ; 
 and though the Herald finally conquered, and obtained the coveted distinction, 
 it was not until several years after making the demand, and after Mr. French's 
 connection with the paper had ceased. During the progress of the wrangle, 
 William A. Ramsay, foreman of the press-room, made oath that the average daily 
 circulation of the Herald in June was 14,935 copies ; and H. G. Blaisdell and 
 G. W. Harmon, delivery clerks, deposed that the average daily circulation in the 
 city that month was 11,253 copies. The city circulation of the other penny papers 
 during this month was declared to be: "Times," 7,794; "Bee," 5,628; "Mail," 
 3,500. The average daily circulation of the Herald during July and August was 
 sworn to have been 14,372 copies, of which 11,218 were sold in the city. On Oct. 
 23 the following announcement was made in "caps," surrounded by a row of 
 "fists:" "The Boston Herald has a larger circulation in the city of Boston 
 and throughout New England than any other paper published here or elsewhere ; 
 this we are prepared to prove by honest affidavits." As a " settler," the following 
 was published on November 19 : — 
 
 " Any merchant or advertiser disbelieving our statements relative to the circu- 
 lation of the Herald is at liberty to call at our office at any time and examine our 
 books. We will forfeit the sum of $1,000 if we do not substantiate everything we 
 have stated on this subject." 
 
 The year 1849 was "^ good year for news," both foreign and local, and the 
 efforts of the editors and proprietors to lay it before the readers of the Herald 
 early and fully were well directed and very successful. The local staff was increased 
 on March 4 by the engagement of Mr. Henry A. Hildreth, and later on he was 
 reinforced by Mr. John C. Cremony, both good reporters and hard workers, who 
 dished up city news in palatable form. The line " Affairs About Home," which 
 may still be seen in the Herald, was adopted on January 10, and hardly a day 
 passed that it did not head a report of some "affair" of note. Occasionally some 
 individual, aggrieved at the manner in which his name was used in the court or 
 other reports, would threaten trouble ; but threats were of little avail, as the paper 
 usually " sassed back," and the belligerent got more than he bargained for. On 
 one occaigion (May i) Mr. Glen was assaulted in a cowardly manner by an unknown 
 person, but escaped without serious injury ; and not even the offer of a reward of 
 fifty dollars could fix the identity of his assailant. George Greenleaf, reporter 
 for the "Times," was also assaulted, terribly Jjeaten, and robbed, on Oct. 14; but 
 his assailants were arrested, identified, tried, and convicted. 
 
 Matters outside the city and State were looked after with care. Mr. Glen went 
 to Washington to report the inauguration of President Taylor, and wrote a series 
 of interesting letters on men and things at the national capital. Before returning 
 
History of the Herald. 33 
 
 he made arrangements for special correspondence from Washington, which was 
 thereafter kept up with regularity. New York letters from Mr. Hamilton were 
 regularly published, and he also telegraphed important matters which would 
 '* spoil by keeping." His letters and despatches concerning the '* Astor-place riot," 
 on May lo, ii, and 12, were voluminous and comprehensive, and were widely read. 
 Father Mathew's arrival, reception, and addresses were also fully reported from 
 New York ; and the Herald published his biography and a portrait. Sporting 
 news was given a prominent place. A long report of the Hyer-Sullivan fight was 
 printed on February 8. This event was looked forward to with a degree of interest 
 which is scarcely conceivable nowadays, and an immense sum of money changed 
 hands in Boston when the result was first made public here in the Herald. It is 
 even hinted that an interest in the paper was wagered on the event, and that the 
 change of imprint, a week later, was owing to this. But other events were not 
 neglected, as the Herald was the only penny paper in Boston which fully reported 
 the May "anniversaries," devoting from four to eight columns to them daily; and 
 sermons, addresses, lectures, etc., at the churches and at meetings of religious and 
 charitable societies, received due attention throughout the year. One unpleasant 
 duty of the local men, during the summer of 1849 (this was " cholera year"), was the 
 obtaining of daily reports from the cholera hospital, where, during July and August, 
 from six to thirty persons died every twenty-four hours. The Herald not only 
 published these, but "wrote up" the hospital, described the disease, the appearance 
 of patients in various stages, methods of treatment, etc. News was considered 
 news, and as such was given to the public, whether it was a murder-trial (several of 
 which occurred during the year) or a church-meeting, a horse-race or a love-feast. 
 The entire press of the city was "beaten" on a report of the great Masonic 
 celebration at Newburyport, on June 26, a seven-column description of which was 
 published in the Herald's first edition the next morning. The loss of the British 
 brig St. John, with nearly one hundred lives, on Minot's Ledge, October 7, was another 
 occasion on which the Herald distanced most of its competitors in the length and 
 accuracy of its reports. Occasionally the other dailies would get an "exclusive;" 
 but the Herald was rarely caught napping. On December 25 it published in the 
 morning a column synopsis of President Taylor's message, telegraphed from New 
 York, and in the second edition the document in full, getting it upon the street half 
 an hour earlier than the other dailies. This event was considered so noteworthy, 
 that, to commemorate it, Mr. French gave a supper at the Howard House to the 
 editors, reporters, compositors, clerks, and pressmen of his establishment, on 
 Saturday evening, December 29. Judging by the reports printed on Monday, the 
 occasion was decidedly convivial, and the number and style of the "volunteer 
 toasts " towards its close were something remarkable, to say the least. 
 
 It is curious, in these days of lightning, to read an account of the manner in 
 which the message was brought from Washington. J. F. Calhoun, of New Haven, 
 3 
 
34 History of the Herald. 
 
 was the messenger, and he started early by rail with it on the 24th, at 2, P.M. ; 
 crossed from Jersey City to New York in a tug immediately on his arrival ; took a 
 horse and chaise to. the New York & New Haven Depot, on Thirty-second street; 
 mounted a special engine which was in waiting, and started at 10 o'clock for Boston, 
 reaching New Haven at 11.30, P.M., Hartford at 12.58, A.M., Springfield at 1.45, 
 Worcester at 5.04, and Boston at 6.20. The tender jumped the track once at 
 Meriden, requiring half an hour's delay to replace it; at Warren a derailed freight 
 train caused another detention, of an hour and thirty-eight minutes, and at Palmer 
 thirteen minutes were occupied in taking in water for the engine. 
 
 The local event which excited the most interest in Boston, during the year 1849, 
 was the murder of Dr. Parkman by Professor Webster. The doctor's disappearance 
 was noted in the Herald of Nov. 26, three days after he was last seen ; an extra on 
 Sunday, Dec. 2, announced the discovery of his remains ; and from that time to the 
 termination of Professor Webster's trial every event connected with the sad affair 
 was reported in the fullest manner. Portraits of the deceased and his murderer, 
 plans of the latter's rooms, sketches of the remains found in and about them, the 
 knives, hatchet, etc., used to commit the deed, and many other objects, were engraved 
 and printed as the investigation progressed, and the public was kept informed of 
 every new development. The Herald's report of the Webster trial, which opened 
 on the 19th of the following March, was considered a great journalistic achievement. 
 Extras, giving long-hand reports of this extraordinary case, were issued every fifteen 
 minutes or half-hour, — not only in Boston, but simultaneously^ in New York, for 
 which Mr. Glen had personally made arrangements. As fast as The Boston Herald 
 set up its copy it was sent by telegraph to New York, and when the Herald would 
 get too much ahead, as was sometimes the case, the operators would snatch the 
 copy up; to be returned to the compositors as soon as sent over the wires. The long- 
 hand report of the trial, which was sent to the office by messengers, sheet by sheet, 
 was made by Captain Jonas K. Tyler, a younger brother of George W., the editor 
 mentioned above, and one of the^most promising young men of his time. He served 
 as an officer in the Massachusetts regiment in Mexico, until disabled by sunstroke 
 and forced to return north. He also entered the Union army during the civil war, 
 though exempted from service by the injuries above mentioned, and remained until 
 another sunstroke compelled him to resign his commission, and disabled him for 
 several years subsequently. Since his return he has resided in the Bunker Hill 
 District, and when able (he has never fully recovered his health) has engaged in 
 the practice of law. 
 
 While the long-hand reports of the Webster trial were being published in 
 extras every few minutes, the short-hand, or phonographic, verbatim reports were 
 written out and issued in pamphlet form, and within an hour after the trial the last 
 page of manuscript was in hand. This work was accomplished by Mr. Felix G. 
 de Fontaine, one of the early short-hand writers of the country, in connection with 
 
History of the Herald. 35 
 
 Mr. Charles B. Collar, another phonographer, and Mr. G. D. Dowling, stenog- 
 rapher. "Little Felix," as he was then known in Boston, cast his fortunes with the 
 South during the war, and his letters as a correspondent were officially recognized 
 by the so-called Confederate Congress, and are the basis of many of the Southern 
 histories of battles and events that have since been written. For many years he has 
 been on the staff of the "New York Herald; " but, like others who have been trained 
 in the early school, he remembers the experience he acquired in Boston. 
 
 Webster's confession (on July 3) and execution . (August 30) were reported 
 very fully, the former occupying seven columns and the latter four. From the time 
 the Herald began "working up" this case, its circulation bounded along wonder- 
 fully. During the trial a double set of hands was employed in the composing and 
 press rooms, and ninety-four thousand papers were issued (the utmost number that 
 the presses could print) and sold daily. This established the Herald on a firm 
 basis, and for some months after the last line concerning Webster and his victim 
 had been printed, the daily circulation did not fall below sixty thousand. 
 
 The opening of the year 1850 found the Herald in a very prosperous condition. 
 On January i6 Mr. French publicly offered to place one hundred dollars in the 
 hands of any responsible person as a wager that the Herald's circulation was larger 
 than that of any other paper in Boston, and, if on due examination such was found 
 not to be the case, the money to be expended by the mayor for charitable purposes. 
 No paper or person, however, accepted the offer, and the sum was unclaimed. The 
 advertising patronage of the Herald was at this time very large, and when a new 
 suit of type was donned, on May 27, the entire paper was set in " agate," in order to 
 give an increased amount of reading matter and at the same time afford more room 
 for advertisements. 
 
 The editorial, composing, and press rooms were in the old locality until Sep- 
 tember, when they were transferred to Williams court, in the building abandoned on 
 February 9, 1878, for the new structure, which is described in detail farther on. The 
 counting-room, however, remained at No. 19 State street until October i of the next 
 year, when it was removed to No. 103 Washington street (now numbered 241), and 
 there remained until the new building was occupied. 
 
 Mr. Tyler continued to write the leaders, and Mr. Glen remained in general 
 charge of the paper. Mr. A. A. Wallace also did some reporting, and occasionally 
 acted as assistant editor. Mr.^H. A. McGlenen, now business agent of the Boston 
 Theatre, who had not long before that returned from Mexico, where he served 
 through the war in the Massachusetts Regiment, began reporting for the Herald 
 on August 26, and remained about a year. Mr. E. G. Abbott was especially engaged 
 to report the execution of Professor Webster, and was for some time thereafter 
 connected with the paper. 
 
 Great efforts were made to obtain news from all quarters, and the telegraph was 
 more freely used than at any previous time in the history of the paper. Special 
 
36 History of the Herald. 
 
 despatches from Washington and New York frequently Jfilled from two to four 
 columns, and sometimes as many as seven, which was, for those days, an unusual 
 amount. The great debates on the slavery question in the United States Senate 
 were very fully reported thus for several months, until Congress adjourned. The 
 circumstances attending the death of President Taylor were reported at great length, 
 and also the obsequies and commemorative ceremonies in other cities. The paper 
 twice "turned its rules" and went into mourning — on the day the President's 
 demise was announced, and the day of the funeral — to show its respect for the 
 deceased ruler ; on the latter occasion suspending its afternoon editions, and devot- 
 ing nine columns, on the day following, to a report of the ceremonies in Boston. 
 
 Several capital trials besides that of Professor Webster occurred during the year, 
 and one other execution, — that of Daniel H. Pearson, for the murder of his wife and 
 children. These were all reported at length, of course, and helped swell the sale of the 
 paper. Another local "sensation" was the excitement over the arrival of William 
 and Ellen Crafts, escaped slaves, the latter part of October, and the arrest of W. S. 
 Hews and John Knight, who were pursuing them. Still another, somewhat in the 
 same line, was the quasi riot in Faneuil Hall, on the evening of Nov. 15, when 
 George Thompson, M.P., the English abolitionist, was prevented from speaking. 
 
 An event more pleasant to speak of was the arrival of Jenny Lind, and her 
 concerts in Boston. Columns were printed about the Swedish songstress and the 
 honors showered upon her. For the benefit of those whose recollections do not 
 extend back so far, it may be interesting to state that when the tickets for her first 
 concert in Tremont Temple were sold by auction, on Sept. 26, the first choice of 
 seats was purchased by Ossian E. Dodge for six hundred and twenty-five dollars, and 
 none brought less than seven dollars and fifty cents. 
 
 The year 1851 was a hard one for the Herald. Through some inexplicable 
 cause, Mr. French suddenly found himself financially embarrassed. His health 
 was poor, and the anxiety consequent upon these business difficulties threw him 
 into a fit of sickness. He endeavored to " kite " along from month to month, but was 
 unlucky; and, being unable, from his infirm health, to attend personally to the 
 publisher's department of the establishment, he found he must leave the business or 
 be dragged down with it. 
 
 On April i the Weekly Herald, the first number of which was issued on 
 Jan. 16, 1847, was discontinued. It was made up from the daily; contained a large 
 amount of reading matter, and at first had a large subscription list (at one dollar and 
 fifty cents per annum) as well as a good sale. For a time it was issued on Wednesdays, 
 and then the experiment of making it a Sunday paper was tried. The subscriptions 
 gradually fell off, the sales were very small, and at length Mr. French was obliged to 
 cease its publication. 
 
 On the same date the imprint of the daily was changed from "John A. French, 
 Editor and Proprietor," to "John A. French, Publisher," and on July 16 this dis- 
 
History of the Herald. 37 
 
 appeared and was succeeded by "George W. Triggs & Co., Publishers and Pro- 
 prietors." It seems that Mr. French disposed of the Herald to John M. Barnard 
 (a wealthy distiller and wholesale liquor-dealer, then doing business in South 
 Market street, and also proprietor of the "Glades" Hotel at Cohasset) on the day 
 the word " proprietor " was dropped from his name in the imprint; but the sale 
 was not made public, and Mr. Barnard's name was not printed as proprietor during 
 the year. Mr. French soon closed up his business affairs in Boston, and retired to 
 his homestead in North Norway, Me., where he has since resided, giving his whole 
 attention to his fine farm. He has two sons, both of whom practise "the art pre- 
 servative " in this city at the present timg. 
 
 Mr. Glen resigned his position on the Herald about the time of its sale, and 
 accepted an invitation from Mr. George Roberts to take charge of the "Boston 
 Times." He remained in that office as managing editor for a number of years, and 
 then returned to his first love, the " New York Herald." He did some excellent 
 work for that paper as war correspondent during "the late unpleasantness," and is 
 still a member of its editorial staff. 
 
 Mr. Glen's successor as managing editor of The Boston Herald was Mr. A. A. 
 Wallace; Mr. Tyler, however, continuing for a while the leader-writing, and the 
 local force remaining the same as during the preceding year. 
 
 News was plenty in 1851, but the Herald did not display so much enterprise 
 in obtaining and publishing it as in 1850. Its telegraphic reports were meagre, and, 
 for most of the year, averaged scarcely more than a " stickful " or two. This was, in 
 part, owing to a controversy which arose between the Herald, "Times," "Journal," 
 and "Atlas," on the one part, and Mr. D. H. Craig, of the Associated Press, on the 
 other; the upshot of which was that the papers mentioned were, for a time, cut off 
 from the privileges of the Press despatches. The papers, however, made an arrange- 
 ment for telegrams from Abbott & Winans, in New York, and on a number of 
 occasions, notably when the great fire in San Francisco was first reported, on June 
 17, " beat " the Associated Press by eight or ten hours. But this arrangement was 
 temporary, and the Herald suffered in its telegraphic news department on account 
 of its independent stand concerning the association. 
 
 With local news, however, a much better showing was made, and advantage was 
 taken of a number of prominent events to " make a spread." Among these were the 
 arrest and rescue of the fugitive slave Shadrach, on February 15, 16, and the subse- 
 quent arrest and trial of Elizur Wright, Charles G. Davis, Joseph V. Hayes, and 
 others, on the charge of aiding him to escape ; the arrest of Thomas Sims, another 
 runaway slave, on April 4, and the exciting events which followed, — too well known 
 to require recital here ; the great storm of April 17, during which the light-house on 
 Minot's Ledge was destroyed, with its inmates ; the election of Charles Sumner to 
 the United States Senate, on April 24; the visit of President Fillmore to Boston, on 
 September 16, 17, etc., etc. Local events of minor importance, but still of interest. 
 
38 • History of the Herald. 
 
 were numerous. It is noted, during this year, that the city ordinance prohibiting 
 smoking on the streets was for some time strictly enforced, by order of the Board of 
 Aldermen; it has never been repealed, we believe, but this was the last time a 
 serious attempt was made to carry out its provisions. On October 9 Barney McGin- 
 niskin was appointed' a policeman, — not an important event, it would seem at first 
 glance, but something to remember when it is stated that he was the first man of 
 foreign birth ever appointed on the Boston force, and that his appointment was 
 bitterly opposed by a large number of citizens, who believed in the old watchword, 
 " Put none but Americans on guard." 
 
 Mechanically considered, the Hkraj^d was not very well gotten up during this 
 year. New type was procured on March 31 and October 13; but the two-cylinder 
 press then used to print the paper was not of the best construction, and battered the 
 type so that its frequent renewal was scarcely sufficient to make a legible print. The 
 press broke down, too, on several occasions, necessitating vexatious delays and 
 profuse apologies. 
 
 IV. 
 
 THE HERALD UNDER BARNARD AND BAILEY. 
 
 EVENTS IN ITS HISTORY FROM 1852 TO 1858, INCLUSIVE. — ENLARGEMENTS AND 
 IMPROVEMENTS. — THE STEREOTYPING PROCESS AND NEW MACHINERY INTRO- 
 DUCED. — RECORD OF CIRCULATION. — EDITORIAL COURSE OF THE PAPER. — 
 THE CIVIL WAR AND ITS INFLUENCE UPON THE NEWSPAPER PRESS. — NOTA- 
 BLE EVENTS OF THE SEVEN YEARS. 
 
 On the first Monday of the year 1852 a new press, built for the Herald at 
 Hoe's establishment, was first put in use, and the paper was printed upon it, with 
 new type. Another new dress was put on, August 2, and one of Taylor's Napier 
 presses was used for the first time, — an improvement which greatly bettered the 
 general appearance of the Herald. 
 
 On January 5, 1852, the imprint was changed to "John M. Barnard, Proprietor; 
 George W. Triggs & Co., Publishers." This remained at the head of the paper 
 until July 22, when the publishers' names were removed, and "John M. Barnard, 
 Proprietor," stood alone. Mr. Barnard attended only to the business department ; 
 but his other affairs necessitated frequent absence, and W. H. Noyes then took his 
 place. Mr. Wallace continued in charge as managing editor throughout the year, 
 with the same assistants as during the year previous. 
 
History of the Herald. 39 
 
 The circulation of the Herald this year was not so large as in 185 1, though on 
 May 15 an edition of fbrtj thousand was claimed, and on October 13 proposals were 
 invited for a supply of paper at the rate of two hundred reams per week ; a sworn 
 statement, made in court two years later, gave the average daily issue in Deceni- 
 ber, 1852, as fifteen thousand seven hundred. 
 
 Ten columns of reading matter and eighteen of advertisements was the daily 
 average in 1852, though on special occasions the latter space was infringed upon. 
 Telegraphic matter was not plentiful, two or three "stickfuls" being the utmost 
 limit reached, except in two or three numbers. The national conventions, which 
 nominated Pierce and Scott for the presidency, were quite fully reported by tele- 
 graph, — an exception to the general rule. The Herald gave extended accounts of 
 political meetings of both parties in the city and surrounding towns during this 
 campaign ; but pursued an independent course editorially, and favored neither 
 candidate. The morning after the election (November 3) returns were published 
 from one hundred and twenty-five cities and towns in Massachusetts, eleven in 
 Maine, twenty-one in New Hampshire, fifteen in Vermont, Rhode Island complete, 
 thirty-nine in Connecticut, and quite full reports from New York, Pennsylvania, 
 Maryland, Ohio, Michigan, Missouri, Virginia, Tennessee, Delaware, Kentucky, 
 and Louisiana, — sufficient to show, beyond a doubt, that Pierce was elected. The 
 State election, a week later, was reported in the morning edition only to the extent 
 of forty towns, full returns borrowed from the "Atlas" being given in the afternoon 
 to make up for the deficiency. 
 
 Clay and Webster both died during this year, the former on June 29, and the 
 latter on October 23, and the circumstances attending the demise of each were 
 reported at great length. The paper was dressed in mourning on the day following 
 Webster's death, and also on the day of his funeral, a five-column report of which 
 was printed, headed by his portrait. The evening editions were also suspended as 
 a mark of respect to the deceased ; and similar notice was taken on November 30, 
 the day of the memorial ceremonies in Boston. 
 
 Local events were given much prominence. During February, March, April, 
 and May, the Legislature was discussing a prohibitory liquor-law, which it finally 
 passed. The Herald opposed it bitterly from the first, and rejoiced when Governor 
 Boutwell vetoed it. But the bill was amended, and again passed, and was approved 
 by the Governor on May 23. It is worthy of note here that the first seizure of 
 liquors in Boston, under this law, was made on August 24. 
 
 The arrival of Kossuth, and his reception on April 27, were reported to the 
 extent of five columns, and his progress through the State was followed by a special 
 reporter, who sent in from two to five columns daily until May 19. 
 
 Theatrical and musical matters were chronicled with considerable minuteness ; 
 and this was a year in which a number of notable events occurred. Lola Montez 
 was dancing at the Howard Athenaeum in February; on the 17th of that month Dr. 
 
40 History of the Herald, 
 
 Jones' "Silver Spoon" was first produced at the Museum, with Mr. Warren as 
 Jefferson Scattering Batkins ; Alboni made her first appearance in Boston, at the 
 Melodeon, on October 19; Sontag gave her first concert here, at the same hall, on 
 November 9. Tremont Temple was destroyed bj fire on March 31 ; the old Na- 
 tional Theatre shared the same fate on April 22. The new National was formally 
 opened on November 2, William O. Eaton, the first editor of the Herald, delivering 
 the address on the occasion ; and Music Hall was opened by a festival, on November 20, 
 at which' Alboni, Signor San Giovanni, Signor Rovero, and Signor Arditi appeared 
 as soloists, with the Handel and Haydn Society, the Musical Education Society, the 
 Musical Fund Society, the Germania Serenade Band, and the German Liedertafel. 
 On December 3, books were opened for subscriptions towards building the Boston 
 Theatre. The last of December the National Theatre management petitioned the 
 City Council for permission to give performances on Saturday evenings, — a pro- 
 ceeding then forbidden without special license. 
 
 Other local events of note were the great fire of July 11, which originated in the 
 Sailors' Home on Purchase street ; and the burning of Chickering's piano manufac- 
 tory and adjacent buildings on Washington street, nearly opposite the Adams 
 House, on December 3, resulting in a heavy loss of property and the death of 
 several persons. The telegraphic fire-alarm was put in operation this year. 
 
 The cutting down of Fort Hill was proposed and discussed in July, but not until 
 long after was the work begun. 
 
 The year 1853 was an uneventful one in the history of the Herald, Mr. 
 Barnard remaining sole proprietor, Mr. Wallace managing editor, and the assistant 
 and local staff unchanged. 
 
 The Herald was this year a strictly local paper, publishing not more than a 
 "stickful" of news by telegraph daily, and having very little to do with matters 
 outside the State. The average daily circulation (sworn statement) in January was 
 sixteen thousand five hundred and fifty-five ; in February, nineteen thousand and 
 forty ; in March, eighteen thousand four hundred and fifty-three ; in April, eighteen 
 thousand six hundred and three ; in May, twenty-five thousand five hundred and 
 sixty-four; in June, sixteen thousand four hundred and thirty-one; in July, twenty- 
 one thousand three hundred and seventy; in August, twenty-one thousand three 
 hundred and twenty-one ; in September, twenty-three thousand one hundred and 
 eighty-eight; in October, twenty-two thousand two hundred and thirty-one; in 
 November, twenty-two thousand eight hundred and sixty; and in December, 
 twenty-three thousand two hundred and ten ; so it will be seen that there was a 
 gradual increase through the year. New type was procured on January 24 and 
 on October 24, and the paper did not suffer in appearance from a mechanical 
 point of view. 
 
 Among the prominent events of which "features" were made this year, were 
 the Norwalk railroad disaster, on May 6 ; the debates on the Hoosac Tunnel bill 
 
History of the Herald. 41 
 
 in the Legislature ; the proposal to introduce horse-railroads into the city streets 
 (which was strongly opposed, editorially, as an infringement of the rights of traffic 
 and travel by carriages) ; the collision on the Worcester & Providence Railroad 
 (Aug. 12), whereby thirteen lives were lost, etc. The morning after the November 
 election, returns from but one hundred and thirty towns were printed. 
 
 In July, because the Herald would not advertise free of charge the time-table 
 of the Eastern Railroad, Superintendent Kinsman forbade all persons carrying the 
 paper over the road, either as freight or in any other way ; and, in consequence, 
 that official and his road received an amount of gratuitous advertising, in the editorial 
 columns, which was far from pleasing to him. Peace was not patched up for many 
 months ; but finally the Herald carried its point, and the railroad carried the 
 papers. 
 
 During the first six months of the year 1854 the Herald published sworn 
 statements of its average daily circulation, as follows : January, twenty-five thousand 
 two hundred and sixteen ; February, twenty-six thousand one hundred and twenty- 
 five ; March, twenty-seven thousand one hundred and seventy-three ; April, twenty- 
 seven thousand eight hundred and sixty-four; May, twenty-eight thousand five 
 hundred and forty-eight ; June, thirty thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight ; thus 
 showing a steady increase. The long-coveted letter-list advertising was secured for the 
 first time in several years. The Herald of 1854 was a much better paper than that 
 of the year previous, and displayed far more enterprise in obtaining and printing 
 news. Its telegraphic facilities were vastly improved ; and from a column and a half 
 to two columns of news by wire were printed daily. Twelve columns of reading 
 matter were presented each day, one to three of them editorial ; the remainder, for 
 the most part, " live " news. 
 
 On April i occurred the second enlargement of the Daily Herald (the first 
 having taken place Jan. i, 1847), ^^<^ ^^ came out with columns lengthened two 
 inches, the width remaining the same, and the pages measuring 23 X 17 inches. 
 The editor congratulated himself and his readers upon the improvement. After 
 referring to the increased circulation, " We cannot furnish," he wrote, *' nor do we 
 want, any evidence more tangible to convince our readers of the prosperity of the 
 Herald. To ourselves it is the most convincing and flattering proof that, while 
 the paper maintains its present reputation, it is destined to progress, and will be 
 recognized by the people as the friend to all measures that tend to improve their 
 condition, and an implacable foe to all things which retard the improvement of the 
 
 government and the people The Herald is bound to beat all the 
 
 penny papers in the world from and after this date." 
 
 A new dress of type was put in use on June 19, and other improvements were 
 made as time went on. 
 
 A number of notable local events occurred during the year, which were fully 
 " written up " by the Herald ; among them the riot in Chelsea and East Boston, on 
 
42 History of the Herald. 
 
 May 7, between the Catholic Irish and Protestants ; the arrest, on May 25, of 
 Andrew Burns, a fugitive slave, and the consequent riot in Court square, in which 
 James Batchelder was killed ; the meeting in Faneuil Hall, the trial, etc. (which 
 sent the Herald's circulation up to forty thousand daily for a week) ; the fall of a 
 granite block in Broad street, causing the death of a number of persons, on Aug. 23 ; 
 the execution, in East Cambridge, on Sept. 29, of Casey, the Natick murderer ; the 
 collision in the harbor, on Nov. 25, of the steamer " Ocean," bound for Bath, Me., and 
 the steamer "Canada," just coming in from Halifax, N.S., resulting in the destruction 
 of the former by fire, and the loss of many lives. Boston voted, Sept. 25, to annex 
 Charlestown, and that city voted itself willing on Oct. 2; but, on Oct. 21, Chief 
 Justice Shaw decided that the act authorizing the union was unconstitutional. The 
 consolidation of the " police " and "night-watch" was effected on April 24. The 
 Boston Theatre was formally opened on Sept. 11. 
 
 The Herald entered upon the year 1855 under favorable auspices. On Feb. 
 12 new type was put in use, the "make-up" varied in some respects, and the 
 announcement made that thereafter John M. Barnard was proprietor, and Bailey 
 (Edwin C.) & Lawrence (A. Milton) were the publishers. There were also some 
 changes in the editorial and reportorial staif this year. Mr. Henry R. Tracy, who 
 for two years had been editing the "Literary Museum," became assistant editor of 
 the Herald, which position he held for a long period ; he was also at one time its 
 Washington correspondent. He died of consumption, at his home in Cambridge- 
 port, a few years ago, and the honors paid to his memory must be fresh in the minds 
 of our readers. He was, as a friend has said, "a sunbeam in the fraternity, of 
 gentlest manners and most generous disposition." Mr. Charles H. Andrews, one 
 of the present editors and proprietors, was engaged as reporter in January. 
 
 There were then employed in the composing-room a foreman and eight com- 
 positors ; and the average weekly composition bill was one hundred and seventy-five 
 dollars. Mr. George G. Bailey, subsequently foreman, and later one of the propri- 
 etors of the Herald, held a " frarne " as a " regular " in the composing-room, for the 
 first time, in March. 
 
 This year but one edition was published in the morning, except on extraordinary 
 occasions; while the first evening edition was dated 12, M., and the second, 1.30, 
 P.M. ; and a postscript was issued at 2.30, P.M., to contain the latest news, for city 
 circulation. Twelve to fourteen columns of reading matter were published daily, 
 two of which were editorial, two news by telegraph, two gleanings from exchanges, 
 and the remainder local reports, correspondence, etc. Considerable space was 
 devoted to foreign news, the Crimean war being in progress, among other important 
 events abroad. The paper held an independent course editorially during this 
 year, best explained by the following extract from a leader the day after the city 
 election : — ■ 
 
 " The Herald has never been a neutral paper. It has expressed its opinions 
 
History of the Herald. 43 
 
 freelj upon all subjects of public interest. It has never been a partisan paper, nor 
 advocated the cause of any political party. It has always given its attention to 
 every topic that was prominently before the public ; published reports of the doings 
 of all parties fairly and impartially, and commented upon them editorially without 
 fear or favor. It is, and has been, and shall continue to be, so long as it remains in 
 our hands, an Independent People'' s Press." 
 
 Among the events to which the Herald devoted much space in 1855 were sev- 
 eral capital trials ; the great fire on Battery, Lincoln, and People's wharves, t>n April 
 27; the discussion and passage. May 21, of the personal-liberty bill, by the Legisla- 
 ture, over the Governor's veto ; the liquor-law riot in Portland, on June 3 ; the lay- 
 ing of the corner-stone of the Public Library building, September 17 ; the rescue, 
 on October 9, and forwarding to Canada by the " underground railroad," of a fugi- 
 tive slave, who had already been put on board a vessel bound South ; the trouble in 
 the Fire Department over the introduction of a steam fire-engine ; the first appear- 
 ance of Rachel, the great French actress, at the Boston Theatre, on October 21, etc. 
 
 On the morning of June 20 the Herald building in Williams court was badly 
 damaged by fire originating in the composing-room of the " Know-N.o thing and 
 Crusader" ofiice, in the upper story. The Herald composing-room, editorial 
 offices and press-room were flooded with water; but the morning edition was 
 issued "on time," by strenuous efforts in all departments. 
 
 The average daily circulation during the year 1855 was claimed to have been 
 thirty thousand, but was probably something less. 
 
 Early in 1856 a change took place in the proprietorship of the Herald, Mr. 
 Barnard selling out, on March 31, to Mr. Edwin C. Bailey, who, the previous year, 
 acquired an interest. The firm of Bailey, Lawrence & Co., was dissolved by mutual 
 consent, Messrs. John M. Barnard and A. Milton Lawrence retiring, and .Mr. Bailey 
 was left sole proprietor and publisher, though an "& Co." was, for a time, appended 
 to his name in the imprint. In announcing the change, Mr. Bailey said, in the 
 editorial columns : — 
 
 "The paper will be continued in the same spirit and be conducted on the same 
 liberal and independent principles which characterized it while under the control of 
 its former proprietors, and which gained for it an enviable position in point of cir- 
 culation and influence among the daily papers of this metropolis. We shall con- 
 tinue to give our editorial department a practical character, dealing independently, 
 impartially, and candidly, with every question that affects the material interests of 
 the people. We follow the lead of no political party or religious sect ; we have no 
 personal interests to subserve, in conducting this journal, nor prejudices to gratif3% 
 Our highest ambition will be to maintain for the Herald the reputation it enjoys 
 as ' the paper for the people.' " 
 
 Subsequent to his sale of the Herald, Mr. Barnard started the " Daily Evening 
 Ledger," of which Mr. A. A. Wallace, so long on the editorial staff" of the Herald, 
 
44 History of the Herald. 
 
 became the editor. The "Ledger" closely resembled the Herald in appearance, 
 and was for a time the medium through which Mr. Barnard expressed his antagonism 
 to Mr. Bailey. First issued from the "Times" building, in State street, it was 
 afterwards published in Williams court, where its accounts were finally closed, after 
 a brief resistance to the force of circumstances. Mr. Barnard returned to his old 
 business, and still resides in Boston. 
 
 Mr. Justin Andrews, who had been a reporter and assistant editor on the 
 " Times," accepted an invitation to assume a similar position on the Herald, in 
 March, and subsequently became one of its news managers, retaining the office 
 until he disposed of his interest in 1873. 
 
 Mr. Bailey brought to his new task a great deal of native energy and enterprise, 
 and was ably seconded by the Andrews brothers, and the other gentlemen connected 
 with the paper, in his efforts to make the Herald a thoroughly live journal. The 
 amount of reading matter published was not largely increased, but more space was 
 devoted to news, the facilities for gathering which were rapidly improved as time 
 went on. The national conventions at Cincinnati (June 6) and at Philadelphia 
 (June 18), by which Buchanan and Fremont were respectively nominated for the 
 presidency, were reported by special despatches from " a correspondent on the spot ; " 
 and the result of the election, on November 5, was announced on the following 
 morning, with a degree of detail never before displayed in the Herald's columns, 
 the returns being very full and complete. Concerning its course during the cam- 
 paign, the editor wrote, a day or two after the election : — 
 
 " One of our contemporaries says that the Herald has alternately pleased and 
 displeased both parties, during this campaign. That is our opinion. How could it 
 be different, if we told them the truth.? — and that was our only aim." 
 
 The circulation during election week averaged forty-one thousand six hundred 
 and ninety-three copies daily ; throughout the year it was nearly thirty thousand, — 
 considerably larger than during the preceding twelvemonth ; and the boast that it 
 was more than double that of any other paper in Boston undoubtedly was justified 
 by the facts. 
 
 Mechanically the paper was well gotten up. New type was put in use on Jan- 
 uary 7 and July 28, and on the latter date the two presses which had been in use 
 for a number of years were discarded, and a new four-cylinder Hoe press, having a 
 capacity for ten thousand impressions an hour, was used for the first time. Ten 
 compositors were employed, and the average weekly composition bill was one hun- 
 dred and sixty dollars. 
 
 Among the events of 1856, reported at length in the Herald, were a lecture in 
 Tremont Temple, on January 25, by Robert Toombs, who defended the institution 
 of slavery; the great festival in Music Hall, March 3, on the occasion of the unveil- 
 ing of the Beethoven statue; the strike of the 'longshoremen, in March, against the 
 use of steam-engines in loading and unloading vessels ; the Gerrish market fire, on 
 
History of the Herald. 45 
 
 April 12; the first appearance in Boston, on June 4, of Vestvali, the prima donna; 
 the test, on Julj 9, of the "Miles Greenwood," the first steam fire-engine used in 
 Boston ; the great fire and loss of life on North and Clark streets, on July 29 ; the 
 inauguration of the Franklin statue in front of the City Hall, trades procession, 
 firemen's muster, etc., on September 17 (it is worth noting that members of the 
 Mercantile Library Association declined to allow John Stephenson, a colored man, 
 to walk with them in the procession on this occasion) ; the murder, on December 
 15, by one McGee, a convict, of Deputy Warden Walker, at the State Prison ; 
 and the murder of Warden Tenney, by a convict named Decatur, on Decem- 
 ber 30. 
 
 The Herald in 1857 was a much better paper than it had ever been, the Messrs. 
 Andrews, upon whom the burden of its management devolved, sparing no effort to 
 make it thoroughly newsy and bright in every department. Beginning the year with 
 a daily circulation of about thirty thousand, in April it reached forty-two thousand ; 
 and when, on the 23d of that month, the subscription list, carriers' routes, agencies, 
 etc., of the " Daily Times," were acquired, by purchase, there was another consid- 
 erable increase, the issue of May 30 reaching forty-five thousand one hundred and 
 twenty. A great amount of space was devoted to local matters, and, for the first 
 time, affairs in Charlestown and Cambridge were fully reported. The year was a 
 good one for home news, as during it three murders, an execution, seven capital 
 trials, the Kalloch scandal, and other affairs likely to make a lively demand for 
 papers, occurred. Other notable local events were the inauguration of the Warren 
 statue, on Bunker Hill, June 24; the suspension of specie payments by Boston 
 banks, October 14, etc. A proposal to uniform the police excited a long discussion 
 in the city papers. Admirers of the "green diamond" maybe interested to know 
 that the first game of base ball reported in the Herald was one which took place 
 on the Common, June 30, between the Olympics of this city, and the Massapoags, 01 
 Sharon, — twelve men on a side, — in which the latter were victorious. The advis- 
 ability of selling the only steam fire-engine the city possessed was argued in the 
 papers. Experiments in burning coal in locomotive engines were reported in 
 August. Among events on the stage, this year, were the first production of " Three 
 Fast Men," by Lucille and Helen Western, at the National Theatre, March 11 ; the 
 first opera ever sung in German, in Boston, — " Fidelio," at the Boston Theatre, 
 April 2, with Mme. Johannsen in the title role, under the management of Carl 
 Bergman, with Theodore Thomas leading the orchestra; the appearance of Edwin 
 Booth, in tragedy andyarce, on April 27 ; Matilda Heron, in " Camille," on May 14; 
 the debut of Avonia Jones, May 18, etc. 
 
 General news was by no means neglected this year, and the long reports of 
 congressional proceedings by " Proctor" were a feature of the telegraph columns. 
 Political matters, meetings, and speeches were reported at length, one party re- 
 ceiving as much notice as another. 
 
46 History of the Herald, 
 
 Mechanically the paper was well gotten up and printed, two suits of new type 
 being procured during the year. 
 
 Mr. Bailej resigned the office of Postmaster on October i, and thereafter 
 "E. C. Bailej, Editor and Proprietor," took the place of " Bailej & Co." in the 
 imprint. From that date until he disposed of the paper Mr. Bailej gave his 
 undivided attention to the Herali). 
 
 On Januarj 22 the sjstem of ''department" advertising was adopted, i.e., the 
 publication, at low rates, of advertisements of "situations wanted," "for sale," 
 "to let," etc. It was an immediate success. 
 
 In 1858 the Herald continued its prosperous career in the same general 
 direction as during the preceding jear. Its telegraphic facilities were increased, 
 and events in all parts of the countrj were well reported. But local news was most 
 carefullj attended to, and the citj and its suburbs were so thoroughlj patrolled bj 
 efficient reporters that nothing of importance occurred without receiving due 
 attention in the Herald's columns. The court reports were written up in a racj 
 stjle, which caused them to be widelj read; and the familiar line, "Affairs About 
 Home," alwajs headed something readable. • 
 
 The editorial and reportorial staff this year included eleven persons, and the 
 force in the mechanical departments was correspondinglj larger than before. 
 
 A new six-cjlinder Hoe press, ordered in Maj of the previous jear, was 
 first put in use on April 26, bj the side of the four-cjlinder press from the same 
 maker, and frequentlj both of these were taxed to their utmost to supplj the 
 demand for papers. The bills for white paper during 1858 aggregated over seventj 
 thousand dollars, which, in those anti-war times, was a large sum. The circu- 
 lation averaged over fortj thousand per diem, and frequentlj ran up ten thousand 
 more. 
 
 In 1859 the sjstem of keeping an accurate account of the circulation was inau- 
 gurated, and the actual figures of each daj's issue were recorded. From this record 
 it is learned that the average daily circulation in Januarj was fortj-one thousand one 
 hundred and ninetj-three ; in Februarj, fortj-three thousand and fiftj-two ; in 
 March, fortj-seven thousand and eightj ; in April, fiftj thousand and eightj-three ; 
 in Maj, forty-eight thousand and fiftj-one ; in June, fortj-seven thousand six hun- 
 dred and ninety; in July, forty-nine thousand two hundred and seventy-two; in 
 August, fifty thousand four hundred and forty; in September, fifty thousand one 
 hundred and sixty; in October, fifty thousand four hundred and ninety; in Novem- 
 ber, fifty thousand eight hundred and three ; and in December, fifty-three thousand 
 and twenty-six, — a steady gain throughout the year. On days when events of 
 special importance were reported, the editions were, of course, much larger. For 
 instance, on December 3, the day after the execution of John (" Ossawattomie") 
 Brown, fifty-nine thousand seven hundred and sixty copies were printed ; and these 
 figures were nearly reached on several other occasions. 
 
History of the Herald. 47 
 
 Twelve compositors were regularly employed this year, and the average weekly 
 composition bill was two hundred dollars. 
 
 The year i860 brought the exciting presidential campaign, which resulted in the 
 election of Abraham Lincoln. Great pains were taken to keep the Herald's readers 
 fully informed of the movements of all political parties, and its long reports of the 
 national conventions and of political meetings, demonstrations, speeches, etc., in all 
 parts of the country, especially in New England, brought it to the notice of many 
 new readers. The average daily circulation for the year was a little over fifty-four 
 thousand, though during some months it was much larger. On January 10 an 
 edition of seventy-two thousand three hundred and sixty copies was printed of the 
 paper, containing an account of the Pemberton Mill disaster at Lawrence. The re- 
 port of the Heenan-Sayers prize-fight brought the edition of April 30 up to sixty 
 thousand. The elections (National and State), on November 6, created a demand 
 which could only be satisfied by an edition of seventy-three thousand seven hundred 
 and fifty-two, — the highest reached since the Webster trial. The white-paper bill 
 that year was a little over eighty-seven thousand dollars. Twelve compositors were 
 employed, whose weekly bills averaged two hundred dollars. The salary list aggre- 
 gated thirty-six thousand dollars, and the sum paid for telegraphic despatches was 
 more than six thousand dollars. 
 
 Mr. E. B. Haskell, now one of the proprietors of the Herald, entered the office 
 as reporter in i860, and was soon promoted to an editorial position. 
 
 A year later (1861) Mr. R. M. Pulsifer, another of the present proprietors, 
 entered the business department of the Herald. 
 
 The breaking out of the civil war in the spring of 1861 created a great demand 
 for news, and an increase in the circulation of all the daily papers was the imme- 
 diate result. It is hardly necessary to say here that the Herald warmly espoused 
 the cause of the Union, and that the events of that stirring period were faithfully 
 chronicled in its columns. The average daily circulation in January was fifty-eight 
 thousand two hundred and seventy; in February it was one thousand larger; in 
 March another one thousand was added ; and in April seventy-three thousand and 
 ninety-four was the average issue. The Herald's report of the attack on Fort 
 Sumter was printed in eighty-five thousand seven hundred and fifty-two papers ; 
 and the assault on the Sixth Massachusetts Regiment in Baltimore ran the edition 
 of April 20 up to ninety-two thousand four hundred and forty-eight, — then the 
 largest number of Heralds ever published and sold in one day. The circulation 
 remained up among the seventy thousands during May, June, July, August, and 
 September, when it began to drop a little, and, in December, had declined to sixty- 
 three thousand six hundred and fifty-three. The white-paper bill for 1861 was 
 over one hundred and eight thousand dollars ; forty thousand dollars were paid in 
 salaries, and six thousand five hundred dollars for telegraph tolls. 
 
 The average daily circulation during 1862 was sixty-five thousand one hundred 
 
48 History of the Herald. 
 
 and sixteen. Important war news, however, sometimes temporarily sent it up as 
 high as eightj-four thousand ; but in the latter part of the year there was a heavy 
 falling off, the December average being but thirty-four thousand seven hundred and 
 fifty-nine. This was owing, in part, to a period of inactivity at the seat of war; or, 
 more properly, a time during which no great battles were fought, and when the 
 anxiety for war news, so strong at first, had begun to decline, as the conflict became 
 an ".old story." There was plenty of news, but, as the newsboys used to say, 
 " nothing to holler." Another, and perhaps the most immediate cause of the 
 decline, was the increase of the price of the Herald, on December i, to two cents 
 per copy, — a step rendered necessary by the great cost of white paper at that time. 
 The paper bills of the Herald that year amounted to ninety-three thousand five 
 hundred dollars ; the salaries paid its attacJids reached forty-three thousand dollars, 
 — an increase of three thousand dollars over the previous year, — and the telegraph 
 bills aggregated over eight thousand dollars. 
 
 In 1863 the average daily circulation was thirty-six thousand one hundred and 
 twenty-eight ; though in July, during the draft riots and Lee's march into Pennsyl- 
 vania, the editions ran as high as seventy-four thousand. The presses then in use 
 having been found inadequate to supply the demand for papers, the four-cylinder 
 Hoe was discarded and its place filled in July by a six-cylinder machine, built 
 especially for the Herald by the same maker. This was the second six-cylinder 
 put in use, and the two were run side by side for ten years thereafter. The paper 
 bill in 1863 was ninety-five thousand dollars; the salaries, forty-six thousand five 
 hundred dollars, — an increase of three thousand five hundred dollars, — and the cost 
 of telegraphing, eight thousand dollars. 
 
 The year 1864 exhibited an improvement in the circulation, which averaged 
 thirty-seven thousand and eighty-eight. There were no very "large days" in that 
 year ; the heaviest single edition was fifty thousand eight hundred and eighty, but 
 the books showed a steady, regular demand. The price of white paper continued to 
 rise, and the proprietors of Bostop dailies were forced to increase the price of their 
 journals accordingly in order to make a fair profit. A mutual agreement was 
 entered upon, therefore, and went into effect on August 15, whereby the Herald 
 charged three cents per copy and the other dailies five cents. The white-paper bill 
 for 1864 was one hundred and twenty-eight thousand dollars ; the salaries amounted 
 to fifty-eight thousand dollars, and telegraph charges of ten thousand five hundred 
 dollars were paid. 
 
 On April 15 a fire, originating in the press-room, damaged that, the editorial 
 offices, and the composing-room, to a considerable extent, and the building being 
 deluged with water used to extinguish the flames, the work of getting out the paper 
 was pursued with considerable diflSculty. The loss by fire and water was about one 
 thousand five hundred dollars. 
 
 On the ist of June, 1865, the price of the Herald was reduced to its old figures. 
 
History of the Herald. 49 
 
 — two cents a copy. The circulation that year averaged thirty-seven thousand six 
 hundred and seventeen daily, though in April it was forty-nine thousand and six, 
 in May forty thousand two hundred and ninety-three, and in June and July about 
 the same. The largest issue in one day was eighty-three thousand five hundred and 
 twenty, April 15, when the assassination of President Lincoln was reported. The 
 report of the evacuation of Richmond sold sixty thousand Heralds on April 3, and 
 an equal number was disposed of April lo, when Lee's surrender was announced. 
 The paper bill of this year was about the same as that of the year previous ; but the 
 telegraph expenses ran up to fifteen thousand dollars, — an increase of four thousand 
 five hundred dollars. 
 
 The Herald's circulation in 1866 averaged forty-five thousand eight hundred 
 and forty-eight daily. The Fenian operations on the Canadian border, during the 
 first half of the year, were fully reported by special correspondents with the "Boys 
 in Green," and on several occasions these reports sold an edition of seventy thousand 
 and more. Other events of note held the circulation well up, and the increase over 
 the daily average of the preceding year was eight thousand two hundred and thirty- 
 one copies. 
 
 Twenty-one compositors were then regularly employed, and the average weekly 
 composition bill was five hundred dollars. Paper that year cost one hundred and 
 fifty-two thousand dollars, and the telegraph bill was fifteen thousand five hundred 
 dollars. 
 
 In 1867 seventy persons were on the Herald's pay-roll, — a larger number than 
 ever before. The circulation showed a steady increase, beginning with an average 
 daily issue of forty-seven thousand one hundred and fifty-five copies in January, and 
 reaching an average of fifty-three thousand one hundred and seven in December ; 
 the average for the whole year being fifty-two thousand one hundred and eighteen. 
 On several occasions the daily editions reached sixty thousand ; and the election 
 returns raised the number, on Nov. 4, to sixty-eight thousand one hundred and 
 sixty, and, on November 5, to seventy-two thousand seven hundred and twenty. The 
 paper bill for that year was one hundred and fifty-six thousand dollai'S, and the 
 expense of telegraphing, twenty-three thousand dollars. 
 
 The impeachment of President Johnson early in the year, and the presidential 
 campaign which came later, aided in swelling the Herald's circulation in 1868, and 
 its increase over that of 1867 was two thousand six hundred and twenty-two copies 
 daily, the average circulation of the entire twelvemonth being fifty-four thousand 
 seven hundred and forty. On twelve days the number of copies sold exceeded sixty 
 thousand ; the report of the October elections necessitated an edition of sixty-six 
 thousand nine hundred and sixty; and the returns of the presidential election, 
 seventy-one thousand five hundred and twenty, and seventy-eight thousand and two, 
 on Nov. 3 and 4, respectively. The paper bill for 1868 was one hundred and fifty- 
 three thousand dollars, and the cost of telegraphing, twenty-eight thousand dollars. 
 4 
 
50 History of the Herald. 
 
 V. 
 
 THE HERALD FROM 1869 TO 1878. 
 
 THE HERALD PURCHASED BY ITS PRESENT PROPRIETORS. — PROMISES AND PRE- 
 DICTIONS, AND HOW THEY HAVE BEEN FULFILLED. — THE IMPORTANT EVENTS 
 OF THE LAST DECADE. — GROWTH OF THE HERALD's CIRCULATION. — THE 
 ORGANIZATION AND SYSTEM OF THE OFFICE. 
 
 In 1869 occurred an important event in the Herald's history. Mr. Bailey, who 
 had acquired an interest in 1855, and became sole proprietor" in 1856, decided to sell 
 out; and on April i it was announced that he had disposed of the paper, its good- 
 will, subscription list, agencies, advertising patronage, type, machinery, in fact 
 everything connected with it, to Messrs. Royal M. Pulsifer, Edwin B. Haskell, 
 Charles H. Andrews, Justin Andrews, and George G. Bailey. All of these gentle- 
 men were at that time, and had for some years previously (as noted before) been 
 connected with the Herald, the first named in the business department, the three 
 next on the editorial staff, and the latter as foreman of the composing-room. 
 
 In announcing their purchase, the firm, which was then, and has ever since 
 been, styled R. M. Pulsifer & Co., said, in the editorial column on April i : — 
 
 "We shall use our best endeavors to make the Herald strictly a newspaper, 
 with the freshest and most trustworthy intelligence of all that is going on in this 
 busy age ; and to this end we shall spare no expense in any department. 
 The Herald will be in the future, as it has been in the past, essentially a people's 
 paper, the organ of no clique or party, advocating at all proper times those meas- 
 ures which tend to promote the welfare of our country, and to secure the greatest 
 good to the greatest number. It will exert its influence in favor of simplicity and 
 economy in the administration of the governmenrt, and toleration and liberality in 
 our social institutions. It will not hesitate to point out abuses, or to commend good 
 measures, from whatever source they come, and it will contain candid reports of all 
 proceedings which go to make up the discussions of current topics. It will give its 
 readers all the news, condensed when necessary, and in an intelligible and readable 
 form, with a free use of the telegraph by reliable reporters and correspondents. 
 . . . . The Herald is firmly established upon a permanent foundation, and we 
 assure our old friends, with whom we cordially renew our relations, that we shall do 
 everything in our power to secure its popularity in the future by deserving their 
 patronage." 
 
History of the Herald. 51 
 
 How well these promises and predictions have been fulfilled, the readers of the 
 Herald are aware. 
 
 The Herald, under its new management, showed great enterprise, and during 
 the year the circulation rose from a daily average of fifty-three thousand four hun- 
 dred and sixty-five in January, to sixty thousand five hundred and thirty-five in 
 December, the increase being regular and permanent, and not caused by any " spurts " 
 arising from extraordinary events. The largest daily issue was seventy-five thousand 
 eight hundred and forty-four, on Sept. 9, the day after the great storm ; but, aside 
 from that, sixty-eight thousand was the highest number of papers printed in one 
 day, and the average for the year was fifty-seven thousand and sixty-seven. Seventy- 
 five men were on the paj'-roll, twenty-four of whom were compositors, and the 
 average weekly composition bill was five hundred and forty dollars. The bills for 
 paper and telegraphing that year were one hundred and twenty-two thousand, and 
 twentv-two thousand dollars, respectively. 
 
 The Herald job-printing office, which, up to that date, had been carried on in 
 connection with the paper by the proprietors, was, on Jan. i, 1870, sold to Mr. W. 
 P. Bailey, who had been in charge of it for two years previous. 
 
 On New Year's Day, 1870, the Herald was enlarged (for the third time) to its 
 present size, another column being added to its width, and the length of its pages 
 being increased in symmetrical proportion. The price was not raised, however, and 
 the reading public was quick to appreciate the advantages of the change, as is proved 
 by the rapid rise in the circulation. The j^ear was a good one for news, both of a 
 local and general character, and great pains were taken to secure full reports of 
 every occurrence of note at home and abroad. The "Fenian raid " in May was 
 closely followed and faithfully chronicled by special correspondents, and the 
 Herald's reports sold as many as ninety-five thousand papers on several days. The 
 Franco-Prussian war aided in sending the circulation along during the latter part of 
 the 3'ear, and reports of several important engagements increased the daily issue 
 to more than ninety thousand. On Sept. 3 the circulation, for the first time, passed 
 above one hundred thousand, the paper containing the account of the battle of 
 Sedan reaching a sale of over one hundred and five thousand copies. "This," said 
 the editor, on the day following, "was a daj^'s work unprecedented in Boston, and, 
 considering the respective fields of circulation, unequalled in New York." The 
 average daily circulation for the entire year was seventy-three thousand one hundred 
 and twenty-nine, — an increase of sixteen thousand and sixty-two over that of the 
 preceding twelvemonth. 
 
 Finding that it was impossible, with the growing circulation of the paper, to 
 supply the demand with the two six-cylinder presses, printing from type, it was 
 determined, early in the year, to stereotype the forms, so that duplicate plates could 
 be used simultaneously on both presses. The requisite machinery was introduced, 
 therefore, and on June 8, 1870, it was put in use for the first time. Since then the 
 
52 History of the Herald. 
 
 Herald has been printed from stereotype plates, and is the only paper in Boston 
 employing this method, the others printing direct from the type. 
 
 In 1871 the average daily circulation was eighty-three thousand nine hundred 
 and twenty-nine, a gain of nearly eleven thousand over that of 1870. The increase 
 was steady throughout the year ; while the dail}' average for January was seventy- 
 nine thousand six hundred and eleven, that for December was ninety thousand one 
 hundred and eighty. Several times during the intervening period the daily issue 
 overran one hundred thousand ; notably on August 28, when one hundred and 
 eleven thousand eight hundred and forty Heralds, containing a description of the 
 Eastern Railroad disaster, at Revere, were sold; on October 10, 11, and 14, when 
 one hundred and thirteen thousand two hundred and eighty, one hundred and eight 
 thousand, and one hundred thousand and eight}' copies, respectively, were disposed 
 of to people anxious to learn the particulars of the great conflagration in Chicago ; 
 and on November 8, when the election returns were printed, in an edition of one 
 hundred thousand three hundred and twenty. Another "big day" was July 12, 
 when the Orange riot in New York was reported, and ninety-six thousand two hun- 
 dred and forty copies of the Herald were sold. 
 
 On October i, 1871, Mr. George G. Bailey disposed of his interest in the paper 
 to the other proprietors, and retired from the firm. 
 
 The year 1872 brought a further increase in circulation, the daily average being 
 ninety-three thousand four hundred and ninety, nearly ten thousand more than that 
 ofi87i. The occasions were quite frequent when the editions ran above one hun- 
 dred thousand, no less than thirty such being noted on the books. On January 8, 
 the assassination of James Fisk, Jr., sold one hundred and thirteen thousand seven 
 hundred and sixty copies ; the destruction of the incomplete Jubilee Coliseum by a 
 gale created a demand for one hundred and eight thousand two hundred and forty 
 copies, on April 27 ; a murder at the North End excited the curiosity of one hundred 
 and nineteen thousand two hundred and eighty Herald buyers, on July 19 ; the Octo- 
 ber election news required an edition of one hundred thousand seven hundred and 
 forty-eight, and the returns of the November election, editions of one hundred and 
 twelve thousand seven hundred and ninety-two, one hundred and nineteen thousand 
 and seventy-six, and one hundred and ten thousand six hundred and six, on the 5th, 
 6th, and 7th respectively. 
 
 The first Bullock perfecting press ever used north of New York was put in 
 operation in the Herald office in June, 1872, and by its aid the editions, which had 
 become too large for the capacity of the two Hoe presses, were printed with greater 
 despatch. This press "feeds" itself from a continuous roll, prints both sides, cuts 
 and delivers the papers complete, at the rate of eighteen thousand to twenty thousand 
 per hour. 
 
 The great fire of Nov. 9, 10, was, of course, the e\^nt of the year 1872, and the 
 resources of Boston newspapers were taxed to the utmost to supply the demand for 
 
History of the Herald. 53 
 
 details of the Calamity. That week was a hard one for everybody connected with the 
 daily press. The beautiful new building of the "Transcript" was destroyed; the 
 "Post" building was in such imminent danger that a speedy removal of much of 
 the material was considered necessary ; and at one time it seemed scarcely possible 
 that the march of the conflagration could be stopped before it involved the "Journal," 
 Herald, and " Globe" offices in the common ruin. But these papers were spared, 
 with the "Advertiser" and "Traveler," to chronicle the exciting events of those 
 terrible days and nights. Nearly every attache of the Herald was on duty for 
 forty-eight hours continuously, and many of the editors and reporters for even a 
 longer period, without rest or sleep. Editors became reporters for the nonce, and, 
 like them, explored the dangerous regions of the "burnt district," at the risk of life 
 and limb, returning, with smoke-grimed hands and faces, to report the progress of 
 the devastating element. All worked unceasingly, from the editor-in-chief to the 
 " devil " in the composing-room ; and the clang of the presses was heard from morn- 
 ing until night, and from night until morning. The first edition of The Sunday 
 Herald of Nov. lo contained five columns of fire-reports, and extras were issued at 
 frequent intervals through the day, with additional particulars as fast as they could 
 be gathered. On Monday morning sixteen columns concerning the conflagration 
 were published ; on Tuesday, twelve ; on Wednesday, eleven ; on Thursday and 
 Friday, six each ; on Saturday, ten ; and so on. No less than one hundred and nine 
 thousand two hundred and fifty copies of The Sunday Herald were sold. On 
 Monday the two six-cylinder Hoe presses and the Bullock press were run at their 
 utmost speed, the total number of Heralds printed that day being two hundred 
 and twenty thousand, and even then the supply ran short of the demand. On 
 Tuesday one hundred and fifty-four thousand four hundred and eighty-two copies* 
 were sold, and immense editions were issued daily for a long period thereafter. 
 
 On the ist of January, 1873, Mr. Justin Andrews, who had been connected with 
 the Herald as one of its editors since 1856, and as one of the proprietors who 
 succeeded Mr. E. C. Bailey in 1S69, sold his interest in the paper to his partners, 
 Messi-s. Pulsifer, Haskell, and Charles H. Andrews, and retired from newspaper life 
 altogether. 
 
 During seven months of 1873 the average daily circulation exceeded one 
 hundred thousand, and in the remaining five it so nearly reached that amount that 
 the average for the year was one hundred and one thousand seven hundred and 
 fiftj'-three, — a gain of eight thousand two hundred and sixty-three over that of the 
 preceding year. The Geneva Conference, the Credit Mobilier scandal, and other 
 events of national importance, increased the issue on several days as high as one 
 hundred and thirty-seven thousand. Fifty compositors were emploj'ed this jear, 
 and the average weekly bill for composition was twelve hundred dollars. 
 
 In 1874 the average daily circulation was one hundred and seven thousand three 
 hundred and fifty-one, — five thousand five hundred and ninety-eight more per day 
 
54 History of the Herald. 
 
 than in 1S73, — and there were few "big days" to swell the average, the editions 
 being remarkably uniform in size throughout the year. The largest single day's sale 
 was on November 4, — one hundred and thirty-nine thousand two hundred and 
 twelve copies, containing the election returns. The Beecher and Tilton statements 
 and reports of the trial of the " Brooklyn Scandal" case created a demand, on several 
 occasions, which from one hundred and thirty thousand to one hundred and thirty- 
 seven thousand copies were necessary to satisfy; and the report of the " second fire" 
 in Chicago, in July, sold one hundred and thirty thousand and eighty-six copies. 
 In December the two six-cylinder presses were taken out of the press-room, and 
 their places filled with new Bullock perfecting presses, similar to that introduced 
 two years previous, but with a number of iinprovements which increased their 
 capacity for speed. Fift3'--four compositors were employed in 1874, and the force in 
 the other departments was correspondingly large. 
 
 The average daily circulation in 1875 was a little over five thousand more than 
 during the preceding year, being one hundred and twelve thousand three hundred 
 and seventy copies. The greatest number printed in a single day was one hundred 
 and fifty-eight thousand six hundred and ninety-eight, on May 27, during the 
 Beecher trial ; the next in size was one hundred and fifty-seven thousand one hun- 
 dred and sixty-nine, on the day following the centennial celebration of the battle of 
 Bunker Hill ; the next, one hundred and thirty-four thousand nine hundred and 
 fifty-two, on June 26, the paper containing reports of the execution of Wagner, 
 Gordon, and Costley; the next, one hundred and thirty-four thousand four hundred 
 and thirty, the day after the November election ; the next, one hundred and thirty- 
 two thousand five hundred and seventy-seven, on April 20, with an account of the 
 •celebration of the anniversary of the " Concord fight." The daily was first issued 
 in quarto form (eight pages) on the last-named date. Another quarto was published 
 on June 18, to contain the Bunker Hill report; and subsequently, on a number of 
 occasions, Saturday's editions were increased to eight pages, in order to do justice to 
 readers as well as advertising patrons. Seventy-four compositors were employed 
 in 1875, and the weekly composition bill averaged one thousand four hundred 
 dollars. 
 
 The circulation in 1876 averaged one hundred and sixteen thousand five hun- 
 dred and sixty-eight copies per day, the exciting political campaign of that year 
 aiding, among other things, largely to increase the sale. The exposure of Secretary 
 Belknap's rascality, first made public by the Washington correspondent of the Her- 
 ald ; W^inslow's defalcation and flight, his adventures in Europe (where he was 
 tracked, followed, discovered, and "interviewed" by a Herald correspondent), and 
 his letters explanatory of his position ; and a number of other notable events which 
 need not be recounted here, — also created a large demand for the paper. The Her- 
 ald's reports of the "belfry tragedy," and Piper's trial, conviction, confession, and 
 execution, likewise swelled the local sales. The issue of February 15, containing 
 
History of the Herald. 55 
 
 the Winslow story, was one hundred and thirty thousand six hundred and twenty- 
 four copies ; that containing Piper's first confession, April 22, was one hundred and 
 thirty-four thousand seven hundred and ten copies; that of May 8, reporting his 
 second statement (a Herald "exclusive"), one hundred and fifty-eight thousand 
 four hundred and two copies ; that of May 26, having an account of his execution, 
 one hundred and seventy-four thousand three hundred and eighteen copies ; that 
 containing returns of the October election (October 11), one hundred and thirty- 
 nine thousand four hundred and eighty copies ; that on the day of the presidential 
 election, one hundred and forty-seven thousand two hundred and sixteen copies. 
 The largest number of copies ever printed in one day in the Herald office was two 
 hundred and twenty-three thousand two hundred and fifty-six, on November 8, the 
 day after the election. The paper on that occasion was in quarto form, double its 
 usual size, and extra editions were made as often as additional returns from the 
 doubtful States were received. The three Bullock presses and a Mayall perfecting 
 press, which had been put in for trial, were run at their utmost speed throughout the 
 day and until late in the evening, and still the demand was greater than the supplv. 
 The magnitude of the day's work can be better understood when we state that over 
 fourteen tons of paper were printed and sold between 4, A.M., and 11, P.M., — an 
 amount which would make a continuous sheet of the width of the Herald two 
 hundred and fifty miles long. It is safe to say that no other paper in the country 
 equalled the Herald in circulation that da3^ The "New York Sun" claimed an edi- 
 tion of two hundred and twenty thousand, and boasted that it was " never before 
 paralleled or approached in the experience of any daily newspaper in the United 
 States;" but the Herald's great-fire number reached those figures, and on this 
 occasion it had "a clear majority" of three thousand two hundred and fift^-six over 
 the " Sun." On November 9 one hundred and ninety thousand three hundred and 
 eighty-four copies of the Herald were sold ; on the loth one hundred and fifty- 
 eight thousand and forty-one; on the nth one hundred and fifty-six thousand nine 
 hundred and six, and so on, the average circulation for the entire month reaching 
 one hundred and twenty-eight thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven. In 
 December the election excitement had died out, and the average daily issue was 
 one hundred and twelve thousand eight hundred and thirty-eight. Eighty-two com- 
 positors were employed in 1876, the bill for composition averaging sixteen hundred 
 dollars weekly. 
 
 In January, 1877, a fourth Bullock press was put into the Herald office, the 
 Mayall being removed to the basement of No. 33 Hawley street, where type, stands 
 for fifty compositors, a complete apparatus for stereotyping, and all the necessary 
 machinery, materials, and implements are kept in readiness to "start up " at any 
 moment, in case a fire or other disaster prevents the issue of the regular editions in 
 the main office. 
 
 There was no hotly-contested presidential campaign in 1877, to create any extra 
 
66 History of the Herald. 
 
 demand for papers; and, after the excitement attendant upon the counting of the 
 electoral vote, the appointment, deliberations, and decisions of the Electoral Com- 
 mission, and the inauguration of Mr. Hajes as President, had died out, there was, 
 for a long_ period, a dearth of important news in this country, no event of national 
 importance occurring which interested the reading public to the degree that the 
 disputed election and its consequent controversies in Congress did. The war 
 between Russia and Turkey, which broke out the last of April, seemed to interest 
 fewer people in the United States than did the Franco-Prussian struggle, and intel- 
 ligence of the most important engagements failed to increase the sale of papers to 
 a perceptible extent. This lack of exciting news at home, and the slight interest 
 felt in that from abroad, together with the general depression in business, which 
 enforced economy in all quarters, particularly among people who depended upon 
 their labor for support, affected the subscription-lists and sales of daily newspapers 
 throughout the country. The "New York Sun," which in 1876 had a circulation of 
 one hundred and forty thousand, — the largest of any daily in the United States, — 
 admitted, at the close of the year 1877, a loss of thirty-five thousand ; and other 
 metropolitan papers suffered in proportion, though they were not so frank in 
 acknowledging it as the " Sun." So, also, all over the country, the causes above 
 mentioned affected papers of all parties and shades of opinion. The Herald, like 
 all its contemporaries, felt these unfavorable influences to a certain extent during 
 the summer months and early autumn,. but less than many newspapers having a 
 much wider field. Towards the close of the fall, however, a marked improvement 
 in its circulation was visible (which still continues), and the summing up of the 
 year showed an average daily issue of one hundred and two thousand nine hundred 
 and fifty-eight copies. 
 
 The army of men employed in the various departments of the Herald at the 
 present time would astonish the founders and first editors of the paper. In 1.846 
 the editorial and reportorial "staff" was composed of two men; how it includes 
 forty-four. Six compositors were, employed then; now there are eighty-four. One 
 pressman and an assistant easily printed the Herald, and another daily paper as 
 well, in those days upon one small, slow pi-ess ; now thirty men find constant 
 employment in attending the engines and the four latest improved perfecting- 
 presses required to issued the editions on time. The business department was then 
 conducted with ease by one man, who generally found time to attend to the mailing 
 and sale of papers; now fourteen persons have plenty to do in the counting-room, 
 and the delivery-room engages the services of sixteen. Then stereotyping the 
 forms of a daily newspaper was an unheard-of proceeding; now, eleven men are 
 employed in the Herald's foundry. The salaries and bills for composition 
 aggregated scarcely one hundred and fifty dollars per week then ; now the weekly 
 composition bill averages over one thousand six hundred dollars, and the pay-roll 
 of the other departments reaches two thousand dollars every week, and frequently 
 
History of the Herald. 57 
 
 exceeds that sum. Then the Herald depended for outside news upon the meagre 
 despatches of telegraph agencies in New York (the New York "Associated Press" 
 system was not inaugurated until 1848-9, and New England papers were not 
 admitted to the privilege of purchasing its news until some years later), and such 
 occasional correspondence as its friends in this and other States sent in, free of 
 charge. Now it not only receives the full despatches of the Associated Press, but 
 has news bureaus of its own in New York and Washington, special correspond- 
 ents in the principal cities and towns of New England to the number of more than 
 two hundred, and others in Buffalo, N.Y., Philadelphia and Pittsburg, Penn., 
 Baltimore, Md., Richmond, Va., Charleston, S.C., Cincinnati, O., Louisville, Ky., 
 St. Louis, Mo., New Orleans, La., Chicago, 111., Detroit, Mich., Omaha, Neb., 
 San Francisco, Cal., Montreal, P.Q^, St. John, N.B., Halifax, N.S., and else- 
 where. All these are in constant communication with the office, and are instructed 
 to use the telegraph without stint when occasion demands. In Europe, the Herald 
 has correspondents at London, Paris, Hamburg, and Rome. 
 
 In short, it may be said, without boasting, that the Herald to-day is as well 
 equipped in every respect as any paper in the country ; and it will be the constant 
 endeavor of its proprietors and editors, in the future, as it has been in the past, 
 to keep abreast of the times in everything which goes to make a first-class 
 newspaper. 
 
 VI. 
 
 THE SUNDAY HERALD. 
 
 A BRIEF SKETCH OF ITS ORIGIN AND PROGRESS. — A SUCCESS FROM THE OUTSET. 
 — ITS HISTORY DOWN TO THE PRESENT TIME. 
 
 The Sunday papers published in Boston in 1861 were, for the most part, devoted 
 to what is called in a newspaper office "general matter," and little attention was 
 paid to the collection and publication of news outside the city. Believing that there 
 was an ample field for a Sunday newspaper, the proprietor of the Daily Herald, on 
 May 26 of that year, issued the first number of The Sunday Herald. It was of 
 the same size as the daily, but contained much more reading matter, and, in addition 
 to all the news of the day (the civil war had just begun, and news was plenty, and 
 eagerly sought for by the public), gave a review of prominent events of the 
 preceding week in literary, social, musical, theatrical, and sporting circles, and 
 
X 
 58 Histoiy of the Herald. 
 
 treateci of other interesting topics. The price was two dollars per annum, and five 
 cents a copy. An edition of ten thous and eight hundred was printed of the first 
 number. The editorial force engaged in preparing it consisted of Messrs. H. R. 
 Tracy, Justin Andrews, Charles H. Andrews, Luther L. Holden, Edwin B. Haskell, 
 Zenas T. Haines, John M. Oxton, and S. W. Mason. About twenty men were 
 employed in all the departments of the office in getting out the Sunday edition. 
 
 The new sheet was received with favor by the reading public, and its average 
 circulation during the remainder of the year was seven thousand three hundred and 
 eighty-seven copies. 
 
 In 1862 the average circulation was seven thousand nine hundred and seventy- 
 seven, — an increase of about six hundred, the largest single edition being that of 
 August 31, — seventeen thousand and forty copies, containing news of the battles in 
 front of Fredericksburg. In 1863 the average circulation was eight thousand two 
 hundred and seven, and the greatest single edition eighteen thousand, — on July 
 5, when the battle of Gettysburg was reported. In 1864 the circulation rose rapidly 
 from an average of seven thousand two hundred and sixty-seven in January, to ten 
 thousand eight hundred and ninety in December, the average for the year being ten 
 thousand one hundred and seventy. No paper was published on April 17, because 
 of a fire on the previous day in the press-room, which rendered it impossible to use 
 the presses. The largest single editions were eighteen thousand four hundred and 
 eightj'j twenty-one thousand three hundred and sixty, and fourteen thousand four 
 hundred, on May 8, 15, and 22, respectively, when the war news was of unusual 
 interest and importance. In 1865 the circulation averaged twelve thousand nine 
 hundred and seventy, reports of the exciting events of the then-closing war, the 
 assassin^ion of President Lincoln, the capture of Jeff" Davis, etc., sending up the 
 editions as high as thirty-two thousand on several occasions. In 1866, though the 
 war had closed, the circulation held good, than which no better evidence is needed 
 that The Sunday Herald was appreciated. The average during the year was 
 twelve thousand four hundred and six, and there were no extra large editions to 
 increase the figures. The next year showed but little change, the increase being 
 only four hundred and eighty-three copies, and the circulation twelve thousand eight 
 hundred and eighty-nine. In 1868 the circulation averaged twelve thousand three 
 hundred and eighteen. In 1869, twelve thousand and sixty-nine. On January 2, 
 1870, the paper was enlarged at the same time with the daily, and the same causes 
 which swelled the latter's circulation operated favorably for the former, the average 
 for the year being sixteen thousand and forty-one. The editions on several Sundays 
 during the Fenian excitement and the Franco-Prussian war were as large as twenty 
 to twenty-four thousand. 
 
 The year 1871 brought a gratifjang increase; for, beginning with an average of 
 sixteen thousand eight hundred in January, there was a steady gain till December, 
 when the edition reached twenty-one thousand four hundred and eight ; the average 
 
History of the Herald. 59 
 
 circulation for the whole twelve months being nineteen thousand seven hundred and 
 fifteen. The gain continued in 1872, the edition in January being twenty-one 
 thousand nine hundred; and, in December, twentj-four thousand nine hundred and 
 twentj-nine; while the year's average was twenty-five thousand six hundred and one. 
 The largest single day's sale was one hundred and nine thousand two hundred and 
 fifty, the day of the great fire, November 10 ; and the next in size that of the Sunday 
 following, twenty-nine thousand six hundred and twenty-two. The increase in 1873 
 was one thousand seven hundred and sixty-four, the average edition during the year 
 being twenty-seven thousand three hundred and sixty-five. The editions were 
 remarkably uniform in size, only twelve of the fifty-two being above twenty-seven 
 thousand, and the largest of these thirty-one thousand two hundred, the day follow- 
 ing the Revere disaster on the Eastern Railroad. The average circulation for 1874 
 was twenty-eight thousand seven hundred and ninety-three, — again oF one thou- 
 sand four hundred and twenty-eight on that of 1873. In this year there were eight 
 Sunday's on which the editions ran above thirty thousand, — July 5 ("Independence 
 Day" reports), thirty-four thousand two hundred and fifty; July 19 (report of the 
 discovery of the body of Katy Curran, Pomeroy's victim), thirty-nine thousand one 
 hundred and twenty; July 26 (Beecher-Tilton statements), thirty-five thousand two 
 hundred; August 2 (more Beecher statements), thirty-seven thousand two hundred; 
 September 20 (the great fire at Fall River), thirty-six thousand; October 4, Novem- 
 ber 8, December 6 and 13 (still more Brooklyn scandal reports), thirty-four thousand 
 nine hundred, thirty-two thousand, thirty thousand, and thirty thousand, respectively. 
 The year 1875 opened with The Sunday Herald circulating twenty-eight thousand 
 eight hundred and ninety-four copies, and in May it had reached thirty-two thousand 
 one hundred and fourteen. On the 30th of that month the paper was doubled in 
 size, its pages being increased to eight; and other improvements, which had for 
 some time been in contemplation, were made. The price, however, was not raised 
 from the old rates. The public was quick to appreciate the change for the better, the 
 sales and subscriptions increased rapidly, and of the last number of the year 
 (December 26), fifty-seven thousand four hundred and twentj^-nine copies were sold. 
 The average circulation for the entire year was thirty-nine thousand and sixty-three, — 
 a clear gain of ten thousand two hundred and seventy over that of 1874. There was 
 a steady increase in 1876, the circulation averaging sixty-three thousand one hundred 
 and thirty-two the year through, — twenty-four thousand and sixty-nine more than 
 during the preceding year. There were a number of notably large editions in 1876, 
 among them that of July 30, in which E. D. Winslow's letters explaining the con- 
 dition of his affairs and the reason of his flight appeared, and seventy-one thdlisand 
 and fifteen copies were disposed of; and those of November 12 and 19, which were 
 eighty-seven thousand four hundred and seventy-nine, and seventy-three thousand 
 four hundred and eighty-six, respectively, issued during the exciting times following 
 the presidential election. During the past year (1877), notwithstanding the dearth 
 
60 History of the Herald. 
 
 of "startling news" and the depression in business, the circulation of The Sunday 
 Herald did not diminish, but, on the contrary, increased ; the average for the fifty- 
 two weeks being sixty-four thousand eight hundred and fifty-one — a gain of one 
 thousand seven hundred and nineteen over the year previous, and the largest 
 circulation attained by any Sunday paper in the United States. 
 
 VII. 
 
 THE NEW HERALD BUILDING. 
 
 DESCRIPTION OF THE EDIFICE BUILT ESPECIALLY FOR THE DAILY AND SUNDAY 
 HERALD, AND OCCUPIED FEBRUARY 9, 1878. — A GLIMPSE INTO ALL ITS DE- 
 PARTMENTS. — DESCRIPTION OF ITS EXTERIOR AND INTERIOR. 
 
 It has been stated already, in the foregoing sketch of the Herald's history, 
 that its oflSce was first located in Wilson's lane (or Devonshire street), was then 
 removed to State street, next to Post-office avenue, later to Water street, and finally, 
 in September, 1850, to No. 6 Will-iams court. At first, only a portion of the build- 
 ing last named was occupied ; but as the growing needs of the paper demanded 
 more space, more was taken, until the entire structure, together with a portion of 
 No. 4, was used for editorial, reportorial, composing, and press rooms. The old 
 edifice was ill-adapted for newspaper purposes, and many extensive and expensive 
 alterations were made from time to time ; still it was far from meeting the require- 
 ments of a good office, in size or convenience. Several years ago, therefore, the 
 proprietors of the Herald determined to erect a building especially for their use, 
 and, with this end in view, looked about for a suitable location. Finally the estate 
 No. 255 (formerly Nos. 113 and 115) Washington street was selected, because it 
 possessed a number of advantages difficult to obtain elsewhere, among them being 
 its close proximity to the old office, its nearness to the business portion of the city, 
 its convenience of access from Williams court, etc. ; and upon this was constructed 
 in 1877-8 the edifice hereinafter described. 
 
 The new Herald building covers three lots, on which previously stood three 
 distinct buildings, — the old Bumstead and Bradlee estates on Washington street 
 (formerly numbered 113 and 115), and the estate at No. 4 Williams court. Samuel 
 Bradlee, father of Nathaniel J. Bradlee, the well-known architect of this city, pur- 
 chased his estate in 1805, for $7,500, — quite a difference from its value to-day. In 
 1810 the buildings on both these estates were destroyed by fire, and Mr. Bradlee 
 
History of the Herald. . 61 
 
 offered to sell his lot to Deacon Josiah Bumstead for $7,500, or to buy the deacon's 
 for the same amount. This, however, was refused, and the Bradlee estate remained 
 in the family until 187 1, when it was sold to the Herald proprietors. The Bum- 
 stead estate changed hands oftener, for it was sold by the Bumstead heirs to Warren 
 Sherburne in 1865, or thereabouts ; by the latter to E. C. Bailey in 1867, and hy Mr. 
 Bailey to the present owners in 187 1. The Washington-street estates were always 
 well tenanted ; among the best-known occupants being Oliver Ditson, the music 
 publisher and dealer; Mr. Wilmot, clothing dealer (noAV a few doors south) ; A. W. 
 Southwick, dealer in clocks ; and Dodge, Collier, & Perkins, manufacturers and 
 dealers in picture-frames. The estate No. 4 Williams court was purchased from 
 Edwin C. Bailey in 1871. The building had been used, like some others in the 
 court, for many years as a printing-office. 
 
 The lot has a front on Washington' street of thirty-one feet nine inches, and a 
 width in the rear of twenty-six feet. On the north, or longest line, the distance 
 from the street-front to the rear is one hundred and seventy-nine feet, and on the 
 south line the depth is one hundred and seventy-two feet. The Williams-court 
 estate, which joins the other in such a manner that the whole is something in this 
 shape (H)j has a frontage of twenty-four and one-half feet on the court, and a width 
 of twenty-three feet at its junction with the main lot. The length from the latter to 
 the court is forty-five feet on the eastern line, and forty-three feet on the western 
 line. This gives a total ground-surface of a little more than six thousand two 
 hundred square feet. 
 
 Building operations were begun on April 2, 1877, when the work of demolishing 
 the old structures on the site was undertaken. This was completed on April 9, and 
 excavations for the cellar and foundations were commenced ; and as the Herald 
 basement was to be much deeper than those of adjoining buildings, it was necessary 
 to put in new and more substantial foundations for them. This difficult task was 
 completed on June 21, and work was then begun on the Herald building. The 
 walls, which were laid in cement, are from sixteen to twenty-four inches in thick- 
 ness, and, together with the first floors and the roofs, required one million and 
 a half bricks to complete. The number of cartloads of dirt taken out of the base- 
 ment was about eleven thousand I The L? or Williams-court section, was not 
 commenced until the other buildings had been erected and covered in. 
 
 The whole lot is occupied by the basement of the building for purposes which 
 will be hereafter noted. The first story covers the same surface, with the exception 
 of three areas, the main one of which is fifteen by eighteen feet in the first story, 
 and widens out to twenty-three by twenty-eight and one-half feet above, separating 
 the structure into substantially two buildings, the front one being that vipcn 
 Washington street, above the counting-room, and the rear embracing the back 
 building and L, which are altogether required for the various editorial, mechanical, 
 and other departments of the paper. The rear area is sixteen by twelve feet, and 
 
62 History of the Herald. 
 
 the intermediate area is six by twenty-two feet. These latter afford light to the 
 mailing, stereotype, and press rooms. 
 
 The height of the building on Washington street, from the sidewalk to the top 
 of the roof, is just one hundred feet, and the front basement is thirteen feet below 
 the street level, so that, for use, from basement-floor to roof we have a height of 
 one hundred and thirteen feet. Add to this fifteen feet for ornamental cresting, 
 finials, and weather-vanes, and we have a height, from basement to where the 
 building presents its iron locks to the upper winds, of nearly one hundred and thirty 
 feet. In a general way it may be said that the front is in the architectural style of 
 the French Renaissance. It is composed of six floors, or stories, above the street, 
 five of which are fronted with Concord granite, with the introduction of polished 
 columns of red Bay of Fundy granite on the second and third stories, polished 
 panels of the same material in the window-caps of the third, fourth, and sixth 
 stories, and oval medallion panels in the pediment-caps of the second, third, and 
 sixth story windows. The first story has heavy rustic posts of granite, with orna- 
 mental brackets supporting the iron lintels over the wide opening to the business 
 office. These lintels are covered on their face by an iron panel, on which are the words, 
 "The Boston Herald," in gilt letters, thus forming the business sign of the estab- 
 lishment. In the second, third, fourth, and fifth stories the windows are grouped, 
 with a double window in the centre and single windows on each side. The single 
 windows in the second story, and the third-story double-windows, have ornamental 
 carved pediment-caps, and those in the fourth and fifth stories are divided by 
 pilasters running through the two stories, which support the main cornice and orna- 
 mental cortels, the latter surmounted by grotesque lions' heads. . In the frieze of the 
 cornice is an ornamental panel, bearing the words, " Herald Building," in letters 
 of polished granite. The dormer window of the upper story is entirely of granite. 
 The framework of the French roof is of iron, with ornamental trimmings of copper. 
 The covering is of heavy, thick slates, which are secured with copper wire to iron 
 purlines. On the upper part of the roof, on each side of the dormer window, are 
 two medallion heads, the one on the south side representing Mercury, and the other 
 Liberty: "Free to plan and swift to perform." The faces of the parti-walls on 
 either side, above the roofs of adjoining buildings, are ornamented with granite 
 quoins, and topped oft' with granite copings. The heights of the stories in this 
 building are : the first, or street story, fifteen feet in the clear ; the second, thirteen 
 feet in the clear; and the other four, each twelve feet in the clear. 
 
 On the street-level there are two main entrances, each distinct from the other. 
 One of these is a chambers-entrance, six and a half feet wide, and the other the 
 entrance to the business office, nineteen feet wide by six feet deep, forming a recess 
 vestibule, which, by the skill of ai'tists and artisans, is made quite finished and 
 attractive. The walls and ceiling of this vestibule are of dove-colored Vermont 
 marble, the ceiling being divided by beams into panels. The door has an orna- 
 
GENERAL MANAGER'S ROOM. 
 
 BUSINESS MANAGER'S ROOM. 
 
History of the Herald. 63 
 
 mental marble cap, with a slab of black polished marble let into the centre, on which 
 the figures " 255," being the street-number of the building, are displaj^ed in gilt. 
 
 On either side, on the upper part of the walls, reliefs of ideal heads in marble 
 are set in ; that on the north side representing Electricity, and on the south, 
 Steam. These two great energies are strongly and characteristically typified. 
 Steam is represented by a full, strong face, which impresses the beholder with an 
 idea of vast reserved power and force ; while the head of Electricity indicates 
 energy; that is, swift, subtle, far-reaching, wiry, untiring, and ceaseless activity. 
 These ideal rdpresentations of the two great forces which aid the human brains and 
 hands in the production of newspapers, are the work of Mr. Thomas R. Gould, the 
 eminent Boston sculptor, who is now practising his art in Florence, Italy. 
 
 The floor of the vestibule, which is composed of marble tiles, is divided into 
 three panels, the varieties used being Maria, Sienna, red Griotte, Echalion, and 
 black, in pleasing designs. The central panel, opposite the door, has the words 
 "Boston Herald" inlaid, in bronze letters. In front of the two windows are areas 
 for Adrhitting light to the basement, which are enclosed by ornamental railings of 
 brass. The office windows are each eleven feet high by four feet eight inches wide, 
 and set with heavy plate-glass panes, the lower ones being seven feet high and the 
 upper four feet. The entrance doors are of mahogany, of ornamental design and 
 skilled workmanship. 
 
 The business office of the Herald, to which these doors give access, is sixty- 
 eight feet long, and, from the street backward for a distance of forty-four feet, nine- 
 teen and a half feet wide. Beyond that, for twenty-four feet, the width is twentj'-seven 
 feet. On the left of the entrance is a counter twenty-nine feet in length, of marble, 
 with mahogany top, behind which are the advertising clerks, and those attending to 
 the delivery of letters and papers. Back of this counter, and against the wall, is a 
 newspaper case, divided into twelve rows of boxes, each row containing eight com- 
 partments of four divisions each, to hold spare copies of each issue of the Herald 
 for twelve months. This case is made of mahogany, and occupies almost the entire 
 length of the wall behind the outer counter. Opposite this counter is a desk, 
 twenty-seven feet in length, for the use of advertisers, upon which they may write, 
 consult files, etc. Under the desk are cases to contain the bound volumes of the 
 Herald, for reference. In the rear of the apartment is a spacious, almost semi- 
 circular counter, which commences on the left, not far in the rear of the front 
 counter, and sweeps around, coming within convenient distance of the wall on the 
 right, and leaving a passage-way around it in the rear. This counter is connected 
 with the front one by an ornamental brass railing, in which is a gate for exit and 
 entrance. Behind it are the desks of the cashier, superintendent of the delivery 
 department, and clerks. The office of the business head of the firm is in the rear of 
 space inclosed by the counter, from which it is separated by a mahogany frame-work 
 screen, ten and a half feet high, glazed with ornamental leaded glass. This office is 
 
64 History of the Herald. 
 
 reached bj a door from the passage-waj around the counter, and connects directly 
 with the clerks' apartment bj another door. 
 
 The counters and dado of this general business office are of black, dove color, 
 white, Lisbon, and Jaune de Provence marble, very beautiful, and combined in an 
 artistic manner. The floors outside the counters are of white marble, with spots of 
 black and red, and borders of Maria and red Griotte marbles. The private office is 
 floored with encaustic tiles of an ornamental pattern, while the floors behind the 
 counters, front and rear, are raised six inches above the general floor-level, so as 
 to enable the clerks to overlook the outside areu, and are laid in hardwood. There 
 is an open fireplace in the private office, with a mantel of Formosa marble. The 
 tops of all the counters are of solid mahogany, the desks on which are inclosed 
 with mahogany screens, two and a half feet high, and glazed with ornamental 
 leaded glass. 
 
 Connected with the business office is a double brick-Avalled fire and burglar 
 proof safe vault, six by five feet in the clear inside. 
 
 The ceiling and walls are painted in oil, in subdued, yet pleasing tints, and the 
 cornices are decorated and gilded. The office is lighted with four brass chandeliers, 
 depending from centre-pieces in the ceiling, and one double light at each of the 
 windows. There are also chandeliers on the desks, and bracket lights at various 
 points on the walls. 
 
 Two doors lead out of this main office in the rear, — one to the mailing and 
 delivery room, and the other to the editorial and reportorial rooms, which latter are 
 all above the first floor. 
 
 Access to the upper portion of the front building is obtained from Washington 
 street through a door to the left of the office entrance, into a vestibule eight feet 
 wide by seven feet deep, the walls of which are lined with dove-colored marble. 
 The outer door is of heavy mahogany, with a top-light of plate glass, and the inner 
 fly-doors are of the same material, with large glags panels and side and top lights. 
 The hall inside leading to stairs and elevator, is eight feet in width, the elevator 
 being in the rear of the stairway, under a wind of which it is necessary to pass in 
 order to reach it. The floors of the vestibule and of the second story are of marble, 
 in substantially the same varieties and designs as those described in the business 
 office. The wall also, up to the second story, is lined with Echalion marble. The 
 space of wall between the door and stairs is divided off" with white marble pilasters, 
 supporting a deeply coffered ceiling, richly ornamented in colors and bronze. The 
 dado in the hall is of black, Lisbon, Knoxville, and Sienna marbles. The belt on 
 a level with the second floor, marking the upper line of marble-work, is of white 
 marble, moulded in ornamental form. The stairs leading to the second floor are of 
 iron, with steps, risers, and platform of white marble, and mahogany hand-rail. 
 All the other stairs are of oak. The elevator runs from the first to the upper floor, 
 and is one of Tufts' best, with all the latest improvements. The car is of oak, with 
 
History of the Herald. 65 
 
 satinwood and mahogany panels, is seven feet bj seven inside, has a seating 
 capacity for six persons, and runs inside a fire-proof well of brick. Each of the 
 upper stories is laid off into two suites, front and rear, all of which are finished in 
 oak. Each suite is furnished with a dressing-room and closets ; and each is also 
 provided with a safe, the brick safe-vault being carried up on the lower foundation, 
 but divided into two vaults in each of the upper stories. Besides having steam heat, 
 each of the suites has two open fireplaces, one on either side. On the second floor 
 the mantels are of Knoxville marble ; on the third, rose-colored marble, with black 
 trimmings ; on the fourth and fifth, different shades of Doherty Tennessee marble : 
 and on the sixth, dove-colored. The staircases have a well four by six feet, over 
 which there is a skylight, seven by ten feet, glazed with lead-colored glass of rich 
 design, giving ample light to passers up and down. The ceilings and entry-ways 
 are panelled and finished in moulded stucco-work. All the upper chambers are 
 connected with the lower hall-way by a system of speaking-tubes and electric call- 
 bells, so that a caller can ascertain if the party visited is in his office before 
 going up. 
 
 The building in the rear of the one fronting on Washington street (which, as 
 described, becomes an essentially separate structure after rising above the first 
 story), and the one fronting on Williams court, are united together, and form a con- 
 tinuous building in the shape of an L. Their studding is the same height on each 
 of the stories, and their floors flush and continuous. The lower or street story is 
 thirteen feet high in the clear, the two above that twelve feet each, and the upper, or 
 composing-room, twenty feet in the centre to seventeen feet, the roof pitching both 
 ways some three feet. 
 
 Entrance to the editorial rooms maj^ be had from the counting-room, and also 
 from the Williams-court section, by stairways. These rooms, located on the second 
 floor of the rear buildings, are — exclusive of a library, nineteen by eight feet area — 
 nine in number, and consist, first, of the room of the editor-in-chief, Mr. E. B. Has- 
 kell, which has a private office attached. Next to this is the room of the managing 
 editor, Mr. J. H. Holmes, which is the largest of the series, being twenty by twenty- 
 one feet in area, and fitted up in a manner commensurate with the purposes of its 
 occupation. There are cabinets and cases containing pigeon-holes innumerable, 
 and places for files of papers, manuscripts, correspondence, and the thousand-and- 
 one things which come within the editor's province, and need careful arrangement. 
 A copy-elevator runs up to the room above, where the news and telegraph editors 
 are located, and beyond it up to the composing-room. The pneumatic tube runs 
 through this room, having what is called a switch here, or a section which can be 
 opened, enabling the matter in the tube intended for that department to be taken 
 out. This room is in communication with the front office by means of speaking- 
 tubes and electric-bells, and by the latter means with all the editorial rooms. Speak- 
 ing-tubes from this room also lead to the upper editorial room, and to the compos- 
 5 
 
6Q History of the Herald. 
 
 ing and delivery rooms. Beyond this room are two double and three singly rooms, 
 and on the Williams-court extension a library, two department rooms, a square 
 room for consv;ltation purposes, and water-closets, wash and coat rooms. The 
 rooms on this floor, beside those of the editor-in-chief and managing editor, are all 
 occupied by the assistant editors and department men. 
 
 The floor above (the third) is similarly laid out, though by th6 arrangement of 
 apartments in the Williams-court extension there are eleven rooms. The room 
 above that of the editor-in-chief, being the first in the building next the street-front, 
 is occupied by Mr. C. H. Andrews, the general manager of the editorial, reporto- 
 rial, composition, stereotype, and press departments. This communicates directly 
 by door with the news and telegraph editors' room, which is of the same size as the 
 one below, occupied by the managing editor. In the front part of the news and 
 telegraph editors' room is a desk or table, ten feet long by three and one-half feet 
 wide, at which the editors sit. Running up from the centre of this table is a copy- 
 elevator, the boxes of which are drawn up and lowered alternately, and carry up to 
 the composing-room the copy prepared for the hands of the printer. The pneu- 
 matic tube has also a switch in this room, and there are nine speaking-tubes, com- 
 municating with various rooms on the floor and other parts of the building. 
 Adjoining this apartment is the city-editor's room, which communicates with the 
 rooms of reporters and department men by means of electric bells. Beyond the city- 
 editor's room are a double room and three single rooms. On the Williams-court 
 extension are three single rooms and a square room for suburban reporters and cor- 
 respondents; also water-closets, wash-rooms, etc. The whole of the wainscoting 
 and other wood-work in these two stories, as well as in the story above, or compos- 
 ing-room, except the flooring, is in ash. The doors are supplied with lights of 
 ground glass, bordered with tracery work, and over each is a glass top-light arranged 
 to drop inwards and supply fresh air from the halls. All the rooms in the main rear 
 building have one or more windows, each three by nine feet. The floors are of hard- 
 pine, laid on cement, making them at once fire and rat proof, and also tending to 
 deaden all sounds that might annoy persons in lower apartments. The rooms are 
 all supplied with shelves, and amply furnished with gas-fixtures. 
 
 The composing-room, in the upper story, is a large apartment, covering, with the 
 exception of the small offices and closets partitioned oft', and the stairway, the entire 
 area of the rear main building and the extension to Williams court, and having a floor- 
 surface of about two thousand seven hundred square feet. The total length of the 
 room in the main building is eighty-one and a quarter feet, its greatest width twenty- 
 six feet, and the average width about twenty feet. The Williams-court extension 
 is twenty-two by forty-four fe^t. The main-building section is lighted from the roof 
 by five skylights, six and a half by seven and a half feet, and sixteen windows, three 
 by twelve feet. These windows are divided into three sashes, the upper of which can 
 be made to fall inwards. The Williams-court extension has four skylights and six 
 
MANAGING EDITOR'S ROOM. 
 
 NEWS AND TELEGRAPH EDITORS' ROOM. 
 
History of the Herald. 67 
 
 windows, of the size and character of those already described, making twenty-two 
 windows and nine skylights, with a total light-surface of about one thousand three 
 hundred and twenty square feet. The total skylight surface in the whole building is 
 nine hundred and twenty-seven square feet. The height of the ceiling from the floor 
 is from seventeen to twenty feet, thus giving the room an air capacity of over fifty 
 thousand cubic feet. All these features, therefore, combine to make it the most 
 sunny and airy, and, by consequence, the most healthy printing-office in Boston, if 
 not in the whole country. All the windows are furnished with fire-proof shutters, 
 — as, in fact, are all windows in the building, save those on the street, — and there 
 is a fire-escape on the Williams-court front. At the eastern end of the main room 
 are three small apartments, one for the foreman, one for his assistants (four in 
 number), and another, conveniently arranged, for proof-readers. On the southerly 
 side of the room there is a rack to hold cases containing " sorts," and a " general 
 galley" for the convenience of'compositors. Next to this is the " copy-table," where 
 all copy is numbered and cut before going into the hands of compositors, and over 
 this table is located the upper end of the pneumatic tube, which connects with the 
 advertising-desk in the counting-room. On the east side of the copy-table is the 
 "revise" stand; in front is the copy-box, coming from the news-editors' table on the 
 floor below, and adjoining this is an imposing-stone nine feet long. West of the 
 imposing-stone is the " make-up," twenty-seven by fifteen feet, the floor of which 
 is laid with one-eighth-inch iron to prevent the wear and tear of the heavy 
 trucks, on which the forms are made up. Behind the "make-up" galleys 
 are conveniently placed for different kinds of matter, — "'live" advertisements 
 and " 'live " and " dead " nonpareil and agate. Adjoining the " make-up " 
 are located the men who set the advertisements, and here also, in a 
 recess, is the job-type used in setting "displayed" ads. and "scare" heads. 
 On the north side of this room are stands for the accommodation of sixteen com- 
 positors, and here, also, is the " form "-elevator (the form-box being made of iron), 
 through which the pages, when made up, are sent down to the stereotype-room. 
 Next to the elevator (which is let into the wall, and worked by steam) are two proof- 
 presses, and next to these, again, on the same side of the room, is the " dumping "- 
 galley, where the compositors empty their "takes," when completed. 
 
 In the L portion of the room there are twenty-two double stands, at which forty- 
 four men set type. These are ranged along the eastern side of the room. On the 
 opposite side are a water-closet and wash-room, a " sort-room," and "paste-room," 
 where compositors paste their "takes" together every day (all compositors are 
 employed by the piece), in order to get a correct estimate of their previous day's 
 work. These rooms are covered over or decked, and above them are arranged 
 numbered books for the accommodation of the clothing of sixty or seventy men. 
 Rooker cases are used, and the stands are made of hard-wood, from a pattern, sup- 
 plied by the office, which has been in use for some time. The force ordinarily 
 
68 History of the Herald. 
 
 employed in this department numbers fiftj-five, consisting of a foreman, four assist- 
 ants, three proof-readers, and three copy-holders, one reviser of proofs, four boys, 
 and thirty-nine compositors ; but, in the busy season, when twelve-page papers and 
 supplements are issued, the number is increased to seventy or seventy-five men. In 
 addition to the above conveniences, there are many others which the practised eye 
 of a "daily" printer will readily discover. The composing-room is in direct com- 
 munication with the counting-room by speaking and pneumatic tubes, as also with 
 the delivery and stereotype departments, and the managing and news editors' 
 rooms. The room is lighted at night, over the " make-up " and " stone," by gas-jets 
 suspended from the ceiling; the galleys, job-stands, and desks, by wall brackets; 
 and the compositors' stands are lighted by gas supplied through risers from the floor. 
 The " lay-out " of the room is such, that the foreman in charge can stand at the copy- 
 box, and take in at a glance the whole of the composing-room, and the work that is 
 being done. Every appointment and appliance to complete and facilitate work, that 
 experience or thoughtfulness can suggest, are to be found in this composing-room, 
 which is, therefore, one of the best equipped for the work to be found anywhere in 
 the world. 
 
 The stereotype foundry is located in the rear basement, and is where the plates 
 are made and prepared for the presses. The plates, so called, are facsimiles of 
 the form to be printed, reproduced in solid metal, and curved to fit on to the 
 cylinder of the press. The matrix for the casting is made by placing on the face 
 of the type several thicknesses of paper, pasted together. The form is then run 
 under a roller at great pressure, which squeezes the paper into the face of the type. 
 The form, with the paper thus pressed into it, is transferred to a steam table, where 
 the paper (under pressure to prevent its warping or shrinking in the process) is 
 dried, and it conies oflf browned and hardened into a complete matrix. At one 
 side of the room is a furnace, where the metal used is kept in a state of fusion. Around 
 it are casting-boxes, into the concave side of which the matrix is secured, the con- 
 vex fitting quite closely to it. The box is then placed in a proper position, 
 the metal poured in, and in a few seconds a rough plate is taken out of it. A good 
 matrix will cast from eight to ten plates. The plate is then trimmed and bevelled 
 at the ends, so as to be easily secured upon the press. It is then rapidly gone over 
 by the workmen, and the large blanks chiselled out, after which it is placed in a 
 machine, where a revolving knife quickly reduces its inner surface to a face that 
 gives the entire shell a uniform thickness. Formerly it took from twenty-five to 
 thirty minutes after the delivery of the form to produce the first plate. Now the 
 same result is reached in from fourteen to eighteen minutes. Of course, duplicates 
 are produced much faster. Formerly it took from seven to eight minutes to produce 
 a duplicate. Now it takes from fit^e to six minutes. Two minutes may seem a short 
 time, but, in the work of issuing to the public the latest news, they may be all- 
 important. After the plates are delivered to the press, the latter is ready to start in 
 
c • t c 
 (. c c < 
 
 • t t < 
 
 t C < I 
 
 c c 
 
 c c » t 
 
 ... ••■••. 
 
 c c • «t c 
 
History of the Herald. 69 
 
 one minute. It requires eight plates for each of the four presses used, and from two 
 to four plates for each for every new edition. In this way the presses require daily 
 for evening editions about sixty-eight plates, each plate being one page of the paper. 
 Including the morning edition, the total average of plates used daily on the presses 
 is one hundred. As each plate weighs about sixty pounds, we have here about six 
 thousand pounds, or three tons, of metal to be handled daily in printing the 
 Herald. 
 
 The press-room is located in the front basement, and contains four Bullock per- 
 fecting-presses ; but there are pits for six, when the occasion calls for them- Three 
 of these presses are capable of turning oif each twenty thousand printed papers an 
 hour, and one — the improved Bullock — has already turned otf twenty-six thousand 
 in an hour, and it is thought it has not yet attained its maximum speed. The improve- 
 ment in this press consists in simplifying and lessening the details in its machinery. 
 These four presses are now capable of printing in twelve hours more papers than all 
 the other daily presses in Boston can produce in twenty-four hours. They are 
 driven by a shaft beneath, which runs the whole length of the front building, the 
 power being derived from two fifty-seven horse-power engines, only orte of which, 
 however, is used at a time. There are two wetting-machines, which are quite busily 
 employed, as they have to wet down thirty rolls of paper a day, this being the 
 amount ordinarily used. These rolls are in width double the length of the Herald, 
 so that two papers are produced at every revolution of the cylinder. They each 
 contain about three miles in length of paper, so that about ninety miles of paper are 
 used each day to furnish the readers of this paper with the number of copies they 
 require. The weight of a roll is about three hundred and fifty pounds, so that in 
 weight the daily consumption of paper is five and one-quarter tons. When wetted, 
 each roll weighs three hundred and eighty pounds. When the paper on the roll is 
 exhausted, it takes only about thirty seconds to replace it, and the press goes on, 
 almost without interruption it may be said. Quite an important adjunct to the 
 turning out of papers are rollers. These are made of glue, glycerine, and syrup, in 
 certain proportions, melted together, and run into circular moulds around cores of 
 wood, to which they adhere, and are drawn when cool, presenting a smooth surface. 
 These are fixed on the press, and kept covered with ink smoothly distributed over 
 them, and they in turn give off this ink to the plates, and the plates to the paper by 
 pressure. There are used for roller-making purposes every week one hundred and 
 fifty pounds French coignet glue, forty gallons best sugar-house syrup, and ten 
 gallons best second-grade glycerine. The amount of ink used per week is about one 
 thousand pounds. After the papers are printed, they are rapidly conveyed to a point 
 under the delivery-room, thrown upon the table, through which the arms of an 
 elevator rise, carry them upwards, dump them out upon an incline, and they drop 
 upon a table, to be taken charge of by the delivery-clerks. Besides various other 
 conveniences and appurtenances for a press-room, there is a machine-shop, with 
 
70 History of the Herald. 
 
 lathe, forge, and all materials and tools required to make repairs. Here a machinist 
 is emploj-ed, who occupies his whole time in keeping the presses and all other 
 machinery in the establishment in order, so that altogether the fit-out seems 
 tolerably complete. 
 
 The delivery-room occupies the whole area of the first floor of the rear building 
 and L^ forming an angular apartment, the main entrance to which is on Williams 
 court, above which it is raised about four feet, there being a broad flight of iron- 
 glass steps to get to it. There is also an entrance from the counting-room by a 
 passage-way and ascent of four steps, the rear floor being some three feet higher than 
 the one in thfe counting-room. On the left of the Williams-court entrance is the 
 ticket-office, which is fronted with a railing, behind which newsmen and newsboys 
 file to get their tickets (all papers delivered at the counters being paid for only in 
 this way). This arrangement leaves an open passage-way in the centre, and pre- 
 vents crowding. In the rear apartment, facing the main entrance, are the mailing, 
 bundling, and delivery counters. There are three series of these, the rear com- 
 prising two separate ones, and a long counter placed against the wall, at which 
 mailing and bundling are done. The front consists of a single counter, twenty- 
 seven feet in length, which is used altogether for delivery to carriers and newsboys. 
 This latter is fronted with a railing, also, behind which the buyers pass to secure 
 their papers. The tickets vary in denomination, from four to one thousand, and the 
 ticket-clerk sells them to parties according to their rotation in the ranks, who then 
 step outside the railing, and wait to be called in their oi-der of precedence. Behind 
 the counters are appliances for doing all the business to be done with the utmost 
 despatch ; for, where there is to be a delivery of fifty thousand papers within a single 
 hour, there must be lively work to accomplish it. The bundles are for delivery by 
 express, and a passage-way out to the court, in the rear of the ticket-office, is pro- 
 vided, so that this branch of the work may not be hindered or interfere with the 
 delivery in other departments. The counters are divided underneath into compart- 
 ments for containing wrappers fo^ bundles, etc. There are in the room speaking- 
 tubes, connecting with the editorial, stereotype, press, and composing rooms, and 
 the business office, whereby instant communication can be had with these depart- 
 partments. The pneumatic tube, also, passes through the room, so that orders from 
 the counting-room can be had, and the necessity for sending by messenger done 
 away with. In the rear, on one side, are wardrobes and water-closets, and a con- 
 siderable space intended for folding-machines, though this may be unoccupied, 
 owing to a new folding-attachment to the presses, which may be adopted. In the 
 extreme rear is the office of the superintendent of the delivery department. Besides 
 the light from the Williams-court front, the room receives ample light through the 
 area windows. From this room the basement can be reached by a winding stair- 
 case. The latter can also be reached by a broad stairway leading down to the boiler- 
 
STEREOTYPE ROOM. — [Section of Basement looking East.] 
 
 4 Tly I'fliti'i'^'^'- '-''^^"^-^^IBMiniirii- ' -^^^^^^^^j-j*^ - • | 
 
 ■^■BHi^lkLi^^^'-^ -' ^.-^^^^^h^^^^iB 
 
 M 
 
 
 l^^l;;^Pi Hiji4^ 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 •r^ 
 
 
 
 ' i,^^^,^jit^jiHfe^z^^^^^^^Bifc^ ^1^ s^^^ 1 
 
 \"*^«^s^''^^^^ , 1 
 
 j^^,^.^ "jj^'-issr i^-N^, ^^^^fct 1 
 
 ^V_^^^$|^^ ull^J- 
 
 
 PRESS ROOM.— [Section of Basement looking West] 
 
e c c c 
 
History of the Herald, 71 
 
 room, from Williams court. There are employed in this department thirteen day 
 and six night men. 
 
 The basement covers the whole area of ground in the estate enclosed within the 
 walls. Its depth in the front and back to where the rear buildings commence is 
 thirteen feet in the clear. Back of that it is sixteen feet, the lower floor of the rear 
 building rising three feet above that of the front building. The front portion of this 
 large basement is devoted to the presses. In the rear of the press-room, and oppo- 
 site the L basement, are two Harris-Corliss engines, of fiftj-seven horse-power each, 
 cylinders fourteen by twenty-six inches, and driving-wheels ten feet in diameter, 
 with eighteen and a half inches width of rim. These can be run either separately 
 or together. They are fitted with the Harris improved packing. Between these, 
 and connected with the boiler-feed, is an improved hater , filled with brass tubes, 
 and having an expansion-top, which gives it the capacity to expand without bring- 
 ing the strain on the outside shell. The bottom of this affair is so arranged that 
 deposits can be removed without having to take the heater down. In the L, the 
 furnace doors facing Williams court, there are two steel boilers, each five feet in 
 diameter and sixteen feet in length. These boilers are set in their brick-woi-k 
 covering according to a new plan, which allows the heat from the fire or flame to 
 completely envelop them all around, as well as to pass through the tubes in them. 
 These are the first in Boston set up in this peculiar manner, and a great saving in 
 fuel is anticipated therefrom. The boilers are each eighty horse-power, and furnish 
 the steam for power and heating purposes for the entire building. Beside the 
 improvement noted, the flue-doors are operated by counter-balances, to keep them 
 open while the fire is being raked and coal added ; and the fire-doors are fitted with 
 perforated linings, so as to afford a passage inward for cold air. In the rear of 
 these boilers are two Knowles improved patent pumps, which are used to draw the 
 supply of water for steam purposes through the heater. In the rear of the basement 
 beyond the engines is the stereotyping department. It may be inferred that so large 
 an underground department must be sombre, and even dark. But such is not the 
 case. The light from the street sidewalks, from under the front windows, and from 
 the three areas, as well as from the Williams-court front, all combine to give the 
 basement a good share of daylight, if not sunlight; while it is at once a well-warmed 
 and well-ventilated apartment in the winter season, and in summer it can be kept 
 cool with a constant renewal of fresh air from without. 
 
 When the plans for the new Herald building were completed, it was found 
 that the bottom of the cellar or basement would be so much lower than the sewers on 
 Washington street that it would be necessary to construct a private drain under the 
 whole system of sewers and pipes, and carry the same to a lower level, where it 
 could be joined to the main sewer. To carry out this plan, two courses were open, 
 — one, to make an open cut diagonally across Washington street and down Water 
 street, and the other to tunnel under those streets. The latter project was decided 
 
72 History of the Herald. 
 
 upon, and the tunnel was commenced on the 19th of March, 1877, starting from the 
 building twenty feet under the sidewalk. At the same time a hole was dug on 
 Water street, opposite the "Journal "-building, and the work prosecuted from that 
 end upwards. The length of the tunnel driven was one hundred and seventj-five 
 feet, and nearly the whole of the earth removed was returned by tamping solidly 
 around the twelve-inch drain-pipe, which was laid without being taken out of the 
 tunnel. This undertaking was carried to a successful termination — the drain being 
 let into the "Journal" building sewer some eighty feet below the corner of Water 
 street, and the street opened to travel — on the 5th day of April. The cost of this • 
 work was about nine hundred dollars. 
 
 The building is heated by steam. Exclusive of the water-closet service, there 
 are in the building about six thousand feet of piping, ranging in diameter from one 
 to six inches. This does not include, of course, gas-piping. Every room is provided 
 with one or more radiators, and the composing and press rooms with circulating 
 pipes in addition. There are in the entire building about one thousand two 
 hundred loops (in radiators), each loop having a heating-surface of three feet, or 
 three thousand six hundred square feet of heating-surface in all. Exhaust steam is 
 used for heating, principally ; though, by an ingenious contrivance, if this is found 
 to be insufficient, a connection is made directly with the boilers, so that live steam 
 can be supplied to make up any deficiency. To prevent any danger from too great 
 a pressure, the apparatus is supplied with an automatic regulating valve, which 
 never permits a pressure of over ten pounds to be supplied to the heating-pipes. 
 The steam condensed in the radiators and pipes — or rather the water resulting 
 from such condensation — is returned by separate pipes to the basement. 
 
 The system of ventilation is quite elaborate and complete. The upper section 
 of the front building has a separate system, every room having ventilators (as well as 
 open fireplaces), which lead downward into the press-room, and up again into the 
 main ventilating shaft. The water-closets, however, are ventilated in the partitions 
 by tin tubing, which leads up into, a space between the ceiling of the upper room and 
 the roof, where there are two ventilators, — an injecting and an ejecting one, so to 
 speak, — in order to create a continuous di;aft upwards. The water-closets have 
 large six-inch traps, from the upper end or portion of which the ventilating-tubes 
 lead, thus insuring a most certain immunity froin all sewer and other noxious 
 exhalations. The press-room is ventilated by a shaft, which is carried underground 
 to the main shaft. This latter is a brick tower, situated at the angle of the junction 
 between the rear building and L, and carried above the building, through which the 
 iron smoke-stack leading from the boilers is run, giving off great heat, and thus 
 forming a fierce upward draft. This tower is placed, by means of pipes, in commu- 
 nication with every room in the building, as well as directly by openings with 
 those adjoining, and thus keeps constantly drawing air from them through open- 
 ings near the floor as well as near the ceiling, keeping up a constant change of air 
 
WiLLMMS ;£WlFiT imMT. 
 
n 
 
 
 
History of the Herald. 73 
 
 in them. To give an idea of the extent of this system of ventilation through pipes 
 and a general outlet, it may be said that running through and from the press-room 
 alone there are fifty eight-inch flues. 
 
 There is more gas-piping in the Herald building than in the City Hall, and 
 that contains more than any other building in Boston. The pipe used varies from 
 one-quarter inch to three and one-half inches, inside diameter, and the total length 
 of all in the building is about nine thousand feet. Pipes have been put in at places 
 where they may never be needed ; but are placed there in anticipation of possible 
 contingencies, and to prevent a tearing down of the walls in case such should arise. 
 Gas can be let on, or turned oft", in any of the rooms at any time. Each of the 
 various sections of the building also h^s a separate system, where the supply can be 
 let on, cut off, or otherwise regulated. For the front business office there are four 
 six-light chandeliers, corona pattern, made of brass, and polished to a burnished sur- 
 face. The two-light chandeliers in the front windows are also of polished brass, and 
 of a new and beautiful design. In the small vestibule leading to the upper por- 
 tion of the building is a hanging lantern, with ground-glass panels, and framework 
 of polished brass. Opposite the entrance to the business office, on the curb of the 
 sidewalk, are two ornamental iron posts, each bearing two lamps, on arms in the 
 shape of candelabra. The lamps are globular in shape, with solid bronze frames, 
 and are richly ornamented. The diameter of the globes is twenty inches, and they 
 are formed of ground-glass panels, on which are engraved the words "Boston 
 Herald." At the top of the globes are bronze caps, terminating in foliated finials, 
 all of the same metal. The bottoms of the lamps are eleven feet above the curb, and 
 the total height of the posts, equipped, is fifteen feet. 
 
 There are in the building, or that part of it used by the Herald establishment, 
 — exclusive of the rooms above the first floor in the front, — about four hundred gas- 
 burners, of which number one hundred and twenty are found in the composing- 
 room alone. These burners are all supplied with Bogart's Automatic Electric Gas- 
 lighting Apparatus, by which flame may be instantaneously communicated to a 
 burner-tip at an^; moment, day or night, without the use of matches or borrowed 
 fire. The turning of a thumb-screw on the burner lets on the gas, and at the same 
 time brings a fine wire in contact with the tip, opposite the point where it is touched 
 by the battery-wire, which forms for a moment a connection, and induces a current. 
 As the fine wire leaves the point of contact, a spark is produced, which fires the gas, 
 and the burner is lighted. In the Herald establishment more than a mile of wires 
 are in place, and no burner is omitted. Of course, in case of accidents to wires or 
 battery, or burner apparatus, the lights may be produced by the ordinary method, 
 there being no diflerence in the manner of conducting and using gas. 
 
 The plumbing comprises the general water-service, and the erection of washing 
 and water-closet facilities. The building contains twenty-four wash-basins, twenty- 
 six water-closets, six urinals, ten soapstone sinks, and three lead-lined sinks for 
 
74 History of the Herald. 
 
 washing rollers. The closets are probably the most perfect of their kind, ventilated 
 bj a new system : firstly, from the soil-pipe, and, secondly, from the basin, venti- 
 lated from around its upper rim. The urinals are also ventilated, and both on them 
 and on the basins there are large six-inch traps, which are likewise on all waste- 
 water-pipes. The waste is all carried off into the soil-pipes in two-inch lead pipe. 
 The soil-pipes are of two sizes, viz. : five-inch and four-inch, and are lined with lead. 
 Of the former there are two hundred feet, and of the latter one hundred feet. The 
 floors under the basins and urinals are covered with lead safety-pans, from which 
 there run pipes down into the basement, preventing the overflowing of the floors 
 in case of leakage, and warning those in the basement that there is a leak. 
 
 The water-supply is taken by two two-inch lead pipes from the Washington- 
 street front, and one two-inch pipe from Williams court. Of this kind of pipe there 
 are two hundred and fifty feet ; of three-quarter-inch, one hundred and fifty feet ; 
 and of five-eighths-inch pipe, two hundred feet. The faucets are all patent self- 
 closers, so that it is impossible for the water to be left running while they are in 
 order. Each branch of supply is protected by a stopcock, and these are so arranged 
 or placed that the water can be shut off from all sections, or from any one section 
 of the building. 
 
 The pneumatic tube, a brass pipe, two and one-half inches in diameter, runs 
 from the front counter in the business office, down into the basement, along its 
 ceiling, up to a point below the delivery-room, in the rear building, where it sweeps 
 upwards, and thence runs vertically up to the composing-room, an entire distance of 
 one hundred and thirty-two feet, with switches in the delivery, managing editor's, 
 and news editors' rooms. It is operated by a pressure blower, and by an' ingenious 
 application is made to operate either way, so that despatch-boxes may be sent either 
 up or down. The despatch-boxes are cylinders of stiff leather, nine inches in 
 length, with an inside diameter of one and three-quarter inches, and each will con- 
 tain a package the size of three copies pf the Herald rolled up together. In com- 
 bination with the tube are electric signals from the front office to all the rooms 
 having connection, so that the occupants may be notified to open the switches when 
 a box is sent to them. The time occupied in sending a despatch through the tube, 
 from the business office to the composing-room, or return, is five seconds. 
 
 The wood finish in the front building, as stated elsewhere, is entirely of oak, 
 and is equal to that put upon the best and most costly residences to be found in this 
 city. Some fifty thousand feet of oak lumber have been used. The rear buildings 
 are finished in ash, of which some fifty-five thousand feet were used, and it presents 
 some of the best exhibits in the natural woods to be found anywhere. Not a foot of 
 the finish wood-work of the Herald building is painted. The floors and floor 
 timbers are of hard-pine, of which some one hundred and eight thousand feet were 
 used. The counter-top in the business office, as well as the finish on this floor, 
 including that of the private office of the business manager, are of mahogany and 
 
History of the Herald. 75 
 
 cherrv, and are very superior specimens of the carpenter's skill. These required 
 five thousand five hundred feet of mahogany ajid three thousand feet of cherry wood 
 to produce. There were used also one hundred and ten thousand feet of spruce 
 and sixty-five thousand feet of ordinary pine lumber, making a grand total of lumber 
 required in the building of four hundred thousand square feet. 
 
 Not the least useful appliance, when the occasion demands, is an apparatus 
 connected with the city fire-alarm circuit, which announces to the inmates of the 
 news and telegraph editors' room the existence of a fire in the city. It consists of 
 an ordinary helix and magnet, over which is a small ornamented brass gong, which 
 is struck by a brass hammer attached to the armature opposite the magnetic poles. 
 It is as delicate as an ordinary instrument used in sending telegraphic messages, is 
 operated upon precisely the same principle, and requires no clock-work to give th^ 
 blow, as is the case with heavier instruments. 
 
 Speaking-tubes and electric bells, as above noted, connect nearh' all the rooms 
 and departments. There are in the building about four thousand feet of tubing, and 
 one hundred and fifteen mouth-pieces, and sixty electric call-bells, operated through 
 ten thousand feet of wires. 
 
 The Herald building was designed by Mr. Carl Fehmer, architect, and was 
 erected under the superintendence of Mr. John W. Leighton, contractor and builder, 
 both of Boston. 
 
 The work of demolishing the old buildings on the site was begun April 2, 
 1877, and completed April 19. Excavations for the foundations were finished June 
 21, when the new walls were begun. The whole structure was completed and 
 occupied on Saturday, February 9, 1878; and the public was invited to inspect its 
 interior. Though the weather was unpropitious, there was a constant stream of 
 visitors from early in the morning until late at night, and the rush maybe estimated 
 when it is stated that, by actual count, for one hour — and that hardly an average 
 one — in the forenoon, the number of persons entering by the Washington-street 
 front was three thousand six hundred. From there, after viewing the counting-room, 
 they thronged the whole building, so that on every stair and in every passage- 
 way were crowds to be found in motion. At this rate there were thirty-six thou- 
 sand visitors in ten hours, and it is not too much to say that at least thirty thousand 
 people visited the new building on the day it was opened. The count at the business 
 office did not, of course, include the great number who came in at the Williams- 
 court entrance, and, after "doing" the rear buildings, descended to the business 
 oi^ce. The scenes, incidents, criticisms, etc., if reported, would fill a dozen papers. 
 There was no disorder or vandalism, however, all coming and going on their good 
 behavior, and all alike well pleased, — the men of taste and refinement as well as the 
 less fortunate in these respects. To the proprietors and attaches of the Herald the 
 day was one of excitement; pleasurable, to be sure, but not wholly conducive to a 
 proper state of abstraction which produces results in words. On the following 
 
76 ^ History of the Herald. 
 
 Monday, the number of visitors was almost, if not fully, as great as on the day the 
 building was first opened. People poured in in crowds, and passed through the 
 various departments, giving frequent expression of their surprise at the numerous 
 and perfect appointments of the establishment. To many of the callers the per- 
 fecting-presses, pneumatic tubes, electric call-bells, stereotyping, and electric gas- 
 lighting apparatus were entirely new. Printers, literary and other professional 
 men, were lavish in complimentary expressions, pronouncing the building and the 
 auxiliaries for conducting the newspaper business the finest and best in America. 
 Two old and well-known newspaper men met, after a tour of inspection, and their 
 opinions may be best given in their own words : "Frank," said one, " if we could 
 conceive of this thing thirty years back, we should say it was a dream induced by 
 reading the 'Arabian Nights.' Just contrast this business office with those of news- 
 papers at that time, and the new Herald editorial rooms, reporters' quarters, and 
 composing-room, with the dirty little hog-pens of that day, and say if there is not 
 such a thing as progress." — " It does seem marvellous," was the reply, " and yet it 
 is only in keeping with the growing taste and spirit of the age. A good many may 
 say it is too fast; but I tell you, I venture to say, that this fine building, with all its 
 modern and superior appointments, has been erected and finished at a price that a 
 plain building of the kind, very plainly and dully finished and furnished, would 
 have cost ten years ago. The enterprise displayed by the proprietors is, after all, in 
 the line of true economy. They have called to their aid all the best mechanical, 
 scientific, and other assistants, and as • a result, they have certainly the finest 
 newspaper office in the country, if not in the world." 
 
 VIII. 
 
 PRESS NOTICES. 
 
 PLEASANT WORD AND KINDLY REMEMBRANCES FROM ALL qUARTERS. 
 
 On the day its new building was first occupied the Herald published a sketch 
 of its history (from which the principal portion of this volume is compiled), a 
 description and engraving of the structure, etc. ; and its contemporaries in all sec- 
 tions of the country improved the occasion to say kind things of the paper and its 
 owners and conductors in the kindest possible way. Congratulations and good 
 wishes came from all quarters ; and a very gratifying fact was that diff'erences of 
 opinion upon political or other public questions made no difference in their warmth 
 

 X('^=wK 
 
 I 
 
 K-^V^'^P} 
 
 i»%« 
 
 mm 
 
 ^2te^ 
 
 ■ 
 
 ^n 
 
 1 
 
 
 1 
 
 1 
 
...-. 
 
 • 
 • 
 
 e«a* 
 
 • • •• 
 
 c 
 
 JV* 
 
 
 
 t • 
 
 ( 
 
 
 • 
 
 • r 
 
 
 * • • 
 
 
 • • •• 
 
 
 • • 
 
 c C « • •• « I 
 
 ♦ • • I 
 
History of the Herald. 11 
 
 and heartiness. The proprietors and editors profoundly appreciate these encourag- 
 ing salutations, and thank their brethren of the press most sincerely; and, while 
 thev try not to be made vain by all the pleasant things which have been said, will 
 also try to justify, so far as they can, the kindly words which have been printed, so 
 that they shall never cause regret to those who have used them. 
 
 Appended are some of the pleasant press notices which the Herald has 
 received : — .-; 
 
 From the Boston Advertiser. 
 
 No more striking instance of newspaper enterprise and progress can be cited than that of our adven- 
 turous neighbor, the Herald. From the most modest beginning, its course in recent years has been 
 steadily upward, increasing in circulation and at the same time in usefulness and power. Tears have 
 come and gone ; great parties have risen and fallen, and the world has passed through all the phases 
 incident to the history of a generation; and through it all our little friend has pursued its own course, 
 following nobody's lead, to great success and prosperity. Starting on the Slat of August, 1846, as an 
 evening edition of the "American Eagle," with one editor and two enterprising "locals," it has extended 
 its borders, until to-day it numbers on its pay-roU two-hundred men, and all of these are within the building. 
 The number of correspondents and outside men is fully equal to the regular force. The paper has num- 
 bered among its contributors, both permanent and transient, many keen, bright men, who have done much 
 to give the Herald its reputation for newsiness and readable paragraphs. Its independence has frequently 
 brought down upon it the wrath of the wrong-doers, but its course has invariably resulted in victory for 
 the Herald. The remark is not at all infrequent that it is a mystery how such a little sheet can contain 
 60 much news. This boiling process is a secret of the editorial room, and will doubtless be disclosed to 
 the general public at the same time when the old school-master, of whom Goldsmith charmingly says, — 
 
 " And still the wonder grew 
 That one small head could carry all he knew," 
 
 shall tell the gazing rustics of the secrets of his brain-workings. The handsome structure on Washington 
 street, into which the Herald will move to-day, forms a fitting testimonial to business sagacity and 
 enterprise. The outside appearance of the building is not more gratifj-ing to the eye of the passer-by 
 than the interior appointments are gratifying to the experienced journalist. Newspaper men have not 
 been accustomed hitherto to enlighten and instruct the world fi'om the interior of such magnificence as 
 the new Herald oftice, and the erection of this building mai'ks, perhaps, a new departure in the scribe's 
 abode. Hereafter the public, when in search of the expounder of law, the administrator of justice, and 
 the guardian of public morals, will find this aggregated list of virtues in the person of the philosopher 
 who speaks to the world, not from the corner of some obscure rookery, but from some well-appointed 
 palace like the Herald building. 
 
 From the Boston Post. 
 
 On the 2d of last April the first blow was struck towards the construction of the new office for The 
 Boston Herald; to-day the finished structure is thrown open to the public. The building is not only 
 one of the best in Boston, but, as a structure in which a daily newspaper is to be made up and from 
 which it is to be sent forth, it is unsurpassed by any other in the land. The facade of the building, above 
 the first story, has for some time been a familiar sight to every passer-by; the entire front is now exposed 
 to view, and every one must feel gratified that so handsome a building has taken the place of the ven- 
 erable structures which formerly occupied the ^me lot of land. 
 
78 History of the Herald, 
 
 The handsome new Herald building was the centre of attraction Saturday, and thousands thronged 
 its portals, wandered through the apartments to which the public were admitted, or took the exterior 
 effects from the sidewalk. The proprietors generously indulged this tendency to wonder and admire, 
 and they start out under their new conditions with the prestige of profound popular respect for their 
 enterprise and successful achievement. The " Post" congratulates the Herald upon a success so ably 
 earned and well deserved, and advances the sincere wish that its future prosperity may be even far in 
 excess of that which it already enjoys. 
 
 From the Boston Transcript. 
 
 The Boston Daily and Sunday Herald occupies to-day, complete^ in every branch of its 
 editorial, printing, and publishing departments, the new establishment upon which the attention of the 
 proprietors, their architect and mechanics, has been centred since the work of demolishing the old 
 structure on the new site began, April 2, last. An examihation of the new quarters, made just previous 
 to their completion, revealed a series of structures the beauty and utility of which are not rivalled in this 
 city, or, so far as our observation goes, in any other, for the purposes to which they are devoted. Yet 
 this revelation is no surprise, when the sagacity, enterprise, and energy, of the proprietors, through a 
 long newspaper career, in every respect practical, are taken into account. The rapid strides made by 
 the Herald into popular estimation under their management was a guaranty that whatever they 
 sought to do would be done thoroughly, and all were prepared who knew them for a splendid denoue- 
 ment of their architectural venture. 
 
 Our neighbor, the Herald, has moved into sumptuous quarters and takes a new start to-day. Its 
 prosperity is deserved, for it has shown business enterprise and business pluck, and its marked success 
 is no more than a fair reward. May you live a thousand years, neighbor, and may the shadows of your 
 twin vanes never grow less ! 
 
 The Herald has set two bright gas-lights in front of its new building, and means to shine for all. 
 
 From the Boston Journal. 
 
 The new building on Washington street, opposite our office, which the enterprising proprietors of 
 The liosTON Herald have erected, was occupied to-day for the first time. It is an edifice adapted to 
 the wants of this well-known newspaper, which has achieved a deserved success by the untiring energy, 
 marked ability, and liberality of its ma^iagers. The oflice is complete in every department, and nothing 
 that modern ingenuity could suggest to promote the expedition of business has been omitted. We wish 
 our neighbors that measure of prosperity which results from well-directed efibrt, and may the repre- 
 sentatives of the paper long continue to enjoy the fruits of their enterprise. 
 
 From the Boston Globe. 
 
 The Boston Herald opened its new building to the public yesterday, and it is not overstating 
 the fact to say that in finish and appointments it is the most perfect newspaper office in this country. 
 The first issue of the paper from its new establishment contained a long and readable account of the 
 growth of the paper from the time it was founded down to the present day. Detailed accounts are 
 given of the- enterprise and skill of its publishers and editors in former days ; but with a modesty which 
 cannot be too much commended, its present managers omit to mention instances of their own journalistic 
 ability, although the result of it is seen in their new building and in a largely increased circulation. 
 Rival newspaper editors are keen critics, and, though they may not always acknowledge it, are quick to 
 
History of the Herald. 79 
 
 perceive the excellences as well as the faults of their contemporaries. Thus it can be honestly said of 
 the Herald that it was never conducted with more enterprise than it now is; and its exceptional pros- 
 perity is wholly deserved. 
 
 From the Boston Traveller. 
 
 On the 2d of last April the construction'of the new office for The Boston Herald was commenced; 
 to-day the finished structure was thrown open to the public. The building is not only one of the best in 
 Boston, but, as a structure in which a daily newspaper is to be made up and from which it is to be sent 
 forth, it is unsurpassed by any other in the land. 
 
 From the Boston Sunday Courier. 
 
 The crowds that surged into the new Herald building all day yesterday doubtlftss found much to 
 admire, although, as a matter of course, they had no opportunity to examine it in all of its various and 
 interesting details. For convenience and completeness in point of arrangement there is probably no 
 newspaper building in the country that can surpass it, and the managers of the Herald are to be con- 
 gratulated upon this latest result of their energy and enterprise. 
 
 We shall not refuse to speak to the Herald people because they have got into a new building. "We 
 are not proud. Bitters , if y ou please, with our carte-blanche. 
 
 From the Boston Saturday Evening Gazette. 
 
 The Herald of yesterday signalized the completion of its new building by the issue of a quarto 
 number of its sheet, in which is a fine engraving of the structure, and a very elaborate and interesting 
 history of the paper from the day of its origin. The Herald is one of the most signal triumphs of 
 journalism in America. It is a paper of remarkable enterprise and remarkable ability, and, we may add, 
 of remarkable prosperity as well. There is a combination of business and editorial capacity in its 
 management which has fully earned for it its success. It has many well-wishers, and few to envy it the 
 new evidence of its prosperity that its elegant and perfectly appointed building manifests. 
 
 From the Boston Commercial Bulletin. 
 
 The Boston Herald has taken possession of its new building, which has attracted the attention 
 of admiring crowds all the week. As an addition to the handsome edifices of Boston the new Herald 
 building must rank as one of the most attractive erected for many years, and as such is an ornament to 
 the city. As a newspaper home, it is, both externally aiid internally, one of the finest in the country. 
 Everything has been arranged with a view to the production of the greatest amount of the best work in 
 the shortest possible time, and nothing which a long experience could suggest as likely to serve this end 
 has been left undone. The arrangements are, seemingly, perfect, adding new delight to the labor of its 
 large force of employes, and making as easy as possible the severe labors of the journalist. The Herald 
 has achieved a grand success in a long and varied career, and finds none more ready to recognize that 
 success, and the high position it holds in the journalistic world, than its city contemporaries, who see in 
 it a proof that energy, perseverance, enterprise, and a careful study of. and attention to, the wants of the 
 people, will always receive their reward. We wish — and know our wish will be gratified — for the 
 Herald a continuance of its success, and of the public favor for which it has so ably striven, and of 
 ■which it has been the deserving recipient. 
 
80 History of the Herald. 
 
 From the Boaton Commonwealth. 
 
 It is really a delight to a practical printer to mark manifest improvement in his craft, and hence the 
 guild is complimenting the Herald proprietors, of this city, for the very complete, indeed, perfect, 
 establishment which they have just set up, and into which they moved last Saturday. They have built 
 a magnificent structure two or three doors above their old stand, on Washington street, which extends 
 far rearward, and has a wing on Williams court. Mr. Fehmer was the architect, and Mr. Leighton the 
 builder, and they have given an unequalled office, — probably not excelled in convenience by any in 
 the country, if in the world. Equally in the publishing, editorial, and printing departments are the same 
 completeness and perfection manifest. All acknowledged improvements have been introduced, and 
 taste and beauty have been added to utility. With their model presses, stereotype process, and 
 systematically arranged composing-room, they can issue their papers almost as rapidly as thought flies, 
 and certainly keep up with the demand in the most exacting seasons. The Herald is a monument of 
 persistent industry, indefatigable energy, and practical sagacity. 
 
 jprom the Boaton Zion^s Herald. 
 
 Our secular namesake, which does not wear a Biblical cognomen, nor afl'ect to minister specially to 
 the sons and daughters of Zion, has reached the golden era in its history. Its noble granite establish- 
 ment on Washington street — one of the finest in the city — is completed, and is a model newspaper 
 office every way. The paper itself is in some danger of losing its characteristics which made it so 
 popular with simply sensational readers, and is becoming solid, sifted, and sensible. All it needs is a 
 Christian baptism, to be one of the best-condensed and well-conducted newspapers of the day. Under 
 its present vigorous and gentlemanly administration, there has been a constant improvement in the 
 ability and character of its contents. Its short editorials are often admirable. Success to all its 
 endeavors to be a true teacher of its wide constituency ! 
 
 From the Boston Pilot. 
 
 The handsome new Herald building was the centre of attraction Saturday, and thousands 
 thronged its portals, wandered through the apartments to which the public were admitted, or took the 
 exterior efl!'ects from the sidewalk. The proprietors generously indulged this tendency to wonder and 
 admire, and they start out under their new conditions with the prestige of profound popular respect for 
 their enterprise and successful achievement. The " Pilot" congratulates the Herald upon a success so 
 ably earned and well deserved, and advances the sincere wish that its future prosperity may be even far 
 in excess of that which it already enjoys. 
 
 From the Boston Sunday Express. 
 
 The rush yesterday to see the new establishment of our neighbor, the Herald, which was opened 
 for the first time, Avas multitudinous. Everybody praised it, and everybody did the just and true thing. 
 
 From the Boston Ray. 
 The new Herald building is one of the handsomest architectural structures in Bo«!ton, and the 
 Herald is one of the best newspapers in America. The proprietors have so worthily won their success 
 that honest and hearty congratulations are tendered them by all classes. Long may they wave ! 
 
History of the Herald. 
 
 From the Boston Sunday Times. 
 
 The HeraI/D has now, without exception, the finest newspaper office in the world, certainly in 
 . respect to its appointments and its patent arrangements for facilitating work. Electric wires, enuncia- 
 tors, speaking-tuhes, fire-escapes, wash-rooms, pier-glasses, nickel-plated clocks, telephones, letter-hoxes, 
 pigeon-holes, easy-chairs, elevators, side-boards, inkstands in all shapes, ink in all colors, flat pens, 
 broad pens, fountain pens, Mackinnon pens, high desks, low desks, broad desks, narrow desks; in fact 
 all that is calculated to delight the heart of the newspaper man has been provided. The only thing at 
 present missing from the establishment, which is needed to make the office perfect, is the festive and 
 paste-loving cockroach ; but he will be added in time. We understand that, as soon as he has succeeded 
 in removing a couple of hogsheads of mucilage from the old building, he will take up his quarters in the 
 new. We would like to devote a larg-e portion of our space to describing the new building, but our 
 daily contemporaries have already done that for us, and the public is, or ought to be, tolerably well 
 acquainted with the fact that there is such a paper in existence as the HERAiiD. One or two things, 
 however, we should mention. The managing editor's room is a marvel. All that Mr. Holmes has now 
 to do is to think out an editorial, mutter aloud his subdivision of the subject under consideration, and 
 his thoughts are at once carried by a telephone to a phonograph, where they are bottled up, regularly 
 sized and paragraphed, and placed in their proper position in the form. As soon as their position has 
 been taken, an electric bell, attached to a clock, strikes, to announce their safe arrival in their proper 
 place, and the time occupied in their transmission is registered by an automatic register. By far the 
 most wonderful room in the building is that occupied by the dramatic editor, Mr. Perry. It is connected 
 with all the theatres by telegraph, telephone, and phonograph, and several of the new far-sighted instru- 
 ments, which have not yet been named, have been inserted, so as to give a clear view of all the stages in 
 the city. At night Mr. Perry can here sit and witness all the performances at all the theatres at the 
 £ame time, and thus solve the difficulties of the ** bad Monday nights." As the performances proceed, 
 he has but to speak aloud his thoughts, and, as in the case of the managing editor, they are at once 
 placed in the form, ready for the press. By a very ingenious contrivance, Mr. Perry has but to press a 
 knob on his right, at the conclusion of each act, and a silver salver, automatic in action, moves towards 
 him with a very fair variety of Clarke's best, accompanied with a gold-lined thimble containing coff"ee. 
 No one but a dramatic critic can appreciate the value of these arrangements. Throughout the building 
 the same general excellence of appointment is discernible. We congratulate the Herald heartily upon 
 the success which has enabled it to erect such a magnificent edifice, and we hope its success may be long 
 continued. Business enterprise, hard work, and careful management, deserve reward, and it is pleasant 
 to see these things appreciated as the public has appreciated them in the HERAiiD. 
 
 Boston Correspondent of Hingham Journal. 
 
 The latest local sensation is the new and elegant establishment of The Boston Herald, which for 
 a week past has attracted crowds in its vicinity throughout day and evening. So many exhaustive 
 descriptions of the new printing-palace have been given that it will suffice to say here that it is ahead of 
 anything yet constructed for a newspaper establishment. The interesting history of this successful 
 paper, from its lowly birth in August, 1846, to the present time, appeared in Saturday's edition of the 
 Herald, and gave its multitude of readers a well-written account of its vicissitudes and ultimate tri- 
 umphs. To one person, at least, who inspected the magnificent premises, the present marvellous pros- 
 perity of the Herald suggested thoughts of its early struggles for existence, when the poorly-paid and 
 hard-worked toilers at its start laboriously builded its foundations amidst discouragements difficult to 
 realize at the present day. Of the energetic and hopeful young men then forming the publishing and 
 working force of the EteRALD but few remain. The original publisher still lives ; the first and second 
 
82 History of the Herald. 
 
 editors are yet permitted to perambulate God's footstool, and three of its compositors are still quite equal 
 to the average type of mortals; but the larger number of those once active forms are •' locked up " in the 
 embrace of mother earth. Mr. C. H. Andrews, the present managing-editor, who has been connected 
 with the Herald longer than any other member of its corps editorial, is always at his post. Mr. E. B. 
 Haskell, editor-in-chief, is luxuriating in Europe, and the indefatigable Pulsifer appears to be omnipresent 
 in the business department. Success to the wide-awake Herald I 
 
 From the Salem (Mass.) Gazette. 
 
 The Boston Herald, of Saturday, improved the occasion of entering upon the occupancy of its 
 splendid new building, to present, in a double number, a history of its magnificent progress and success. 
 From its humble beginning, in 1846, to its present leading position, the advance has certainly been sur- 
 prising; and we take pleasure in expressing our opinion that its success is well merited. The industry 
 and enterprise which have been its leading characteristics have been very great; and its editorial influ- 
 ence, as now managed, may safely be relied upon, in general, as in favor of all the best interests of the 
 community. 
 
 From the Salem, (Mass.) Register. 
 
 The Boston Herald has moved into its new model-office building, a fine picture of which appeared 
 in its issue of Saturday, accompanied by a brief history of the paper, — a record to which it may refer 
 with justifiable pride. "We congratulate our friends on their enterprise, and hope their splendid quarters 
 will be the scene of great prosperity and usefulness, and that the Herald will grow brighter and brighter 
 as the years roll around. 
 
 Froin the Waltham (Mass.) Free Press. 
 The Boston Herald has taken possession of its new quarters. The six-story building erected for 
 its accommodation on Washington street has probably no superior for the purpose designed in this coun- 
 try, and the lavish expenditure for comfort and convenience and to gratify a correct taste is warranted by 
 the prosperity attending the business -enterprise of the publishers. The Herald has been greatly im- 
 proved under the business management of Mr. Pulsifer and his associates, and doubtless has attained to 
 that degree of independence that listens to the direction, " Stop my paper! " with as little disturbance as 
 the earth feels at the jumping of a fly. 
 
 From the Gardner (Mass.) News. 
 The Boston Herald is another of the enterprising daily journals which has recently taken up its 
 abode in a new and elegant building of its own, and it appropriately celebrated the occasion by publish- 
 ing a lengthy history of itself, which is an interesting narrative of a wonderfully prosperous paper. 
 The Herald is a newspaper in every sense of the word, with unbounded enterprise; while editorially it 
 is both sharp and able, and its comments have a true, independent ring to them. It contains so much of 
 interest within its closely printed columns that it is hardly surprising that it enjoys such an extensive cir- 
 culation throughout New England. 
 
History of the Herald, 83 
 
 From the Winchendon (Mass.) Journal. 
 
 On the occasion of occupying their new building, last Saturday, the publishers of The Boston 
 Herald, issued an eight-page paper, containing a cut of the new building, and a full and comprehensive 
 history of the Herald from its earliest inception to date. The article is very interesting and readable, 
 and the publishers are to be complimented upon the position now occupied after so many years of 
 labor. 
 
 From the Adams (Mass.) Transcript. 
 
 The Boston Herald has just moved into a new and splendid office on Washington street, and 
 starts afresh on a career of remarkable success. The Herald is conducted with rare business energy 
 and judgment, and as rare newspaper sense and talent. It is a live paper, fearless, brilliant, and able, 
 and deserves the wonderful prosperity it enjoys. 
 
 From the Franklin (Mass.) Register. 
 The proprietors of The Boston Herald have erected an elegant building for their use, and have 
 moved the Herald establishment into it. The new quarters, with all their brightness, cannot make the 
 Herald a brighter, better paper than it has been for many years. 
 
 From the Lowell (3fass.) Courier. 
 
 The Boston Herald this morning comes from its new and palatial quarters on "Washington street, 
 instead of from the dark, uncanny precincts of "Williams court. As a journalistic success it is unequalled 
 in this country, even by the greatest of the New York dailies. It owes its good fortune to the hard work, 
 energy, genius, and skill of R. M. Pulsifer, Edwin B. Haskell, and Charles H. Andrews. It has been said 
 of G-reeley and McElrath, who first made the " New York Tribune " a power, that the two together made 
 a perfect journalistic combination. The same might be said of the three gentlemen above named. The 
 journalist is born, not made, and the Herald trio are born to the newspaper business. They are good 
 boys, all of them, so good that everybody who knows them can praise them without flattery, and consider 
 their prosperity without envy. 
 
 From the Lowell (Mass.) News. 
 
 The Boston Herald comes out this morning with a double sheet, the first page of which is adorned 
 with a handsome picture of the new Herald building, "the model newspaper office of the country," and 
 devotes some twenty-six columns to telling the public about itself and its new quarters, and then don't 
 tell more than half that might well be said. The Herald has earned its position by hard work, and its 
 large circulation at present is full proof of its popularity. May it succeed every time it is right, and its 
 editors themselves would not wish to succeed otherwise. It is only fair to say, however, that it is right 
 so large a part of the time that the good wishes of its friends need very little, if any, qualification. 
 
 From, the Lawrence (Mass.) American. 
 
 The Boston Herald fittingly observes its removal to the elegant new building just completed for 
 its occupancy with an elaborate sketch of its history. The Herald has a right to be exultant over its 
 growth during tlie thirty years of its existence, and in all fairness its prosperity has been well won and 
 
84 History of the Herald. 
 
 amply deserved. It is one of the brightest and best newspapers in the world; in news-gathering second 
 to none, and as evenly and honestly independent as the frailties of humanity will permit. "We are right 
 glad of its success. 
 
 Among the notable incidents recorded as causing large editions of The Boston Herald was the 
 fall of the Pemberton Mills, in this city, when the edition went up to seventy-five thousand copies, double 
 its usual number in 1860. The circulation is now more than one hundred thousand copies daily. In Law- 
 rence one thousand five hundred Heralds are taken each day. 
 
 From the Springfield (Mass.) Republican. 
 
 The Boston Herald has moved into its new and elegant building, and celebrates the occasion 
 with a review of its history. It is the record of a remarkable journalistic achievement, based on the only 
 solid foundation of success, — the maintenance of a purpose, dating back to its establishment thirty years 
 ago, to be " a journal which shall be truly independent." 
 
 From the Worcester (3faiis.) Gazette. 
 
 The Boston Herald prints a quadruple sheet this morning, describing its new palatial quarters. 
 Life is too short to read it all, but we have no doubt they are all that heart could wish. The Herald is 
 an excellent newspaper, thoroughly independent, and very apt to be on the right side of every question. 
 
 From the Taunton (Mass.) Gazette. 
 The Boston Herald people have moved into their new building on "Washington street. The 
 magnificent structure, of which a front view was given in Saturday's Herald, has been fitted up with 
 every convenience for the large business carried on within its walls, and is the result of independent, 
 progressive journalism, of which the proprietors may well be proud. 
 
 From the Portland (Me.) Press. 
 
 The Boston Herald is very proud of its new building, as it ought to be, for it is very handsomely 
 housed. But a matter of greater pride should be its wonderful success, — a success fairly earned by hon- 
 esty and enterprise and brains. From small beginnings it has come to be one of the most powerful and 
 influential journals in the country, and is recognized as an organ of opinion as well as the newsiest of 
 newspapers. 
 
 From the Portland (Me.) Argus. 
 
 The Boston Herald of Saturday was issued from its new and magnificent building erected on the 
 site of their old one. The Herald is one of the liveliest papers published, and its proprietors are to be 
 congratulated on the productive plant they have got. In 1858 the Herald circulated four 'hundred and 
 forty five papers in this city daily. 
 
Histoty of the Herald. 85 
 
 Boston Correspondent Portland (Me.) Argots, 
 
 The Boston Herald on Sunday was moved into its new and elegant building on Washington 
 street, just south of the one heretofore occupied by the establishment. The new building is the most 
 complete newspaper establishment in the country. The Herald building fronts on Washington street, 
 the counting-room and business department occupying the entire first floor. The main part of the 
 establishment is located in the rear of the front building extending to Williams court, from which entrance 
 is made to the press-room in the basement, delivery-room on the first floor, editorial-room on the second 
 floor, reportorial-room on the third floor, and composing-rooms on the floor above. The basement con- 
 tains the engines and the immense Bullock presses, and also the stereotyping-rooras. The business 
 manager, Mr. R. M. Pulsifer, has his rooms in the front ofiice. The general manager of the paper, Mr. 
 Charles H. Andrews, has his room on the same floor with the news and reportorial corps. Next to Mr. 
 Andrews comes the copy-room, where the two day and three night copy editors have their deslis. It is 
 the duty of these men to read all copy which goes to the composing-room, save the editorial articles. 
 There is one man for " local " copy and one for " telegraph " copy. At night there is a third for general 
 supervision. Then comes the room of the city editor, Mr, C. B. Danforth, one of the ablest city editors 
 in Boston. Then in succession on this floor are the rooms of the city reporters, some, two in a room, and 
 some, one in a room. In a large room on the same floor, the large corps of suburban reporters are 
 located. There are ten of them. They come from the territories of Cambridge, old Charlestown, 
 Somerville, Chelsea, Lynn, Salem, Newton, Maiden, Dedham, " South Shore," Boston Highlands, and 
 South Boston. Each man attends to the several smaller towns in his vicinity, so that the territory for 
 twenty-five miles on either side of Boston is as thoroughly *' covered " as the city itself. On the second 
 floor we flrst find the room of the principal editor, Mr. E. B. Haskell. So far as I am aware, this is a new 
 title in journalism. The position itself is somewhat peculiar. Mr. Haskell manages the editorial opinion 
 of the paper, and is one of the principal editorial writers when at home. He is now travelling in Europe. 
 Next to him is the managing editor, Mr. John H. Holmes. Mr. Holmes has general supervision of the 
 paper in detail, originating many features and putting into eff'ect those of the general manager, Mr. 
 Andrews. It is his duty also to examine correspondence, foreign and domestic, and special articles pre- 
 pared for the paper, and, in the absence of the principal editor, to look after the editorial articles by the 
 several writers. The other departments of the paper are much like those of other great daily papers. 
 There are three or four editorial writers, each in his special field. For instance, the financial articles of 
 the Herald, among the ablest in the country, are by an experienced business man and financier; the 
 foreign editorials are written by a man of experience abroad; the labor articles by an editor who devotes 
 his time to an investigation of each important case; the "Men and Things" mainly by Mr, C. C. 
 CouUiard (formerly of Portland), though any member of the staff who thinks he has a "good thing" can 
 contribute to it, provided it is acceptable. Then there are "musical," "dramatic," "sporting," 
 " exchange," and various other editors, who make up the staff. Singular though it may appear, the 
 Herald, the smallest paper in Boston, has the largest corps of writers, having double the editorial, 
 reportorial, and correspondence corps of any other Boston paper. The editorial corps numbers some 
 fifteen, and the reportorial between twenty-five and thirty. By the above it will readily be seen that a 
 great newspaper is an extensive concern, and, furthermore, that its views on various questions are not the 
 views of one individual, nor of a theorist; but rather those of different men, engaged for their experience 
 and information concerning the topics which thej' disouss. ^ 
 
 From the Belfast (Me.) Journal. 
 
 The Boston Daily Herald was on Saturday issued from its elegant new oflSce, No. 255 Wash- 
 ington street. It now occupies a granite and iron front building, of six stories above the street, of 
 remarkable attractive architecture, furnished with the most improved machinery and every appliance 
 
86 History of the Herald. 
 
 which skill and science can suggest for carrying on the large and lucrative business -which the enter- 
 prising proprietors have huilt up. The Herald upon the occasion publishes its autobiography, refers 
 to the successive steps by which, from small beginnings, in 1844, its immense business has arisen. The 
 proprietors deserve all the success which the occasion commemorates ; and we are sure none will feel 
 more gratification than the brotherhood of the pen and press, in city and country. 
 
 From the Brunswick (Me.) Telegraph. 
 
 The Boston Herald, Saturday morning, formally took possession of its new building, 255 Wash- 
 ington street. The building is six stories, thirty-two feet front, one hundred and seventy-nine feet 
 deep. Its appointments in every department are elegant and complete. The cut of the building pub- 
 lished in Saturday's Herald shows it to be one of the most striking of the many handsome structures 
 recently erected in Boston. The paper well merits the great success which it has won. 
 
 From the Waterville (Me.) Mail. 
 
 The very marked success of The Boston Herald is a matter of general comment in newspaper- 
 -dom. It has come to be one of the leading as well as one of the ablest of the New England papers. No 
 other excels it in its news department; and its influence has a firm foundation in its well-known indepen- 
 dence and integrity. 
 
 From the Manchester (N.II.) Mirror. 
 
 The new building on Washington street, erected last summer for the accommodation of The Boston 
 Herald, was thrown open to public inspection last week. It is an elegant structure, built after the 
 most approved plans, furnished with every convenience, and is in every respect worthy of the livest and 
 most successful newspaper in New England. With an engraving and description of its new home, the 
 Herald prints a detailed history of th,e paper from its very small beginnings to the present time. We 
 have not space for even an abstract of this story, but we cannot forbear a word in regard to the Herald 
 of to-day. The present proprietors are: E. B. Haskell, the managing editor; R. M. Pulsifer, the 
 business manager; and Charles H. Andrews, the head of the local department, — three men who cannot 
 easily be matched in any newspaper olfice in the couptry. They are born journalists, who know, as by 
 instinct, what is required to make a complete newspaper, who have a marvellous faculty of crowding 
 much into a little space, and who have an enterprise and a courage which are never beaten. They have 
 also shown wonderful tact in selecting their assistants, and have under their control as efficient a staff as 
 even they can desire. Asa result, their paper has an immense circulation, and makes a handsome return 
 for all the money which they lavish upon it. At times when nearly all other publishers have lost money 
 they have flourished, and the new Herald building is one of the outcomes of their prosperity. As a 
 rule we have little respect for the editorial utterances of "independent" newspapers, for they are 
 generally merely the growls of sore-heads, or the pratings of egotists; but the Herald can afford to and 
 does take broad views of things, and is seldom narrow-minded or pig-headed. Its reputation rests 
 mainly on its eminent success as a news-gatherer; but its influence is generally for good, and often very 
 strong. We congratulate it on its success. 
 
History of the Herald. 87 
 
 From the Concord (N. H.) Monitor. 
 
 The Boston Herald was issued for the first time on Saturday from its palatial building, just com- 
 pleted, and located on "Washington street, a few doors south of the old counting-room. Judging from 
 the illustration and the description of the edifice contained in the Herald of that date, it is the most 
 elegant, spacious, and convenient newspaper office in this country. The success of the Herald since it 
 came under the exclusive control of its present owners, Messrs. R. M. Pulsifer, E. B. Haskell, and 
 Charles H. Andrews, has been marvellous. These gentlemen, together with Justin Andrews, an elder 
 brother of Charles H., had, while only partial owners, — the controlling interest being held by E. C. Bailey, 
 Esq., now of the "Patriot," — given the Herald a new character for enterprise and ability, and their long 
 journalistic experience was invaluable to one not himself to the manner born. Justin Andrews, who has 
 retired from the firm to enjoy a competency, is one of the best journalists in An^erica, and to him more 
 than to any one man is the Herai^d indebted for its growth in popularity and influence at a time when 
 the rivalry was much sharper than now; for the Herald has not, to-day, a single rival in its peculiar 
 field. Mr. Pulsifer, as a business manager, has no superior in the guild. Mr. Haskell is equally saga- 
 cious as chief manager and director of the editorial columns, both in marking out the line of policy to be 
 pursued and in keeping to that line. Mr. Andrews is equally strong in overlooking city matters; and the 
 three constitute a journalistic trio hard to be excelled. They have been fortunate in their respective 
 staffs also. Napoleon knew a good general when he saw him, even in the person of a raw recruit. 
 Messrs. Haskell and Andrews know a born journalist — and journalists, like poets, are born not made — 
 when they see him, no matter whether he matriculates from a world-renowned university or some 
 obscure newspaper establishment. Hence their assistants in all the branches of the journalistic art are 
 men especially fitted for their respective stations. The same remark holds true of the counting-room. 
 The employes there are men who have been tried and not found wanting. In short, the personnel of the 
 Herald establishment, from the chiefs down, are gentlemen whom to know is to respect, and we rejoice 
 in their prosperity. 
 
 From the Nashua (N.H.) Telegraph. 
 
 The Boston Herald was issued from a new building, an elegant and substantial structure, on 
 Saturday. The Herald is one of the most enterprising and successful newspapers in the countrj-, and 
 under its present management it exerts a powerful influence, usually on the right side of most questions. 
 The history of this newspaper, as given in its own columns on taking up its abode in its new quarters, is 
 an interesting and important chapter in American journalism. 
 
 From, the Portsmouth (N.H.) Chronicle. 
 
 The new Herald building, on Washington street, Boston, is completed, and is not only a fine 
 building, but one of the best newspaper ofiices in the country. The entire building, which is one hun- 
 dred feet high and contains six stories and a basement, is taken up by the Herald establishment. 
 
 From the Providence (R.I.) Journal. 
 
 The Boston Herald has entered into the occupation of a new, spacious, admirably arranged, and 
 elegant building. It is justified in its enterprise. The history of the Herald is an interesting and 
 Instructive one ; it has grown to its present stature, and that by long years of hard and useful work. Its 
 success is, therefore, a legitimate, and is likely to be a permanent one. The accessories of the Herald 
 
88 History of the Herald. 
 
 establishment ai*e complete and luxurious, but tbey are the outcome of a business demand. The ques- 
 tion is not whether the Herald needs, or is likely to need, its habitation, but how long will its present 
 facilities suffice for its wants. As a newspaper, the Herald has a field and a reputation of its own ; it 
 i s most ably conducted, not only in a commercial sense,' but also in its editorial departments. Indepen- 
 dent in politics, with very perceptible leanings, its articles, in times of public agitation, are terse, sharp, 
 and always perfectly to the point. While its articles are usually brief, they reach the mark. In these 
 days, when so many newspapers live " at a poor dying rate," we congratulate our neighbor upon a 
 degree of prosperity as broad and deep as it is substantial. Continuing the energy and ability it has so 
 long displayed, it will secure and deserve an increase of its present profit and influence. 
 
 From the Providence (R.I.) Press. 
 The Boston Herald moves into its new and handsome building on "Washington street to-day 
 The Herald is one of the most enterprising and successful newspapers in the country. It was started 
 on the 31st of August, 1846, with one editor and two local reporters. _ Now it has two hundred men on 
 its pay-roll, all of whom are within the building, while the correspondents and outside men are fully 
 equal in number to the regular force. 
 
 From the Newport (R.I.) News. 
 
 The Boston Herald comes to us tnis morning as a mammoth sheet, being the first number issued 
 from their new building. It contains a history of the paper, a description of the new quarters, with a 
 picture of the building, and as usual is crowded full of news. Long live the Herald ! 
 
 Boston Correspondent Providence (R.I.) Press. 
 
 The Herald recently removed to its new and elegant building, a few doors south of its old location. 
 It has unquestionably the best arranged, and probably the most elegantly appointed, newspaper office in 
 America. This results from a practical knowledge, on the part of those who contrived the structure, of 
 the uses to which it is to be put. It does not always happen that newspaper offices are built by those 
 who are to work in them. In the case of the Herald it is different, for the present owners and 
 managers of the paper are practical journalists, and to their efforts chiefly the enormous growth and 
 success of the newspaper are attributed. The Herald laid the foundation of its greatness many years 
 ago by giving the public a good newspaper; and, in this particular, the now prosperous proprietors, who 
 were then underlings, succeeded, with their associates, in placing it on the high wave of success in spite 
 of a bad helmsman. In other words, bad management was thwarted by good work. Those who have 
 been conversant with the inner history of the Herald — a paper which affords a most remarkable 
 illustration of enterprise and rapid growth — will look with gratification upon the new evidence of pros- 
 perity on the part of its young and energetic proprietors. May they long continue to enjoy their well- 
 earned fortunes ! 
 
 Boston Correspondent Hartford (Conn.) Courant. 
 
 The Herald has established a position in Boston that almost any journal in the land might envy. 
 It circulates a hundred thousand and over a day, and is read by many thousand more than this number. 
 It has the credit, on all hands, of using the very great influence that this implies for good principles and 
 ends. We are having substantial proof of its prosperity just now in the opening of its new building to 
 
History of the Herald. ' 89 
 
 the public. Many thousands of people have visited this, and admired its arrangements. It is by far the 
 most elegant, elaborate, and thoroughly appointed newspaper establishment ever seen in Boston, and I 
 doubt if it is equalled in completeness and convenience in the -country. The people read this paper, and 
 it is next to impossible to supplant it in popularity and influence with them. 
 
 From the Hartford (Conn.) Post. 
 
 The Boston HERAiiO printing establishment took possession of new, commodious, and elegant 
 quarters, on Washington street, last Saturday, and celebrated the occasion by issuing a double sheet, and 
 giving a picture of the new home of the paper and a history of its rise and the struggles through which 
 in thirty years it attained its present eminence. The story fills three and a quarter pages, or twenty- 
 six columns, in small type, and would, in the ordinary book form, make quite a volume. The Herald 
 has the largest circulation, and is probably the most lucrative paper in New England. Its average daily 
 issue last year was one hundred and two thousand nine hundred and fifty-eight, and it has printed in a 
 single day as many as two hundred and twenty-three thousand two hundred and fifty-six copies. The 
 circulation of the large Sunday paper has been carried up to between sixty thousand and seventy 
 thousand, and single issues have been made as high as eighty-se^en thousand. The Herald is, first of 
 all, a newspaper. It reaches out all over the country by its special correspondents, and across the ocean 
 to Europe, and spares no expense to obtain the latest and freshest advices of every event of public 
 moment. It is bright and cheerful in tone, and its treatment of public questions and public men is as 
 nearly independent as a newspaper can be. There is always to be discerned in its remarks upon 
 political topics a sincere desire to do the right thing for the great constituency it represents. It opposed 
 the election of President Hayes ; but now that he is in office, it gives a generous support to his good 
 work, and lends no encouragement to the malevolence that would befoul the American people in the 
 person of their President. It is fitting that so great a newspaper should be housed in an edifice as elegant 
 as can be made of marble, and iron, and the choicest woods, and so long as it continues the untiring 
 purveyor of news, and the fearless, impartial adviser of the class it more generally reaches than any 
 other New England journal, it will deserve the prosperity it has attained. 
 
 From the Hartford (Conn.) Conrant. 
 The Boston Herald celebrated its occupancy of its fine new building Saturday by publishing a 
 cut of the building and an interesting three-page account of the Herald's history during its existence of 
 thirty-two years. The article gives an exceedingly interesting account of the paper's progress from its 
 humble beginning to its present enjoyment of the largest circulation of any New England journal. 
 
 From the Hartford (Conn.) Times. 
 The Boston Herald celebrates its removal into its new building by publishing a picture of the 
 establishment and a three-page history of the paper. The Herald is the most largely circulated and 
 the most profitable newspaper in New England, and it can afl"ord to " spread itself" just once. 
 
 From the Albany (21. Y.) Press. 
 It seems to be only a very short time ago that The Boston Herald, coming into the possession of 
 Mr. Bailey, was brought into notice as a newspaper, by outstripping its cotemporaries, which were never 
 looked upon or regarded as news journals. He organized a force of young journalists, established a 
 
90 • History of the Herald. 
 
 skirmish line of reporters, and sent forth scouts, in the character of correspondents, to all parts of the 
 country, especially during the war of the rebellion. Shortly after the close of the rebellion Mr. Bailey 
 retired with an immense fortune, accumulated in a few years, and turned the establishment over to those 
 who had acted in the capacity of subordinate officers to him, chief of whom was Mr. Pulsifer, who now 
 stands at the head of the new firm. We were led into these reminiscences by learning that on Saturday 
 the Herald formally took possession of its new building, No. 255 Washington street, a few doors south 
 of its old location. The building is six stories high, thirty-two feet front, one hundred and seventy-nine 
 feet deep, with an L twenty-four by forty-five feet. The height from basement to roof is one hundred 
 and thirteen feet. The appointments in every department are elegant and complete, and it is considered 
 one of the best-equipped newspaper offices in this country. 
 
 From the Batimore (Md.) Gazette. 
 
 The Boston Herald on Saturday last formally took possession of its new building, which, judging 
 by a cut of it appearing in the Herald of that day, is a fine, imposing structure. In honor of the occasion 
 it devotes considerable space to a sketch of itself. It achieved its largest circulation on the day succeed- 
 ing the last presidential election, when it issued two hundred and twenty-three thousand two hundred 
 and fifty-six copies. Thoroughly independent, enterprising and reliable, the Herald deserves the high 
 rank it occupies to-day in American journalism. 
 
 From the Philadelphia Times. 
 
 The leading newspaper of New England, and one of the ablest and most enterprising in the United 
 States, is the Boston Herald, which signalizes its occupation of a splendid new building by a full and 
 interesting history of the ups and downs in its life of thirty-two years. Long a journal of local impor- 
 tance it has within the last ten -years come to be one of national influence, and now possesses all the char- 
 acteristics of the most advanced metropolitan journalism. The story of its life would surprise many who 
 think they know all about running newspapers, but really have little idea of the magnitude of such an un- 
 dertaking. The Herald's high tide in circulation was reached on the 8th of November, 1876, the day 
 after the Tilden-Hayes election, when two hundred and twenty-three thousand two hundred and fifty-six 
 copies were printed and sold. On that day over fourteen tons of paper were used, a quantity that would 
 make a continuous sheet of the width of this journal and two hundred and fifty miles long. The average 
 cost of composition, in 1876, was one thousand six hundred dollars weekly, and these figures are maintained 
 at present. Mr. E. B. Haskell, the editor of the Herald, is now enjoying a year abroad, and his place is 
 ably filled by the managing editor, Mr. John H. Holmes, whose brilliant achievements in the fine of his 
 profession have placed him in the front rank of American journalists. Politically the Herald is thor- 
 oughly independent and plain-spoken, and this is one secret of its success. 
 
 From the Philadelphia City Item. 
 The Boston Herald has just made many improvements in its affairs. .A new building, four 
 Bullock presses, and other important matters, show remarkable prosperity. The Herald is the most 
 successful paper in New England, that is to say, it is the largest money-maker. There are fourteen 
 persons employed in the business department, eleven in the stereotype foundry, sixteen in the deliver- 
 ing-room, forty-four in the editorial and news department, and eighty-four in the composition- room. 
 The pay-roll is between three thousand five hundred and four thousand dollars per week. The 
 whole management is admirable. There are three partners in the firm, — R. M. Pulsifer, who has charge 
 of the business; E. B. Haskell, the leading editor; and Mr. C.H. Andrews, the managing editor. Mr. 
 John J. Holmes has direct supervision over the paper. 
 
History of the Herald. 91 
 
 From the Philadelphia Press. 
 
 The Boston Herald, having reached thirty-two years of age, has moved into a magnificent new 
 building on Washington street. The issue of Saturday devotes several pages of space to a history of the 
 Herald, and a description of the new head-quarters. The success of this journal has been won by bard 
 struggles, often under most adverse circumstances; but such is the history of nearly all city dailies, and 
 the fact that a paper succeeds is in itself proof that its success is well deserved. 
 
 From the Florida Press. 
 
 The Boston Herald is one of the best edited and managed papers in New England; in fact, it is 
 the leading journal in that section, and has reqently taken possession of a new and spacious building, 
 erected for its use in Boston. The Herald was first issued in 1846, and has steadily inci'v.ased in circu- 
 lation and influence up to the present time, and now exceeds in circulation the combined issues of all the 
 daily papers published in that city. The Herald has a national reputation, and is one of the few news- 
 papers in this country that is really published upon the basis of independentism, liberality, enterprise, 
 and integrity. This has been the secret of its success. 
 
 Associated Press Despatch. 
 
 Boston, Feb. 10. — Yesterday morning The Boston Herald was published for the first time in 
 the proprietors' new building, on "Washington street. Starting on the 31st of August, 1846, as an evening 
 edition of " The American Eagle," with one editor and two enterprising " locals," it has extended its 
 borders, until to-day it numbers on its pay-roll two hundred men, all of whom are within the building. 
 The number of its correspondents outside is also very large. The main building, facing on Washington 
 street, has a frontage of thirty-one feet nine inches, and a width in the rear of twenty-six feet. The dis- 
 tance from the street front to the rear is one hundred and seventy-nine feet. An L, leading into Wil- 
 liams court, has a frontage of twenty-four and one-half feet on the court, and a width of twenty-three 
 feet where it joins the main building. The total ground surface is about six thousand two hundred 
 square feet. This entire area is occupied by the basement of the building. The first story covers the 
 same surface, with the exception of three areas, the main one being fifteen by eighteen feet in the first 
 story, with a width above of twenty-three by twenty-eight and one-half feet, separating the building 
 into substantially two buildings, the front one facing upon Washington street, above the counting-room, 
 and the rear takes in the back building and L, which will be occupied by the several editorial, mechanical, 
 and other departments of the paper. The front of the building on Washington street is in the architectu- 
 ral style of the French renaissance. It is composed of six floors, or stories, above the street, five of 
 which are fronted with Concord granite, with the introduction of polished columns of red Bay of Fundy, 
 granite on the second and third stories; polished panels of the same material in the window-caps of the 
 third, fourth, and sixth stories, and oval medallion panels in the pediment caps of the second, third, and 
 sixth story windows. The business ofllce is fitted up with every convenience. 
 
 The upper portion of the front building is reached through a small vestibule, the walls of which are 
 lined with dove-colored marble. The elevator runs from the first to the upper floor, inside a fire-proof 
 well of brick. Each of the upper stories is laid off into two suites, front and rear, all of which are fin- 
 ished in oak. Each of these suites is furnished with a dressing-room, closets, and a safe. In addition to 
 the steam heat, each of the suites has two open fireplaces. All the upper chambers are connected with 
 the lower hall-way by a system of speaking-tubes and electric call-bells. The building in the rear of the 
 one fronting on Washington street and the one fronting on Williams court are united, and form a con- 
 
92 History of the Herald. 
 
 tinuous building, in the shape of an L. The entrance to the editorial rooms is from the counting-room, 
 and from the Williams-court section also. These rooms are on the second floor of the rear buildings 
 and are, exclusive of the library, nine in number. The news editors and reporters occupy the floor 
 above, which is well supplied with pneumatic and speaking tubes, electric bells, etc. The composing- 
 room, on the upper floor, has a floor surface of room two thousand seven hundred square feet, and is 
 high-studded, well-lighted and well ventilated. The press-rooms are in the basement, while the mail 
 ing and delivery rooms are on the first floor of the rear building. 
 
 From the Vermont Watchman and State Journal. 
 
 The Boston Herald celebrated its occupancy of its fine new building Saturday by publisliing a 
 cut of the building and an interesting three-page account of the OERAiiO's history during its existence of 
 thirty -two years. The article gives an exceedingly interesting account of the paper's progress from its 
 humble beginning to its present enjoyment of the largest circulation of any Xew England journal. 
 
 From the New York Graphic. 
 "We give to-day a complete presentment of the features which have made the recent occupation of the 
 new premises of the Boston Herald an event of interest worthy of the local attention it has received, 
 and something more widely notable, for the more general reason that it marks very strongly the growth 
 of newspaper enterprise, and the facilities that enterprising newspaper publication has called into its ser- 
 vice. There are reasons that will appear from the illustrations we give, and the few added notes that are 
 called for, that abundantly demonstrate the height of achievement by the proprietors of the Herald, both 
 in creating the demand for their present facilities, and then securing them by a combination of all the skill 
 and experience that in multiform fashion combine in their new building. Taking these first in order, 
 there is in the building an answer to present use. Thej' have not builded as a venture and prospectively, 
 that lavish outlay may be among their means of securing returns. Newspaper premises before now have 
 been heaped up at vast expense, as like adjuncts have been sought to help forward various corporate and 
 private undertakings,- — buildings for the future, not needed now, but set up to invite a future, oftentimes 
 in these days, not realized, or set further off" by unproductive outlay. It is, therefore, the notable initial 
 fact, that the Boston Herald built to its own demand, and instantly fills its magnificent premises with 
 its own uses, leaving far less space than^is usual, in such cases, to general rental purposes. The location 
 is in the very business heart of the city. 
 
 From the Ntw York Sun. 
 
 We extend to The Boston Herald our felicitations on its entrance into the new building which it 
 has erected in Washington street of that city. We hope it finds its quarters pleasant and adapted to its 
 purposes, and that it will be able to rent out at remunerative prices such spare space in its handsome 
 edifice as it does not itself require. Our Boston contemporary is a newspaper over whose prosperity we 
 rejoice the more because we see it is edited and published on correct principles. It follows to a credit- 
 able extent the example of the " Sun " in printing conspicuously its true circulation, though, unlike us, it 
 does not give tlie figures of each day's issue. Their reticence about that matter prevents our speaking 
 accurately, but our impression is that the Herald sells as many papers of its difterent editions as all the 
 other journals of Boston combined. This gives our contemporary a great power, and we are glad to say 
 that it uses well its opportunity. Like the " Sun," it is a four-page sheet, and it manages to get into its 
 
History of the Herald. 93 
 
 columns all the news, -with such comments thereon as its editor deems proper. If a journal does this, it 
 fulfils the function of its being and deserves the patronage of the public. The manufacture of printing 
 paper is one of the most important industries in this country, and the processes by which it is done have 
 been so perfected that we need never fear rivalry in that direction from foreign countries. But very 
 much of this paper, which comes out of the mill so fresh and clean, is disfigured and destroyed by the 
 poor stuff printed on it. Our prosperous Boston contemporary improved the occasion of its entry into its 
 new quarters by giving a history of its progress from feeble infancy to ripe manhood. In 1846 the staff 
 of the Herald was composed of two men, whereas now it contains forty-four. Six compositors were 
 then employed, whereas now there are eighty-four. One pressman and an assistant did not overwork 
 themselves in printing the paper, while to-day thirty men are kept actively employed at its printing 
 presses. The salaries and bills for composition in 1846 aggregated scarcely fifty dollars a week, and now 
 the composition alone amounts to one thousand six hundred dollars a week, and the pay-roll of the other 
 departments foots up to the sum of over two thousand dollars a week. This frank statement of The 
 Boston Herald must be very interesting to the public and to the newspaper profession, and probably 
 the facts it narrates are not very different from those which other journals might give. They remind us 
 that the " Sun " has similarly grown, and though our expenses are larger than those of the New England 
 journal, their proportionate increase has not been greater. "We extend anew to The Boston Herald our 
 hearty congratulations, and add the hope that it will experience in its new quai-ters even larger prosper- 
 ity than has hitherto attended it. oSText to the " Sun " it is the most extensively circulated paper in the 
 country, and if it always taught the people that under no circumstances they should compromise with 
 Fraud, we should call it a very satisfactory paper. 
 
 From the New York Express. 
 
 The Boston Herald was issued on Saturday from a magnificent new ofiice, at No. 255 Washington 
 Btreet, — an establishment which its proprietors proudly term "the model newspaper office of the coun- 
 try." The new building, which covers three lots of ground, was erected during the past summer by the 
 Herald Publishing Company, and its appointments throughout are of the most liberal and thorough de- 
 scription. The Herald has had an eventful history since it made its first appearance at Np- 5 Devon- 
 shire street, in the summer of 1846, under the title of the "American Eagle," a one-cent morning daily 
 devoted to the native American cause. "With the decline of Know Nothingism the enterprise languished, 
 and after a drooping existence of two years a new departure was taken, and under new management and 
 a new name the Herald appeared as an independent evening daily, and its course from that time has 
 been an almost uninternipted growth, until it has become the leading journal of New England, and, in 
 fact, one of the very first newspapers of the United States. In all that pertains to the current history of 
 the world the Herald is proverbial for its enterprise, ability, and fairness, and the rewards of its liberal 
 and vigorous management have been ample. Its circulation surpasses that of any half-dozen ordinary 
 journals, and its advertising patronage is profitable and steady. Its managers are to be congratulated on 
 the success which has attended their enterprise, and Boston on the possession of one of the finest news- 
 paper palaces of the world. 
 
 From the New York Times. 
 
 The Boston Herald yesterday was published for the first time from anew building, No. 255 
 "Washington street, erected by its proprietors for its especial use, and avails itself of the opportunity to 
 describe at length its exceedingly prosperous career during the past thirty-two years. The Herald is by 
 long odds the most successful paper of the city, and of New England, in a business view, its circulation 
 largely exceeding that of any other. 
 
KJ 
 
RETURN CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT 
 TO^^> 202 Main Library 
 
 LOAN PERIOD 1 
 HOME USE 
 
 2 
 
 3 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 .^vfS9'iifM^cBI«!E^WIP^itabi m^ ORIOfl TO DUE DATE 
 
 LOAN PERIODS ARE 1 -MONTH, S-MONTMS. AND 1-YEAR. 
 RENEWALS: CALL (415) 642-3405 
 
 DUE AS STAMPED BELOW 
 
 JUNO5IQQI 
 
 nimsi JUN t aij90 
 
 JUN 211991 
 
 AyT(IBISGOCT03'9ll 
 
 JULIO Wl 
 
 RECEIVED BV 
 
 JUN 7 1991 
 
 CWCULATION WP 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY 
 FORM NO. DD6, 60m, 1/83 BERKELEY, CA 94720 
 
C BERKELEY LIBRARIES 
 " " II 
 
 cD3na7t.bD 
 
 ivil26917 .^^ 
 
 B7474 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA UBRARY 
 
l^