A giant hippopotamus, a cook, and the ship’s crew, as principals, enacted for 2,000 passengers aboard the steamship “President Lincoln” which arrived here today from Hamburg, a “near sea tragedy” last Tuesday when three days out from Southampton.
Otto Winkle, the fourth cook, was[Pg 198] sitting on the rail forward, dozing in the sunshine. Just then from the nearby cage of the hippo, consigned to the zoo at Cincinnati and the largest ever brought to America, came a tremendous sneeze. The shock of the hippo’s sneeze was too much for the somnolent cook who unceremoniously toppled overboard and in a moment was struggling in the wake of the ship. A cry from some of the passengers who saw the mishap resulted in a boat’s being lowered, and the cook’s being rescued.
(2)
Lead of Rewrite Story in Morning
Paper on the Following Day.
To be blown overboard in mid-ocean by a hippopotamus’ sneeze was the fate of Otto Winkle, fourth cook on the President Lincoln, which arrived from Hamburg yesterday with 2,000 witnesses of the narrow escape of the assistant chef. Prompt action in lowering a boat saved the cook from drowning. The big hippo, said to be the largest in captivity in America, went on his way to the Cincinnati zoological gardens today without being aware of the excitement that his sneeze had caused.
Anticipating News in Rewriting. One of the simplest ways of bringing a story up to the time of the edition in which it is to appear in rewritten form, is to anticipate the probable result or the next development. In the morning editions of evening papers, particularly, much of the day’s news can be forecast and the news stories written accordingly. Persons arrested during the evening and night, for example, it is safe to say in advance, will have their cases considered in the police court the next morning. Accordingly, the fact that a person will be charged in court with his offense “this morning” rather than the fact that he was arrested “last night,” constitutes the feature of the first morning edition of the afternoon paper. Stories of trials, conventions, investigations, legislative sessions, and other events extending over a number of days or weeks can often be given a new turn before anything new actually has been done by setting forth in the lead what is to be done. The early morning resumption of a search abandoned because of darkness the night before can be played up in the rewritten story of a drowning, disappearance, or similar occurrence. A midnight railroad wreck reported in a morning paper, it is safe to say in the morning editions of the afternoon papers, will be investigated by the railroad company and by inspectors of the state railroad commission in order to fix the responsibility. Conjectures as to his successor may be made a feature of a rewrite story following the announcement of the resignation of a public official. To look forward to what will happen is practically to give the news before it actually happens, and this can frequently be done.
How without any additional facts the next development of a piece of news may be anticipated and the time changed from “last night” to “this morning” is shown by the rewritten leads following:
(1)
Lead of First Story in Morning Paper.
Fire gutted the warehouse of the L. C. Whitney Seed Company, 113 Canal Street, shortly before midnight, causing a loss of $75,000. Robert S. Wilber, a night watchman employed by the firm, was reported missing and is believed to have lost his life in the fire.