The story of the Sun, New York, 1833-1918 / by Frank M. O'Brien.

52

THE STORY OF "THE SUN"

On December 17, in the fourth month of its life, the
Sun announced that it had procured " a machine press,
on which one thousand impressions can be taken in an
hour. The daily circulation is now nearly FOUR
THOUSAND." It was a happy Christmas for Day and
Wisner. The Sun surely was shining!
The paper retained its original size and shape during
the whole of 1834, and rarely printed more than four
pages. As it grew older, it printed more and more
local items and developed greater interest in local affairs.
The first page was taken up with advertising and reprint. A State election might have taken place the day
before, but on page 1 the Sun worshippers looked for a
bit of fiction or history. What were the fortunes of
William L. Marcy as compared to a two-column thriller,
" The Idiot's Revenge," or " Captain Chicken and Gentle Sophia"?
The head-lines were all small, and most of them
italics. Here are samples:
INGRATITUDE OF A CAT.
PERSONALITY OF NAPOLEON.
WONDERFUL ANTICS OF FLEAS.
BROUGHT TO IT BY RUM.
The news paragraphs were sometimes models of condensation:
PICKPOCKETS-On Friday night a Gentleman lost
$100 at the Opera and then $25 at Tammany Hall.
The Hon. Daniel Webster will leave town this morning for Washington.
John Baker, the person whom we reported a short
time since as being brought before the police for stealing a ham, died suddenly in his cell in Bellevue in the
greatest agony-an awful warning to drunkards.