1878, and the business-office was removed to No. 203
(now No. 241) Washington Street. Early in 1851,
through some inexplicable cause, Mr. French suddenly
found himself financially embarrassed. In July
he disposed of the paper to John M. Barnard, and soon
after retired to a farm in Maine. Mr. Tyler was
retained in charge of the editorial department; but
Mr. Glen resigned and was succeeded as managing editor
by Mr. A.A. Wallace. During the remainder
of the year the Herald did not display much enterprise
in gathering news. Its special telegraphic reports
were meagre and averaged no more than a “stickful”
daily, and it was cut off from the privileges of the
Associated Press dispatches. In 1852 there was
a marked improvement in the paper, but it did not
reach the standard it established in 1850. Two
new presses, one of Hoe’s and the other a Taylor’s
Napier, were this year put in use, which bettered
the typography of the sheet. In 1853 the Herald
was little more than a record of local events, its
telegraphic reports being almost as brief and unsatisfactory
as during the first year of its existence. But
the circulation kept up wonderfully well, growing,
according to the sworn statements of the proprietor,
from sixteen thousand five hundred and five in January
to twenty-three thousand two hundred and ten in December.
The Herald of 1854 was a much better paper than that
of the year previous, exerting far more energy in
obtaining and printing news. On April 1 it was
enlarged for the second time and came out with columns
lengthened two inches, the pages measuring twenty-three
by seventeen inches. The circulation continued
to increase, and, by the sworn statements published,
grew from twenty-five thousand two hundred and sixteen
in January to thirty thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight
in June. Success continued through the year 1855.
In February, Mr. Barnard, while remaining proprietor,
withdrew from active management, and Edwin C. Bailey
and A. Milton Lawrence became the publishers.
There were also some changes in the editorial and
reportorial staff. Henry R. Tracy became assistant
editor, and Charles H. Andrews (now one of the editors
and proprietors) was engaged as a reporter. There
were then engaged in the composing-room a foreman and
eight compositors, one of whom, George G. Bailey, subsequently
became foreman, and later one of the proprietors.
Printers will be interested to know that the weekly
composition bill averaged one hundred and seventy-five
dollars. This year but one edition was published
in the morning, while the first evening edition was
dated 12 M., 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 printed daily, two of which
were editorial, two news by telegraph, two gleanings
from “exchanges,” and the remainder local
reports, correspondence, etc. The average
daily circulation during 1855 was claimed to have
been thirty thousand, but was probably something less.