At 11:53a.m. on the morning of 26 October, the first day of balloting, white smoke was seen coming from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel, a traditional signal to the crowds in the square outside that a pope has been elected. It was followed after a few minutes by black smoke. The Italian radio network and the Italian news agency had to retract their initial reports that a pope had been elected. Something similar happened in the afternoon at 5:53p.m. when the smoke again appeared white. At 6p.m., after the smoke had continued white for several minutes, Vatican Radio told the world: "The smoke is white... There is absolutely no doubt. A Pope has been elected." After about half an hour, the smoke turned black, indicating that there was no result. Vatican Radio corrected its report. "The New York Times" said that "The crowd lingered for more than a half hour, apparently hoping against hope that a new Pope would appear." The paper reported that problems getting the straw to catch fire likely caused the morning’s problem and said "The second signal was misunderstood because it came well after nightfall. The smoke was lighted from below by a spotlight, which made black appear white."