Farewell Banquet

Lehigh Valley locomotive No. 919

Cortland Evening Standard, Thursday, March 5, 1896.

COMPLIMENTARY BANQUET

GIVEN BY BUSINESSMEN OF CORTLAND

In Honor of Albert Allen and Robert E. Dunston, Two Retiring Superintendents.

   A complimentary banquet was last night given at the Messenger House by the business men of Cortland in honor of Mr. Albert Allen, who has just retired from the superintendency of the E. C. & N. R. R. and of Mr. Robert E. Dunston, who has just retired from the superintendency of the Cortland & Homer Traction Co. It was a representative gathering of Cortland's citizens and was one of the most enjoyable affairs of its kind which has ever occurred in the place. The one thing which detracted from the highest pleasure of the occasion was the fact that it was a kind of farewell to two gentlemen in their official capacity who are valued citizens of the place and have hosts of warm personal friends here. While they may not immediately remove from Cortland it is well known that business ties no longer bind them here and they are likely to depart at any time.

   The gentlemen arrived at about 9 o'clock and spent a pleasant hour socially in the hotel parlors, where they were warmly welcomed by the reception committee: Hon. L. J. Fitzgerald, Judge J. E. Eggleston, Judge A. P. Smith, Mr. T. H. Wickwire and Dr. H. T. Dana.

   Mr. Laurence Mills had been appointed by the business men as a special committee of arrangements and he had devoted the larger part of three days to the undertaking. The great success which it was from every point of view was in large measure due to his efforts. It was 9:50 o'clock when Mr. Mills announced that Landlord Ingraham pronounced the dining room ready and arranged the company in order to proceed to the lower rooms.

   Seventy-one people were seated at the tables, which were arranged upon three sides of a rectangle. At the center of the head table sat Hon. O. U. Kellogg, who was the chairman and toastmaster. At his right in this order sat Mr. Dunston, Hon. L. J. Fitzgerald, Mr. H. L. Bronson, Judge A. P. Smith, Judge Walter Lloyd Smith. At his left were Mr. Albert Allen, Judge J. E. Eggleston, and Mr. D. W. Van Hossen. Others in the order in which they sat around each of the side tables were Messrs. C. F. Wickwire. R. Bruce Smith, Dr. H. T. Dans, Judge S. S. Knox, D. W. Andrews, John C. Barry, T. H. Wickwire, Dr. F. W. Higgins, B. A. Benedict, J. S. Bull, B. T. Wright, C. F. Brown, F. D. Smith, Ernest M. Hulbert, F. Daehler, F. B. Nourse, A. M. Schermerhorn, Herbert Longendyke, E. D, Blodgett, G. H. Ames, E. C. Rindge, H. S. Bliss, E. E. Mellon, W. E. Wood, W. T. Bushby, A. M. Jewett, E. C. Alger, C. P. Walrad, G. J. Mager, R. G. Lewis, J. O. Reid, A. D. Wallace, F. E. Price, H. Wells, F. J. Doubleday, B. L. Webb, W. A. Cornish, L. D. Garrison, Dr. C. E. Ingalls, E. L. Pierce, B. W. Rood, F. L. McDowell,  G. H. Garrison, G. C. Hubbard, C. L. Kinney, G. E. Ingraham, Sheriff A. Hilsinger, A. Mahan, W. W. Hout, J. H. Kelley, Dorr C. Smith, E. D. Barker, J. C. Seager, C. B. Warren, F. N. Harrington, Train Dispatcher W. H. Clark, O. K. George, Delos Bauder and Laurence Mills.

   The spread was one of the finest ever prepared on a similar occasion in Cortland, and the serving was excellent. The entire menu was as follows:

Claret

Little Neck Clams

Soup

Consomme a la Royal

Green Turtle

Lettuce, Celery, Radishes, Olives

Fish

Baked Blue Fish, Hollandaise Sauce

Boiled

Ox Tongue, Port Wine Sauce

Entrees

Fillet of Beef, Fried Oysters, Quail on Toast, Escalloped Oysters

Roman Punch

Roasts

Prime Ribs of Beef, Brown Gravy, Venison a la Messenger, New England Turkey, Cranberry Sauce

Chicken Salad a la Mayonnaise

Shrimp Salad

Vegetables

Boston Browned Potatoes, Mashed Potatoes,

New Spinach, French Peas, Wax Beans

Dessert

Orange Short Cake

Charlotte Russe, Rum Jelly,

Lemon Ice

Assorted Cakes, Edam Cheese

Tea, Coca, Coffee

Mixed Nuts, Oranges

Cigars

   It was 12:30 o'clock when Mr. Kellogg called the assembly to order and explained in brief but fitting words the object of the gathering. He said that some from out of town who were not present had desired to be there, but were unable to do so and had sent regrets. He read the following telegram:

NEW YORK, March 3, 1896.

Laurence Mills, Cortland, N Y.:

   I regret exceedingly that my engagements will prevent me from being in Cortland tomorrow night and especially because I would like to show Mr. Allen, who has been a faithful manager of our road, that we appreciate it, and I should also like very much indeed to meet the citizens of Cortland who are his friends, and I assume are also mine. Will you kindly give them all my best regards and thanks for the handsome manner in which they have all treated Mr. Allen and our executive officers during our connection with the road.

AUSTIN CORBIN.

   Mr. Kellogg referred also to regrets from others, but did not read them.

Among those were the following:

EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT, CITY OF BINGHAMTON, N. Y., MARCH 3, 1896.

Lawrence Mills, Esq., Cortland, N. Y.

   MY DEAR SIRS— Your message I found on my return to office this afternoon.

Permit me to thank you for your kindly remembrance, I regret, however, that it will be impossible to participate in this banquet owing to the fact that I am obliged to go some distance into the country to attend the funeral of a relative which occurs tomorrow afternoon, therefore I shall be unable to return to the city until late in the day. Trusting that the affair will be one of great pleasure and profit to all participants, and again expressing my sincere appreciation for the honor conferred, I am,

Yours truly,

GEORGE E. GREEN.

SYRACUSE, N. Y., March 4.

Laurence Mills, Cortland, N. Y.:

   I regret very much that urgent and unexpected business will make it impossible for me to be present at your meeting tonight. Thanking you for your kind invitation I am with best wishes for the success of both gentleman and the meeting,

Yours very truly,

A. H. SCHWARZ.

AUBURN, N. Y., March 4.

Laurence Mills, Cortland, N. Y.:

   I regret a previous engagement will prevent my attending citizens' banquet Wednesday night.

H. D. TITUS

   Regrets had also been received from Mr. H. Bergholtz.

   Mr. Kellogg then asked Judge Eggleston to voice the feelings of the citizens. This the judge did in words earnest and eloquent, paying a well merited tribute to both the guests of the evening, as officers, as citizens of Cortland and as men.

   H. L. Bronson was asked to speak for the Traction company and spoke of the high service of Mr. Dunston to that organization.

   Dr. Dana was called for but asked to be excused.

   Judge A. P. Smith was the next speaker. He was in his happiest mood and was greeted with laughter and applause, as he made a characteristic speech.

   Mr. Allen was then called for and expressed his gratification at the expression of friendship heard on all sides and regret at his departure. He gave a little outline of his thirty-two years' experience as a railroad man, beginning as a helper to a fireman on a railroad down in New Jersey until he had reached the position of general superintendent. Mr. Allen spoke of his fondness for Cortland and the wish that he had cherished to continue his residence here. He referred to the kindly feeling manifested toward him on all sides and his pleasant relations with all the people with whom he had come in contact here in Cortland.

   Mr. Dunston was the last speaker and his candid and earnest words were well received, He spoke of the difference between steam roads and surface roads and paid a tribute to Mr. Allen in that he had not conducted his steam road on the principle once so forcibly and epigrammatically expressed by Mr. Vanderbilt. He has agreeable words to say of Cortland and of the treatment accorded to him during his residence here and said that one of the chief causes of regret at leaving was the severing of many warm friendships.

   At the close of Mr. Dunston's remarks the orchestra struck up "Auld Lang Syne " in which all the company joined and the banquet was at an end at 1:15 A. M.

   Not a little of the enjoyment of the evening was contributed by the excellent music of Daniels' orchestra which was stationed in the private dining room, and many of the selections were heartily encored.

Passenger Trains Collide.

SYRACUSE, March 5.— A head-on collision between two passenger trains occurred on the Auburn branch of the New York Central and Hudson River railroad near the Solvay works, a short distance from this city. Both engines were badly demolished and the baggage car of the east hound train was telescoped. Engineer Gibbins sprained his ankle and Engineer Vianco injured his leg. They both jumped from their engines. The passengers were badly shaken up, but no serious injuries resulted.