Cortland's Kingman Park

Cortland Evening Standard, Wednesday, July 22, 1896.

Kingman Park.

   Dr. E. O. Kingman's park and bathing houses, corner of Grant and Rickard-sts., are more attractive this year than ever. Dr. Kingman has added to the equipment of the place a high dive, twenty-four feet above the water, and a toboggan slide eighteen feet high and forty-five feet long, terminating in the water. Bathing suits and bath houses are provided for ladies and gentlemen, and soft drinks, cigars and candy are kept on sale. As soon as the bathing season is over, a number of new boats will be placed on the river. The park is being liberally patronized and furnishes the best facilities for a plunge and a swim on a hot day to be found in this vicinity.

A New Sluiceway.

   For years the question at the corner of Main and Tompkins-sts. has been what to do with the great amount of water that comes down Tompkins-st. There have been various ways tried of taking it off and none have proved satisfactory. To-day Street Commissioner Stearns is building a new sluiceway under Tompkins and Main-sts. It is built of pine plank and forms a box. It starts at the second door of the postoffice and extends diagonally across Tompkins-st. to the corner of the Squires Building [clocktower—ed.]. The space for water in this portion of the sluice is three feet wide by six inches high. From the corner near the Squires building a sluice way three feet wide and ten inches high will carry the water across Main-st. The outlet will be on Port Watson-st., where the water can run off by surface drainage. Engineer Landreth laid the grades for this sluice. It is to be hoped that this plan has successfully solved the vexed question.

Cortland Evening Standard, Tuesday, July 21, 1896.

THE BlDS OPENED.

The Contractors are Anxious to Pave Railroad-st.

   At the meeting of the board of village trustees last night the bids for the paving of Railroad-st. with brick were opened. The bidders were ten in number as follows:

   L. D. Grannis of Syracuse. Costello & Neagle of Elmina, Warren Scharf Asphalt Paving company of New York, O. N. Gardner of Jamestown, Eugene Fee of Olean, Robert E. Dunston & Co. of Cortland, Abbot Gamble Construction Co. of St. Louis, Mo., Jamestown Construction Co. of Jamestown, J. E. Miles & Co. of Easton, Pa., McKee & Webb M'fg. Co. of Cortland (for castings only).

   Each contractor presented a sample of the brick he proposes to use and nearly all of them presented three or four samples and the prices of each. The bids are all itemized under twelve heads and it will be several days before it is known how the bids compare in the aggregate. Engineer Landreth will figure this out and will also thoroughly test all the brick and report to the board next Monday night when the contract will probably be let.

   Representatives of all the firms and contractors bidding were present last night, but all must wait until the total cost under each bid is computed and the brick are tested.

Traction Company Election.

   The annual meeting of the stockholders of the Cortland & Homer Traction Co. was held at the office this morning and the following directors for next year were elected:

   P. S. Page, C. D. Simpson, Harry P. Simpson and Horace E. Hand of Scranton; Herman Bergholtz, Franklin C. Cornell and DeForest Van Vleet of Ithaca; and Horace L. Bronson and Hugh Duffey of Cortland.

   At a subsequent meeting of the board  of directors the following officers were elected:

   President—C. D. Simpson.

   Vice-President—P. S. Page.

   Secretary and Treasurer—Horace E. Hand.

Editor’s note:

   At an earlier meeting village trustees considered but rejected asphalt paving. In 1925 Railroad Street was renamed Central Avenue. The Cortland & Homer Traction Company operated an electric trolley service.