Cortland Dentists' Success with Cocaine and the Orris Hose Fair of 1885

 

 

 

The Cortland News, Friday, April 17, 1885.

CORTLAND AND VICINITY.

   After the first of July next the Cortland Savings Bank will pay four per cent, on deposits.

   A maple sugar festival will be held at the M. E. church parlors on Wednesday evening April 22nd.

   Grand success with cocaine for filling and extracting teeth at White & Ingalls, Dentists, Wickwire building.

   Benj. F. Taylor is ceiling painting, papering and otherwise putting his restaurant on Court street in first-class shape.

   During the crush at the Orris Hose fair on the opening night, a son of M. I. Grady, about fifteen years of age, was overcome by the heat and stifling atmosphere to such an extent that he fainted. He was taken into the Art Gallery where restoratives were applied and he soon recovered.

   There is a rumor current that parties are negotiating with Messrs. Schermerhorn, Miller and Wilson for the purpose of leasing the Mammoth rink as soon as Orris Hose company get their things out. The probabilities now are that this arrangement will be consummated, and the place will again be opened to the public.

   Thursday afternoon officer Miller arrested two boys, aged respectively twelve and fourteen years, in a beastly state of intoxication. It would perhaps be a good thing if the overseers of the poor would look the matter up and take measures to prevent persons from selling intoxicants to boys. This is not the first time it has been done, but the authorities should try and make it the last.

   J. M. Truesdell, Secretary and Treasurer of the Homer and Cortland Gas company accompanied by his brother were before the Board of Trustees on Monday last in reference to the lighting of the streets by gas for the ensuing year. Messrs. Duffey and Hubbard were appointed a committee to confer on the matter and the following day they made a statement of new lines of pipes which it was desirable to lay in order to provide additional lights. The gas consumption in this town and Homer far exceeds the capacity for which the present works were built, and they will need to be enlarged ere long.

  

THE ORRIS HOSE FAIR.

The Latest and Best One ever Placed Before the Public.

OPENING NIGHT.

A List of the Booths and the Ladies in Charge of Each.

ATTRACTIVE STAGE BUSINESS.

The Art Gallery, Museum and the Doll Show.

Art. Peck’s Curious Wind Calliope.

   Long before seven o'clock last Tuesday evening a string of people were on their way to see the grand opening at the Mammoth rink, of the Festival of the Nations, give by the Orris Hose company, and at eight o'clock there was a perfect jam from the doors of the rink half way to the Messenger House. Two ticket sellers and the same number of doortenders were kept busy until long after nine o'clock.

   The entertainment on the opening night was fine in every particular, the character song of Mr. Parsons, the Salvation Army, and Sam Johnson's Colored Cake Walk bringing forth storms of applause from the 2,000 people present.

   The parade around the rink at the opening, introducing the Kazoo band and the elephant Bolivar, was well received. After making a tour of the rink three times the procession formed on the stage with the elephant in front, and Mr. McCarthy, Bolivar's trainer, gave a graphic description of the many thrilling adventures which were experienced in the capture of the monster. The entertainment closed at a few minutes past ten but the vast audience lingered looking at the articles on exhibition, so that the last of them did not leave until long after twelve,

   To get a good idea of the arrangement of the booths and an examination of the exhibits of each one, the afternoon is the best time to go. Below we give a list of the nations represented and the ladies having charge of each one:—

   Ireland, in charge of Mrs. Samuel M. Putnam, is represented in a small square booth with a thatched roof and tastefully decorated with green and white bunting.

   England is represented in a sporting tent hung with guns, game bags, fishing tackle and other small articles that go to make up the paraphanalia [sic] of a sportsman's life. Mrs. Henry Beebe and Mrs. R. B. Beard do the honors in this department.

   The French garden is a bewilderment of evergreen trees furnished with small tables and chairs, and the ladies in charge, Miss Nellie Shay and Mrs. F. D. Smith, with their able corps of assistants, furnish all who may desire with ice cream and cake, lemonade, chocolate and other viands tempting to man and womankind.

   Sunny Italy is ably presided over by Miss Alice Kelsey and assistants who cater to the wants of the public with all kinds of tropical fruit, nuts etc.

   Switzerland, represented by a cottage built alter the Swiss style is an odd feature and presents a most pleasing contrast to the bunting that the other booths are decorated with.

   The German booth is ably managed by Mrs. G. J. Mager, who makes herself very agreeable to all callers and manages to entice numerous dimes, quarters and half dollars out of the pockets of the unwary, and unsophisticated. Mrs. Mager has charge of disposing of the elegant top buggy donated by the Cortland Wagon company, and is indefatigable in her endeavors to make the fair a grand financial success to the boys.

   Russia. This booth is decorated throughout with furs and robes and is in the excellent hands of Mrs. J. E. Eggleston.

   The Japs are portrayed by a booth surmounted by a mammoth parasol manufactured after the peculiar pattern of the Japanese and the booth is presided over by Mrs. F. N. Harrington.

   Spain comes in for her share of the space, the booth being tastefully decorated with cacti of all kinds, with a playing fountain in the center, while dark-eyed and dark-haired Senoritas cater to the wants of lovers of the weed in the shape of cigars and cigarettas, and smile gratefully with a "gracio senor" to those who deposit the shining "reals" in their midst. Mrs. Dorr C. Smith and the Misses Knight do the honors in this booth.

   In the Log Cabin Mrs. S. M. Benjamine and Mrs. George W. Davenport serve all who wish it with a splendid supper at the moderate cost of twenty five cents a head, and have their hands full most of the time.

   America—Who can do justice to thy name? Our own country is represented in an octagon booth at the entrance of the rink trimmed with the national colors and with festoons of red, white, and blue from the top of the booth to the ceiling. A monstrous American eagle is perched upon the cornice of the booth and bids welcome to all who arrive. Miss Jennie Clute presides over this department.

   Miss Augusta Hyde, assisted by Clara Smith and Florence Hull look after the interest of the Art Gallery and use their best abilities to keep visitors from marring the exhibits.

   The stage attractions each evening have been favorably received and have all been of a high order of merit. The entertainment by the Peak Family was well received but there was hardly volume enough to the musk to be satisfactory to the audience.

   What attracts the attention of the children more than anything else is the exhibit of dolls, under the charge of Mrs. C. F. Thompson and Mrs. F. H. Cobb. These ladies have been indefatigable from the start in their endeavors to make this department a grand success, and admirably have they succeeded. There are just one hundred dolls on exhibition, tastefully arranged as to harmonize in color of clothing and to show each one off to the best possible advantage. Dolls of all ages from one just taken from the store, back along the dim vista of time to one that has seen the storms of eighty-three winters pass over her head; but, strange to say the little girl who amused this doll in her youth, is no longer present.

   Wednesday evening, among the attractions, was the appearance of the Junior Mclntyre Squad, of Homer, and members of the Orris Hose company in a grand musical mélange, introducing a variety of musical instruments, among which was a "bottle calliope," the invention of A. R. Peck. It is constructed with a key-board, similar to that of a piano, except smaller, and arranged so that when a key is touched it allows a column of air to flow out directly over the mouth of a bottle. These bottles are sixteen in number, and are put in tune by filling each, more or less, with water. A monstrous blacksmith's bellows furnishes the wind.

   Taken altogether the Fair is a success and will probably result in a grand financial triumph tor No. 2.

   Gosd [sic] entertainments will be given each evening throughout the week.

Personal.

   County Treasurer Kellogg will have his office in the store with Rockwell Bros., No. 8, Taylor Hall block as soon as it is opened.

   We are glad to see Mrs. Gale, formerly in business here, in the new millinery and fancy goods store opposite the Cortland House.

   W. D. Tuttle has removed his law office from the Standard building to the new Wallace Block and occupies rooms on the second floor.

   Jerome Squires, Esq., has removed his law offices to commodious rooms in Union Hall Block.

Reference:

Bolivar: http://www.ansp.org/about/academy-news/archive/2012/July/behind-the-scenes-july/

Calliope History: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calliope_(music)