Cortland Opera House Directors and Village Street Lighting

Music performed at Orris Hose Fair.

 

Grand Opening, Cortland Opera House, under management of A. C. Vosburg and A. Mahan.

 

The Cortland News, Friday, May 8, 1885.

[Opera House] Annual Elections.

   At a meeting of the stockholders of the Cortland Opera House, at the office of Duell & Benedict last Tuesday evening, the following were elected directors:—

R. H. Duell,  A. Mahan, Madison Woodruff, George J. Mager, Harrison Wells. H. M. Kellogg, L. J. Fitzgerald, C. P. Walrad, F. Cyrus Straat, A. C. Vosburgh, Chas. W. Collins, B. A. Benedict and Aaron Sager, and at a meeting of the directors at the same time and place, the following officers were elected for the ensuing year:—

President—K. H. Duell.

Vice-President—A. Mahan.

Treasurer— H. M. Kellogg.

Secretary—F. Cyrus Straat.

 

Excise Commissioners.

   On Monday last the Board of Excise met and on the following day licenses were granted to the following parties:

SALOONS— BEER.

A. G. Newton.

E. Stevens.

Webster & Haynes.

B. F. Taylor.

O'Leary & Dowd,

Grady & Gay,

Mallery & Quinn.

John Curtin.

DRUG STORES—LIQUOR.

Sager & Jennings.

Assignee of C. H. Adams.

Brown & Maybury.

Overbaugh and Ingraham.

G. W. Bradford.

HOTELS—LIQUOR.

Arnold House.

Dexter House.

Cortland House.

Messenger House.

Farmer’s Hotel.

Tivoli House.

St. Charles Hotel.

   The saloon proprietors all asked for liquor licenses but the Commissioners decided not to grant them.

 

SCOTT, May 6, 1885.

   Borden Potter is suffering from a mutilated hand. While using a straw-cutter, nearly half of the fore and middle fingers of his right hand were cut entirely off, and the end of the third finger so nearly it had to be taken off. Dr. Babcock dressed the wounds and they are doing as well as could be expected under the circumstances. The whole community sympathize with him in his misfortune.

   Work is progressing on W. H. Morgan's house and has commenced on W. N. Babcock's.

   The store of H. I. Whiting is receiving a new coat of paint which will add much to its appearance in the way of improvement.

 

HARFORD, May 5, 1885.

   A new tin roof and other improvements have been added to the Southern Central Hotel.

   George Maranville has bought Al. Williamson's place in Daisy Hollow.

   Marcus Miller is driving a well preparatory to erecting a wind-mill pump.

   Mertie and John Brown are sick.

   No change in postmasters yet in this place. Good.

 

SOUTH CORTLAND, May 7, 1885.

   Hay is said to be very scarce in this section and sells at $15 a ton. Potatoes are selling from 50 to 60 cents a bushel.

   Nature is hastening to spread her carpet of "living green" her cheerful labors but little retarded by bleak winds and sundry falls of snow.

   Our farmers are not progressing very rapidly with their work, owing to the backwardness of the weather.

   Daniel Griswold, of this place, has a horse which it is claimed to be 30 years old, and which is still used for all kinds of work.

   The frost hasn't killed the fruit liar any more than it has the fruit buds. The latter are now said to be healthy and in good condition in spite of the assertions of the former to the contrary.

   Jack Rickets is confined to the house with inflammation of the bowels.

 

[Village of Cortland] Corporation Proceedings.

   The report of the committee on procuring a map of the village was heard, and its action approved, and the committee ordered continued for the purpose of completing arrangements already made and procuring a suitable and accurate map of the village.

   It was moved and carried that the proposition of Mr. Wayland D. Tisdale to light the streets of the village by electricity by twenty electric lights located as by the Board of Trustees directed, at the rate of $2,000 a year be accepted, and that a committee be appointed by the chair to draw a contract with him in accordance with the proposition submitted by him. The President appointed Messrs. Stevenson and Stoppard such committee.

   A resolution was passed that the village purchase the equipment of the two night policemen at a fair value and hold the same as village property:

   The report of the committee on procuring a quantity of stone for cross-walks was heard, the action already taken approved, and the committee was continued with authority to purchase the quantity needed at the price submitted.

   It was moved and carried that the Village Engineer, Mr. Knight, be instructed to make a profile and establish a grade and line of curbing upon Main street from Otter Creek bridge to the E. C. & N. R. R. Co's. track, to be made in duplicate and one copy to be filed with the clerk.

   A petition for the acceptance of the extension of Railroad street [Central Avenue] was read, a map of such new street was filed, and a resolution was passed accepting such extension of Railroad street from Church street westward to Main street, as a street of the village.

   A resolution was passed instructing the village engineer to make profile and establish a grade and line of curbing upon Railroad street from the S. B. & N. Y. R. R. Co.'s track to Main street and to file a duplicate with the clerk.

   It was moved and carried that the village engineer be instructed to make a profile and establish grade of Port Watson street from the Messenger House to the E. C. & N. R. R. Co.'s track; of Tompkins street from the Messenger House to the E. C. & N. R. R. Co.'s track; of Clinton avenue from the Cortland House to the river bridge; of Groton avenue from the Cortland House to the Otter Creek bridge, and of Adams street [Homer Avenue] from its intersection with Groton avenue northward to Otter Creek bridge and that duplicates of each be filed with the clerk.

   It was moved and carried that the chair appoint a committee to purchase three drinking fountains for Main street and the President appointed Messrs. Stoppard and Schermerhorn such committee.

   Upon a resolution the President appointed Mr. Stoppard a committee of one to procure a draft of the new proposed charter of the village to be submitted at the next special meeting.

   It was moved and carried that the extension of Lincoln avenue westward be graded and that the labor of doing the same and also of grading Graham avenue be open for bids, the village reserving the right to reject any or all bids for such labor.

   On motion an adjournment was taken to Wednesday evening, May 6th, at 7 o'clock p. m.

F. HATCH, Clerk.

 

CORTLAND AND VICINITY.

   Sam Hammond, the new proprietor of the McGrawville Hotel will give an opening party next Friday evening, May 15th. Butterfield & Guier's orchestra will furnish the music.

   The fire department were out to test the apparatus and water works on Wednesday evening, and everything worked satisfactorily. The new cart of the Protectives' was out for the first time.

   Burglars entered the house of E. D Kinney, on Argyle Place, Wednesday night last and took an overcoat containing about $150 of money. No clue has yet been obtained as to the perpetrators of the deed.

   Attention is called to the advertisement of H. C. Beebe in another column. Mr. Beebe has invested a large amount of money in his laundry business, and is sparing neither pains nor money to make it a success. All wanting first-class work done should call on him.

   Members of the Salvation Army and those participating in “Sam Johnson's Colored Cake Walk" were photographed by Mr. Pruden after the close of the Orris Hose Fair and yesterday Mr. Pruden finished some of the pictures, and to say that they are immense is putting it extremely mild. [Wish we had those photos—CC editor.]

   The ladies of the Cortland Library Association are compiling a new catalogue of the books contained in the library and will have it ready for the printer in a short time. They are adding to the library at the rate of about twenty new volumes a month and are striving to make a collection of the best literature to be found.

   The Mexican Oil Advertising Concert Co. will appear in Cortland on Tuesday, May 12, and remain tor the balance of the week. This is the company that creates so much excitement wherever they appear from the wonderful cures they make, also in having with them,  C. A. Lockwood, surnamed the "King of Dentists," who extracts your teeth without pain or pay with the use of Mexican Oil [opium]. They carry with them ten first-class performers.

   Selover & Schutt have leased the front rooms of the Graham Block and are fitting it up for a photograph parlor. We are glad to see that their business is increasing to such an extent that they obliged to have more room. They have also secured the services of a crayon artist, of whom, more hereafter. Please bear in mind that their gallery is not at Santee's old stand, but in the Graham block, over Mrs. Van Hoesen's furnishing store.

 

A Growing Enterprise.

   Few people in our community have any idea of the magnitude of the business that L. D. C. Hopkins & Son [176 Groton Avenue], florists, seedsmen and market gardeners are doing.

   Previous to last fall they had three green houses in which they raised mostly early garden truck. Last fall, however they built three more large houses and now have over eight thousand square feet of land under glass.

   Again looking over the field carefully they decided also to add seeds to their already large business, and although their catalog was not issued until the middle of March, they have already sold a large quantity and orders are pouring in in large numbers, people hereabouts having confidence that this firm will sell only the best seeds and plants that can be produced.

   To give some idea of what they are doing this season a few figures are necessary. They have now ready to transplant, over ten thousand cabbage and cauliflower plants, over seven thousand of which are sold. This number will be increased to over 150,000 before the season opens; 100,000 celery plants will be ready for market by the time the ground is in condition to set them out of doors. These, together with over 25,000 tomato plants of different species, make a good round grand total.

   Aside from the seeds and vegetable plants, they are propagating a great many flowering plants, having already begun to sell some cut flowers, and by next fall will be able to supply all demands in this line, besides choice plants for houses. An inspection of their grounds and houses will convince all that our description is far from being exaggerated.

 

Ought to be Pulled.

   On Friday night last Sheriff Borthwick was called upon to arrest parties who were making a disturbance at a notorious house on Adams street [Homer Avenue], but upon his arrival everything was found to be quiet. One account of the affair is that some drunken roughs sought admission but were refused, but the other and generally accepted one is that a married woman mistrusted that her husband was in there, and attired as a man, readily gained admission, when she found that her suspicions were correct and proceeded to smash furniture and break window glass with alacrity, after which she marched her "hubby" home. Officer Barry afterwards arrested a man whom he thought had been interested but who was discharged for lack of evidence.

 

References:

1) American Gardening, Vol. 9, L. D. C. Hopkins & Son advertisement: http://books.google.com/books?id=cUjnAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA127&lpg=PA127&dq=L.D.C.+Hopkins+%26+Son+farm+catalog,+Cortland,+N.Y.&source=bl&ots=KS918jSMCj&sig=UC36LeMw4OhV1OljT04Dk9Tawys&hl=en&sa=X&ei=-ZV7UuOWIcyikQe7-oCgCQ&ved=0CDwQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=L.D.C.%20Hopkins%20%26%20Son%20farm%20catalog%2C%20Cortland%2C%20N.Y.&f=false

2) Sam Johnson’s Colored Cake Walk, Library of Congress: http://www.loc.gov/resource/sm1884.03076#seq-2

3) In the practice of painless dentistry, read about 'Painless Parker:' http://quod.lib.umich.edu/d/dentalj/0641298.0009.010/61?page=root;size=100;view=image