WATER WORKS CO. AND CORTLAND DISPUTE RENT

Evangelist D. L. Moody

The Cortland News, Friday, December 3, 1886.

THE WATER MEETING.

A Committee of Twenty-Five Appointed—Another Meeting to be Held Saturday Evening.

   Pursuant to a call by the Board of Trustees a large number of citizens assembled at Firemen's Hall Monday evening to discuss the advisability of buying or constructing a water system to be owned and controlled by the village. The question was fully discussed pro and con—mostly pro. The meeting was called to order and Hon. W. D. Tisdale elected chairman of the meeting. Theodore Stevenson was the first speaker of the evening and by his remarks showed a great deal of animosity towards the old water company. During his remarks he stated that parties from Rochester had been in Cortland and had made an appraisal of the water plant now here, and that their estimate was $48,000.

   John S. Barber was the next speaker. He was strongly opposed to buying the present system at any price, as he considered it inadequate and thought a better way would be to construct a new system. That the water company had locked the hydrants was the main theme of Mr. Barber's remarks, and it was evident that such action on the part of the water company was the cause of this feeling.

   I. H. Palmer, Esq., next addressed the meeting. Mr. Palmer made some serious charges against the old company, the principal one of which was that certain members of it had been in collusion with the State Board of Underwriters, which recently met here, to induce them to raise the rates of insurance. He also thought that it would be the better plan for the village to build an entirely new system as the present one was not of sufficient capacity to meet the wants of the village in the near future, and gave as the result of estimates made by outside parties $100,000 as the figure at which a good plant could be put in.

   Mr. Barber again addressed the meeting and moved that the chair should appoint a committee of three, who in turn should appoint a general committee of twenty-five to formulate plans for the construction or buying of a system, and that the committee of twenty-five should report to a meeting of citizens at some future time. The Chair appointed as such committee, J. S. Barber, T. H. Wickwire and C. B. Hitchcock.

   Dorr C. Smith, Esq., in behalf of the Cortland Water works company, made a few remarks, saying certain statements that had been made [are] lies. He denied that the statement of Mr. Stevenson, that a committee from the water company had been before the board and threatened that unless the rental of hydrants be paid at once, the hydrants should be locked. He said in this connection that a committee from the water company went before the Board and stated that if the Trustees would put this item in their budget for next year the water would be supplied to the hydrants the same as heretofore. He also said that it was false that any member of the water company had tried to induce the Underwriters to raise the rates of insurance.

   Mr. Stevenson again came to his feet and remarked that the committee from the water company came before them not as shorn lambs but as roaring lions. He denied that that they ever made the statement as to the budget that Mr. Smith said they did, to the Board, as a Board. He repeated this several times which would give the audience to understand that the statement was made out not to the Board while acting in their official capacity.

   Mr. Palmer again spoke giving his authority for making the statement he did. While not claiming that the Underwriters said they had been so approached he said they inferred as much, and he should believe it.

   The committee then reported the following named gentlemen as the committee of twenty-five:

    I. H. Palmer, C. B. Hitchcock, Jas. S. Squires, C. W. Collins, Hon. W. D. Tisdale, T. H. Wickwire, Hugh Duffey, Fitz Boynton, H. M. Kellogg, Delos Bauder, J. S. Barber, John Barry, Wesley Hooker, Harrison Wells, T. F. Brayton, Robert Nixon, E. M Keator, C. P. Walrad, F. W. Kingsbury, A. Mahan, Geo. L. Warren, R. H. Duell and E. A Fish. [twenty-three names —CC editor]

   Mr. Lewis S. Hayes was on his feet, almost as soon as the names of the committee had been read and objected to the name of E. M. Keator, as he said he had been informed that Mr. Keator was a member of the water board and that he was heard to remark only last Wednesday "that the People would vote a large appropriation to the water company next March" or words to that effect.

   Mr. Keator, who was in the back part of the room, immediately made his way to the front and denounced that statement as a lie, and demanded to have Mr. Hayes produce his proofs,

   Samuel Freeman then threw himself into the breach, and said that he was the man who told Mr. Hayes, and that he overheard Mr. Keator make this remark to Hon. O. U. Kellogg. Mr. Keator then said that it was false; that he had had no conversation with Mr. Kellogg about the water company in two years; that he was not a member of the water board, nor a stockholder in the water company. Mr. Hayes apologized to Mr. Keator and Mr. Freeman admitted that he might have been mistaken.

   The members of the committee were requested to meet immediately after the adjournment of the meeting to appoint some future time tor consultation. The meeting then adjourned to Saturday evening at 7 o'clock.

A Card.

To the Citizens of Cortland Village:

   In order that there may be no misunderstanding as to the position occupied by the Cortland Water Works Company toward the Board of Trustees of this village the Company hereby makes the following statement as to its proposition made to the Board to open the fire hydrants.

   Learning that the insurance men were about to meet in Cortland for the purpose of revising the rates of insurance in this village and in the county, I with two other members of the Water Company went to the President of this village and asked him to call a meeting of the Board of Trustees, as the Company desired to make a proposition to it, to the end that the fire hydrants might be opened for the protection of the village property against fire. The President immediately informed all of the Board of that request, and those notified, with one exception, refused to attend such a meeting. I then made the following proposition to Mr. Bradford, the President: If the Board of Trustees of this village will pass a resolution recommending that the rental tor fire hydrants be paid by the village and that a new contract be entered into with the company, and then put the proper amount to be raised to pay for the same in the estimates in the next annual election, the company will at once open all fire hydrants and take its chances on the appropriation being carried.

   This offer has never been withdrawn and is still open for acceptance or refusal, although to the knowledge of the company or its officers no action whatever has been taken by the Board of Trustees in regard to the same.

B F. TAYLOR,

President, Water Co.

CORTLAND AND VICINITY.

   Evangelist Moody is holding revival meetings in Binghamton.

   Daniel A. Green, of Scott, a patent medicine manufacturer suicided at his home yesterday morning by shooting himself through the head. He was about [fifty] years old, and for a year or more had been in poor health.

   The Anti-Saloon convention was quite a boom tor the Western Union Telegraph office in this village, if nothing else. On Wednesday alone over 12,000 words were sent over the wires to the New York World, Tribune and Star.

   Prof. S. J. Sornberger has purchased a vacant lot on North Church street of the Misses Adams, for which he paid $1200. He will erect a house next spring as soon as the weather becomes settled.

   While excavating beneath the Hitchcock Mfg. Co.'s building on Port Watson street Monday afternoon, workmen removed the corner stone of the old foundry building. Quite a number of documents were contained in it, but were almost illegible from the action of moisture.

   A person who signs himself “J" in the Monitor this week finds fault that the Black Crook is permitted to be presented in this town on the eighth of December, on the ground that it is an immoral play. By the way, how does "J" know that it is immoral?

   The Board of Supervisors have re-considered their action cutting down the price of board at the jail and have raised it to the old figure of 50c per day. The article on the second page of this issue was in type before this action was taken by the Board.

   At last sleighing has arrived. The snow Tuesday night made a sufficient road bed so that sleighs slipped along quite comfortably on Wednesday. Nearly every man, woman, or child who owned or could beg, or borrow a conveyance took advantage of it, and the different streets in the town presented an animated appearance on that day.

   A meeting of the committee of twenty-five in regard to the water question was held on Tuesday evening, and a general talk had. An attempt was made to have it of the same inflammatory character as the public meeting on Monday evening, but wiser counsels prevailed and both sides of the question were fully discussed. In the meeting it was shown that the water company was not the only party at fault. A committee consisting of L. W. Collins and Hugh Duffey was appointed to confer with the Cortland Water Works company, and see what could be done. On Tuesday Messrs. Collins and Duffey met Mr. Richardson, and an arrangement was made that Mr. Moffatt should be here to act for the company at a meeting of the committee, Thursday evening. The result of the meeting we have not yet ascertained.

Dwight L. Moody: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwight_L._Moody