NO LONGER A THEORY

Cortland Evening Standard, Saturday, November 18, 1893.

NO LONGER A THEORY.

ELECTRIC POWER FOR CANALS IS A SUCCESS.

The Trial Near Rochester Proves Successful In Every Particular—The Unwieldy Vessel Made to "Walk the Waters Like a Thing of Life"—Mr. Hawley Steals a March on Governor Flower.

   ROCHESTER, N. Y., Nov. 18.—Electrical propulsion of commercial boats on canals is no longer a theory but a demonstrated success, and steam and horsepower are alike doomed by the new power, which was successfully tested at 8 o'clock last night alongside of the Erie canal.

   The old steamboat Ceres, now the Frank W. Hawley, named after the promoter of the scheme, was fitted with an electrical motor of the Westinghouse company instead of boiler and engine.

   Taking power from the trolley wire overhead, she started off without hitch or hindrance when Mr. Hawley himself pulled the lever on the controller and sent the current pulsing through the machinery to the propeller wheel behind.

   All day long the linemen had worked and their nerves were strung to a high tension for fear they would not finish in time, but Mr. Hawley gave the order, ''This boat must run successfully before I sleep."

   Governor Flower and retinue, including the new state engineer, Campbell W. Adams, and Superintendent of Public Works Edward Hannon, arrived yesterday afternoon and the official test was set down for this morning at 10 o'clock.

   Mr. Hawley did not propose that the first, and probably a crude trial, should be made in the presence of the governor, hence the orders to rush. The electric current was taken from the Rochester street railway, about 500 volts power, and everything was ready for the test at 8 o'clock. The darkness was inky, but the boat was pulled out from the bank where she was lying in wait for the summons.

   The trolley poles are similar to the ones used on the electric railway cars, but with a lateral hinge, allowing for a deflection of the boat six feet either way. They are only temporarily used. Later it is intended to use a trolley running over the top of the wire, with a wire drop from the trolley to the boat and thence connecting with the motor, giving plenty of chance for the boat to deflect from her course and still maintain momentum, so long as there is plenty of wire to pay out from the boat to the trolley.

   The boat was finally placed under the wires, the lever pulled and away she sped, faster than the law allows, six miles an hour. There was no hitch, no break.

   The blunt prow of the boat pushed its way through the turgid waters as gracefully as ever swan sailed, swiftly, but peacefully, through landscape gardener's pond.

   No drawback occurred. It was a grand success. Every difficulty encountered in canal navigation was successfully overcome.

   This one mile of wire contains the shortest curve in the whole length and has lock and wide waters. This curve is rounded at full speed, the lock taken as quickly as could be possible and the wide waters made no difference in speed or deflection. There was no jar to the boat, the electric motor working smoother than ordinarily on an electric car.

   Only workmen employed in repairing the boat were on board; besides Mr. Hawley, Engineer Chesron and the representative of the Associated Press.

   The course was one mile long and was covered twice in the darkness, and then the boat was tied up for the official test.

   The representative of the Associated Press was the first to convey the news to Governor Flower, who had just finished his speech at the reception by the chamber of commerce. He interrupted the speaker and announced the fact of the successful trial. The news was received with tremendous applause.

Anthony Comstock.

Anthony Comstock at Elmira.

   ELMIRA, N. Y., Nov. 18.—Anthony Comstock came here and caused a raid on the saloon of L. C. Gilmore, arresting the proprietor and bartender on a charge of circulating obscene literature, and capturing 25,000 obscene business cards. He also arrested two young job printers, who turned out the work. Comstock intimates that he has other work here before he leaves.

PAGE TWO—EDITORIALS.

It Cuts Both Ways.

   The workingmen of the United States have already discovered that Democratic tariff reform, even in prospect, means closed factories or fewer hours of work and lower wages. They will soon find that while it cuts off a man's pay it also increases the cost of what he has to buy. It seems to be pretty well agreed on all hands that the new Democratic tariff bill will reimpose a duty of at least one cent a pound on sugar. That would yield a duty of approximately $25,000,000, every cent of which would come out of the pockets of the American people. For a revenue duty like the sugar duty, laid on an article which we do not and cannot produce to an extent at all adequate to our wants in the United States, differs from a protective duty laid on cotton cloth or steel rails which we can produce here, in that this revenue duty is everywhere and always paid in full by the consumer. The wildest free trade will not venture to deny this proposition.

   So the new Democratic sugar duty will cost us a clear $25,000,000 to start with. But this is only one and perhaps the least important objection to it. There is another thing which it will do. It will involve the complete abandonment of reciprocity. Free sugar was the cornerstone and the chief foundation of the whole beneficent system. It was the offer of free entrance to our markets for their vast sugar product which induced Cuba and Porto Rico [sic] and the British West Indian Colonies and the Central American republics and Brazil to open their markets to American manufactured goods. flour, grain and provisions, either free of all duty or at a lower rate of duty than was exacted of our European competitors. If a Democratic congress in its blind fury to undo the work of the Republican administration, reimpose the sugar duty and thus withdraws the commercial privileges which we had granted to Latin America, Latin America will most certainly retaliate in withdrawing the commercial privilege which it had granted to us. Nor is this all. The reciprocity section of the McKinley act was the basis of a valuable reciprocity agreement with Germany, which in return for the free admission of beet sugar secured important concessions for our meats and breadstuffs in the markets of the Empire. These advantages also must be surrendered if the Democratic tariff bill makes sugar dutiable.

   It is not easy accurately to estimate the amount of trade which we will lose by the Bourbon sacrifice of reciprocity, but it can scarcely be less than $50,000,000. Eventually it may be a great deal more than that. And why, it may be asked, when the cost is so enormous, should the Democratic administration seek to remove sugar from the free list? The reason is simply this—we defy any Democrat or "tariff reformer" to dispute it: The administration places a duty upon sugar in order to raise thereby the revenue which will be lost by reducing the present duties on European manufactured goods which come into direct competition with the products of American industry. In other words, with one hand it deprives the American workingman of the protection which keeps the price of his labor above that of the pauper labor of Europe, and with the other hand it robs us of valuable foreign markets for our own products and levies a heavy tax upon an article of food which goes into every American family. Unless the avowed Democratic purpose in this direction should change, every house hold can figure up one end of the boasted benefits of tariff reform by simply comparing its sugar bill under the much reviled McKinley law with the cost of sugar under the reign of reform.

   The campaign of education is still on. Object lessons are being taught almost daily. Several large classes stood up on Election Day and recited in a way which showed that they were making rapid progress. A four years' course will not be necessary to graduate the nation from the political kindergarten which it is now attending.

We believe this building, which was located on S. Main Street, was used as an armory before Peck Bros. bought it.

MILITARY BALL.

Fine Music Make it a Grand Success.

   For the past six years the Forty-fifth Separate Co. have had a number of dances at the armory and it has always stormed. When it rained last evening about the time that people would like to go to the military ball it was not such a surprise as it might have been, and those who had attended previous dances were prepared for it and waded through the slush to the company's headquarters, where a very pleasant evening was spent.

   Only about sixty-five couples attended and the small party commenced dancing about 9 o'clock. Daniel's full orchestra was in attendance and they never played better. The young people could not refrain from dancing nearly every set, and the floor was crowded with gaily dressed personages. The surrounding villages were nearly all represented and all tripped the light fantastic till about 3:30 o'clock this morning, when the affair broke up. Mr. Peter Johnson had at the western end of the armory a booth at which those who desired could partake of light refreshments.

   A great deal of credit is due the committee of arrangements, who were also the floor committee, consisting of Messrs. P. J. Callahan, C F. Barker, F. B. Stratton, James Gaffney and Adam Harkness, for the excellent time every one had.

Hospital Donations.

   The ladies' board of managers of the Cortland hospital desire to express their thanks to the school children who so generously remembered the hospital yesterday with their gifts, to the teachers who took charge of the gifts when brought to the schools, and to the grocery men who so kindly sent their men and teams to the various schools to collect the articles and deliver them to the hospital.

   The following is a list of the articles donated: 80 cans of fruit, 16 cans of canned goods, 30 cups of jelly, 181 bars of soap, 10 packages of starch, 3 packages of soapine, 15 packages of corn starch, several pounds of tea, coffee, oat flakes, sugar, flour, rice, loose starch, crackers and vegetables, including pumpkins, cabbages, turnips, squash, apples, potatoes, and one plant. Thirty dollars in money were also given.

ELECTION EXPENSES.

Candidates Neglect to File Statements of Their Expenses.

   Election expenses were filed by the following candidates yesterday afternoon:

   Benj. F. Lee, member of assembly-elect, paid the county committee $400, $28 for livery, $22.25 for hotel bills, $18.10 for railroad fare, and stationery and postage $9.40. Total $477.75.

   Hon. J. C. Nelson, candidate for coroner and L. M. Loope, candidate for county treasurer, each filed reports that they had been to no expense whatever.

   Mrs. Melissa E. Rice, candidate for school commissioner, District No. 1, filed a report of $2.50 for postage and stationery and $3.75 for [ballot] pasters, making a total of $6.25.

   The majority of the candidates have failed to file their election expenses. There were only two Prohibitionists in the whole ticket who filed theirs and not a People's party candidate filed a statement. The Republicans and Democrats are well represented. The law as amended in Chapter 693 of the laws of 1892 says that a candidate who refuses or neglects to file a statement of his election expenses is guilty of a misdemeanor and shall forfeit his office. A misdemeanor is punishable by a fine of $500 or one year's imprisonment.

BREVITIES.

   —The North End football team yesterday beat the Gas House team by a score of 4 to 0.

   —McDermott's orchestra have been secured to play at the dance at Empire hall next Friday evening.

   —A milk peddler in Syracuse was on Thursday fined $25 for having in his possession and offering for sale adulterated milk below the legal standard.

   —The union Thanksgiving service will this year be held in the First Methodist church, and the sermon will be by the pastor, Rev. L. H. Pearce, D. D.

   —The Republicans are joyous, the Democrats are happy and the Prohibitionists are thankful that they are on earth. These are strange and wonderful times.—Greene American.

   —The annual praise service of the Ladies' Home Mission and Church Aid society of the Presbyterian church was held yesterday afternoon, and the thank offering amounted to $81.

   —Deputy Goldsmith arrested Edward Crandall on Court-st. yesterday for public intoxication. After sobering up in jail over night the prisoner was this morning discharged with a reprimand.

   —The Daughters of Rebekah will give a reception in their rooms next Monday evening. A supper will be served and music and dancing will follow. All Odd Fellows and their friends are invited.

   —One of the leading druggists of Cortland says he can never remember a year in which there has been so little illness as the present one, and in which the call for medicine has been so small. Especially is this true of patent medicines of all kinds.

   —All members of the A. O. U. W. are requested to meet in their lodge rooms in the K. of P. hall on Sunday evening at 6:30 sharp for the purpose of attending the Homer-ave. church in a body, where the annual sermon will be preached by Rev. C. E. Hamilton.

   —The Grand Union Tea Co. are making arrangements for a fine display of Christmas goods. Beside the large stock, which has already begun to arrive, a large pyramid of steps, twelve feet long, six feet wide and six feet high, has been built along the northern wall of the store.

   —Summons are now being served to delinquent members of the Forty-fifth Separate Co., N. G. S. N. Y., to appear before a delinquency court next Thursday afternoon and evening. Captain William Wilson of the Thirty-fourth Separate Co., N. G. S. N. Y. of Geneva, president of the court will preside.

   —A policeman was yesterday fined $25 in Syracuse by the police board for leaving his beat without orders. His defence [sic] was that he was ill and had to take a carriage and go home. The police board said that in that case he should have notified the captain at the time of leaving and let a substitute be put in his place.

   —Adelbert A. Sprague and William D. Tuttle of this village have accepted the agency of several large reliable fire insurance companies and will hereafter do a general real estate and fire insurance business under the name of Sprague & Tuttle. Mr. Sprague will have the management of the business and Mr. Tuttle, although a partner in the new firm, will continue his law business as usual.

   —The large hay barn of Sylvenus Smith of Freetown was burned last night about 11 o'clock. The barn was a substantial structure having a capacity of forty tons and contained at the time about twenty tons of hay. The fire is believed to have originated from tramps, as no one having any business there had been near it so far as known for several days. There was no insurance. The light was plainly seen in Cortland.

   —The St. Agnes Guild of Grace church last evening held a very pleasant social at the residence of Mr. A. Mahan. The beautiful house was brilliantly illuminated throughout and about seventy-five of the young people of the church attended. Music and dancing were the order of the evening and at about 11 o'clock an elaborate luncheon was served in the diningroom [sic.] The receipts were very satisfactory and a most excellent time is reported by all who attended.

   —The Gamma Sigma fraternity will give a mock trial in Normal hall next Friday evening for the benefit of the football association. This is not a repetition of the now famous case of Susan Singleheart vs. Phil Do-em-up, but it appears that during the time that this case was on trial Susan's sister became infatuated with Phil's brother. An engagement followed, and then the affection of the brother appeared to languish and he declined to fulfill his obligation. The result was that he was sued for breach of promise, and this case promises to be even more interesting to the general public than was the other.