THE THOUSAND ISLANDS.

Steamer Island Belle.

Steamer St. Lawrence.

Cortland Standard Semi-Weekly Edition, Friday, August 2, 1895.

THE THOUSAND ISLANDS.

The Charming Islands of the St. Lawrence Well Worth Seeing.

   Nature nowhere presents more alluring charms than in that labyrinth of land and water known as the Thousand Islands. The principal resorts are Clayton, Round Island, Thousand Island park, Westminster park and Alexandria Bay. The steamer route between Clayton and Alexandria Bay lies through the most interesting portion of the St. Lawrence river. Clusters of picturesque islands of every conceivable shape, size and appearance, some of them barely visible, others covering many acres, and the majority embellished by handsome and beautiful summer residences, are passed in quick succession, unveiling to the eye of the tourist enchanting views of the wondrous beauty of the islands.

   In visiting the islands the tourist should not fail to take one of the new elegant steamers of the Thousand Island Steamboat company for a fifty-mile ramble among the islands, threading the narrowest channels and passing the famous Fiddler’s Elbow, Lost Channel, Devil’s Oven, Echo Point and the renowned labyrinth of wild Canadian isles, whose charms surpass all others. At night the electric search light excursion should not be missed. The steamer St. Lawrence at 8 o’clock in the evening is aglow with electric points of light. A great shifting eye of flame above her pilot house searches out the way across the dark water and through the sinuous channels. Thousands of iridescent lights flash and twinkle, where the happy islanders burn their merry greetings in clouds of crimson flame. From time to time the profound and awe-inspiring solitude is awakened by sounds of applause from the delighted passengers, as scene after scene of surpassing beauty is snatched from the darkness by the lightning grasp of the illuminating ray.

   The magnificence of the illuminations of the hotels and private islands as the steamer approaches Alexandria Bay upon her return late upon a still summer evening, must stir the enthusiasm of the most phlegmatic traveler.

   The Elmira, Cortland & Northern railroad, in connection with the Rome, Watertown & Ogdensburg railroad, has arranged for a special low rate five day excursion on Tuesday, Aug. 6. The fare for the round trip will be only $5.50 from points Elmira to McLean inclusive, and $4.50 from points Cortland to DeRuyter, which includes a fifty-mile ride among the islands and electric search light excursion. If passengers desire to remain five days longer at the islands, tickets will be extended upon payment of $2 additional to the Rome, Watertown & Odgensburg agent at Clayton. Train will leave Elmira at 7:10 A. M. Passengers can return at any time within limit of ticket.

THE WESSON-NIVISON MFG. CO.

Nearly Ready For the Manufacture of Bicycles on Owego-st.

   The Wesson-Nivison Manufacturing company are rapidly putting in shape the desk factory buildings formerly occupied by Keeler, Keese & Co. and expect to begin the manufacture of bicycles in a few days. The main woodworkingroom on the ground floor has been thoroughly whitewashed and renovated. A partition extending east and west has been placed in the center of the room and in the north part has been placed special machinery for the manufacture of rims and in the south part has been placed new iron working machinery. In the south east corner of this room has been fitted up a neat and commodious stockroom. The company have the machinery for making all small parts of the bicycle such as bearings, cones, screw adjustments, etc., and for the making of all parts from the forgings. A cement floor will be placed in the brick wing on the east side of the building. This wing has three small rooms which will be used as a drying kiln, finishing room and baking room respectively. It has not yet been decided whether gas, or coal will be used for heating but the company are at present thinking very strongly of the former.

   In the old part of the building, directly back of the machinery room and next the E., C. & N. tracks will be the shipping room. The second story will be devoted to the show room and the nickel plant. The business will be under the direct management of Messrs. W. O. Nivison of Cortland and David Wesson of New York. Mr. Nivison’s office will be on the first floor and that of Mr. Wesson directly above. Mr. Wesson is a practical chemist and all material will be thoroughly tested before it is put into a wheel. The company have from twelve to sixteen men at work putting in the machinery and expect to begin the manufacture of bicycles in ten days or two weeks. They will at first make two high grade wheels, a lady’s and a gentleman’s and expect to employ about twenty-five men but will increase the force later.

PAGE FOUR—EDITORIALS.

Gambling.

   The abettors of disorder in this village are still in a rage over the fact that the police dared to disturb the business of a notorious poker room about midnight a short time since; but our citizens generally are glad that such a den [in the basement of Grand Central building--CC ed.] was broken up. It would be a sad thing indeed for our morals if reputable men could be found among us who would criticise [sic] the suppression of such a place. The law is very plain in such cases, and indeed a raid on a poker room is such an ordinary thing in almost every town with a police that the men arrested that Saturday night, or rather Sunday morning, appeared in the police court and paid their fines without question.

   Knowing that such a place existed, there was no course left to the faithful officers but to break it up at the earliest moment.

   Laws against public gambling are almost universal in this country. This comes of the fact that public opinion regards gambling as a most vicious thing, producing immorality, poverty and crime. If officers charged with the execution of law were always vigilant and incorruptible this crime against the public welfare would be, by and by, largely if not entirely suppressed. That some good men and eminent men sometimes play poker for amusement no one doubts, though most of the stories about presidents and eminent statesmen gambling either for small or large stakes are simply lies invented by the gambling fraternity in order to create the impression that the crime is not so serious a one after all, and thus lessen public indignation against it. When however, the effrontery of the gamblers and their friends and apologists becomes so brazen as to accuse men like Abraham Lincoln and James A. Garfield of hypocrisy and of playing “penny ante,” the effect is apt to be to intensify public indignation rather than lessen it. It shows what kind of men the violators of law are. But even if such slanders were true, the duty of officers in pulling public gambling places when the law forbids their existence would be just as clear. It is systematic gambling, with all its enticements and attendant vices, its special apparatus and tables, fitted up for profit and run for what can be made out of its victims, that the law is specially aimed at. Under this law these arrests were made and under it the supposed proprietors or operators of the den are now held for the grand jury.

   If when a public gamblinghouse is raided and some man is arrested there who is not taking any part with the gamblers—so to speak accidentally there—of course it is his misfortune that he is caught at dead of night with law breakers, but all he has to do is to show that he was “accidentally” there and he will not be fined. This was the case with one man who was taken with the crowd lately arrested.

   That the law or its enforcement is arbitrary is an untruth. Any arrested person is entitled to counsel, to trial by jury, to every privilege that the law gives to anyone accused of a crime. We doubt not that anyone of the twenty-nine men who were arrested in this den who could have satisfied the court that he was accidentally in the room and not there participating in or having participated in violation of the law would not have been fined by the court.

   Let us remember that the law and its enforcement are strongly approved by every good citizen and that the fines go into the village treasury.

  

BREVITIES.

   —The Brookton oil well is down to the depth of 1,350 feet.

   —Ice cream and cake at W. C. T. U. rooms Saturday evening, Aug. 3, from 7 until 9 o’clock.

   —The contract for the frescoing at the First M. E. church has been let to Emil Allewelt of Syracuse.

   —The Cortland City band will accompany the Wireworkers’ excursion to Pleasant Beach Saturday. Train leaves the D., L. & W. at 8 A. M. Round trip 75 cents.

  —The Water Supply Co. of Homer have just finished work on a large new well near the pump house in that village. This will add materially to Homer’s water supply.

   —A farmer in Preble who has two acres of cabbages with one woodchuck hole thereon was troubled so much with the chucks that he purchased three steel traps and placed them in the hole and caught 15 chucks, one skunk, one rat and one chipmunk.

   —A meeting of the directors of the Erie & Central New York railroad was held yesterday and besides other business transacted the directors, by a two thirds vote approved the amendment to the map in regard to the location of the road bed at its connection with the E., C. & N. and D., L. & W. railroads. The amended map was filed in the county clerk’s office.

   —“How to lie in a hammock?” is a question that is just now engaging the intellects that are reposing at the summer resorts. We may be mistaken, but we had an idea it was no more difficult to lie in a hammock than to lie in a grand jury room or in the assessor’s blanks.—Elmira News.