GROTON COAL MINE

The Cortland News, Friday, April 30, 1886.

GROTON COAL MINE.

Views of Prof. S. G. Williams on the Ladd Mine.

   Prof. S. G. Williams, of Cornell University, under date of April 23, 1886 in a letter to the Auburn Dispatch, replying in a humorous way to an article that appeared in that paper recently, says of the Ladd coal mine:

   I wish to say that the project in question is not merely hopeless, but absurd, and that I so informed Mr. Ladd on the only occasion that I ever saw him, when he showed me the few ounces of coaly matter which he had obtained in boring a well, and which was doubtless the carbonized stem of some ancient plant, such as is occasionally met with in rocks of this age.

   The rocks of Tompkins and Cortland counties are all of Devonian age and lie geologically far below any in which workable coal has yet been found or is likely ever to be. I am inclined to think that the alleged enterprise is a joke, as more than a year ago communications from me were published in the Ithaca Journal and Syracuse Standard, showing that there was prospect of finding coal in this place.

   If, however, there are bona fide stock holders who are seriously bent on exploring for coal in Groton outside the limits of some coal yard, they should understand that their only prospect of success will be by so increasing their capital as to enable them to extend their shaft from Ladd's door yard directly through the earth to the coal fields of China on the other side of the globe. To be sure, the shaft would need to be several thousand miles in depth, and the heat throughout much of its extent would be uncomfortable, to say the least; but there would be the advantage of attacking the coal beds from the underside, and robbing the almond eyed celestials of their fuel unsuspected.

   Unless this course should be adopted, the stockholders will get a very little elementary knowledge of geology, but no coal. They will expend $20,000 in gaining information which they could obtain from Dana's elementary geology or from a book on applied geology, lately published by the Appleton's, neither of which books costs more than $1.50.

 

M. Mather

CORTLAND AND VICINITY.

   The [Cortland Fire Department] steamer has been out trying fire wells for a couple of days this week.

   Valentine Brothers famous Italian Orchestra, of Rochester, at the Opera House to-night.

   The Cortland Creamery will start Monday, May 3. Parties wanting cans and tanks should call at the factory at once. W. B. STOPPARD.

   Manager Rood, of the Cortland Opera House, has made a contract with Margaret Mather about May 29. The exact date and the play that will be presented have not yet been ascertained.

   For the next thirty days, J. M. Samson will sell at greatly reduced prices to close out his entire stock of black and colored dress silks, satins and rhademas, summer silks, black and colored velvets.

   Forepugh's advertising [train] car, arrived in town on Saturday last and the knights of the paste brush were busy for a couple of days in adorning the barns, fences and bill boards surrounding Cortland. The small boy feasts his eyes on the flaming posters and wonders whether he can raise the necessary money or will have to crawl under the canvas.

   Don't fail to witness the play of East Lynne and hear the Valentine Brothers famous Italian Orchestra at the Opera House to-night.

   A cablegram was sent last week from Ithaca to London. It had to go through three transfer offices in going and through three in returning. The answer was received in 53 minutes from the time the message was sent.

   The Town Board, on application of the Highway Commissioners, on Tuesday, consented to an appropriation of $4,500 to erect a three span iron bridge over the Tioughnioga river at Blodgett's Mills, to be 175 feet long with sixteen foot driveway, and a one span bridge at Pokeville, sixty-two feet long, with twelve foot drive. S. Twiss, of the Canton Iron Bridge Co., has secured the contract for both.

   Mr. H. C. Blodgett, of the trout ponds, has purchased a house and lot of Mrs. Hannah Kinney, on Port Watson street, and will soon open a street in order to get an entrance to the ponds. A barn for the accommodation of teams is in close proximity to the entrance of the grounds. This is a step that has been needed for a long time in order to make Mr. Blodgett's grounds accessible to the public, and now that it is done there will no longer be any necessity for people to tramp down the railroad track in order to gain admission.

Early Closing.

   We, the undersigned, agree to close our stores and lock the doors at 8 o'clock sharp, except Saturday nights, commencing to-day.

TANNER BROS.,

WATKINS BROS.,

WARREN & TANNER,

MAGER & WALRAD,

S. E. WELCH,

J. M. SAMSON,

ROCKWELL BROS.,

C. N. BLOWERS.