GENUINE CYCLONE HITS CORTLAND

Taylor Hall, Main Street, circa 1900.

The Cortland Democrat, Friday, August 22, 1890.

A GENUINE CYCLONE.

CORTLAND VISITED BY A DISASTROUS STORM.

Wickwire's Wire-Works Building Damaged—The Hitchcock Manufacturing Company's Store House Raised—A Full Account of the Damage Done.

   Just as we were going to press at 5:20 Thursday afternoon, a veritable cyclone struck the village and almost within the twinkling of an eye many hundreds of dollars of damage was done. The path of the cyclone seemed to reach from the Cortland House to the Messenger House, moving apparently from the northeast in a southwesterly direction. Railroad street from Main to the D. L. & W. depot is obstructed with large maple trees that are either torn up by the roots or twisted completely off above the ground.

   The same is true of Main street from the corner of Railroad to the Messenger House and Tompkins street is full of limbs of trees. The cornice on the southeast corner of the Wallace building, corner of Main and Court streets, was torn completely off and several yards of the tin roofing was torn off and lay dangling over the front of the same.

   The electric and telephone wires on Railroad and Main streets are broken and lay in fantastic curls in the streets. A tree on the north side of the Presbyterian Church was blown over and it struck the McGrawville Express, turning it bottom side up, but fortunately injuring no one.

   One of the large plate glass windows in Edgecomb & Ballard's furniture warerooms was smashed into fragments. Its mate was broken by the storm two weeks ago last Sunday and had just been replaced by a new one. One of the large windows in F. D. Smith's hardware store was also blown in and smashed in small bits. The window in Clark & Nourse's jewelry store in the Wallace block, was also destroyed.

   Most of the awnings on Main street were torn into shreds, and were deposited in the middle of the streets. Many chimneys of private residences were distributed about the yards and streets. The rain poured in torrents and nothing could withstand its force when moved by the fierce wind. The streets were rivers of water. Parties who were in a position to see the action of the elements, say that the storm approached from the south-west striking the village in the vicinity of Wickwire's wire works passing on towards the east part of the town and then returning up Railroad and Court streets to Main.

   Very little damage was done north of Railroad street and scarcely any on Port Watson street. An old barn standing on Railroad and in the rear of the Arnold House was partially unroofed. A top buggy was found on South Main street, partially wrecked, but how it came there we were unable to learn.

   The roof on Mrs. J. A. Calvert's residence, corner Prospect and James streets, and the roof of Mr. M. H. McGraw's residence on James street, were taken completely off. The fine fruit trees in Mr. D. C. Cloyes' yard, corner of Church and Railroad streets, were ruined and many trees on Church lay across the street. The residence of Mrs. M. A. Middaugh on Prospect street, was also unroofed.

   The Electric Light plant was so badly damaged that it cannot be used probably for several days.

   The large brick chimney on Wickwires' wire mill was blown over, crushing through the roof and carrying two looms on the third floor down into the fine wire drawer's room on the second floor. Two men, Frank Greenman and Clarence Wilkins, weavers, narrowly escaped with their lives. The wire-drawers heard the crash of the roof and fled for safety, thus happily averting a casualty. A large section of tin roofing and walls adjoining the office entrance were torn out. The water pipes of the fire sprinkler system were broken and the upper rooms flooded.

   The Hitchcock Manufacturing Co.'s store house, 50x200 feet, 2 1/2 stories, which was filled with cutters was blown flat entailing a loss of $2000 on stock and $500 on the building; no insurance. The wind struck the building from the south.

   Taken all in all it was by all odds the most disastrous storm that ever visited this vicinity.

   The roof of Mrs. Calvert's house was taken off completely leaving the rooms in the second story entirely exposed. McGraw's house suffered nearly as much. Part of the roof on the Steam Mill on Port Watson street was taken off.

   It is estimated that D. F. Wallace & Co. will lose about 2000 rolls of wall paper stored in the top floor of the Wallace block and which was ruined by water.

   The cornice and a portion of the west roof on Taylor Hall was torn off, a section going to the south, the corner being carried to the north-east landing on Mr. B. F. Taylor's new building adjoining, knocking down a chimney, the cap-stone of which hung on the edge of the roof. Three inches further and it would have crashed through a skylight and possibly injured some of Mr. Taylor's family. As it was, brick flew through the windows into the kitchen. A young lady who is lying ill at the house, is suffering from nervous prostration induced by the storm. 

   The balustrade on the roof of W. R. Randall's house was completely torn off and the handsome shade trees in his grounds are twisted off and lay in promiscuous heaps upon the grounds.

The Globe Hotel.

   This is the name of the new hotel just completed on Railroad street in this village, and which was opened to the public on Tuesday last by Mr. A. J. Goddard. While the exterior of this house is very handsome the interior is a veritable little palace. On the first floor front is the reading room and office handsomely done off in oak. Immediately back of these will be found the handsomest and most expensive sample room in town. This room is also done off in oak. The side board containing an immense pure plate glass is also of oak and is very handsome. All of the latest and most approved appliances for drawing ales and lager and keeping them fresh and cool, have been put in. On the second floor are the dining room, kitchen and living rooms, besides several sleeping rooms. The entire third floor is being done off for sleeping rooms. Taken altogether it is one of the neatest, coziest little hotels to be found anywhere. The latch string hangs on the outside and "Art" will be pleased to see his many friends. Mr. Will Hess has charge of the sample room.

HERE AND THERE.

   There are 728 children of school age in Homer.

   W. W. Seaman has sold his barber shop on Port Watson street to Fred Halbert of Taylor.

   The new hose carts for Orris and Emerald Hose Companies arrived in town on Monday. They are pronounced very fine ones.

   The Cortland Desk Company shipped a large number of desks on Tuesday, to be exhibited at the fair in Detroit, Mich., next week.

   Of the 29 members of a base ball club organized at Marathon in 1867, eight are dead, ten have removed and eleven are still residents of the place.

   The annual field day and basket picnic of the Cortland County Veterans Association will be held at Marathon, Friday, Aug. 28. Tickets on D. L. & W. at reduced rates.

   Chas. Mass, who moved here from Homer three weeks since and opened a cigar shop on Railroad street, has returned to Homer and opened a shop in that place.

   The 45th Separate Company arrived home last Sunday morning at 5 o'clock. They were not called out to fight the [New York Central Railroad] strikers as rumor stated but were in camp all the time at Peekskill.

   A large crowd of people attended the Emerald Hose picnic at the Trout Ponds last Saturday afternoon, and all were very agreeably entertained. The boys realized a fine profit.

   Superintendent Draper announces that State teachers' certificates can only be granted on examination, and that examinations will be held throughout the state, August 25, 26, 27, 28 and 29.

   The Hitchcock Mfg. Company, the Cortland Wagon Company and the Cortland Cart and Carriage Company have exhibits at the fair now being held in Mt. Gretna, Pa.

   The annual parade and inspection of the Cortland Fire Department took place last Saturday afternoon. The boys made an neat appearance and the streets were crowded to see them. Hitchcock Hose gave an exhibition drill near the Court House that was well worth seeing.

   Influenza, or a trouble styled "summer grip" by physicians, is going the rounds of neighboring towns, and is said to have reached Cortland. The symptoms are somewhat similar to those that characterize the genuine grip, and are coupled with a drowsy, tired feeling and dizziness.

   Orris Hose Company met with an elegant reception at Ithaca last Friday. The Tornadoes of that city furnished a splendid day out and took the boys down the lake on a steamer chartered for that purpose. Orris boys say that in all their experience they never before were so handsomely entertained. The Ithaca boys don’t do things in a half-hearted way.

   Mr. Edgar P. Wright, a representative of the S. M. Benjamin marble works of Cortland, N. Y., was here last week and erected a beautiful Barre granite monument in Fairfield cemetery to the memory of the late George Mager of this town. It is nearly twelve feet in height, finely proportioned and forms another valuable addition to our charming cemetery. Mr. G. J. Mager, of Cortland, was also here and superintended the erection of the same. Spencerport, N. Y. Star, Aug. 14, 1890.

   The seventeenth annual picnic of the Snyder family will be held at the residence of Alvirus Snyder, Fall Creek, on Saturday, Sept. 6.

   The "Long Distance" Telephone line is now complete from Syracuse to New York, via Scranton, the last connection being made near East Virgil yesterday morning.—Marathon Independent.

   A large gathering of citizens listened to the choice selections rendered by the Hitchcock Mfg. Co. Band at the corner of Main street and Clinton avenue, Wednesday evening. Several special pieces to be played at the [Watertown] Convention were given.

   In this State the killing of robins or any song birds is a misdemeanor, to be punished with confinement in jail not less than five or more than thirty days; the offender being liable also to a penalty of $50. Boys with Flobert rifles should paste this in their hat.

   Escorted by Emerald Boat Company the Homer Band serenaded Hon. L. J. Fitzgerald, village president, Daniel Smith, and Mr. Hugh Duffy, before departing for Watertown Wednesday evening. Messrs. Fitzgerald and Duffy responded in brief but pleasing sentences.

   R. D. Brown, living about a mile and a half west of this village, started to take some bitters last Saturday before retiring, but in some way got the wrong bottle and instead of bitters took a large dose of laudanum that had been purchased for horse medicine. As soon as the mistake was discovered Mr. Brown's hired man hitched up the team and brought him to Dr. Hendrick's office with all possible speed. The doctor poured about a gallon of water into Mr. Brown's stomach and then with the use of a siphon took it out again and the patient went his way with the assurance that all would be right.—McGrawville Sentinel.