PLENTY OF WATER ALL AROUND AND SCHOOL BOARD RECOMMENDATION

(Use bottom of page slider to move map.) February 1891 area of flooding. Upper right corner of map depicts Wickwire factory. Number 14 is drawn on the roof of the Chair & Cabinet Co. on the south side of R. R. Avenue (South Street) behind train station. Lower left area of map depicts semi-circular E. C. & N. car shop.

The Cortland Democrat, Friday, February 27, 1891.

Plenty of Water All Around.

   The rising temperature of the fore part of the week, aided by a fall of rain, melted the heavy body of snow and ice much faster than the ice bound channels could dispose of it, resulting in flooded cellars, submerged streets and more or less annoyance generally.

    At the works of the Cortland Chair  and Cabinet company there was 4 feet of water in the pump room and 18 inches in the boiler room necessitating the suspension of work Wednesday. Across the street [South Main] water stood nearly 2 feet deep in the basement of Wickwire's wire mills, but work continued on the other floors. A heavy loss was averted in this establishment by the removal of a vast quantity of material to other localities prior to Wednesday. A fair sized creek flowed to the north of the E. C. & N. depot [old Lehigh R. R. Station—CC editor] and the tracks were generally submerged as far west as the car shops [Owego Street].

   Groton avenue, Homer avenue and North Main street were under water all the afternoon and cellars flooded through the overflowing of Otter and Dry creeks. Cellars on Railroad street [Central Avenue] were in it. Water rising in the basement of Edgcomb & Ballard's furniture store putting out the fire in the furnace—leaving both store and residence without heat for a time. In fact all along the Grand Central [block] cellars were badly flooded. Old Tioughnioga river was a raging torrent of muddy water and fears were entertained of damage to bridges; but a rapid decline in temperature early in the evening checked the supply and trains arriving and departing on time yesterday morning gave ease to the public mind. It will be several days before some of the flooded cellars will drain out, and caution should be taken regarding health.

To the Public.

   The growth of our school population has been remarkable. In 1880 the enumeration of all persons in the village between the ages of 5 and 21 years showed a school population of about 1,100; in 1890 a like enumeration showed it to be 2,163; or to state it in another form it has about doubled in the last ten years.

   In 1880 we were supporting three schools in the village—two on Church-st. and one at Port Watson, affording a total seating capacity of about 175, and, as the reports for that year show, with a total registration of 345 pupils. Since 1880 we have added 648 to the seating capacity of our schools by the erection of new buildings, and as the reports for 1890 show our schools presented a total registration of 940 pupils.

   To supply the demand of our growing population for greater school facilities, we submitted, two years ago, to popular vote a proposition to appropriate $30,000 to purchase a central site, build and equip a school in which to congregate all our higher grades, containing also a primary department for children of tender years residing centrally, and thus afford the necessary room for children seeking admission to our ward schools. That proposition failed to receive popular approval. In the meantime we have tried various devices to accommodate all. We have divided grades, giving each division a half-day school. We have been compelled to hire a school building utterly unfit, at an annual rental of $120, and are now maintaining a school therein. It is estimated that there are now at least 200 children in our village deprived of school privileges solely because of lack of room.

   What shall be done? A town of the apparent prosperity of Cortland that cannot furnish school room for its own pupils offers poor inducements to investors seeking better educational advantages for their children.

   The Board of Education, having had for the last ten years the administration of the schools of the village, fully impressed with the importance of the work in hand and the utter unfitness of the three school buildings above referred to, already in use for over half a century, and the inadequacy of all the present school buildings, feel it a duty they owe to you to again submit the proposition made two years ago. We believe it to be the course which will add to the efficiency of our schools; it will afford room to accommodate all the children of the village. By this means we shall with a plain but convenient and commodious structure supplant the decrepit, antiquated and outgrown rookeries of former generations, and invite to us those now deprived of good schools, both to enjoy with us its advantages and share with us in the work of its maintenance.

   At a meeting of this Board held on the 16th day of February, the following resolution was unanimously adopted:

   Resolved, That this Board recommend to and request the Board of Trustees of this village to submit to the voters of the corporation at the next charter election the question of raising a sum not exceeding $30,000 by issuing bonds or otherwise, as said Trustees shall deem best, for the purchase of a site and erecting a new central school in this village.

   Upon an intelligent verdict of the people expressed at the polls upon the foregoing question the Board of Education rely as their guide for future action.

   Cortland, Feb. 16, 1891.

   C. P. Walrad, F. W. Kingsbury, D. F. Wallace, Wm. D. Tuttle, L. D. C. Hopkins, Chas. F. Brown, S. M. Ballard, R. A. Smith, F. E. Whitmore.

Y. M. C. A. Notes.

   The delegates in attendance at the State convention at Lockport, February 19-22d, will speak upon what they heard and saw, while this grand convention was in session, next Sunday afternoon, at 4 o'clock. All men are cordially invited to come and hear something of the work being done for our young men.

Item.

   The undersigned Photographers are now making Cabinet Photographs at $3 and $2 per dozen. Call and examine samples before deciding.

   HYATT & NILES,

   G. I. PRUDEN,

   M. DEVER WESTCOTT.

C. L. S. C. Notes.

   At the meeting of Chautauqua Circle Monday evening, Feb. 23rd, the following officers were chosen for the ensuing half year:

   President—Miss M. Louise Hawley.

   1st. Vice President—Mrs. M. A. Sell.

   2nd. Vice-President—Mrs. J. O. Reed.

   Secretary—Mrs. G. H. Squires.

   Treasurer—Mrs. Augusta Graves.

  

"Knights of St. Patrick."

   A meeting of the Irish Americans was held at the Cortland House parlors last Monday evening for the purpose of discussing the propriety of arranging for a suitable gathering in honor of St. Patrick. Organization was effected by selecting M. F. Cleary as chairman, and Charles Corcoran, secretary. After some discussion it was decided to hold a grand banquet at the Cortland House on the evening of March 16th. Committees were appointed to perfect arrangements and report at an adjourned meeting to be held in the parlors of the C. M. B. A. on the succeeding Wednesday, 25th inst.

   The adjourned meeting was largely attended and after electing Ed Mourin to the office of treasurer, a motion prevailed that the organization be made a permanent one, to be styled "Knights of St. Patrick" and that the present officers retain their respective positions for one year. Several committees reported and an adjournment was taken until March 4, at 7:30 P. M. in the C. M. B. A. [Catholic Mutual Benefit Association] parlors.

What Reciprocity Is.

   The human nature of nations is the aggregated human nature of individuals. Your neighbor across the way begins to discriminate against goods made in your shop. You get back at him by making a corresponding discrimination against goods made in his shop. He, in retaliation, levies a heavier fine upon your products. Then you "go him one better" and he again retaliates. Finally it has come to a pass where the policy of mutual injury has well nigh reached the prohibitory point. Seeing that this policy has worked the injury of both, these rivals begin to think. Finally one of them says to the other: "Neighbor, you call off one of your dogs, and I will call off one of mine; if you'll take off the fine on my wagons, I'll take off the fine on your bedsteads. Furthermore, if you'll scale down the tax on my wheelbarrow twenty five per cent, I will remove the tax on certain other articles of furniture of your make." They then go home and figure up which would escape the most injury by the transaction and proceed to make a trade on the basis of mutual benefits to be derived.

   That is reciprocity, which being interpreted, means a mutual cessation of injury, or perhaps better defined, a mutual abatement of hostilities.—Boston Globe.

Forming a Belt-line Railroad Co.

   Some time since the DEMOCRAT called attention to the opening up of a tract of land in the first ward south of the water works by Messrs. Beardsley & Allport, who, in laying out the main street from Tompkins street through to Groton avenue had allowed an extra ten feet to the width of said street prospective of a belt line street car track. Action on the above was taken during the present week for the foundation of a stock company. It is proposed to start at the junction of Main street and Clinton avenue, follow the latter to Elm street and eastward through Elm to River street, south on River to Port Watson, thence westward to Main and through Tompkins to Broadway (the new street opened through the above mentioned tract), thence north to Groton avenue and follow the avenue east to the point of beginning on Main street, thereby encircling the majority of Cortland's manufacturing and business interests and passing through the principal thoroughfares daily frequented by pedestrians. The length of the line, as above described, is four miles and will be operated as a surface horse car line. The shares will be of $100 each, with capital stock of at least $40,000.

Turf Meetings for 1891.

   The second annual meeting of the Central New York Trotting Association was held in Syracuse Tuesday. Herkimer, Ilion and Dansville were admitted to the circuit. The dates for spring meetings are: Auburn, last week in May; Dansville, first week in June; Elmira second, Binghamton third week, and Syracuse fourth week in June; Cortland, first week in July, Oswego, second week and Phoenix third week in July; Ilion first week in August.

   Mid-summer meets will be held at Syracuse, fourth week in July; Rome, fifth week in July; Ilion first week in August; Binghamton second week, Cortland third week, and Syracuse fourth week in August. A committee of one member from each association was appointed to arrange a programme of classes. A motion was adopted that no association be privileged to offer less than $300 for any class. The officers for the next year are:

   President—Alex C. Eustace, Elmira.

   Vice-Pres.—J. W. Pendergast, Phoenix.

   Sec. and Treas.—E. F. Allen, Syracuse.

   Executive Com.—Alexander C. Eustace, Elmira; E. F. Allen, Syracuse; F. N. Harrington, Cortland; Lee M. Cafferty, Binghamton; P. F. Gregory, Auburn.