CORTLAND INDUSTRIES STILL LEAD

Cortland Wagon Works (circa 1900) at East Court Street, Cortland, N. Y.

The Cortland Democrat, Friday, May 15, 1891.

Cortland Industries Still Lead.

   In the opening number of volume xxxiii, The Hub contains four pages of descriptive matter and illustrations of the wagon manufacturing plants of Cortland as they appeared to a representative of that carriage builder's journal on the occasion of the visit, March 4, 1891, to Cortland of the National Carriage and Harness retail dealers as guests of the Cortland Wagon Co. Favorable mention is made of the several factories and lines of products; but what apparently lodged in the minds' eye as well as the note book of the active quill pilot was the systematized working of the C. W. Co.'s shipping department since Mr. John C. Barry assumed charge. The writer says:

   "The shipping department is under the able management of Mr. Barry, in whose well-appointed office is a large folding cabinet, which when opened, exposes to view almost countless pigeon holes. * * * Almost at a glance, Mr. Barry can tell just how many jobs of any particular kind, or of all kinds, are in course of construction or completed, and what state of completion they have reached. The foreman of each department reports each day just what progress has been made. In short, a complete record of every detail, from wood shop to the shipping room, is kept, and for ready reference it seems to excel any we have previously seen."

   Presumably this system of Mr. Barry's is the key to the increased orders booked for fine wagons and other vehicles, customers being assured of speedy shipment of special jobs. While the article is complimentary it is also proof of the leadership of Cortland's increasing industries.

 

Items.

   The blacksmiths' shops belonging to Sanford Dwight, and a barn belonging to Cass Dillenbeck, at Lower Cincinnatus, were burned Saturday. No insurance.

   John Root, who was arrested last week on the charge of indecent exposure, was tried before Justice Bull and a jury last Friday morning, found guilty and sentenced to the Onondaga penitentiary for six months.

Good Stock.

   At the sale of the Central New York Breeders Association held in Syracuse Tuesday and Wednesday, Wickwire Bros., of this place, made the following purchases: "Ettie Clay," bay mare by Louis Napoleon 207, and "Tenny" bay colt, by April Fool. Good judges who have seen them pronounce them fine animals.

Undesirable Immigrants.

(Kansas City Times.)

   Americans call the Italians undesirable not because the "diplomatic incident'' [1891 riot and murder of alleged Mafia members at New Orleans—CC editor] has aroused dislike, but because they are undesirable. Leaving out the good who do become worthy citizens of the republic—and there are some—the present avalanche of immigration is the worst we have ever been compelled to receive. It threatens corruption in the large cities, where corruption is always a danger. Few Italians go to the farms or the unsettled territory in the West. They stick to the towns, stick to each other, preserve their habits, seek the easiest occupations and take bribes for their votes when they can vote. Relatively very few come with the purpose of staying in the land of liberty. They do not understand or care for that boon of the Anglo- Saxon. If they have a feeling for the United States it is not one of affection. Nothing but expectation of money brings them. If by hoarding the money the country pays them and by living miserably they can save enough to get back and buy a few acres apiece they are rather sure to head for Italy again. It would be too much to say that they give their stabbing and throat-cutting practices to America, because Americans do not copy those Italian methods, but their ready murderousness does add to the difficulty and expense of our police protection.

A Gust of Wind from Italy.

   ROME, May 8.—The Italic says: "The Italian government is about to address a circular to the European powers submitting the conduct of the United States government in the New Orleans affair to their judgment. Italy will thus be the initiator of an international agreement to compel the United States to find means to guarantee the protection of foreign subjects.

PAGE FOUR/EDITORIALS.

   The Albany Post says the Penitentiary in that city is the healthiest place in the Republic, the death-rate being only 7 per 1,000 per year, while the death-rate of Saratoga Springs is 25 per 1,000. We give the information for the benefit of chronic invalids who are in search of health and who may be desirous of availing themselves of the special advantages offered by this State institution. The citizens and hotel keepers of Saratoga will undoubtedly enter a strong protest to the legislature against the State maintaining a public health resort, in competition with their springs, where muscle is measured out at such ruinously low prices, and it behooves the dyspeptic to take advantage of the present condition of things before their protest has had time to bring about a change in existing circumstances.

   Mr. John S. Kenyon, of Syracuse, who is clerk of the Senate and is well posted on Republican political matters in this Senatorial district, says that Hon. Francis Hendricks has consented to be a candidate for re-election to the Senate. If Mr. Kenyon is correct in his diagnosis of the present political situation, and we have no doubt but that he is, the other candidates, Mr. R. T. Peck included, may as well drop out first as last because they will not "be in it." If the Republican politicians of Syracuse have decided to renominate Mr. Hendricks and he has decided to be a candidate, that ends the matter.

   Italy is said to be in a bankrupt condition. Ex-Speaker Thos. B. Reed is visiting in that country.

TERRIBLE DESTROYER.

Fire Devastating Miles of Forest Land and Swallowing Human Beings—Horrible Fate of a Train—With 75 Men Who Had Been Fighting the Awful Fires to the Last Moment.

   COUDERSPORT, Pa., May 11.—To-night the pretty little lumber farming towns of Austin, Costello, Galeton and Moore's Run in Potter county, are on the verge of a panic, two especially being threatened with annihilation from fires that seem to form an impenetrable wall on every side. For several days the skies have been kept lighted up with fires, apparently in every direction, but little fears were entertained by people in the towns, as those threatened were farmers in the country districts or lumber camps in the midst of the blazing forests. In spite of every effort, however, the flames crept steadily in snaky lines of smoke and flame toward the helpless towns, until it was seen that the people must fight back the flames or have their houses burned over their heads.

   At Moore's Run, on the Sinnemahoning road, a train load of 75 men, sent out from Austin Sunday night, had been fighting back the fire by every conceivable means. They made trenches, piled up the earth and lighted back fires, but were finally obliged to retreat. The men hastily boarded the train and started to make a run to another point, when it was found that they were hemmed in by the forest fire on one side and a huge skidway of logs on the other. It was finally decided to dash past the burning skidway, and the engineer and fireman, with faces covered with dampened cloths and their hands and arms wrapped in wool, mounted the little engine and pulled out through the wall of fire. The 75 exhausted men gathered in groups for protection, or lay on their faces on the car floors. As the blazing furnace of logs was approached the heat became unbearable, and the smoke was so blinding and stifling that the men were obliged to cover their mouths with cloths.

   Just opposite the millions of feet of burning logs, where the heat and smoke and flames were the greatest, a terrible thing occurred. The engineer had forgotten that such great heat would surely spread the rails, and he pulled the throttle wider in hope of sooner escaping from the torment of heat and smoke. Then there was a lurch, an ominous heaving and a shriek of despair as the train toppled over into the hell of fire beneath. A scene ensued never to be forgotten by those who escaped. Every survivor will bear to his grave a mark of that awful moment. The cars caught fire like so many paper playthings, and the men within, half-blinded and scarcely realizing anything except that they were being slowly roasted to death, struggled fearfully to regain the track, where safety lay, for a time at least. Those uninjured from the fall, and only smarting from the pain of intense heat, bravely turned with burned and blackened hands to aid their more unfortunate fellows. At this hour, (9:30 P. M.), it is impossible to secure details.

   Superintendent Badger of the Sinnemahoning Valley road was in charge of the relief train, and had worked the hardest of all to save the properties of others. When the train was ditched and rolled over so suddenly, he must have been injured so as to be unable to help himself, and owing to the smoke and panic he was not found until too late, jammed in the wreck, where he was evidently slowly burned to death. It is known that six others also miserably perished at once, or died soon after, and 30 others of the party were badly burned, many probably fatally, owing to the fact that they inhaled the flames that seemed to fairly spring into their faces. Seven others of the party are missing, and their fate is unknown, though they are likely to be in the charred wood of the logs or the train.

   A wrecking party started for the scene as soon as the fearful news spread; many relatives of the men injured insisted on accompanying the wrecking train, though they will hardly be able to reach the place of wreck unless the fires have burned themselves out. Owing to the great devastation done in the way of the fire communication is badly interrupted, and it is impossible to learn the names of the men burned or those still missing. As to the damage, it is known that 1,000,000 feet of hemlock logs and timber and 25,000 cords of valuable bark have already been destroyed and the fires are raging without appreciable diminution. This evening the people are praying for rain, as it seems as though nothing but a drenching will quench the flames. A 1,000,000 beacon light seems to be burning from every mountain and hillside, and the air is so oppressive that many workers fainted from exhaustion and are dragged away from the steadily advancing flames.

   Additional dispatches from Austin confirm the earlier reports. The body of Superintendent Badger was found burned to a crisp and the entire party would have perished in the burning train or forest fire had they not immersed themselves in a creek. The fires have been raging for 48 hours. Twelve solid miles of lumber in this district have already been burned and the end is not yet.

   OIL CITY, Pa., May 11.—A message received from Superintendent String of the Oil City Fuel company at Pine Grove township says thus far 13 oil wells have been burned, four gas wells of the Fuel Supply company and nine oil wells of the North Pennsylvania Oil company. The fire is still burning. The Fuel company is in receipt of messages to-day from Elk and Clearfield counties announcing serious forest fires, which are spreading.