FIRE ON DOWD STREET AND WHAT'S PLAYING AT THE OPERA HOUSE

Cortland Evening Standard, Wednesday, August 30, 1893.

FIRE ON DOWD-ST.

House Belonging to Mr. L P. Walsh Quite Badly Damaged.

   About 5 o'clock yesterday afternoon Mrs. L. P. Walsh of 12 Dowd-st. [near Rickard Street] told her husband that she thought she smelled smoke. She went to the kitchen and then to the garret in the second story in the rear of the house, where she discovered fire. Both gave the alarm of fire, and Allie Edgcomb rushed to the box on the corner of Railway-ave. and Grant-st. and sent in the alarm to Fireman's hall. At the same time Ollie Reilly sent in an alarm from the box on the corner of Clinton-ave. and Washington-st.

   The members of the fire department, including the Emerald Hose Co. with their hose cart, rushed to Fireman's hall, but the alarm from both boxes coming in at the same time confused them and it was thought that it was false till the number 312 rang out. It was then only a matter of a few moments before the companies reached the scene. The Hitchcock boys got there first and immediately attached to the nearest hydrant on Grant-st., running their line of hose to Kingman's bathing house. The Emeralds then continued the line across the [West Branch Tioughnioga] river, and with the Orris attaching to their line the fire was reached, but it took 1,700 feet of hose to do it. The boys soon had the fire extinguished, with the aid of the "Hooks."

   In the meantime the neighbors had assisted Mr. and Mrs. Walsh to remove all their furniture from the house, which sustained damage amounting to several hundred dollars. The loss is covered by insurance.

   The fire is supposed to have caught from the heated bricks in the chimney being in contact with the wood partitions which were built against them. The house was one of the finest on the street and had only been built about two years.

   When Chief Peck reached the scene he was not sure that the water through one line of hose would be sufficient to extinguish the fire, and he therefore sent for the engine, It did not arrive till the fire was extinguished, but as it was already "fired up" a test was made, the engine not having been used in some months. The steamer with only fifty pounds steam pressure ran for a short time to perfection.

Cortland Opera House was located on Groton Avenue.

OLIVER TWIST TO-NIGHT.

The Maud Hillman Company Gave an Excellent Performance Last Evening.

   Owing to the weather only a small audience saw "The Ragpicker's Child," as given by the Maud Hillman company at the Opera House last evening. The play was well-staged and deserved a much larger house. Those that had the good fortune to attend were generous with well-earned applause. The play has been rewritten and was carefully and consistently presented. Miss Hillman was excellent in the title role. The part of J. J. C. B. Bimms, taken by Mr. Knight was exceptionally fine; his humor was catching and his impersonation of the patent medicine quack was perfect. Mr. Dalton as Stephen Baxter was also very fine. Several good specialties were introduced, chief among them, Miss Hillman's serpentine dance. This caught the audience and was greeted with enough applause to excuse an encore, which however was not given. Mr. W. J. Kennedy danced a good clog and was encored. Mr. Frank Fey held the attention of the audience with a drama which he presented alone in the first act. He enacted all the parts while Mr. W. C. Humphreys at the piano supplied the music in the shape of popular airs. Mr. Fey also gave a song as an encore. The play throughout was well-acted and the actors conscientiously gave those present more than the worth of their money.

   To-night Charles Dickens' great work "Oliver Twist" will be presented by the company, Miss Hillman impersonating Nancy Sykes, Mr. W. E. Dalton, Fagin, and Mr. Harry Knight, Bill Sykes. Miss Mamie Bryant will play the title role. Special sets of scenery will be used, the principal one being London bridge, showing the city in the distance at night. Songs, dances and the specialties will be introduced. The play is one of the best that the company present and it is claimed that Miss Hillman's performance of Nancy is unique and has rarely been equaled.

Liquor Prosecutions.

   The case of The People vs. Frank Bates for selling liquor without a license was finished about 5:30 yesterday afternoon. The jurors were James R. Schermerhorn, Lucian Davis, Eli Colegrove, H. F. Yates, W. W. Seamans and H. H. Robbins. The principal witnesses were Charles R. Shaw and Detectives A. W. McNulty and Benjamin Ettenberg. No one was sworn for the defendant. Mr. Bates was convicted and was fined $50, which he paid. Mr. Henry A. Dickinson was attorney for the defendant and Messrs. Jones and Crombie for the People.

Union Veteran Legion.

   The encampment of the Union Veteran legion was duly mustered in Monday evening by Gen. J. S. Smyth of Williamsport, the chief mustering officer of the United States, and is named "Cortland Encampment, No. 129." The meetings are to be held at G. A. R. hall on the second and fourth Mondays of each month at 7:20 P. M. The meetings will be social and very much of the nature of a club, and the veterans are anticipating much pleasure from them during the fall and winter. The officers are taking much pains to perfect themselves in their duties, and the next meeting, which occurs Monday evening, Sept, 11, will be an interesting one. There will be ten or more veterans to be mustered as recruits, and the check word or test countersign will then be given out and the standing committees appointed.

   The following officers were elected and appointed and were installed by the chief mustering officer:

   Colonel—Wm. J. Mantanye.

   Lieut. Colonel—Samuel M. Byram.

   Major—Wm. H. Morgan.

   Adjutant—E. M. Seacord.

   Surgeon—H. C. Hendrick.

   Chaplain—Nelson W. Smith.

   Quartermaster—L. P. Norton.

   Officer of the Day—Lucius Davis.

PAGE TWO—EDITORIALS.

Cincinnatus in the Field.

   The Republicans of Cincinnatus are in the field with a strong candidate for the Republican nomination for member of assembly in the person of Mr. Wilber Holmes. They urge the claims of Mr. Holmes to a place on the county ticket by insisting in the first place that the party in his town is entitled to recognition, inasmuch as the memory of the younger members thereof runneth not back to a year when Cincinnatus has had any county officer higher than coroner. They think it is about time that they were given something substantial, especially as they have always fought the good fight of Republicanism with vigor and determination and against odds which have made such victories as have been won more than ordinarily creditable. Last fall they placed their hotly contested town in the Republican column, when in many towns ordinarily Republican there was a falling off in the vote.

   In choosing Mr. Holmes they have selected one of the strongest, straightest, best known and most representative Republicans of their town and county. Mr. Holmes has been one of the wheel horses of the party for years, always ready to do its work and never anxious for reward. He has many times served the Republicans of his town as delegate to county conventions, and as member of the county committee, and has also, we believe, on several occasions been a delegate to the state convention, but never, that we can remember, has he been a candidate for office except to lead a forlorn hope on the Cincinnatus town ticket.

   Should he be nominated for the assembly he would give strength to the Republican ticket. He has entered the field only at the earnest solicitation of his friends, and will leave his canvass in their hands. But they are numerous, active and vigilant and will see to it that the work is pushed with vigor and determination.

   Judging from the manner in which material is developing, the Republican local ticket this fall promises to be one of exceptional strength.

Electrical Housekeeping.

   The twentieth century will certainly bring a good time to housekeepers. Inventions already devised foreshadow it. One of these inventions is the electrical oven, which is ahead even of Mr. Edward Atkinson's far famed Aladdin oven. The electrical range is polished brilliantly on the outside and does not heat up externally, making it the right thing for summer. Its inner surface is packed with asbestos to keep the heat within and temper it to the steady, gentle glow required for baking or roasting. The result is more like that produced by the ancient Dutch Oven than can be obtained by anything devised since the cooking stove came in. For broiling, frying, stewing, etc., each utensil has its own electrical arrangement. It is placed upon the top of the range and the current simply turned on. A dinner of many courses can be cooked to perfection, with no dust, ashes, coal, worry or poking the fire.

   Electric heaters fill the mansion with a gentle warmth in winter. The touch of a button floods it with light at nightfall. If madam fancies she hears a man in the room after all have retired, she touches a button beside her bed, and, lo! a brightness as of daylight pervades the gloom, and if the man is there he wishes he had been hanged ere he ventured into a twentieth century residence. In the morning another button is touched, and the breakfast is started to cooking while those who are to eat it are yet in bed.