CORTLAND PARK, HITCHCOCK MFG. CO., AND CORTLAND CART & CARRIAGE CO.

Cortland Park.

Cortland Standard Semi-Weekly Edition, Tuesday, July 16, 1895.

THE CORTLAND PARK.

THE NEW PLEASURE GROUND RECEIVES ITS NAME.

Cars Will Run to the Park by Aug. 1, to McGrawville Two Weeks Later—Plans and Plans.

   Mr. H. Bergholtz of Ithaca, one of chief owners and directors of the electric railroad, was in town Friday and was interviewed by a STANDARD reporter. Mr. Bergholtz said that the bridge to be placed across the Tioughnioga river at Elm-st. is all ready for shipment and will soon be on the spot. All the railroad iron has arrived, the trolley poles are all here, the wire is on the way and all the ties are here except about three thousand , and they will be on hand in a very few days. There is not a doubt in Mr. Bergholtz’s mind but that cars will be running to the park by August 1, and to McGrawville two weeks later. He was in McGrawville this morning making arrangements for an office and ware house [sic] at that end of the line.

   Mr. Bergholtz said he had decided to bring the Ithaca band of twenty-four pieces, Patsey Conway, leader, to Cortland to open the park. This band is a very fine one, as any one would be assured must be the fact who knows Mr. Conway and his skill as a leader. It plays down at Renwick park, Ithaca, two evenings each week. Last night there were nearly 3,000 people down there to hear the concert.

   The reporter inquired if the management had yet come to a decision as to the name to be given to the park, and Mr. Bergholtz replied that they had about concluded to call it the Cortland park. They had deliberated upon the name Tioughnioga park, but thought that this would prove too much of a tongue twister for people outside of Cortland. Here in town it would always be “the park” without any further name, and people outside would best realize where it was by calling it the Cortland park. Besides it was short to write and would save time.

   The STANDARD mentioned a few days ago the purchase of three new open cars to run on the park division. Mr. Bergholtz said that these are ten-seat cars—two seats longer than those now running between Cortland and Homer. These cars are all ready for shipment and will come any day when word is sent. The trucks are here, but there is no advantage in getting cars here before they are ready to go to work. Mr. Berholtz has lately purchased a very long combination passenger and baggage car to be used on the McGrawville division. It is handsomely upholstered and fitted and will be an ornament to the place.

   A huge car to be used solely as a locomotive has also been secured which will be capable of handling eight loaded freight or coal cars.

   From Mr. Bergholtz’s remarks it would appear that the electric road as at present laid out is only the nucleus of a more extended line to stretch out into the country in various directions.   

CORTLAND IS GROWING.

The Total Population Proves to be 10,757.

   Mr. I. W. Brown has completed the school census of Cortland village for this year and finds the total number of children of school age is 2,400. A few days ago The STANDARD published Mr. Brown’s statement of the number as 2,380 but when that gentleman came to look over his figures a second time he found that he had failed to include twenty children living on the north side of the river across the Rickard-st. bridge, which brings the total up to an even 2,400.

   At the time that Mr. Brown was taking the school census he also took a census of the population of the village. His question at each house was, “How many people, including men, women and children, are there actually living in this house at the present time?” Mr. Brown is very accurate. He has taken the school census many times. He is perfectly acquainted with the village. He finds that his footings bring the total population up to 10,757. This pretty thoroughly disposes of the theory that many people have moved away.

   Mr. Brown says that very few houses in town are [un]occupied, and those are mostly on the outskirts. He thinks that from 12 to 31 new houses have been built in Cortland each year since 1890.

A Poker Raid.

Officers Find Twenty-eight Men Handling the Chips.

   For some weeks the officers have known that a pokerroom was being conducted somewhere about the Central House, but they have delayed raiding it until they thought that they could find a good number in attendance  and until they were reasonably sure that they could find the evidence of the game. Sunday morning at 12:30 o’clock Chief Linderman, attended by Officers Parker, Jackson and Monroe and Deputy Sheriff Goldsmith, suddenly appeared at the hotel and without giving time for any warning marched through the sittingroom and down stairs to the basement where a turn or two brought them to a door that stood partly open. Just as they appeared at the door one player who was facing the other way called out, “You are making altogether too much noise, boys, the first you know the cops will be down here and have us all.”

   A sudden hush followed his words that was so marked that he concluded it came from something more effective than his remarks, and he turned around to see the five officers standing in a group at the door taking it all in. Chief Linderman stepped forward and took possession of some cards and poker chips to be used as evidence in case any defence was attempted in court. He then said that every one in the room was under arrest.

   A general begging at once began from all sides and excuses were offered without number, but the officers were inexorable. A list of all the names was taken and then the whole party were marched up to police headquarters. As all were residents of Cortland and well known, and as it was then Sunday, they were all paroled without bail until next morning.

   Monday at frequent intervals they were dropping into court and pleading guilty and paying their fines of $5 each.

   The officers have done a good work and they are entitled to full credit for hunting it out and putting a stop to it. It does not follow because they do not raid every place at once from which a bad report comes that they are ignorant of the facts or that they do not intend to do anything about it. In this case they used excellent judgment in waiting until they got a good-sized grist. They have their eyes on some other places too that may well profit by the experience of this one, and either stop business or take the consequences which will come sooner or later. Our officers are not asleep.

   The names of those found in the room are in the possession of The STANDARD, but are withheld out of regard for their families.

HITCHCOCK MFG. CO.

HAS GONE INTO HANDS OF RECEIVERS.

James Devine and C. B. Hitchcock Appointed—Liabilities $189,887.67.  Assets $278,231.64.

   For some weeks rumors have been afloat of financial embarrassment in the Hitchcock Co., which was the second largest carriage company in Cortland [and] is known all over the country. Last Thursday four mortgages against the plant were filed at the county clerk’s office, and on Saturday a fifth also was filed. The aggregate of these is $69,500 and all are in favor of Sam Keator.

   One mortgage is for $85,000 and is dated July 23, 1884. It covers all the real estate of the Hitchcock Mfg. Co. adjoining the D., L. & W. R. R. on the west side of the railroad and upon the north and south sides of Elm-st.

   A second mortgage bears date of August 20, 1886, and is for $5,000. It covers the plant occupied by the Cortland Foundry and Machine Co. on Port Watson-st.

   A third mortgage bears date of Aug. 23, 1894, and is for $15,500. It is upon the real estate east of the D., L. & W. R. R. and on the north side of Elm-st.

   A fourth mortgage bears date of March 26, 1895, and is for $5,000. It is upon all the real estate at the Elm-st. factory, both sides of the railroad and on both sides of Elm-st. This is also a chattel mortgage on the tools and machinery in the different buildings.

   A fifth mortgage bears date of March 26, 1895, and is for $9,000. This is upon the plant occupied by the Cortland Foundry and Machine Co. on Port Watson-st., and is also a chattel mortgage upon the tools and machinery contained in the building.

   All but the first of these mortgages are given as collateral security to cover indorsement.

   On Saturday Caleb B. Hitchcock, Carroll C. Hitchcock and Fred S. Bennett, all of the directors of the Hitchcock Mfg. Co., through their attorney J. W. Wilson of Syracuse made application to the attorney general for the dissolution of the company and the appointment of temporary receivers. The application was approved by the attorney general and Judge Forbes at Canastota issued an order to show cause at a special term at Norwich, on Dec. 10, 1895, why the company should not be dissolved. James Devine of Syracuse and Caleb B. Hitchcock of Cortland were appointed temporary receivers. All money was ordered deposited in the First National Bank at Cortland.

   The schedule of assets and liabilities has been filed at the county clerk’s office. The liabilities amount to $189,887.67. The assets foot up at $278,231.64, and comprise real estate $158,300; personal property $96,030.19; and book accounts, etc., $23,901.45.

   The following is a list of the real estate at its scheduled values: brick building 50 by 450 feet, $50,000; wood building 45 by 275 feet, $25,000; power house 45 by 60 feet, $14,000; three-story wood building 60 by 75 feet, $5,000; blacksmith shop three stories 40 by 100 feet, $10,000; wood building 50 by 50 feet one story, $2,000; double house, residence, and two barns, $2,000; two-story wood residence with lot and barn, (subject to a mortgage of $900), $2,000; ten acres of land on which the buildings are situated in Cortland, $5,000. All of the above factory buildings include the machinery, tools and fixtures. All of the above except the last named house are subject to mortgages given to Samuel Keator to secure indorcements amounting to $55,000. The real estate included is continued as follows: one foundry and machine shop 60 by 100 feet and also barns, sheds and storage houses 100 by 50 feet, $27,000; eighty acres of land in Preble, $800; 250 acres of land in Preble, $2,500 (subject to a mortgage of $1,500); one sawmill building in Tallapoosa, Ga., 600 by 60 feet with kilns, boilers, etc., a mill site of ten acres of land, $10,000; a tract of land in the same place comprising about sixty acres, $2,500.

A GREAT CONVENIENCE.

   Prof. W. O. Kerr of Ithaca, secretary of the state meteorological association connected with the weather bureau, was in Cortland Friday and erected a shelter on the Normal school grounds near the soldier’s monument into which he transferred the Draper thermograph that was formerly kept at the Normal building and from which The STANDARD gets its temperature for the daily reports. This shelter contains the thermograph and also self-registering maximum and minimum thermometers that are absolutely accurate. There is also an ordinary Fahrenheit thermometer in the shelter. A glass front has been placed in the shelter so that the passer can get the temperature at a glance. Directions how to read and interpret these instruments will be given a little later.

GOING TO SIDNEY.

CORTLAND CART & CARRIAGE CO. TO LEAVE.

Splendid New Factory and Plant Offered Them—Capitalized at $26,000—Cortland’s Loss.

   The fire of March 10 which destroyed the plant of the Cortland Cart and Carriage Co. was not only a great loss to the company itself, but it will prove to be also a serious loss to Cortland. Immediately after the fire various places in this state and Pennsylvania began making bids to the company to locate their new plant in their towns. Personally the officers of the company much preferred to remain in Cortland. They felt that, other things being equal, there was not so excellent a place in this or in nearby states for the carriage trade as Cortland, but some of the bidders thought that they could make the inducements so large to the company that they would overbalance the considerations favorable to remaining in Cortland.

   Such a place was Sydney, a small but bustling and enterprising town of 2,500 people in Delaware county at the junction of the Delaware and Hudson, and the New York, Ontario and Western railroads. It has succeeded in persuading the officers of the company that it would be for their advantage to remove to Sydney and that plan has been decided upon.

   Messrs. L. I. Hatfield and P. O. Wheeler, the president and vice-president of the company, have been in Sydney the past week and have fixed the matter up. They were met by a committee of citizens who stated their proposition.

   Two years ago a company was organized in Sidney with a capital of $10,000 for the manufacture of sash and blinds. The management of the concern was entrusted to a superintendent who proved to lack judgment and to be very extravagant. Before they fairly knew it he had sunk $35,000 in building a factory and in fitting it up. The hard times came on. The company backed the superintendent financially for a time and then the concern failed and the building has since been unoccupied. Now the owners propose to turn this whole $35,000 plant in to the carriage company for $15,000 taking that amount of stock in the company.

   The plant consists of five acres of land in the junction between the two railroads, with a switch from each running to the doors of the factory. The building is 100 by 126 feet in size and three and one-half stories high. While the building is of wood, it is heavily timbered and well built. There is also a two-story building 140 by 50 feet in size for the storing of lumber. The buildings are heated by hot air. The power is furnished by a seventy-five horse power engine and there are two seventy-five horse power boilers. In addition, the citizens of Sydney offer to take stock in the company, paying cash for the same, so that with the stock the old managers put in the capital stock will amount to $26,000.

   With such a proposition as this the managers feel that they cannot do other than to accept and go to Sidney. They will there be enabled to start off at once on a scale that it would take some years to attain in their present state of embarrassment after the fire. The matter was closed up by Messrs, Hatfield and Wheeler when in Sidney as far as they could do it as individuals. The law says that in the moving of a corporation the stockholders must vote in the affirmative after receiving a three weeks’ notice. The notices have been sent out, and the vote cannot be taken until Aug. 8, but these gentlemen told a STANDARD reporter that they knew the feeling of a majority of the stockholders and that the vote would be to go.

   They will take with them about twenty-five skilled workmen from Cortland who will move with their families. They expect to employ many more men than that very soon. They have orders on hand for a considerable amount of work and this will be begun at once and pushed hard.

   What is Cortland’s loss is Sydney’s gain. Up to the time of the fire there was hardly a manufacturing company in Cortland with brighter prospects than the Cortland Cart and Carriage Co. It was well officered and well managed, and was doing a fine business. Messrs. Hatfield and Wheeler have been in the carriage business for years and know its every detail. They are wide awake business men and are worthy citizens of Cortland, and the STANDARD voices  the unanimous feeling of regret in the community at this decision to go, though it congratulates them upon the excellent prospects of speedy recovery in their new location from their fire loss.