F. L. POPE'S SAD DEATH AND CORTLAND VILLAGE PRESIDENT HIGGINS REPLIES TO SUPT. DUNSTON

Cortland Evening Standard, Monday, October 14, 1895.

F. L. POPE'S SAD DEATH.

Slain by the Fluid Which Made Him Famous.

FOUND DEAD IN HIS CELLAR.

His Body Had Been Penetrated by an Electric Current, Causing Instant Death

—Was Well Known as an Electrician and Inventor.

   GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass., Oct 14.—One of the saddest accidents that has ever occurred in this vicinity and one which strikes to the heart of every citizen, happened last evening when Franklin L. Pope, an electrician, whose skill has made him prominent throughout the electrical world, lost his life by means of the mysterious fluid that has made him famous.

   He went into the cellar to remedy some trouble in his electric lighting apparatus. Hearing a noise below, members of the family hastened into the cellar.

   Mr. Pope was found lying beside the converter lifeless. Dr. Large and Dr. Camp were hastily summoned and did all in their power to resuscitate the unfortunate, but it was all to no purpose. Three thousand volts had passed through his body.

   He was born 56 years ago in the same house in which he was killed. He was well known almost the world over as a great electrician and inventor and to his energies in his chosen life work, the world owes much. He was for some time in the employ of the Bell Telephone company and his articles upon electricity were published in some of the leading science journals of the country. It was largely through his instrumentality that Great Barrington obtained its electrical plant.

   Mr. Pope was one of the first telegraph operators in the country.

   He leaves a widow, one son and two daughters.

LETTER FROM WALLER.

The Imprisoned Man Full of Confidence In His Government.

   CLEVELAND, Oct. 14.—Charles T. Maxwell, a colored medical student in this city, has received a letter from ex-Consul John L. Waller. The letter is dated "Maison Ceutrale du Clairvaux, France, Sept. 8."

   After thanking Mr. Maxwell for expressions of sympathy contained in a letter he had written to the imprisoned man, Mr. Waller says: "It gives me great pleasure to know that I have the sympathy and support of the American people who are using every honorable means and endeavor to secure my liberty, which to an American, is dearer far than life. I am a victim of circumstances and whether I shall finally receive justice at the hands of the French people or perish in a foreign prison, by virtue of a hasty conviction rendered by a court martial in the excitement under these circumstances, rests with God and the American people, in whose action and righteous judgment I have the most implicit confidence.

   "That it is the desire or the intention of the French as a government to do me an injustice I do not for a moment believe. I am also consoled in the knowledge of the fact that the American people, true now, as always, to their long established creed and numerous precedents touching on the protection of American citizens abroad, will not permit any injustice to be inflicted upon one of their citizens by a foreign nation, no matter how humble be that citizen."

PAGE TWO—EDITORIALS.

The Iron Trade.

   It is a popular saying that as goes the iron trade so goes the prosperity of the country. If this were true, then the industries of America would be at present enjoying one of the greatest booms on record. The general course of the iron trade, both pig iron and the finished product, has been something remarkable this year.

   In January, 1895, the price of iron was at its lowest ebb. It did not begin to pick up materially till March. Then the boom began. At the close of September the price was 53 1/2 per cent higher than in January. It is not often in the history of any manufactured article that it half doubles its price in six months. In September the price increased 5 1/2 per cent. Hundreds of fortunes have been made by iron masters and speculators in the past few months. Those who think of investing in iron at present, however, would do well to think twice before doing so. The price at the end of September was higher than it was in October, 1892, before the panic when everything was lovely.

   Apparently rates cannot rise much higher. If they do, then it will pay to import iron. Indeed some slight importations both of pig and manufactured articles have already been made. The boom is at flood tide.

   There must come a time before long when people will be supplied with all the iron machinery they want. Then there must come a lull. The blast furnaces of the country now in operation are considerably over 200 in number, and they are turning out 200,000 tons of pig iron a week. The Iron Age says this is more than was ever before manufactured in any country.

Communication from President Higgins.

To the Editor of the Standard:

   SIR—Will you kindly allow space for a brief statement of the position of the board of trustees in the matter of the extension of the electric railroad on Elm-st.

   After patiently listening to the various arguments presented for and against granting such a franchise by the parties interested, the board has reached this conclusion. They will grant a franchise for the extension, with the single proviso that it shall not be used for hauling freight cars switched off from the steam roads.

   The Homer & Cortland Traction company came to Cortland and bought the property of the horse railroad, proposing to operate the road by substituting electricity for horses as a motive power. They have no rights that the horse railroad did not have. Extensions on other streets were asked for and properly granted, on the ground that while monopoly rights were given the company by the village much concessions were warranted by the benefit coming to us in convenience to passenger travel.

   This spring an additional franchise for an extension on the lower end of Elm-st. to cross the river to the park and McGrawville was asked from the present board. While the avowed object of the Traction company was profit to themselves and not philanthropy still we did not hesitate to give up to them the use of our streets because we were at the same time benefitted by the road. If there is any other proper motive for giving away a deed to the center of our streets to gentlemen in Scranton than that the benefit is mutual it does not now occur to us.

   This fall there is presented an application for a franchise on the short piece of Elm-st. between Church and Pendleton. The avowed object of the officers in asking for this piece of road was to straighten the line to McGrawville and the park thus avoiding delays and danger at the railroad crossing. The danger does not appear to be greater at one crossing than at the other. The delay, however, is undoubted and to obviate it we are perfectly willing to grant the franchise and have offered so to do. We stipulate only that the company shall operate the extension as they have been operating their road on other streets.

   On inquiry, however, at the time of the application it appeared that it is further proposed to use this extension and so much of the remainder of the street railroad as the company may desire for the purpose of transferring freight cars from the E., C. & N. and the D., L. & W. railroads to McGrawville or any other points to which their road may extend.

   Thus far the board has hesitated to grant such a privilege.

   To be sure the company claim that the franchise given them last year allowing them "to operate their road" includes the right to haul freight cars through the streets. To us who are not lawyers this does not seem certain. If it does do so it appears to us an unfortunate mistake on the part of the village which should not be repeated.

   The switching of freight in balk through our streets to McGrawville or to any other point is of no apparent advantage to the village and it is plainly perverting the streets to uses not originally intended. The property owners on the street to some extent have also claimed such use to be detrimental to them.

   The privilege to run freight cars through our streets would undoubtedly be an advantage to the Traction company as is so plainly set forth in the letter quoted by Mr. Dunston to the last number of The STANDARD. It might also be an advantage to McGrawville in giving them two competing roads for their freight. But your board as yet fail to see wherein the advantage to this village accrues and why under these circumstances such an unusual right should be given to any company.

   The present board has the kindest feelings toward the Traction company and realize that the road is a benefit to the place so long as they confine themselves to what we consider their legitimate business.

   If by carrying freight was meant what many of us supposed when we first heard it mentioned no serious objection would be raised. If freight meant simply a baggage car in which express matter or mail was carried the advantage to the public would seem to warrant giving the right to use the streets for such uses. But an ordinary freight car, cattle car or coal car seems to come under a different category. Now that it is planned to operate important lines of railroads by electricity the mere fact that a road is an electric road does not distinguish it as a street railroad to be granted franchises from an ordinary railroad which is allowed to run only where it has purchased a right of way. Indeed the only distinction remaining that I can discover is that one may carry freight in bulk while the other may not.

   The attitude of the board is that they are willing to pursue their former policy of granting any reasonable extensions for travel but that if the company desire to inaugurate a freight, coal or milk route with other towns they should acquire their own land on which to build their lines and switches.

   It is said that this franchise would have been granted at once if it had been asked for when the road was proposed and that the granting this short line franchise is a matter of small importance now. But would any franchise have been granted if it had been clearly understood that the company proposed to run freight trains through the streets? Possibly, but it seems to us that it is a question that has never before been clearly presented to the village and might now properly be made a referendum.

   Again, it is very true that the arguments against granting the franchise have been brought forward largely by the friends of the proposed steam road to McGrawville. My own position, however, and I think I may answer in the main for the rest of the board, has been taken not by its effect upon that road which may in a sense be looked upon as a rival company which should ask only for fair field and no favor but upon the propriety of ever giving away rights to use the streets for railroad purposes.

   It is proposed by Mr. Dunston and practically by The STANDARD in last Friday's number that we grant that extension unconditionally, leaving the question of carrying freight on the whole line for the courts to decide.

   It seems to us, however, that if we are sure that we as a village do not desire the company to do a general freight business, it is better to make that condition now than to try and obtain it through the courts.

   This opinion of the board is only provisional. In view of the fact that no trolley road of which we yet have any knowledge is hauling through freight over streets where they have only franchise rights, and the importance which the subject may have in the future the board have felt justified in withholding the franchise until further light on the subject could be obtained.

   If it should appear by petition or otherwise that our business men and citizens generally do desire to give an unconditional franchise, I feel warranted in saying that the board of trustees will immediately take such action.

   Yours respectfully,

   F. W. HIGGINS.

PARTRIDGE GALORE

Sitting on the Backyard Fences, Under the Bed and in the Hall.

   Cortland partridge hunters who carry a gun around all day without getting a sight of a bird, who start an hour before daylight for Truxton and return at night tired and muddy with never a shot at one, had better start by first train for Walton, N. Y. The Reporter of that place says:

   This is a great town for partridges this fall. If a citizen feels like bagging a few birds all he has to do is to take his gun and go out in the door yard. One citizen found five sitting on his back yard fence one morning recently.

   A week ago Thursday morning, Mrs. John Olmstead found one under her bed. As G. E. Armstrong was turning away his cows he shot a partridge out or a tree in front of Geo. A. Colton's.

   It was rather hard on Mr. Bagley, Mr. Colton's father-in-law, whose bedroom was close by. He was sleeping with no thought of it being 7 o'clock until bang went the gun. He jumped from his bed with the impression that it was the sound of Gabriel's trumpet, and he thought he wouldn't wait for the second call. The way he got into his clothes that morning was a surprise to himself.

   Later in the day as Mr. Armstrong was going in the wagon house another partridge was sitting beside the door. It flew and lit on one of the windows of Mr. Mead's residence and had it not been for the screen door it would have gone in and got right in the kettle instead of under the bed like Mrs. Olmstead's.

   J. H. Bronson caught a partridge in the front hall of his house, corner of Benton-ave. and Griswold-st., Sunday morning. The bird was kept alive for some time.

BREVITIES.

   —The Cortland and Homer Traction Co. have to-day discontinued running the cars to the park, but will resume it again temporarily if suitable weather comes.

   —The prizes to be given away at the fair to be held by the Emerald Hose Co., Oct. 28-Nov. 2, are on exhibition in the windows of the Garrison building, 17 Main st.

   —The fall opening day at the Grand Union Tea store Saturday was largely attended. The idea of having an orchestra in attendance was a new and novel one for Cortland.

   —Helen Eloise Watrous, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. E. M. Watrous, died yesterday morning, aged one month and two days. The funeral will be held to-morrow at 2 o'clock P. M.

   —There will be a special meeting of the Republican League at their rooms this evening at 8 o'clock. An address will be made by George S. Sands, Esq., chairman of the county committee, on the ballot law of 1895.

   —The regular meeting of the Grover Relief Corps, No. 96, will be held to-morrow afternoon (Tuesday) at 3 o'clock sharp. A full attendance of all its members is desired, as this will be the last meeting held before inspiration [sic].

   —It is expected that 150 Odd Fellows of Cortland will go to Marathon to-morrow afternoon to attend the dedication of the new lodge hall there. They will go down at 8:07 P. M. and return on the late freight. Reduced rates have been obtained on the D., L. & W.

   —About twenty men under direction of Highway Commissioner E. C. Rindge are to-day building the new road which leaves the old riverside drive this side of the house of Hon. O. U. Kellogg, crosses the E. & C. N. Y. R. R. grade west of the trestle and connects with Port Watson-st. near River-st.

   —Work on the sewers is rapidly nearing completion. Madison-st. was finished last Friday night. The manhole at the corner of Madison-st. and Homer-ave. will be completed to-night and, if nothing unexpected hinders, North Main-st., which is the last, will be finished by Wednesday night of this week.

   —Mr. N. A. Bundy told a STANDARD man this morning that he expected the bridge over the Tioughnioga river would be completed by the end of next week. The work of laying the rails on the east side will be pushed hard at once and he expects to have the road completed to the mouth of Gee brook [Cincinnatus] by January 1.

   —The dispatches this morning announce a runaway trolley car at Pittsburg, Pa., last night with three killed and ten injured, and a runaway trolley car at Syracuse last night with nobody hurt. Both accidents were caused by the breaking of a brake rod. In the first case the car was overturned and smashed to kindling wood, in the latter it was only slightly injured. Both these accidents were on the steep grades. Cortland people may congratulate themselves that there are no grades to amount to anything in the local trolley line. The park grade, which is the steepest, is quite a gradual one.