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| Earlier test of canal boat electric cable line at Brighton, N. Y. in 1894. |
The Cortland Democrat, Friday, October
25, 1895.
POWER OF
NIAGARA.
PRELIMINARY
EXPERIMENTS
WITH THE
TROLLEY FOR THE USE OF THE CANALS NEAR BUFFALO.
The
Experimental Line will be Opened Saturday and if the Scheme is Approved by the State the 3,000 Canal Boats
will be Equipped with motors—Long Distance
Transmission of Electrical Power.
BUFFALO, Oct. 21.—The trial of the electrical cableway for the transportation of canal boats took place at six
o'clock to-night on the line of the canal between Tonawanda and Buffalo. The
experimental construction was not complete, but the managers were desirous of
making a test as soon as possible. The boat Ben Odell was towed a short
distance but the cables were slack and the heavy motor weighed them down until
it touched ground. The official opening of the experimental line will probably
take place next Saturday in the presence of a number of State officials.
Frank W. Hawley, vice-president of the
Cataract General Electric company, who secured from the State the privilege of
using the canal banks for this experiment says if the scheme is approved by the
State authorities he will immediately prepare and furnish electric motive power
for the 3,000 canal boats now moved by horses. Regarding the transmission of
electric power over long distances, Mr. Hawley said to-day that it was as easy
to propel a car up the Capital Hill at Albany with power generated at Niagara
Falls as it was to operate an incandescent lamp at Goat Island in the Niagara
river.
"The ships in New York harbor will be
loaded and unloaded before long with derricks operated with electricity
generated at the Falls," said he. It is claimed for this system that it
will give any speed desirable and will not injure the canal banks. Boat men do
not need to buy equipments. It permits a continuation of the present system by
those who desire it. The power will be furnished to canal boat owners at $20
per horsepower per year. The locks and bridges can be operated by electricity and
the whole canal can be illuminated at night from the same wires that carry the
power.
The distributing stations for the power will
be thirty miles apart and the current in the transmission cable can be
transformed to any required village. Power can be supplied to light villages,
heat residences and furnish motive power for steamers. The Niagara Falls Power company and the
Canadian company which has been formed for the same purpose will together be
enabled to generate 45,000 horse power.
Richard Lamb, who designed the Corliss
engine exhibited at the Centennial, is the inventor of the electric cableway. It
is nothing more than an electric car traveling on an overhead cable connected
with the canal boat by means of a wire cable which acts as a towing line and through
which connection is made and broken. The electric car tows the canal boat. No
special equipment is required on the canal boat and the electrical expert says
this is the cheapest, simplest and best working system yet devised.
NICARAGUA
CANAL.
Abandonment
of Part of the Old Route to be Recommended.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 18.—It is understood here
that the report of the engineer commission which visited Nicaragua last summer
will favor the construction of an inter-oceanic canal but that it will not
recommend the entire route already surveyed and upon which it is claimed that
work costing in the aggregate several million of dollars has been performed.
It is also believed that the commissioners
will fix the cost of the canal at a much greater sum than that estimated by the
maritime canal company, whose charter it is proposed the government shall
purchase. It is expected that the commission's report will claim that the
waterway cannot be built and the harbors on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts
placed in proper condition for a sum much less than $100,000,000.
ALBANY, Oct. 18.—William J. Mantanye, one of
the members of the new State Prison Commission, who made an inspection of the
Elmira Reformatory which is now under the supervision of the Prison Commission,
has submitted a report to the Commission commendatory of the work performed by
that Institution. In his report Mr. Mantanye says:
"Everything is done to make the inmates
lead a better life. There are some among the number who seem to be
incorrigible, and some are sent to prisons to serve out their time. Corporal
punishment is not used since the troubles of a year ago, and the spanking
process is no longer used, though the authorities of the institution deem it
best. Mr. Stout, Warden of Auburn prison, also thought it was the best. The
only severe punishment is the chaining of a prisoner to the door of the cell
during working hours. It is some what tiresome, but not dangerous or cruel.
They are kept there until they show some signs of submitting to discipline and
the rules."
The
Darktown Fire Brigade.
At the Emerald Hose fair to be held in the
armory next week a presentation of "The Darktown Fire Brigade," will
be a special feature of the evening entertainments and it will be well worth
seeing. The Johnson family are especially conspicuous on the roll of the
company and they must be seen to be appreciated. Here are some of the names of
this celebrated family: George Washington Johnson, Grover Cleveland Johnson, Thos.
Jefferson Johnson, Ulysses Grant Johnson, Mehitable Johnson, Blossom Johnson,
Wm. Henry Johnson, George Harris Johnson, Abraham Johnson, Violet Johnson,
Trilby Johnson, Dinah Johnson and Grandpa Johnson. The Brigade will be under
the leadership of the Hon. Alabaster Rastus Persimmons Quickstep, assisted by
his son the Hon. A. P. Q. Jr., who will take their orders from Acting Chief
Slambacious Solomon Dropdead.
The music both vocal and instrumental will
be of s high order and many specialties that are new and up-to-date will be
presented. Special artists from out of town have been engaged and they are here
and are attending rehearsal every evening. Remember the fair begins next Monday
evening and it will last all the week.
A SAD
AFFAIR.
A Child
Burned to Death in Preble.
Last Friday afternoon Patrick Mahan, who
resides on a farm in the
town of Preble about two miles east of Baltimore on the old state road leading
from Preble to Truxton, went out in the field to dig some potatoes and his wife
went out to help him, leaving two children in the house. One of them got some
matches and in some way her dress caught fire. When found she was lying on the
floor in front of the cook stove and life had departed or nearly so. Her
clothing from the feet to the head was all burned in front but the body was not
so very badly burned. It is thought she was suffocated from the smoke of the
burning clothes. The child was about two and a half years old. Dr. Hunt was
called but life had departed before he arrived. Funeral held Sunday. Interment
at Truxton.
PAGE FOUR—EDITORIALS.
The Corbett-Fitzsimmons fight has been
declared off by the Florida Athletic club. Corbett was willing to postpone the
fight until November 11, but Julian, who represented Fitzsimmons, was not and the
club then declared the match off. It is barely possible that the fight may yet
take place, but probably not at Hot Springs, Arkansas.
The republican politicians are complete
masters of the art of constructing platforms that face both ways. Now you see
it and now you don't see it. Here is cold water for the genuine temperance man
and spirits of any kind for those who prefer a bracer, both drawn from the same
old whisky barrel. Soft drinks on one side of the room, and hot whisky on the
other. Anything that gentleman may wish
will be served up on short notice and at reasonable prices. The republican
landlord keeps a temperance house for temperance people and a regular bar for
all who may need something stronger. The customer pays his money and takes his choice.
The republican State convention adopted
resolutions making certain pledges to the people. One of the planks in their
platform pledges the party to maintain the present license law which prohibits
the sale of wine, ale, beer or any intoxicating liquors on Sunday. This looks
as though the party was in favor of good morals. In New York city the same
party has adopted a platform in favor of selling liquors on Sunday. The State
platform was made to catch the temperance voters in the country while the other
platform was made to catch the liquor vote in the cities. In the event of the
election of their state ticket and the legislature, which party will be sold
out? The country people who favor law and order will be the ones that will be
thrown overboard. Is it possible that a party can succeed at the polls that has
the hardihood to play such a double game? We shall see.
The republican state platform says "We
favor the maintenance of the Sunday laws in the interest of labor and
morality." The republican platform in New York city says: "Free beer,
no Sunday laws," and with these two signs they expect to conquer.
The republican party in this county is not a
unit by any means. The Clark—Mantanye
faction are smarting over their defeat in the last county convention and are
grumbling. They feel worse about their defeat because it was brought about by
the Peck's and a relative of the Peck's was nominated for member of assembly.
The Peck's are correspondingly elated and take every opportunity to bear down hard
on the other faction. Each faction thinks the other is made up mainly of bad
men and the rank and file of the party seem to think that each faction is
correct in its estimate of the moral qualifications of the other.
At a meeting of the board of trustees held
last Tuesday evening a limited franchise was granted the Cortland & Homer
Traction Co. permitting them to lay tracks on Elm-st. and use the same for
passenger traffic but not for freight. Here is a copy of the resolution adopted:
Resolved, That the franchise petitioned for by the Cortland & Homer Traction Co. over and along Elm-st. from
Church-st. to Pendleton-st. be not granted and be denied by this board, except
upon the condition that the same shall contain the restriction and condition
that freight cars or freight in bulk shall not be carried thereon, and further,
that if said Cortland & Homer Traction Co. elect to accept said franchise
subject to said restriction, then said Traction company present to this board
at its next meeting a formal franchise containing such restriction and
condition in such form as shall then be approved by the board, otherwise that
said application by said company for a franchise over said street be denied by
this board.
HERE AND
THERE.
The Crescent club will give its first party
of the season Nov. 8.
The total registration for the four days in
the town of Cortlandville foots up to 3,249.
Chas. Antisdel has a carload of western
horses at the Hotel Windsor stables in Homer.
Walter Briggs has sold his 175 acre farm in
Preble to Wm. E. Kirk of Homer for $5,500.
The Normal Jr. football team will play the
Homer Academy eleven in Homer to-morrow.
Daehler, the merchant tailor and gents' furnisher,
has a new advertisement in another column.
Barber Hose Co. of Marathon will a fair at
that place on the evenings of Nov. 27, 28 and 29.
Dr. A. H. Bruce of Virgil has sold his
residence and practice to Dr. Emery of Vermont who has taken possession.
The hardwire store of Clark Pickens in Homer
was closed by the sheriff last week on executions amounting to $1732.41.
Billy Walsh, the great talking and singing
comedian, has been engaged to appear at the Emerald Hose Co. fair next week.
The fair to be given by the Emerald Hose Co. opens next Monday in the armory
building. "The Darktown Fire Brigade" will be produced that evening.
Don't miss it.
Mr. D. H. Bingham has sold his interest in
the building corner Main and Railroad-sts. to Mr. A. S. Burgess, the clothier,
who is now sole owner of the building occupied by him as a clothing store.
FROM
EVERYWHERE.
Peter Johnson of Fayetteville, who was 100
years old last August, died Wednesday.
G. A. Abbott of Cato this year raised 1,200
bushels of potatoes on 6 1/4 acres of land.
The new Catholic church at Greene will be
dedicated by Bishop Ludden, October 28th.
A. D. Parce of South Otselic, has purchased
and taken possession of the opera house at Moravia.
A lumberman of West Branch. Me., says he
counted sixty-two deer in one day near his camp recently.
Diphtheria alarms the people of Moravia.
Children are being withdrawn from the public school in consequence.
J. B. Brewster & Co., extensive carriage
manufacturers in New York, have assigned because bicycles have ruined their
business.
On the Willard state hospital grounds is an
apple orchard of forty acres, which contains about 1,900 trees, and from which
nearly 20,000 bushels of apples will be gathered this year.
Rev. Daniel Doody, pastor of the Catholic church
at Tully, has been appointed pastor of the parish at Cazenovia, succeeding Rev.
Jas. L. Meagher, who goes to New York to engage in the book publishing business.
The Oswego river at Fulton is so low that
the electric light company is unable to operate its dynamos. Most of the
manufacturers will be compelled to put in steam power, as the worsted mills
have already done.
The oak forests north of the Ohio river have
nearly all disappeared, owing to the great demand for this kind of timber in
interior household finishings and for furniture. The supply of oak in future
will come mostly from states south of the Ohio.
Edmund H. Smith of Canandaigua gets the fat
plum of court of appeals reporter, to succeed the late Hiram E. Sickels,
formerly of Albion. The place is worth, fees, salary and all, anywhere from
$5,000 to $10,000 a year, and being at the pleasure of the court, is
practically of life tenure.
Fifteen thousand new cars and 160
locomotives have been ordered this fall by the railroads centering at Chicago.
This is said to be the greatest order ever placed in one season for cars and
engines, and as they are to be used wholly on railroads running west from
Chicago the fact of their construction speaks volumes in corroboration of the
proof that the great West is surely entering upon an era of
prosperity.—Syracuse Courier.
SCOTT.
Austin Brown has been to Scranton to see his
sister who is low with paralysis.
One name was added to the list of registered
voters last Saturday making 298 names.
Quite good sledding in Scott Monday morning
last, on grass ground, but it soon vanished from sight.
I see by the last DEMOCRAT that a bunch of
grapes is set forth in print as the prohibition emblem which is a mistake; it
should be a water fountain in full blast.
A large number of people from this town
attended the funeral of Edwin Van BenSchoten at Spafford last Saturday. His
remains were brought from Onondaga Valley where he has of late resided. His death
was sudden, caused by an accident in which the tine of a pitchfork struck him
in the breast and entering the heart. He died the next day after being hurt. Rev.
Mr. Calthrop of Syracuse preached the sermon to a full house. His age was 53
and he was buried in the Spafford cemetery.
TAYLOR.
Ned Rockwell will move from Cincinnatus here
in a few days into the Nelson Potter
house.
We forgot to mention in our last that Mr. and
Mrs. A. B. Allen were visiting their son and Mr. A Croker in Syracuse.
Leland and Clare Elwood have returned from
their visit in Syracuse. This week Will Elwood and wife will visit their daughter
there.
After a long absence, we are glad to welcome
the Mt. Roderick scribe to our ranks once more. We hope she will not be absent
so long again.
There was a large attendance at the dance at
Frank Skinner's Wednesday evening. There will be one in Hawley's factory on the
evening of October 31st.
Emmett Kibbe has been obliged to discontinue
his school in the Crane district on account of the illness of his wife. Here's a
chance for some unemployed teacher.
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