FIRE NEAR SOLON

1855 map of Solon, N. Y.

Cortland Evening Standard, Tuesday, January 21, 1896.

FIRE NEAR SOLON.

THE WM. YAGER FARMHOUSE BURNED TO THE GROUND.

Cause Wholly Unknown—Some Narrow Escapes—Loss About $2,200, Insurance $1,275.

   At 10 o'clock last night fire was discovered in the one and one-half story dwelling house on the 211-acre farm of William Yager of McGrawville, which has been occupied for the past six years by his son-in-law, D. S. Brown, and which is located 2 1/2 miles east of Solon Corners at the foot of Mt. Roderick. The family had retired at 9 o'clock. About an hour afterward the hired man, Frank Dreseley, who slept in the room over the kitchen, called to Mr. Brown that the upper part of the house was full of smoke. A few pails of water were procured and the little flame which then appeared was quickly extinguished.

   A moment later the other upstairs rooms were found to be all on fire, and it was then too late to attempt saving the building. The neighbors for miles around were attracted to the scene and lent willing aid in trying to save a portion of the furniture, but the many hands increased the confusion, and few things were taken out and these were more or less broken or destroyed.

   Mr. Brown's son John, fourteen years old, who was sleeping upstairs, was not awakened by the first alarm, but was roused after the first fire had been extinguished by the dense smoke in his room. He endeavored to go down stairs, but, as he opened the door, he was almost stifled by the heat and smoke that poured in upon him from the adjoining room. He turned back and broke a window opening out upon a piazza roof and got out there in his night clothes and then jumped to the ground. Just as the boy was breaking the window his father succeeded in getting up stairs after him, but seeing him escaping through the window, he returned. He was nearly suffocated, however, before getting to the open air. He said to a STANDARD reporter that had he not known every inch of the way he surely would have perished getting out.

   A few of John's every day clothes had been left down stairs for mending when he retired, and these with one felt and one rubber boot were all that there was left for him. The parlor furniture, a Brussels carpet and a stove were carried out, but the stove was broken beyond repair, while the chairs and sofas ware badly disjointed. Very little clothing was saved, simply what the family could put on at the time, together with a couple of calico dresses and a cape belonging to Mrs. Brown.

   The fire seemed to have originated in or near the room over the kitchen, but in what way no one seems to know. Mrs. Brown had a rousing wood fire in

the kitchen range during the afternoon, but at 6 o'clock it had died down so that only a few coals remained, and it was not built up after that. The chimneys were all topped out anew last fall and were supposed to be in good condition throughout.

   The house was a one and a half story frame building, consisting of an upright portion 24 by 32 feet in size, a kitchen 16 by 16 feet in size and a wing back of the kitchen 16 by 21 feet in size. It was all in good repair and was well furnished throughout. In the back wing there were forty cords of seasoned stove wood, and this made a roaring hot fire all night long after the building had been consumed.

   Besides the household furniture Mr. Brown loses a quantity of dairy tools, about 200 bushels of potatoes, 100 bushels of grated apples, a barrel of salt pork and one of corned beef, besides butter, canned fruit and other goods in the cellar and everything else pertaining to the winter's stores.

   Mr. Brown was insured for $1,275 in the Five County Co-operative Fire Insurance company. His insurance is divided as follows: on building, $800; on furniture, $350; on piano, $125. A carpenter who is thoroughly well acquainted with the premises claims that the house could not be rebuilt for less than $1,200, and Mr. Brown at a quick estimate places his other loss at $1,000, which is thought to be a very conservative estimate.

   After the fire Mr. Brown's family was very hospitally [sic] cared for at the home of Frank Pritchard.

   Mr. Brown's hired man, Frank Dreseley, lost two suits of clothes, besides a few dollars in change in his pockets.

   The top of the piano was badly torn off as it was taken out. Among the furniture were three fine bedroom suits nearly new.

   The family consisted of Mr. and Mrs. Brown, twin daughters, fifteen years old, a son fourteen years and a baby three months old. None of the baby's clothing was saved except the night dress worn at the time.

   A corncrib stood only about twelve feet from the house, the other barns being across the street, but all were saved owing to the fact that the wind was favorable.

NO REPLY FROM BRITAIN.

Venezuelan Commission Proceeds With Its Work.

NOW READY FOE SUGGESTIONS.

Secretary and Corps of Assistants Appointed—Hearings Will Be Held and the Records Searched For Information on the Subject.

   WASHINGTON, Jan. 21.—At the meeting of the Venezuelan commission the fact was made known that a letter had been directed to the secretary of state by the commission requesting him to call upon the governments of Great Britain and Venezuela for evidence in support of their respective positions in the boundary dispute.

   Secretary Olney acknowledged the receipt of this letter and stated that he had carried out the wishes of the commission, but up to this meeting no answer had been received from either of the governments addressed.

   The commission selected S. Malet-Prevost, a well known lawyer, who recently successfully conducted the government's case against Peralta Revis, as its secretary and also chose a corps of assistants, then adjourning until Friday.

   The Venezuelan commission invited the governments of Great Britain and Venezuela to submit to it all of the evidence in their possession to further the work of the commission, to be represented before it by attorneys and all of this with the reservation that such representation and appearance shall not be deemed an abandonment of any rights or position heretofore assumed. It has done this in order that the proceedings of the commission may not be said to be ex parte, that the truth may appear, and that time may be saved in the inquiry with which the commission is charged.

   Meanwhile the commission will proceed on the original line of inquiry, which promises to be a slow and difficult task, trusting to the abridgement of the proceedings later on by the production of evidence by both parties and the appearance of attorneys, when the proceedings may at once take on the form of a judicial trial and the attainment of a conclusion be correspondingly hastened.

   This meeting took place for the first time in the new quarters of the commission in the Baltimore Sun building on F street. The first business was the selection of officers, and the first of these chosen was S. Malet-Prevost, who has earned a high reputation at the New York bar and also in Washington. Mr. Malet-Prevost was named as secretary of the commission and will be in daily attendance at the rooms.

   Mr. Whitmore of Ithaca, N. Y., was selected as one of the stenographers who will be employed, and Walter Moulthrop of the District of Columbia was appointed a messenger. A few other appointments will be made hereafter as a need for further help appears.

   It was ordered that the rooms of the commission be kept open every weekday from 9 till 5 o'clock, and any person who has any suggestions to make to the work will be accorded an opportunity to be heard, for at least one of the commission will undertake to be present besides the secretary. Every Friday there will be a meeting of the full commission in order to transact routine business requiring the action of all the members.

   The members will not be idle, for to each has been allotted a particular line of inquiry which he is expected to report upon to his fellow commissioners at intervals.

   For instance, Mr. White has been charged with the preparation of what may be likened to an abstract of title. Mr. Gilman has undertaken the preparation of all of the maps and charts required and other members have been called upon to collect from the library of the department of state and the library of congress, all of the documents and historical maps and papers bearing upon the Venezuelan boundary question.

   The effort will be to have these inquiries proceed simultaneously and apace and it is felt that by adopting this order much time will be saved, an important consideration, if the commission is not aided by Great Britain and Venezuela.

PAGE TWO—EDITORIALS.

New Ships and New Guns.

   The United States has now a weaker navy, compared with that of England, than it had in 1812. But if we keep on for ten years longer constantly building new ships, it is likely that we will have as strong sea fighting power as any of the other great nations.

   The present need of the country is coast defenses, fortifications, great guns commanding the entrances to our principal seaports and fighting ships that can tackle foreign cruisers. Two of these great guns have lately been put in place at Willets point, Long Island, just where the sound narrows into what is called East river, rushing past New York city like a mill race. The two new cannon are of the pattern known as disappearing guns. They are 80 feet long. When one of them is about to be fired, it runs its long black nose out into the air and goes off bang. Then by an ingenious arrangement of machinery it drops back under cover in a second's time or less, so that no hostile ship can draw a bead on it and knock it out. Each of the two new disappearing guns will discharge a shell or projectile weighing 575 pounds. This shell can penetrate armor plate 14.6 inches thick, that, too, two miles away.

   Two new battleships have been recently put under construction which will add much to our fighting power at comparatively close range. These are the Kearsarge and the Kentucky. They will be finished at about the same time, and the contractors are allowed four years to do the work, but undoubtedly the vessels will be ready in less time. They will be built at Newport News. They will differ from European battleships in that they will have somewhat less coal capacity and more guns. It is not expected that they will ever have to steam very far from home, though they can carry enough fuel to enable them to cross the ocean at full speed if necessary.

   The Kearsarge and the Kentucky will have each a double turret both fore and aft, and the turrets will carry the largest guns of any battleships afloat. They will be 13 inch guns, and each ship will have four of these. There will also be to each vessel four 8 inch guns. The Kearsarge and the Kentucky will cost $2,250,000 apiece. They come high. Their crews will consist of 600 men to each ship. Harveyized armor plate protects the vessels. They will draw 26 feet water.

   ◘ If the report of the United States Venezuelan commission should be against England, and should England, after this report, still refuse any peaceable method of settling the question, then it will be proof positive that England is in the wrong and is too pigheaded to acknowledge it. In that case she will deserve a sound whipping and will get it.

   ◘ Nothing has so salutary an effect on the British mind as to get a few Englishmen in a tight place in a foreign country when they have been unmistakably in the wrong. The Boer got the Briton on the hip.

VILLAGE FATHERS.

Repeal the Hitching Ordinance—Routine Business.

   The regular monthly meeting of the village board of trustees was held last night, the full board being present. Bills were ordered paid as follows:

   A. Huffman, $4.00

   H. M. Kellogg, 7.09

   F. A. Bickford, 25.00

   F. D. Morris, 2.17

   Richard Morris, .85

   Messrs. N. Jay Peck, A. Sager, F. Daehler, and G. J. Mager, a committee appointed by the citizens at a public meeting last Wednesday night, appeared before the board and presented a resolution adopted by that meeting asking for the repeal of the hitching ordinance. The resolution was ordered placed on file.

   On motion of Trustee Doubleday, seconded by Trustee Warfield, the first resolution passed by the board Jan. 6, 1896, was rescinded. This allows the hitching of horses on Main-st. as heretofore.

   The second part of the ordinance however, goes into force to-day and any person leaving a horse or domestic animal on any street in the village in cold or inclement weather for an unreasonable time is guilty of misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for not more than ten days or by a fine of not more than ten dollars.

   On motion of Trustee Warfield, seconded by Trustee Glann, the president appointed Messrs. Warfield, Glann and Webb as a committee to confer with Superintendent Dunston in regard to the putting of salt on the street car tracks to melt the snow and ice. Complaints have been made to the board by teamsters that the salt makes a very strong brine and makes horses feet sore when driven through it.

Charged with Cruelty.

   Just before The STANDARD went to press this afternoon Edward Garrity was arrested on complaint of the president of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The charge was undue whipping of his mules. He was brought before Justice Bull, waived examination, pleaded guilty and was fined $5, and was notified that if convicted a second time of the same offense the fine would be $10.

THROUGH THE ICE.

Horses Take an Involuntary Bath on Tisdale's Pond.

   While plowing ice on the Tisdale mill pond at Homer this morning one of the pairs of horses in use for that purpose stepped on ice that had been partially cut from the main portion. This instantly gave way and the horses [were] precipitated into the pond. Assistance was quickly at hand and by the combined efforts of Frank Wood, Charles Henry and several others, who made use of ropes in floating the horses up, they were soon pulled out.

BREVITIES.

   —Mrs. H. A. Woodward adds $1 and Mr. W. A. Woodward 50 cents to the Galpin fund.

   —New advertisements to-day are—Warren, Tanner & Co., Ladies' muslin underwear, page 6.

   —The Crescent club will give the fourth of its series of parties on Friday evening, Jan. 31. McDermott's orchestra of five pieces has been secured for this occasion.

   —Mr. Edward Hatch, brother of Attorney Fred Hatch, died yesterday at his residence east of the village, aged 51 years. The funeral will be held Thursday at 2 o'clock P. M.

   —Mr. L. S. Baker of 19 Port Watson-st. slipped and fell on the ice in front of the house last night slightly cutting the left ear. He was somewhat lamed, but is out to-day as usual.

   —The regular meeting of the A. O. H. will this week be held on Friday evening instead of Wednesday on account of the organ recital at St. Mary's church to-morrow night.

   —The stereopticon entertainment given in Good Templars' hall last night by H. D. Rumsey of Homer was well attended and the large variety of views shown afforded a pleasant and profitable entertainment.

Accident to an Eye.

   Ernest Doty, an employee of Bennett & Hartwell, while at work yesterday at the Palace steam laundry, suffered an accident which may cost him the loss of his left eye, A piece of iron weighing nearly a pound flew in such a way as to severely cut his nose and bruise the ball of the left eye. Dr. Higgins dressed the wound. The sight of the eye was gone at the time, but this was attributed to the shock of the blow. A bandage was placed over it, and it is hoped that within a few days the sight will be restored and that the injury will not prove permanent.

Loring Station.

   LORING STATION, Jan. 21. — About seventy of the neighbors and friends of Mr. and Mrs. Ward A. Woodward, who were recently married, called upon them unannounced last Thursday afternoon at 2:30 o'clock and spent the remainder of the afternoon and evening. It was a surprise pure and simple and the plan was successful in every particular. Mr. Woodward's brothers who live in Truxton had been let into the secret and were present with their families. Afternoon and evening were spent in a most delightful way. A bountiful supper had been brought with the visitors and was served at the proper time. The guests left behind them a number of very beautiful and substantial tokens of friendship and esteem which might perhaps serve as wedding presents. The gifts included a very handsome china dinner and tea set from Mr. Woodward's brothers and sisters, solid silver spoons and other articles from the other guests.

BOARD OF EDUCATION.

Adopt Resolutions Regulating Entrance of Young Pupils.

   At the meeting of the board of education last night Miss Mary Clark of the present graduating class at the Normal was elected as an additional teacher to begin Feb. 3. It is probable she will be placed in the Fitz-ave. school. Changes in the location of teachers will be made, but just what they are has not yet been decided.

   The board has passed a resolution to the effect that pupils who have never attended school will be admitted only at the beginning of each term in September or February. Parents who contemplate sending their children to school this spring must therefore enter them at the beginning of the spring term, Feb. 3. In case children fail to enter at that time, they cannot enter this year, but must wait until the opening of school next September. This applies only to children who have never attended school.