NO CIRCUS TO-DAY AND MCGRAWVILLE NEWS GETS A LIFT

Cortland Evening Standard, Saturday, September 5, 1896.

NO CIRCUS TO-DAY.

SO MUCH WIND THAT BARNUM DID NOT SHOW.

Fears of the Cyclone Experience of July 23, 1884, Which Cost the Show Over $20,000—Tents Were Half Full, but Money Was Refunded—Everybody Disappointed—No Circus To-night.

   For a second time within a generation the Barnum & Bailey "Greatest Show on Earth" has pitched its tents in Cortland and has failed to go through with its performance. The other time was on July 23, 1884, when the cyclone descended on the tents and picked them up from the ground and then threw them back again, while nineteen people were badly hurt, many others slightly so, and thousands were terribly frightened. For years after that the Barnum circus gave Cortland a wide berth and declined to come near the town.

   The second time when there was no show was this afternoon. This time the performance had not begun, but the wind was high and the clouds threatening. Early this morning the town began to fill with people. It seemed as though half of Cortland county was here, and a considerable proportion of adjoining counties. Many arrived early to see the show unload. After the parade, which was concluded about 10:30 o'clock, the crowd surged down to the grounds to look over the tents, the horses, the show people and if for no other reason to be near the show itself.

   By 12:30 o'clock the thousands were again headed toward the show grounds and by 1 o'clock the tents were rapidly filling. But the wind was coming up. There were whirling clouds of dust. The rain clouds above were thick and heavy. About 1:30 o'clock one of the managers went through the tents and announced that they had decided to give no afternoon exhibition. They were afraid of the weather. They had had one experience with wind in

Cortland and that had cost them $20,000. They didn't care to repeat it. The ground was soft and the land stony and if the wind should increase the posts holding the guy ropes would not hold. They were sorry to disappoint the people, but it was a measure of safety. The money would be refunded at the doors.

   Then there was a rush for the gates. The jam for tickets was nothing like the jam for money, and it was pretty largely free silver too, for the money was almost entirely refunded in silver. The carryalls which had been reaping a harvest in carrying people to the show grounds almost doubled their money in carrying them back again, for many who had walked to the grounds were anxious to ride back again to get in out of the wet.

   But the rain was no respecter of persons. Before half the crowd had got away it began to fall in torrents. After every one had been well soaked down by the first burst it settled into a steady drizzle which continued up to the time The STANDARD went to press.

   It was too bad that the storm should come on this day, and it was too bad to disappoint so many, but it was wise to be prudent. The wind did not prove to be sufficient to have torn down tents, but it is really better that some people should be disappointed than that there should be a repetition of the experiences of twelve years ago.

   The tents were to-day located upon Owego-st. across the street from where the cyclone found them before. A word of explanation is due at this time as to the fact that The STANDARD announced that the circus would exhibit on the Allport lot on Tompkins-st. Mr. Dean, an advance agent of the show, was in Cortland last Saturday and requested us to publish the item as to the location of the tents, saying he had himself seen the contract that afternoon which had been made by another agent who had preceded him. All the contracts, however, read that so much will be paid for the use of the land, if used. When the man arrived yesterday afternoon to stake out the lot for the tents other arrangements were made, but it was too late to give notice of the change. Still there is never any trouble but that a circus will be found.

   The parade was one of the best ever seen in Cortland. It was nearly a mile long and presented all the various things that were advertised and was worth going a long distance to see. It was a beautiful spectacle. It was artistically and attractively arranged and it was gorgeous with color. The sleek horses gave evidence of excellent care, while the caged animals also had the appearance of being well groomed and well fed. There were more than the usual number of open cages. The usual monotony of gilded cages was broken by troops of riders mounted on gaily caparisoned horses and with herds of camels, rare specimens of wild cattle and droves of elephants. Another novel feature of the parade was squads cavalry representing every nation of the earth.

   There were in the parade 234 horses, 32 ponies, 3 zebras, 5 mules, 7 camels and 19 elephants. It may be of interest to know the color of the horses and ponies. The horses were bay 88, gray 68, black 35, chestnut 31, sorrel 9, cream 3. Of the ponies there were: bay 10, black 10, gray 6, spotted 3, sorrel 2, cream 1.

   At 3 o'clock this afternoon the elephants, camels and other animals on foot were taken down to the cars and loaded. At 4 o'clock the cages followed. It was then officially announced to The STANDARD that there would be no show to-night. The circus trains will soon start for Syracuse.

CORTLAND'S ELEVATION.

Official Figures Obtained From the State Engineer and Surveyor.

   Inquiry has been made of us several times as to the elevation of Cortland above the level of the sea, and to obtain the exact figures we have made inquiry of the state engineer and surveyor, Hon. Campbell W. Adams. A reply has been received from the deputy engineer and surveyor, Hon. Hershel Roberts to whom the matter was referred, who took his figures from the official records. From his reply we are able to state the following facts.

   The basis of estimate is the level of the ocean. Albany at the mouth of the canal is 1.18 feet. The elevation of the D. & H. railroad station at Albany is 16 feet, and of the New York Central station 32 feet. Syracuse at the West Shore station is just exactly 400 feet above the sea level. Cortland is 1,129 feet above the sea, or 729 feet above Syracuse. On the D., L. & W. R. R. the highest place between Syracuse and Cortland is a point one and one-quarter miles south of Apulia station, where the elevation is 1,265 feet. This place is known as Apulia summit. This is 865 feet above the level of Syracuse. Apulia itself has an elevation of 1,253 feet. Between Apulia summit and Cortland there is a fall of 136 feet. The elevation of Ithaca at Cayuga lake is 378 feet, which is 751 feet lower than Cortland, and Ithaca seems to be twenty-two feet lower than Syracuse.

A STATEMENT.

   The McGrawville News of Friday, Sept. 4, contains the following:

TO OUR PATRONS.

   With this issue of The News it passes into other hands. For some weeks the ask of collecting funds sufficient to keep expenses paid has been impossible and we decided to suspend publication, but with the arrangement that has been made, the publication will go on in a consolidated form. The following is the plan:

   In order that advertising contracts, legal and other, may be completed and that those who have paid in advance for The News may receive a paper till the end of the period paid for, we have made arrangements with the Cortland Standard Printing Co. to complete such contracts and send papers to our subscribers as follows:

   The Sentinel and News will after this date be consolidated and hereafter published as one paper under the name of the Cortland County Sentinel and McGrawville News.

   All subscriptions paid in advance will be credited either on the Sentinel-News or Cortland Daily or Semi-Weekly STANDARD, and whichever of these papers the subscriber may prefer will be sent to the amount paid. Unless otherwise requested however, the Sentinel-News will be sent to present subscribers to the News.

   All subscriptions owing the News are to be paid to the Cortland STANDARD Printing Co., or its agent, B. T. Burlingham.

   All uncompleted advertising contracts will be completed in the Sentinel-News, pay on same to date going to the undersigned, and pay after date to Cortland STANDARD Printing Co. All legal advertising to be paid to the undersigned.

   In justice to the Cortland Standard Printing Co., we wish to say that the company has not bought out The News office, nor has it or any one connected with it either suggested or offered any inducement whatever to us to bring about the discontinuance of The News; and the arrangements stated above as to advertising and subscriptions have been made simply with a view to doing justice to all our patrons and fulfilling our obligations.

   In saying good bye to our patrons and friends we most heartily thank you all for the patronage and courtesies given to us. Most Respectfully Yours,

   W. A. HUNTINGTON.

   To what Mr. Huntington says we wish to add the following. Some time since Mr. Huntington sought to sell us the News plant, list, etc., fixing a price which certainly was a reasonable one, but we declined to buy. Then we learned that he had received an offer from a young man from DeRuyter, with whom a contract of sale was afterwards actually made, but who finally decided that he could not carry on the business at a profit and asked to be released from his contract. Mr. Huntington then communicated with us, stating that he had decided to discontinue publishing The News, and asking if he could arrange with us to take his subscription list and fulfill his contracts. We suggested that he come to Cortland and see us and he did so, and the arrangement above stated by him was then made.

   It is due ourselves, in view of some reports which come to us, to say also that we have no intention of discontinuing the paper which will hereafter be known as the Cortland County Sentinel and McGrawville News, and have never had any intention of discontinuing The Sentinel since we purchased it, or of consolidating it with the Semi-Weekly STANDARD. On the contrary, we shall give more attention than ever to McGrawville news and, with the establishment of a branch office in that village under the charge of Mr. B. T. Burlingham, we shall do our best to accommodate its citizens and to make them feel that they are enjoying all the advantages and conveniences of having a newspaper and job printing establishment at their very doors. We shall also give them in The Sentinel and News a far better paper for the price than we or any one else could afford to do, unless it were run in connection with a daily and semi-weekly edition.

   CORTLAND STANDARD PRINTING CO.

A VALUABLE ACQUISITION.

Celebrated Cornet soloist Engaged With the City Band.

   The Cortland City band has been very fortunate in securing the services of a celebrated cornet soloist, Mr. Will C. Kaine of Keene, N. H., who with his wife will remove to Cortland in about two weeks. Mr. Kaine studied under some of the best men in the country, and at 10 years of age had become a proficient performer on the flute, but had a strong predilection for the cornet, the study of which he began in his twelfth year. Mr. Kaine has been connected as leader and soloist with the Seymons & Stratton Theatre Co., and several travelling companies of a high order, also the Potsdam, N. Y., military band; seventy-third Battalion of Chatham, New Brunswick; thirty-fourth battalion of Ontario; Independent band of Corning, Ont.; besides several others in Canada and the United States. He has been leader of the Lockport, N. Y., band, also that of Yarmouth, N. S.

   Mrs. Kaine is a solo violinist and their removal to Cortland will prove a valuable addition to musical circles in Cortland.

BREVITIES.

   —New advertisements to-day A. Mahan, it's plain to see, page 6.

   —Monday is "Labor day," a legal holiday, and n paper will be issued from this office.

   —About fifty couples thoroughly enjoyed themselves in dancing at the park last night with music by McDermott's orchestra.

   —A. Mahan sold a $250 upright Kingsbury piano on Monday last to Supervisor J. G. Bingham of Solon. This is the first one of these popular pianos placed in that town.

   —Ithaca has organized a board of trade with forty-nine members. Others are expected to join. A constitution and by-laws have been adopted. This is just exactly what Cortland needs. Let some one take the initiation and every business man in the place will join in the movement.

   —A woman's pocket was relieved of her pocketbook this morning during the circus parade in front of the store of Yager & Marshall. A man saw the thief commit the deed and at once seized him and took away the pocketbook and returned it to the owner. He then let the pickpocket go with a warning.

   —Mr. William Hull of Albany, a member of the state committee, requests us to announce that the drafted men of Cortland county will hold a convention in the courthouse at Cortland on Wednesday, Sept. 10, at 10 o'clock, A. M. There will be morning and afternoon sessions. The chairman of their state committee will meet with them.

   —A straw [vote] was taken this morning on the smoking car of the Lehigh Valley train which arrived in Cortland at 9:48. The men questioned were largely farmers coming to the circus and the result was McKinley 27, Bryan 10. All of the sound-money Democrats seem to have been ready to vote straight for McKinley, because there was not a single follower of Palmer, the newly nominated [sound-money] candidate.