BRIDGE DISASTER

 

Court Street bridge, Rochester, N. Y.

The McGrawville Sentinel, Thursday, February 24, 1887.

A BRIDGE DISASTER.

A SHELL OF A BRIDGE FALLS INTO THE RIVER.

The Heavy Weight of Telegraph Poles Crushes the Bridge and Precipitates People.

   ROCHESTER, N.Y., Feb. 22.—Court street bridge connects the east and west sides of the Genesee river on two of the main streets. Thousands of persons daily walk over the structure, which is of wood built on stone abutments. On it six poles were placed last fall by the Western Union Telegraph company, each supporting thirty-four wires, fastened to the bridge by braces of strap-iron. A gale from the south began blowing down the river Friday morning, and by 12 o'clock the wind had reached a velocity of forty miles an hour. About 12:30 o'clock people on Court street, near the west end of the bridge, heard a snapping sound, and in a moment one of the poles near the centre was seen to topple and fall into the rushing water below, carrying nearly thirty feet of the sidewalk and roadway of the bridge with it. As the pole fell the immense strain from the wires pulled the two poles next to it from their places, and the wind acting as a lever, forced them also into the river with a large section of the bridge, a wreck of iron and woodwork, in which was twisted the wires in every conceivable form. The fall of the last two poles had the effect of breaking off three more which carried the wires to the west end of Court street.

   About a dozen persons were on the bridge at the time. All who were able fled, and people in the vicinity, hearing the crash, hurried to the scene of the accident in crowds. Suddenly some one noticed the form of a woman shoot from the rapids just below the bridge. The body turned over and over in the boiling torrent and was finally lost to sight under the aqueduct. A moment later a muff was discovered floating in an eddy near the west side of the river, showing that another unfortunate had also gone down. The muff was pulled from the water and found to belong to a girl named Annie Graham, who works in Kimball's tobacco factory. Miss Graham was seen on the bridge just before the poles fell, and she was doubtless one of the victims. The woman seen in the water wore a seal-skin sacque, but as yet no person answering this description has been missed. At the Kimball factory several girls are employed. Besides Annie Graham a girl named Rose Bernstein is missing at the works. A boy named Charles Janich started to carry a dinner-pail to his father, who works in Kimball's, and he also is missing.

   Crowds of people visited the scene of the accident and the excitement was intense. It appears that Bernard Dunn, superintendent of the Kimball works, notified the city authorities when the poles were put up that they were unsafe. The executive board of the city state that they forbade the Western Union people from erecting the poles and that the latter did so without permission. The hind part of a coal wagon was on a part of the bridge which fell, but the driver whipped up his horses and saved himself from going into the river. It is believed that at least four lives were lost by the accident.

 

Nothing Will Save Mrs. Druse.

   ALBANY, Feb. 22.— There is hardly a doubt now that Mrs. Roxalana Druse will die on the gallows in the Herkimer county jail somewhere between the hours of 10 A. M., and 4 P. M., on Monday, Feb. 28. The legislature has not availed itself of the opportunity offered by Governor Hill by which the woman's sentence could, and in all probability would have been commuted to imprisonment for life. The bill providing that hereafter women who are convicted of murder in the first degree shall not be hanged, but shall be sentenced to imprisonment for life, came up in the assembly Friday and was defeated. This bill was drawn with especial reference to Mrs. Druse's case. Governor Hill had deferred the execution of the murderess in order to obtain the sentiment of the legislature on the question of whether a woman should hang or not. Had the legislature voted against capital punishment the governor would, no doubt, have commuted the sentence of the woman to imprisonment for life. The legislature, by rejecting the Hadly bill, has sustained the position taken by Governor Hill, and decreed that this state, on this question of capital punishment, is against any discrimination in favor of women purely on the ground of sex.

   HERKIMER, Feb. 22.—Mrs. Druse was informed Friday of the action of the legislature on the bill intended for her benefit. She was prepared for the news and bore it with composure. Her chief concern is for her daughter Mary, who is ill in prison at Syracuse and on whom the news of her mother's inevitable fate may have an almost fatal effect. The Rev. Dr. Powell, who has been Mrs. Druse's spiritual-adviser, has given up all hope of prolonging her life and spends several hours at the prison at a time preparing Mrs. Druse's mind for the ordeal of the scaffold.

 

FROM THE SEAT OF LAW.

WORK DONE MAINLY FOR THE LOCAL DISTRICT.

The President's Veto of the Dependent Pension Bill Will Undoubtedly be Sustained.

(Special to the McGRAWVILLE SENTINEL.)

   WASHINGTON, Feb. 21.—Congress has accomplished very little during the week in the way of important national legislation. The people of Washington are well satisfied with what has been done, however, inasmuch as considerable progress was made with local affairs in which they are much interested. Washington is the "protege" of congress. The District of Columbia is governed entirely by congress, is dependent and compelled to look to congress for everything. Naturally, it thinks congress never does enough for it, and is a chronic complaint of neglect.

   It is thought that the president's veto of the dependent pension bill will be sustained, although the house passed the bill by more than a two-thirds majority, which would be sufficient to pass it over the veto. The President's veto message proved a powerful converter, and many members who supported the bill on the understanding that it would not cost more than $4,000,000, would now oppose it, since they are convinced that it would take about twenty times $4,000,000 out of the treasury.

   Petitions for the passage of the Blair educational bill continue to pour into congress. They come from all portions to the states and territories. It is estimated that over 90,000 citizens, a large number of whom are voters, have thus petitioned over their own signature. Then the members of the great national associations collectively as societies and organizations have united in this request. Among these are the W. C. T. U., the two great national Teachers' associations, the Knights of Labor, and many churches and missionary societies.

   Now that all speculation in regard to Secretary Manning's plans and intentions have subsided with the publication of his letter of resignation and the President's reply, the gossips have turned to the task of appointing his successor. Beside Assistant Secretary Fairchild, the names of Minister Pendleton and ex-Senator McDonald, both of whom are now in the city, are mentioned for the place. It is stated that the new officer will be nominated before the adjournment of congress, so that he may be confirmed, although the president has requested Mr. Manning to continue to serve until the 1st of April.

   The members of Congress who have done most of the legislation this winter are those who belong to the house committee on appropriations. They sit around a long table covered with blue, and each particular member seems bent on stopping up the leaks in the treasury. Hon. Samuel Randall, who is chairman in fact as well as in name, sits at the head of the table, and in his rather domineering manner, does at least one-half of the talking. He is just a little impatient, intolerant, and impolite as regards the suggestions of his fellow committeemen who differ from him, but he is liked by them nevertheless.

   Next to the chairman sits Gen. Forney of Alabama, hugely built but silent. Beside him may be seen the alleged "watch-dog of the treasury," Judge Holman of Indiana, who objects to every appropriation, however small. He talks as much as the chairman will allow, and enlivens the dull committee room with many little spats at his chief.

   Then there is Mr. Townshend of Illinois, who attacks Mr. Holman's meager allowances, and swarthy Mr. Burnes of Missouri, who talks wisely when he is induced to speak at all. Messrs. LeFevre of Ohio, Adams of New York and Wilson of West Virginia, spend very little time in the committee room, but Mr. Cabell of Virginia, who is economically minded, is always at his post and takes a prominent part in the deliberations.

   The republicans have five of their strongest men on this committee. They are Messrs, Butterworth of Ohio, Cannon of Illinois, Ryan of Kansas, Long of Massachusetts, Henderson of Iowa and McComas of Maryland. Mr. Cannon is their leader, and is a good match for Mr. Randall on all questions of finance that arise. General Henderson is called the one-legged soldier because he is the most liberal man on the committee as to any item that concerns soldiers.

   Mr. Long, besides being an excellent worker, is distinguished for his elegant manners. Mr. McComas is young and handsome as well as a man of weight, and has a bright future apparently. He is probably listened to with more attention than any young man in congress. Mr. Ryan talks little but works a great deal in committee, and Ben Butterworth, as his friends familiarly call him, has less to say at committee meetings than might be expected of a member who shows to so fine advantage on the floor of the house.

 

PAGE TWO—EDITORIALS.

   ◘ The reprehensible custom of "treating" to drinks, which has produced a great deal of drunkenness in times past, is made the subject of proposed legislation at Albany. A similar bill was passed in Wisconsin some years ago, but it was declared by the courts to be unconstitutional, as interfering with the personal rights and liberties of citizens.

   ◘ A GOLD seeker in the bad-lands of Dakota near Cook, a town fifteen miles from Deadwood, discovered what he supposed to be a gold mine, but which proved to be an immense cave, into which he let himself down by means of a coil rope, 95 feet. While exploring the cave the man came to a wall of earth, in the side of which was an opening. Entering, he found crouched down on either side what had once been human beings. They were five in all, a man, a woman and three children. On different parts of the cave there were marks of finger nails. It was presumed that the family at some remote time had been shut in by a landslide and perished by suffocation. The bodies were thoroughly desiccated and in a remarkable state of preservation. From the manner in which the arms and legs are drawn up they seem to have died in agony. The man's head is large, but the only abnormally developed part is the chin. The nails of the fingers and toes are intact. The bodies were recovered and boxed and sent to St. Paul on their way to the Smithsonian institute at Washington. It is the opinion of the scientific men who have seen them that the withered forms are those of a race which inhabited the country at least two thousand years ago.

   ◘ Binghamton is one of the towns where the market demands heavy drinks, and consequently vile drinks, The light wines of California, or the light lagers sold to the best trade in cities having a large German population, would not answer the demands of the bar trade here. It would discourage a Binghamton bibulous crowd to stand up to a bar and drink through an evening, and then go home sober.—Binghamton Republican.

 

Election Notice.

   Notice is hereby given that the annual charter election of the village of McGrawville, N. Y., will be held at Fireman's hall in said village on Tuesday, March 15, 1887, and that the polls of said election will be open from 1 o'clock P. M. until sunset. The following are to be elected: A president in place of Lewis H. Warren. Two trustees for two years in place of N. W. Smith and E. H. Clark; a collector in the place of Charles Waters; a treasurer in place of C. A. Jones and an assessor in place of Ransom Warren, all of whose terms of office will then expire. F. S. BERGGREN, Clerk.

 

EDITORS' EASY CHAIR.

   —Matie Albro visited at her home near Marathon, Sunday.

   —Mr. and Mrs. F. W. Perrott of Scranton, Pa., were guests of their daughters in this place last week.

   —Fred Parker is expecting to build a new house on the south side of Elm street west of Charles Salisbury's as soon as weather will permit.

   —J. C. Thompson has sold his house on Center street to Clinton Borthwick, and intends moving to Elbridge, Onondaga county.

   —The Oothoudt brothers sawmill on Academy street is running very steady and doing lots of sawing. Eighty logs, beach, ash, hemlock and basswood, were sawed in nine hours by them Tuesday.

   —One of our brother editors had lost his temper when he wrote the following: The Lord wasted mud when he made the man who will take a paper two or three years, never pay a cent, and then order the postmaster to send it back "refused."

   —An exchange says that in Bavaria no unmarried woman is allowed to speak on the street to any of her friends of the opposite sex. Gracious, our ladies here would become revolutionists at once, if such a law was to be enforced. That is cruel to take all the comfort from the ladies.

   —There will be a dime parlor entertainment and social given under the auspices of the Women's Christian Temperance union, Monday evening, February 28, at the residence of Mr. Arza Chapin. The programme will consist of music, singing, readings, declamations, tableaux and charades. A cordial invitation is extended.

   —The Women's Christian Temperance union of Cortland county will hold its eighth quarterly convention in Blodgett Mills, N. Y., Friday, March 4, 1887. The session will open at 9:30 A. M., and continue through the afternoon and evening. An address will be given by Mrs. G. M. Gardenier of Oswego, N. Y., recording secretary of the New York state Women's Christian Temperance union, subject: "The Remedy, or Dand's Sling."

   —A letter recently received from Kansas City, Mo., says: "Thursday, February 10, this city was visited by a day long to be remembered by its many changes in the weather. In one hour's time there was a heavy thunder storm accompanied by lightning, which turned into a hail storm, followed by snow and freezing weather. The day before was very warm and the day following was a bitter cold one."

   —No less than eleven town meeting tickets in the various towns in this county were printed last week without regard to the stipulations of the law. The law dictates that the caption of the ticket shall be the word "town" set in Great Primer Roman condensed type. We saw captions set in type all the way from long primer gothic to double English clarendon and two tickets had no caption whatever. Call your printers to task.

   —The entertainment given by the Young Men's Literary society Monday evening was well received by the audience, but what pleased the entertainers was the large company that was present to listen to them. The proceeds of the evening were over $19. The debatants were closely matched but the question was decided on the merits of the debate in the negative, thus making the pleasures of participation greater than those of anticipation.

   —We are in receipt from Miss Hattie Barnum of the carnival number of the Montreal News. It is a model issue of a Canadian newspaper, richly embellished with many pages of lithograph plates, in this, far over-reaching the past scope of newspaper work. Miss Barnum writes us that she embroidered thirty dozen pairs of moccasins for the carnival. She also says that Crompton's corset factory in Toronto took fire a short time ago and the entire stock, including four thousand dozen corsets, was damaged. Miss Fannie Barnum has worked in the factory the past two years.

   —On Tuesday afternoon a little boy 8 years old, son of Edson Gardner, residing on Doubleday street, ran against a barbed wire fence, cutting a gash across his throat more than three inches long, and deep enough to expose the windpipe and large blood vessels, but leaving those important organs intact. It was a close shave for the little fellow, who will carry the mark for some time. Contrary to the rule, in violent collisions, the moving body sustained the brunt of the injury. The fence is reported uninjured.—Democrat. Mr. Gardner formerly resided in this place and his friends here will be pained to hear of his little son's sad misfortune. 

   —Delos McGraw started for Scranton, Pa. last evening.

   —Mrs. Henry Hotchkiss of Oxford is visiting relatives here.

   —Rev. B. F. Weatherwax and wife of South Cortland were in town Monday.

   —James Barrett of Taylor was in town Wednesday, the guest of L. H. McDonald.

   —J. W. Gilbertson has rented his house on Clinton street to Mrs. Backus of Cortland.

   —Mr. and Mrs. Hiram Parker of Blodgett Mills were the guests of L. Parsons in this place Wednesday.

   —Mrs. Chloe Taylor and Miss Mamie Maybury of McGrawville are visiting at R. R. Maybury's.—Marathon Independent.

   —Uncut newspapers, good for putting on shelves and thousands of other purposes, for sale at this office, package of ten papers 5 cents.

   —Fenton Isaacs has moved into the house formerly occupied by Dr. D. H. Stone on Clinton street, Mr. Stone now occupying his new house adjoining.

   —Mr. Isaac S. Samson of Cortland, who is visiting his sister Mrs. S. P. Whitney of Hudson township, Indiana, recently drew a buggy valued at $300 in a raffle in Chicago.

   —Tickets for the concert to-morrow evening at the Presbyterian church are selling fast. Our people are expecting a musical treat that will long be remembered. We predict that the church will be filled and that everybody will be pleased with the entertainment.

   —Corporation election occurs Tuesday, March 15. The law requires that the board of trustees cause to be published at least twenty days before such meeting a treasurer's report of monies received and paid out during the year. To-day is the twentieth day. Where is the report?

   —We hear this question every day: "Where do all these corsets go to? It seems as though McGraw's factory would supply the whole United States." From a careful estimate we find that if the factory should make at its present rate, one hundred and fifty dozen corsets a day it would take six years to supply all the ladies in New York state alone.

   —One dollar and ninety cents in advance secures for anyone the McGRAWVILLE SENTINEL for one year, the New York Weekly World one year, and a bound volume of 320 pages entitled the "History of the United States." This is a book that every family should possess. Send orders to this office. Above price includes postage.

   —The type for the entire town meeting returns published in the Democrat last week, was set up in the Standard office. It looks as though the Democrat had already become a Republican annex. Before long Editor Clark will have the Democratic organ stored away in the basement of the Standard building.—Monitor. The type for five columns of the Monitor this week was set in New York or Chicago and is palmed off in connection with its claim to be working in the interest of local labor. Remove the mote, brother. [The Monitor was published at the Hitchcock factory in Cortland—CC ed.]

   —The Auburn  Seminary Male Quartette assisted by Miss Clara Babcock, soprano, of Syracuse, will give a popular concert in the Presbyterian church to-morrow (Friday) evening. The quartette is composed of the following gentlemen: Rev. L. Van Schoonhoren of Buffalo, first tenor; Rev. E. H. Dickenson, second tenor; Rev. M. D. Babcock of Lockport, first bass; Rev. Charles Townsend, of Lansingburgh, second bass. Admission 25 cents. Reserved seats 30 cents; for sale at C. A. Jones' and the post office. Concert at 8 o'clock.

   —The walking match last Saturday evening in Hammond's hall assumed one or two exciting features. The first race was a one mile heat between Ed Healey, Will Waters and Clate Phillips; won by Will Waters, Ed Healey, second; time seven minutes. In the two mile race the runners were Frank Wildman, Henry Salisbury and the "Homer Flyer." The attraction of gravitation overcame the power of the "flyer's" wings and his frequent "drags" caused him to give up the race. Salisbury kept the lead that he had when starting and thus won the race. Wildman only lost by not gaining. It was a hot run; time, fourteen minutes. The three mile race was contested by Clate Gardner, J. Wavle and Irving Townsend, and was won by Gardner, Wavle second; Townsend squelched. A race was then run for a shake purse by Art Gardner and E.W. Hayes, Gardner winning. Another "walking match" will take place in Hammond's Hall Saturday evening of this week. The first is to be a three mile race for a purse of $10 between Clate Gardner of McGrawville, and Fred Hilligus of Homer. Gardner is the champion short distance runner and Hilligus the champion three mile runner of the county. The second will be a special two mile race between Frank Wildman and Henry Salisbury for a purse of $3; contestants to start at opposite sides of the track. Other short races will be gotten up in the hall. Music will be in attendance. Admission 25 cents; ladies and children 15 cents. Time called at 8 P. M.