BACK FROM MANILA, AND LAWYERS NOT IN IT

 

U. S. Army Transport Hancock.

Cortland Evening Standard, Monday, July 31, 1899.

BACK FROM MANILA.

The Nebraska Regiment and Utah Batteries Reach San Francisco.

   SAN FRANCISCO, July 31.—The untimely arrival of the United States transport Hancock, having on board the Nebraska regiment and two batteries of the Utah light artillery, completely destroyed all the arrangements which had been made for a royal reception and an enthusiastic welcome to the fighting volunteers returning crowned with laurels.

   The Hancock dropped anchor in the stream shortly before midnight unannounced. The committees here from Nebraska and Utah had given up all hopes of the vessel arriving before morning and had been prepared to be up at dawn to greet the expected ship. The tugs and launches had been chartered and Governor Poynter of Nebraska had planned with all care and detail to be the first man aboard the Hancock and welcome the heroes from his state back to American soil. But there was no reception committees afloat at midnight and only one small delegation of Nebraska people accompanied the customs house officials and the correspondents on the race down the bay.

   The returning soldiers have no criticism to offer on their quiet reception. They cheered themselves hoarse at the sight of the little fleet of launches and from the decks of the transport shouted greetings and messages to the people on the craft below.

   Colonel H. B. Mulford of the Nebraskas, who is in command, soon appeared at the railing. By his side stood William Grazen of Company D, the sentinel of the Nebraska regiment who fired the first shot in answer to shots from the Filipinos which started the war with the insurgents. He killed the first Filipino who died by an American bullet and it was this shot which was the signal for the advance of the entire American line and the great rout of the rebel army on the night of the fourth of February.

   "I don't think you will see any of us returning to Manila very soon," said Colonel Mulford, in response to a question. "Just one man in the entire regiment re-enlisted. Only 25 remained in the Philippines to engage in business. The Nebraskas had as much work in this war," continued Colonel Mulford, "as any regiment, volunteer or regular. Our death roll in the Philippines from gunshot wounds, accidents and disease is 62. Including the sick and wounded men who are recovering, we dropped all told 204 men. On the Hancock are more than one hundred wounded soldiers. The entire regiment is glad to know that it is to be mustered out in San Francisco. We have had a pleasant trip and it has improved the men wonderfully. Quite a number of them will have to go to their homes, but I am assured that everyone will soon be all right."

   The men on the Hancock numbered 1,138 and included the Utah light batteries and 60 discharged men from the Twenty-second United States regiment.

   Only one man died on the Hancock after she left Manila. He was Private Richard Walp of Battery A, Utah light artillery, and he died of typhoid fever at Nagasaki.

 

ENTERTAIN FIREMEN.

Volunteers of New York Will Have a Big Time at Ithaca.

   ITHACA, N. Y., July 31.—Arrangements for the Central New York Volunteer Firemen's convention, which opens in Ithaca Tuesday, are practically complete and the official program has been announced. After an address of welcome by Major Elmendorf Tuesday morning and the formal opening of the convention, the delegates will be entertained with a steamer ride on Lake Cayuga.

   Wednesday afternoon the race will take place on the Ithaca fair grounds track and the Ithaca band will give a concert in the evening.

   The closing session of the convention will be held Thursday morning and a regular parade will be held in the afternoon.

   It is expected that nearly 50 companies will be in line.

   The Auburn delegates are preparing to work for the convention for the next year.

   Manager Billy McCarthy of the Imperial Athletic club of Ithaca will give three or four boxing contests during the firemen's convention. On the evening of Aug. 2 Mike Donovan of Rochester will meet Tommy Kearns of Boston in a 20-round go. The following night Joe Butler of Philadelphia and Harry Marks of Athens, Pa., will meet. It is also proposed to hold a couple of contests in the afternoon, Wednesday and Thursday.

 

PAGE TWO—EDITORIALS.

   In determining to put no restrictions on the public utterances of its professors the Chicago university has set a good example. It does not hold itself responsible for the views and opinions that its faculty as individuals may express, nor does it desire to smother or restrict these opinions. This is a great jump forward. It concedes at once that a professor may have his own views concerning some of the thousand things that claim attention, but those views need not be the views of the university he serves, and what is of more importance they need not impair his loyalty and usefulness in that institution. There is a generous liberality in this decision which smacks of "the stream of tendency." The highest order of intelligence must differ in its point of view in each individual as to means and details, but it will generally be found that on certain essential truths the individual opinions give way to established principles, and the most diverse minds can work together without sacrificing any of the essential [truths].

Fire at Tupper Lake.

   UTICA, N. Y. July 31.—Fire destroyed the Altamont hotel and the plant of the Export Lumber company at Tupper lake. A number of dwelling houses were also burned.

 

WHOLE VILLAGE WIPED OUT.

Loss Will be $150,000—One Hundred Sixty-nine Buildings go up in Smoke.

   MALONE, July 31.—One hundred and sixty-nine buildings of Tupper Lake village, which burned yesterday, were destroyed, including nearly every structure in the place. Sixty-four business places were burned. The fire protection was very meager. The fire caught about 10:30 A. M. Sunday in King's and Page's store. The loss cannot be less than $150,000. Particulars are very meagre.

 

Admiral George Dewey.

Too Big a Job For Dewey.

   TRIESTE, July 31.—Admiral Dewey when seen regarding the report of an interview published in a New York paper in the course of which the admiral is quoted as saying: "Our next war will be with Germany," said: "I long ago gave up denying or affirming newspaper reports." Admiral Dewey remained on board the Olympia, taking lunch with Captain Lamberton, the commander of the cruiser, and afterwards receiving United States Consul Mossfeld.

 

THREE ALARMS, ONE FIRE.

The Storehouse at E. C. Palmer's Residence Slightly Scorched.

   At about 10 o'clock Saturday night there were three alarms of fire rung in, though there was only one fire, and the only reason that there was not a fourth alarm was because the would-be ringer did not get the key far enough into the keyhole in the box at the corner of Tompkins and Owego-sts., [Cortland], to turn it, though it was far enough so that it could not be withdrawn, till the chief came with the release key.

   Shortly before 10 o'clock the family of Mr. R. G. Lewis sitting on their piazza on Prospect-st. smelled smoke, but could not locate it though they looked all around. A few moments later a bright light appeared at a second story window upon a little storehouse connected with the barn of E. C. Palmer across the street from Mr. Lewis' and only about six feet separated from and in the rear of Mr. Palmer's residence. The moment the Lewises saw the light they knew where the smoke came from.

   Some one quickly ran down to the Messenger House corner and pulled box 432, but did not remain by the box to give any information to the firemen when they arrived as to the whereabouts of the fire. The Orris Hose running team was all in the hose room close by having returned from a practice run for the races at the firemen's convention at Ithaca this week and was just spoiling for a race with some one. They dashed down to the enginehouse and could scarcely be restrained long enough for the alarm to strike through and indicate the box. They were the first ones off and attached a line of hose to the Messenger House hydrant before they knew where the fire was. Some one said the fire was in Palmer's barn and Orris not wishing to be behind the other companies left two lengths of hose attached to the hydrant and went on with the rest down Tompkins-st.

   Some party now unknown met the firemen near the corner of Prospect-st. and said "go back, the fire is all out." A tremendous shower was coming up. The lightning was frequent and vivid and the thunder was heavy, and supposing the report to be correct the firemen started to retrace their steps most as rapidly as they had come.

   Water Witch company was one of those furthest in advance when the word was given to turn back and was in the rear in the return. Just as they reached Dr. Reese's residence the rain came down in torrents and the boys left the cart on the walk and took refuge under Dr. Reese's piazza.

   But the fire was not out and was increasing in volume. Mr. Palmer had gotten home from the store and finding that the firemen were returning started after them at full speed. He ran against Water Witch's cart in the darkness and then learned that the boys were close at hand on the steps. The instant they heard that the fire was still in progress off they went at full speed, attached to the hydrant at the corner of Prospect and Tompkins-sts., had first water and in fact was the only company to throw any water at all.

    Hearing that the fire was still in progress some one pulled box 432 again, and scarcely had it ceased ringing when Policeman Smith pulled box 132 at the corner of James and Prospect which is the box nearest the fire and the one that should have been pulled in the first place.

   The fire started in the first floor of the little storeroom, crept up between the studs in the ceiling of the partition, broke out in the second floor, and got in between the ceiling and the roof of the little building. The barn itself forms one side of the storehouse, but no fire got into that. It was a work of but a few moments to get the fire out when the water was turned upon it and only one line of hose was needed. The damage was not very great and is fully covered by insurance.

   The origin of the fire is peculiar and should carry a warning to all bicyclists. A young woman employed in Mr. Palmer's household rode home on her wheel shortly before the fire started. She had an oil bicycle lantern on her wheel which she took off, extinguished the light and set the lamp on a shelf on one side of the storeroom, leaving her wheel against the wall there.  The ceiling is of Georgia pine, oiled and varnished. The heat from the lantern, even though extinguished, is supposed to have ignited the oiled and varnished wood, for the flames are traced right to the shelf where the lantern was placed.

 

LAWYERS NOT IN IT.

Only Two of Them Played the Newspaper Men Saturday.

   The game of baseball Saturday afternoon between the newspaper men and lawyers drew out a crowd of 250 persons and consequently turned $25 into the treasury of the Baseball association. The shower just before the game led some of the lawyers to think the game could not be played, and so [they] did not go to the grounds. Only two lawyers showed up, and they formed the nucleus of a team which the newspaper men played. The scribblers were badly in the lurch the first three innings, but after that got after Davis' curves, especially in the sixth when heavy hitting tied the score. An unhappy occurrence terminated the game in the middle of the seventh, when the combination refused to play further, and when the score must necessarily revert back to even innings and the game be forfeited to the newspaper men 9 to 0. The score of the game as played was as follows:

 

THE LABOR QUESTION.

Men Paid Off at the Old Rate and are Still Working.

   No particular change is noticeable today between the paving company and the laborers. The men were paid off Saturday night at the old rate, 16 cents per hour, and all but a very few went to work this morning. The board of village trustees is behind the workingmen, and will do what it can to see that the men are paid $1.50 for eight hours' work. It is possible that when paving bills come up for audit, they will be refused unless the men are paid at what the board understands is the legal rate.

 

Cortland City Band, 1898.

BAND CONCERT AT THE PARK.

Cortland City Band to Play There on Wednesday Evening.

   The Cortland City band is working hard to win the prize at the central New York firemen's convention at Ithaca on Thursday of this week. It will not have to compete with the Ithaca band, because that band is not entered in the contest inasmuch as the convention is this year held at Ithaca and no local talent competes in anything where the convention is held. The Cortland band is quite hopeful of winning the prize. Its numbers are now full, and all those who have ever played with it and retained their membership in the band will go with it to Ithaca.

   On Wednesday evening the full band will give a grand open air concert at the park playing the same numbers among others which it will play the following evening at Ithaca. This is really a final rehearsal, and is also to permit all of the residents of Cortland who care to do so and who will not go to Ithaca the following day to hear the band at its best. Let everybody turn out and give the band an enthusiastic audience, and a good sendoff for the next day.

   The concert will begin at 8 o'clock and at its close there will be a dance in the pavilion, music being furnished by McDermott's orchestra. Cars will run every twenty minutes.

 

Sam Sloan.

Sam Sloan engine, one of several used by the D. L. & W railroad.

BREVITIES.

   —Kissing bugs in Homer. See Homer letter [see copy of page 8 above—CC editor].

   —The drug store of Sager & Jennings has been connected with the telephone exchange.

   —The Homer & Cortland Gas Co. began laying now mains in Port Watson-st. this morning.

   — New display advertisements to-day are—A. S. Burgess, Clothing, page 8; Pearson Bros., Furniture, page 8; Buck & Lane, Oil stoves, page 8.

   —The curb and gutter for the new Lincoln-ave. pavement is all laid, and this work was begun on Tompkins-st. this morning. Excavation is in progress on both streets,

   —The name "Sam Sloan" for a dozen years or more so familiar upon passenger engine No. 6 on the D., L. & W. R. R. has been painted out from the sides of the locomotive cab. There is probably no engine on the rood better known to all the people between Syracuse and Binghamton than the old Sam Sloan and the name had become a part of the engine. But under the new management changes come.