Cortland Evening Standard, Tuesday, August 29, 1899.
IT BEATS EVERYTHING.
THE COUNTY FAIR THIS YEAR IS HUMMER.
Something to See Every Minute—Not Space Enough for the Exhibits—Tent Shows on Every Side—Large Display of Stock—Everybody Busy and Weather Fine.
The older members of the Agricultural society are opening their eyes in amazement at the exhibition that is being brought together on the fair grounds this year for the edification of the public. Some years ago they could look back with pride and point to the fairs they used to have—and indeed they can do so still. But at one time the management turned everything into a horse trot and the good old-fashioned agricultural fair was relegated to the background. The farmers and country people lost interest and the fairs dropped down to a pretty low ebb. Then a reaction set in and for the last six or eight years the fairs have been increasing in size, in attendance and in interest.
It took quite awhile to get the people actually to believe that Cortland intended to have a fair again. But they have come around to that opinion and each year lately the attendance has been increasing in numbers, and the fairs have likewise been increasing in excellence. It has been no misstatement to say that the fair of each year was greater than that of the previous year. So that when it is said this year that this fair is surely bound to excel all of its predecessors, even those in the old times, it is the truth and if any one doubts it let him go and be convinced.
The fair grounds were a veritable beehive this morning. Exhibitors in the fair building were at work upon their booths and upon their exhibits. No attempt will be made to-day to refer to any of the exhibits specifically. It would not be fair as not one of them was complete at 11 o'clock. In fact, some of them were still concealed by screens, while busy hands were at work behind the curtains getting things into shape. The decorations of the booths are indeed very handsome and in many cases highly artistic. There is to be music in every quarter in the hall—pianos, organs, music boxes, phonographs and vocalists. Tents are springing up out of the ground and rapidly taking shape and substance to themselves, and exhibits or shows are taking possession of them. Lemonade stands are being built and lemonade made. Delos Burnham has a cider mill in full operation pressing out the sweet juice that is to be transferred in a twinkling from the perfect apple to the throat of the thirsty.
The W. C. T. U. has two tents—one for dining purposes, the other down the "Midway," where it will catch the crowd and tempt them with ice cream. The merry-go-round was not in operation this morning, but it was loaded with children waiting for it to start. Perhaps they waited till afternoon for the motion to begin, and perhaps they got tired and went home to dinner.
Up the grounds stock was arriving in large quantities on foot and in wagons. Cattle and horses were driven and led in. All are sheltered by the stalls or by tents. Sheep and hogs were brought in in wagons. Poultry was making the air vibrate continually with the sound of its crowing.
Workmen were erecting a building over the grave of the world famed guideless wonder, Marion Mills, who died on the fair grounds last year, and this is to be draped in mourning.
The big balloon has arrived and was being laid out in pieces on the ground preparatory to being put together, and the apparatus for inflating it was being set up. Every one was busy and there was a good crowd going toward the grounds this afternoon. But the big numbers will not get on hand till to-morrow.
To-morrow at 11 A. M. and at 3 P. M there is to be an exhibition of the ability of the celebrated Kilfyre to extinguish flames. A large bonfire will be built near the east end of the race track and the blaze will be put out in short order. Manufacturers, merchants and owners of private dwellings will be interested in this.
To-morrow afternoon also there is to be an exhibition of automobiles from Rochester. There will also be horse races and bicycle races.
WHERE WAS THE BOARD?
Did It Attend the Circus or Stay at Home?
The [Cortland] board of village trustees did not hold a meeting last night. Whether there was no business to transact or whether the board did not wish to take any action in reference to the proposed Groton-ave. pavement, a petition for which would doubtless have been presented had there been a meeting, or whether complimentary tickets at LaPearl's circus proved too great a temptation to the village fathers, were questions which could not be settled last evening by the reporters. At any rate there was no meeting and none of the village fathers appeared.
Mr. Warren of the Warren-Scharf Asphalt Paving Co., Attorney B. A. Benedict, C. H. Price, F. H. Cobb, H. S. Bliss, Delos Bauder, D. C. Beers, L. S. Watkins, E. J. Warfield and others interested in the Groton-ave. paving petition came down expecting that a meeting of the board would be held as usual. The only member of the board who was seen was Trustee Wood of the Third ward who drove by once or twice in his carriage and asked with a smile if any one had shown up yet.
Mr. Benedict had in his possession the petition for paving Groton-ave. with signatures claimed to represent more than the required frontage necessary for paving the street from Main-st. to the [Otter Creek] bridge, and this petition doubtless would have been presented to the board had a meeting been held.
It seemed to be the prevailing sentiment of those present that if it was too late to finish the paving on this street before cold weather that steps should be taken to have all the preliminary work done this fall and be ready to complete the work early next season. At the earliest calculation and under the most favorable circumstances it would be the middle of October before the contract could be let and actual work begun and this would give too little time for completing the work this fall.
PETERSON-KINNEY.
A Quiet Morning at 42 Homer-ave.
Mr. Frank A. Peterson of Piermont, N. Y., and Miss Iva B. Kinney, daughter of Mr. George Kinney of Cortland, were quietly married at the home of the bride's father, 42 Homer-ave. at 7:30 o'clock this morning. Only the immediate relatives of the bride were present. The ceremony was performed by Rev. W. H. Pound, pastor of the Congregational church.
After a wedding breakfast Mr. and Mrs. Peterson left on the 9:27 train for a wedding trip which will include points in the western part of the state. Upon their return they will reside at Piermont. Mrs. [Iva B.] Peterson is a graduate of the Normal in the class of '94, and for the past two years has been teaching at Piermont. Mr. Peterson is a promising young business man and occupies a responsible position in the Erie depot at Jersey City.
Here is a Record in Fish.
Messrs. Martin Miller, R. D. Graham, Frank Locke and Ralph Dwight, the carpenters employed on the barn which is being erected on the Hon. O. U. Kellogg farm in the town of Taylor, went fishing in Solon pond on Thursday evening of last week which resulted in a catch of ninety-four good sized bullheads besides three large eels, one of which measured over 2 feet in length. Mr. Miller wishes to ask through the columns of The STANDARD who can beat this record.
ELLISON FAMILY REUNION
Held at John Ellison's in McLean on Thursday, Aug. 24.
One of the pleasantest of the popular reunions of the present day was that of the Ellison families and friends, Aug. 24, 1899, at the home of Mr. and Mrs. John Ellison, McLean. The day proved all that could be asked for although in the morning the "Clouds hung thick o'erhead."
Mr. and Mrs. Ellison live just across the street from the Dryden House which has been closed to the public since the very sudden and tragic death of the proprietor a few months ago, but that day the widow proposed to Mr. Ellison's people that they use the diningroom and indeed all the rooms they needed in the house, as it was not deemed advisable to set the tables out of doors on such a cloudy morning.
A large and very happy company gathered round the well filled tables and, although they had to be reset again and again, yet there seemed no lack of any of the good things. Among the many exceedingly pleasant features of the day were several little songs in German sung by the sweet little 2-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bussie, also one by little Mary Taylor of Groton.
Altogether the day was very much of a success, and the company all look forward with pleasant anticipations to next year when they will meet with Mr. and Mrs. J. O. Homer at Groton, N. Y.—E. E. V.
CUMMINGS FAMILY PICNIC
Held at Raymond Park, Little York, on Friday, Aug. 25.
The annual picnic of the Cummings family was held at Raymond park, Little York, on Friday the 25th, about 100 being in attendance from the aged grandfather of 85 to the great grandchild of seven weeks old. The day was perfect. The cool breezes from the lake under the shade of the trees was refreshing and exhilarating. A bountiful repast was served to which all did ample justice (especially your correspondent), after which toasts and responses were in order. Fred Woodward of Truxton was chosen toastmaster and proved himself the right man in the right place. Then came the election of officers for the coming year which are as follows:
President—Charles Gardner.
Vice President—Byron Cummings.
Secretary—George M. Baldwin.
Historian—J. Miles Cummings.
Executive Committee—H. Cummings, James Cummings and Adrian Cummings.
The remainder of the day was spent in visiting, renewing many old acquaintances and boat riding upon the serene waters of the beautiful lake in the steamers Violet and Elizabeth, until they were reminded by the setting sun that it was time to be wending their way homeward, when cordial good-byes were exchanged and hopes expressed that they would all meet again in 1900.
FOE TO MALARIA.
Army Experiments in Cuba to Make Climate More Healthful.
HAVANA, Aug. 29.—Owing to frequent recommendations to Governor General Brooke of the eucalyptus tree as an anti-malarial agent, some investigations into the subject have been carried on under his orders. Attention has been called to the success obtained in cultivating the tree in the vast Campagna di Roma, Italy, where eucalyptus is now recognized as rendering the whole territory much less unhealthful. The City of Mexico is cited as another instance, where the Viga canal, the floating gardens and other malarial districts are now well stocked with young eucalyptus trees with the result that places which were once marshy and unhealthful have been rendered dry and innocuous.
One recommendation says that the camp of the British troops in Jamaica which was formerly malarial, has been planted with eucalyptus, the outcome already being a steady disappearance of marshy spots. The tree, which absorbs the moisture, grows very rapidly, often 10 feet in a year. The wood is valuable and the honey bees seek the flowers. The honey, it is said, contains important medicinal properties.
The tree department at Santiago de Cuba, not knowing of the investigations in progress under General Brooke's direction, recently made a request for several thousand eucalyptus slips, the requisition being strongly indorsed by General Leonard Wood. The officials in charge of the yellow fever hospital planted several slips some months ago, and these are now thriving. It is believed that great good will result from the investigations.
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| Walter Wellman. |
WELLMAN IN ENGLAND.
The Great Arctic Explorer Reaches Hull and Talks of His Trip.
HULL, Eng., Aug. 29.—Walter Wellman, leader of the Wellman polar expedition, who returned to Tromsoe, Norway, Aug. 17, after having successfully completed explorations in Franz Josef Land, has just arrived here. He walks with the aid of crutches, his right leg, which was seriously injured by Mr. Wellman's falling into a snow covered crevasse while he was leading his party, still being useless. The explorer was accompanied by the American members of the expedition who are well.
In an interview Mr. Wellman said:
"The object of the expedition was two-fold—to complete exploration of Franz Josef Land, of which the north and northeast parts were practically unknown and to reach a high latitude or even the pole itself.
"The first object was successfully accomplished. The second should have been achieved, at least to a greater extent than by previous expeditions, but for the accident to myself."
PAGE TWO—EDITORIALS.
The Case Against Dreyfus.
In the Dreyfus case history of a very bad quality repeats itself. The persistent contention of the prosecution that Dreyfus wrote the bordereau is in the face of almost conclusive evidence to the contrary. Esterhazy has confessed that he wrote it, but there is something to be said for the assertion of the prosecution that he is such a liar that he cannot be believed even when swearing to his own hurt. There is, however, plenty of corroborative evidence. Colonel Schwartzkoppen, who had never seen the bordereau till its publication in facsimile in 1896, at once recognized the handwriting as Esterhazy's. When he met him a few days later he said, "It is you who wrote the bordereau." "Yes,"' said Esterhazy. "Then you are the biggest scoundrel that ever lived!" cried the indignant German. This conversation has been set forth by one present at it. Moreover, the court of cassation detailed at length the circumstantial evidence going to show that Esterhazy was the real author. The argument from similarity of handwriting was so powerful that one of the experts who had at first thought Dreyfus the writer changed his view completely when he compared the bordereau with some acknowledged letters of Esterhazy's. Furthermore, it was written on very unusual paper, scarcely known to the trade and not at all in current use, yet it was the identical paper used by Esterhazy, while not a scrap of it could be found in any of Dreyfus' manuscripts. The proofs that Esterhazy was the man who wrote the bordereau are thus overwhelming.
Why, then, do the witnesses against Dreyfus persist in asserting that he is the author? Plainly because without it they have no case. All the other promised proofs of his guilt, so mysteriously talked about by ministers of war, have vanished, and it is the same old bordereau of 1894 that is the prosecution's main reliance.
CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC
To Begin Its Fourth Year of Work on Monday, Sept. 4.
On Monday, Sept. 4, the Cortland Conservatory of Music will open its doors for its fourth year of work. The prospects for a large and increased number of pupils seems very bright for already a number of applications have been made from towns some distance from Cortland and there is no doubt that the citizens of Cortland will support a home institution of which they may well be proud. The directors are making every effort to improve the work of the conservatory each year, and hereby give to the people of central New York an opportunity of having a thorough musical education at a very moderate cost. The office of the Conservatory will be open from Friday, Sept. 1 for registration and students should register and have their hours assigned before commencing work on Monday, Sept 4. Any information desired regarding the work will be cheerfully given by calling at the office or addressing the business manager. Catalogue sent on application.
BREVITIES.
—The annual picnic of the Delevan family will be held at the park to-morrow.
—The vaudeville show which was booked for the Opera House all this week has canceled its engagement.
—New display advertisements to-day are—D. McCarthy & Sons, Furniture, page 2; Gladding & Brown, Laundering, page 6.
—No school census is to be taken this year as the federal census will be taken next year and then in consequence the facts desired in the school census will be obtained without cost to the state.
—The binder course on the Tompkins-st. pavement was laid yesterday to within about 100 feet of the corner of James-st. and this morning the work of laying the asphalt was begun at the west end of the street.
—The funeral of Mrs. Mary Leonard Webb will be held at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Walter B. Stevenson, 70 North Main-st. at 8 o'clock to-morrow (Wednesday) morning and will be private. The remains will be taken to Waterville on the 9:20 train for burial.
—Word has been received in Cortland of the death in Denver, Colo., yesterday of Mrs. Jane Maybury, formerly of Cortland and mother of Messrs. J. F. and M. M. Maybury. Mrs. Maybury had a shock of paralysis about a month ago and has been steadily falling since. The remains are expected to reach Cortland some time on Friday and the funeral will be held on Saturday, but its time and place has not yet been decided upon.
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| Cortland County Fairgrounds and Racetrack, 1894 map segment. |
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