NEW YORK NEWS, WASHINGTON LETTER, LADY REPORTER, WATER MAINS AND HYDRANTS, AND NEIGHBORING COUNTIES

 

USS Massachusetts (BB-2).

The Cortland Democrat, Friday, June 28, 1901.

OUR NEW YORK NEWS.

THE FIRST BATTLE-SHIP TO EVER GO THROUGH HELL GATE.

The Massachusetts Passes Through This Dangerous Channel in Safety—Dangerous Navigation—Sad Home Coming--Saved From Mob by Policemen—New York as a Summer Resort.

   New York, June 25.—Never until last Thursday has a government vessel of such proportions as the battle-ship Massachusetts ever attempted to pass the dangerous Hell Gate channel, and it is not likely that the attempt will be made again, for Secretary Long, when he was informed of the trip, issued an order that ''hereafter no battle-ship shall go through Hell Gate except under conditions of exceptional emergency.''

   The Massachusetts is commanded by Capt. Henry A. Manney, and when he received orders from the navy department to take his ship to Newburyport, Mass., where she is to take part in a celebration, said that he would go by way of the "back door for a change." She passed the dangerous point in the channel, but not without trouble. At one point in the channel the depth is only a little more than the draught of the Massachusetts, and the warship ran in close to Blackwell's Island, passing within seventy-five feet of a dangerous ledge of rocks. In avoiding this she was forced close to shore, and was compelled to back water with her starboard crew.

   John Fitzgerald, the motorman of an electric car, was mobbed by a crowd last Friday night that saw his car run down a little girl and drag her thirty feet under its trucks [wheel carriage]. Two girls attempted to cross the street in front of the car, when it struck them with such force as to hurl one of them thirty feet from the track. The other girl fell directly in front of the car and the trucks caught her dress and dragged her along the pavement. The motorman applied the brakes, but when the car was stopped the child was unconscious, her clothes torn from her and her body covered with wounds from the sharp paving-stones.

  The avenue was crowded. Hundreds heard the girls screams and ran after the car. Several men picked them up and carried them to a drug store. The crowd swelled to five hundred in a moment.

   "Kill the motorman!" shouted an enraged man who had seen the accident. He darted toward the front platform and a score of men were at his heels, shouting invectives at Fitzgerald. He tried to fight them off but they caught hold of him. He grasped his starting box lever in his hands and dealt blow after blow upon their heads in his terror, but they were too many for him and he was dragged to the street. He put up a fight still, but was terribly punished by blows from the enraged captors. He was rescued by policemen.

   When one looks on the swiftly moving craft in the harbor of this metropolis the wonder is not that the newspapers are occasionally called on to report the happening of an accident, but that this does not come more frequently. The recent sinking of one of the big ferryboats of the Staten Island line is a reminder of the danger which is always present in the navigation of these waters. It requires a skilled pilot to run a boat where others are plying the water on every side, and I have often wondered that we escape with so few accidents. The sinking of the Northfield is an occurrence which is really liable to happen at any time. No human being can be always on his guard and exercise the right judgment at the right time. The harbor pilots are a body of skilled and expert men, and they realize their responsibility. They do splendid work, but accidents will happen at times in spite of all the precautions that can be taken. It is gratifying to know that the recent accident will be thoroughly investigated, and that when the responsibility is fixed, if there is evidence that some one is criminally negligent, the person will be severely punished.

    Detained in the measles hospital, Brooklyn, Mrs. Anna Dolinski and her three children, the oldest a boy of eight years, are ignorant of the fate awaiting the husband and father, who is under sentence of death in Chicago for murder. The woman and her children arrived here a week ago from Europe on the steamship Graf Waldersee. The children were found to be suffering from measles and were sent to the hospital, accompanied by their mother. Mrs. Dolinski told the immigration authorities that several months ago she and her children left their home in Hymen, a suburb of Chicago, to visit relatives in Europe. She had been told that her husband was a prisoner on suspicion of having killed his wife and family, and she was hurrying home to prove to the authorities that he was innocent of the charge. The immigration authorities learned that the woman's husband is sentenced to be hanged because he killed a man while attempting robbery. The woman does not know this.

   Strange as it may seem, New York is a great summer resort. The thousands who come here for their vacations would make any of the watering places or seaside resorts look like howling wastes of houseless people, if they should descend upon it. They come from all parts of the union and a great many of them are already here. Because of New York's close proximity to the ocean, one visit can be made to cover both the metropolis and the seaside resorts. The rush this year promises to be larger than ever. The postmaster at Atlantic City has already been loudly clamoring for help.

 

Lyman J. Gage.

WASHINGTON LETTER.

(From Our Regular Correspondent.)

   Washington, June 24.—Protests from business organizations and influential individuals have brought the administration to a realizing sense of the blunder Secretary Gage made in inviting the present tariff war with Russia. It is not, of course, acknowledged to have been a case of blunder. On the contrary it has been officially announced that Mr. McKinley and all the Cabinet endorse Secretary Gage. But, that it is really recognized as a blunder, that Secretary Hay has, under instructions, explained the matter to the Russian government, with the hope of being able to bring about a satisfactory readjustment of the matter. If Secretary Gage was right, why should the diplomacy of the State department be called in to straighten out what has followed rightful acts? This administration very frequently makes the mistake of under-rating the intelligence of the public.

   Mr. McKinley's dilatoriness in naming a new commissioner of pensions has put the Republican opponents of commissioner Evans in a very ugly humor and they are letting out campaign secrets. "Corporal" Tanner, who has been prominent in the fight against Evans, said: "I do not know whether it is a fact that is known to the public or not, but it is true nevertheless that the national Republican committee, prior to the last election, promised faithfully that Mr. Evans would be retired from the office of pension commissioner upon the beginning of President McKinley's second administration, in case of his re-election. We have that promise in black and white. It is in the form of a letter written by the national committee to Gen. Sickle and he still has that communication." The "Corporal" intimated that it was only by making the promise that the committee succeeded in keeping the soldier vote in line for McKinley, and that if the promise was not soon redeemed, there would be trouble, and lots of it, in the ranks of the g. o. p. Evans says he won't resign, and Mr. McKinley seems disinclined to push him out. There the matter now stands.

   Senator Deboe is engaged in a job that should be repugnant to a gentleman, and doubtless is to him, although he lacked the backbone to refuse to undertake it, when ordered to do so by the Republican central committee of Henry county, Kentucky. The job is to prevent the re-appointment of Mrs. Gertrude Saunders, a widow who has served "two terms as postmaster at Newcastle, Ky., and made an official record, without a flaw, and to get a Dr. Gray, a Republican politician, appointed. To the credit of Fourth Assistant Postmaster General Bristow, under whose jurisdiction the matter is, this political fight upon a widow is not likely to succeed. He told Senator Deboe that it was not the policy of the department to remove postmasters with good records—that was stretching the truth perhaps, but it was in a good cause. And when Deboe tried to get Mr. McKinley to act, he was told that he never interfered in the appointment of fourth-class postmasters. The place only pays $60 a month, but the widow wants it, and she ought to have it.

   Everybody who has seen a copy of the gorgeous little book issued by the pink tea masker, par excellence, whose official title is Adjutant General of the Army, containing the itinerary of this petticoat hero's junket to the Philippines, has enjoyed a good laugh of Corbin's exhibition of the big head. It was a stretch of good taste when Secretary Cortelyou issued a printed pamphlet containing the itinerary of the Presidential trip to the Pacific coast, but the official rank of that party and natural public curiosity to know all about its goings and comings excused that, but no such excuse can be made for the vulgar ostentation of Adjutant General Corbin, in copying that idea and issuing a pamphlet with the following title page, lettered in gold: "Tour of the Adjutant General of the Army to the Philippine Islands, from June 20th to Sept. 23, 1901." In addition to giving all the stops of the train bearing the self-constituted hero across the continent, there are blank pages headed: "date" "latitude," etc., for the thrilling adventures that must perforce attend his trip across the Pacific, and more blank pages for what will happen in the Philippines. If some Filipino mountain brigands should take a notion to kidnap Corbin and keep him, the people of this country would not make a flood with their tears.

   Representative Burleson, of Texas, said: "This talk of Republicans of tariff reform and anti-trust legislation. is all for effect, in my opinion. When you speak of the trusts you instinctively think of the Republican party. They are synonymous terms. The trusts own the Republican party and that being true it is absurd to say that the Republicans will enact legislation that may prove inimical to the trusts. I don't mean to be understood as saying that the Republicans will not discuss the tariff at the next session of Congress, for I believe they will make a pretense in that direction, but it will only be a pretense. The Republicans will have all they want to attend to in legislating for the Philippines and Porto Rico.''

 

Tom Platt.

PAGE FOUR—BRIEF EDITORIALS.

   Senator Jones of Arkansas says the question now is: "Ought the constitution to follow the flag?" The theory seems to be that it ought to follow, but not near enough to jostle.

   The announcement that two thousand postmasters are about to have their salaries raised seems in view of the subsidence of the third term, like a sheer waste of the wherewithal.

   The war is over. Isham Collins and wife, who separated forty years ago, because she was a Unionist and he a Confederate, have recently signed a treaty of peace, and will hereafter live together.

   Senator Platt's successor at Washington, if a Republican, need not be a talker but he must be a walker. It will need a man who is lively on his feet to keep up to Platt's record as a job-hunter for needy Republican statesmen.

   Mr. Platt seems to have modified his positive declaration that he will retire from the Senate in 1903. His present version is: "All that I have to say is that at the end of my term I don't suppose that I shall be re-elected.'' Not supposing is quite different. Mr. Platt didn't suppose McKinley would be nominated in 1896, but he was. For a dozen years, he always didn't suppose the Democrats would carry this state [New York], but they did. And then, in 1893, when Mr. Platt didn't suppose the Republicans had a ghost of a show, the Republicans won. If Mr. Platt doesn't suppose he'll win in 1903, we pick him for a winner.

 

OUR LADY REPORTER.

Many Little Things Picked Up Which the Editor Overlooks.

   It is an unpleasant trait of human nature that causes many men to ridicule a friend who has met with some unfortunate circumstances of not too serious a nature. I will explain my meaning by relating the following, of which I was an eye-witness:

   During Friday night ''the rains descended and the floods came'' with mighty force, and on the following morning Railroad-st., at its junction with Church-st., was covered with an inch, more or less, of the stickiest mud that ever graced patent-leather shoes. At about 7 o'clock a young man, evidently on his way to his day's work, came along on his wheel, and in making a slight turn in the mud his wheel went out from under him, and his body being heavier than air, he was at once covered with a coat that was not at all artistic nor beautiful. Just at this time other wheelmen came along, and nearly every one passing at the time guyed him most unmercifully upon his predicament. The circumstance is hardly worth recording, except to bring out forcibly the fact that people are more apt to reserve their sympathy in such cases and fling out ridicule. The fellow was in a sad enough plight without listening to the jeers of his friends.

    Here is a picture which I saw in Railroad-st. one day last week: Riding a bicycle was a young man. Behind the bicycle was a horse, with a rope halter attached, and the bicyclist was holding the other end of the halter. On the horse was another man, who was apparently unused to riding bareback, or even on a saddle. The young man on the wheel was making pretty lively time, and of course the animal was compelled to spurt rather rapidly to keep up. The bareback rider became nervous and begged the other fellow to hold up, but his entreaties only spurred the bicyclist on to greater speed, and away they went with the fellow on the animal holding on for dear life and beseeching his tormentor to stop. It was rather a ludicrous scene, but my sympathy was with the poor horseback-rider.

   A friend of mine, whose husband, like all the men, has some good traits and many disagreeable ones, says that one of the unfathomable mysteries of life is that her husband can rise at 4 o'clock to put up a new chicken house for his prize poultry, work all day in a hot office, chase all over town on business matters, go home and play croquet in the back lot, spank and put the children to bed, play "pedro" with the man from next door till after midnight and still appear fresh as a daisy, and yet he is physically incapacitated by a fifteen-minute call on the new neighbors which he makes with his wife.

   I very much like the plan adopted this year of leaving the surface of the new cement sidewalks in a rough condition instead of being as smooth as glass. We can all walk much better over them.

   There are many pretty yards in town at this time of year, and among them is E. A. McGraw's at No. 3 North Church-st. I mistrust his son Ivan has fostered and cared for that pretty rose bush that stands by the south side of the house.

 

New Water Mains and Hydrants.

   The Water Works company is laying something more than a mile of new mains which will serve twelve new fire hydrants and add greatly to the fire protection of the city.

   The Tompkins-st main is carried to two hundred feet west of Broadway where a fire hydrant is placed.

   A new main is laid in Sands-st and two hydrants placed therein.

   The Port Watson-st. main is carried to East-ave., one hydrant going in there and one halfway back to Pomeroy-st.

   In Charles-st. new 6-inch pipe is being laid and three hydrants installed.

   Extensions will also go five hundred feet on Madison-st. and Maple-ave. with a hydrant at the end of each. Blodgett-st and Rickard-st. will have a new hydrant each.

 

NEIGHBORING COUNTIES.

News Gathered and Condensed From Our Wide-Awake Exchanges.

   Iron has been discovered in a ledge of rock near New Berlin, N. Y.

   During May there were nine deaths and one birth in Waterloo—rather of a bad showing towards gaining in population.

   About 200,000 pounds of wool has been bought in Batavia this season, the price averaging about 16 c. a pound.

   Reports from all sections of Genesee county tell the one story that the Hessian fly has destroyed this year's crop of wheat.

   Lockport residents have been ordered to trim the trees fronting their residences so that the lowest branches will be 15 feet from the ground.

   The recent high water left some fifteen German carp on some low land on the Clapland farm in the town of Tioga, where they were killed with clubs. They weighed from twenty to twenty-two pounds each.

   A justice of the peace at Oriskany Falls was captured at New Hartford riding the cycle path without a badge and paid a fine of $5. The law is no respecter of persons.

   For the first time Italians are seeking jobs on farms in Livingston county as month hands. The scarcity of help, due to the canning factories and the Pan-American competition, makes the farmers willing to take them.

   Some miscreant sent a stone crashing through the window of the late train south of Oxford on a recent evening. It whizzed past two ladies and hit a gentleman on the opposite side of the car, inflicting a painful scalp wound.

   Rufus Moses, an old resident of Sodus experienced a pleasant accident recently. He was severely shocked in an explosion of acetylene gas but when he was taken to the open air it was found his hearing had been restored. He had been troubled with deafness for a number of years.

   Putnam county is a record breaker so far as courts are concerned. It is only a few months ago that there were no cases to try. The past week the court was in session just five hours, two cases were tried and there was no conviction. Putnam county people are law abiding and attend to their own affairs.

   As a fast fruit train on the Erie was rushing along on its way east on Monday last, the fireman, when a little west of Waverly, noticed the engine was not running as it should. Upon going to the engineer's cab he found the engineer, J. E. Loveland, unconscious, with a bad cut on his head. He had evidently had his head out the window and been hit by a bridge, and for a number of miles there had been no one at the throttle.

   M. Dupare of Paris, France, has purchased land and closed the contract for the erection of the largest cheese factory in the world at Sidney, N. Y. He is the owner of a similar plant in Paris, but the largest market for his cheese is found in America. There is a duty of 45 per cent on the imports in addition to the higher price of milk in France, and it is his intention to manufacture the entire product here and ship it to France.

   Little Falls has a cat that wrought more havoc and damage in a liquor store in that city last week than was ever charged up to Carrie Nation's hatchet on a single excursion. There was a pyramid of bottles of wine and liquors in the show window of a liquor store. The store cat in a playful mood jumped on the counter and thence to the bottle display; the frail structure collapsed with a crash. When the wreck was cleared away it was found that 149 bottles had been broken, besides the plate glass window.

 

HERE AND THERE.

   The state fish commission, through local agent Jas. A. Wood, placed two dozen ten-gallon cans of trout in Cortland county streams this week.

   The Cortland association of Baptist Young People' societies hold a rally at McLean today. Teams will leave the First Baptist church at 6 p. m.

   Bids are again asked for by the state engineer for building the Truxton road. Let the committee of our supervisors get in their work in time.

   Just a few Cortland people failed to hear the terrific thunder shower last Saturday night. A fire alarm would be of little use with such sleepers.

   Lightning did some damage both Friday and Saturday nights, but it was of the freak order and not expensive aside from fuses in telephone boxes.

   The Cortland base ball team needs a shake up, and needs it badly. They have forgotten how to win a game and all the tail end teams win over them easily.

   Mr. C. C. Wickwire is now the possessor of an automobile, making three in town and immediate prospects that the next few months will see eight or ten owned here.

   County Judge Eggleston will hold a law term of County court at chambers for the transaction of business other than jury trials, including the hearing of motions and appeals from justice and police courts.

   F. P. Barney, formerly of the Laurel restaurant, has purchased the Candy Kitchen in the Grand Central block of Rood & Co. and took possession Monday. Mr. Barney has associated with him his father, C. S. Barney, the firm being F. P. Barney & Co. and they will continue the business along the first class lines established by Rood & Co. The Messrs. Rood have not decided on future plans but it is to be hoped they will remain in Cortland.