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| Congressman Shelby M. Cullom. |
Cortland Evening Standard, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 1902.
DANISH WEST INDIES.
Senate Ratifies the Treaty With Denmark.
WILL ASSUME NO DEBT BURDEN.
Resources and Value of the Islands. Harbor of St. Thomas Said to Be One of the Best in the West Indies. Status of the Inhabitants—Strategic Importance.
Washington, Feb. 18.—In a little more than an hour's time the senate in executive session disposed of the treaty with Denmark ceding to the United States for a consideration of $5,000,000 the islands of St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix, composing the group of the Antilles known as the Danish West Indies and lying just east of Porto Rico and thus, so far as this country is concerned, consummated a transaction which has been under consideration intermittently since the administration of President Lincoln.
Senator Cullom, as chairman of the committee on foreign relations, made a speech explaining the advantages of the acquisition of the islands, and Senators Bacon and McLaurin made brief remarks, saying that while they could not endorse all the provisions of the agreement they would place no obstacles in the way of ratification.
Senator Bacon moved to amend the treaty by striking out the second paragraph of article 3 of the treaty reading as follows: "The civil rights and the political status of the inhabitants of the islands shall be determined by the congress subject to the stipulations contained in the present convention."
The amendment was rejected without division.
Senator Cullom explained all the provisions of the treaty and gave a detailed account of their resources and of their trade value to the United States. He said the provision affecting the civil rights of the inhabitants was similar to the provision on the same subject in the Spanish treaty concerning Porto Rico.
Senator Cullom said in taking the islands the United States would assume no burden of debt, as by the terms of the agreement all claims held by Denmark against the insular treasury would be cancelled. He placed the total of these claims at $2,000,000. He also said that on the telegraph franchise it would be necessary to pay a subsidy of $4,000 per year for three or four years and that in this case and the St. Thomas floating dock company there was an agreement to protect the charters for the time granted by Denmark. He also gave a detailed history of the St. Croix sugar company, explaining that the government of Denmark had assumed debts amounting to about $4,700,000 for that concern, but had agreed to wind up the affairs of the company as soon as practicable.
Senator Cullom explained that under the terms of the treaty the United States would take possession of the islands as soon as ratification could be exchanged. The harbor at St. Thomas island was described as one of the safest and best in the West Indies and the importance of its possession from a strategic point of view was enlarged upon.
Senator Cullom's motion to ratify then was adopted by a viva voce vote.
Lt. Richard P. Hobson.
NAVAL CONSTRUCTOR HOBSON.
President Recommends That He Be Placed On the Retired List.
Washington Feb. 18.—The president has sent to the senate a message recommending the retirement of Naval Constructor Richard P. Hobson, and in accordance with this recommendation Senator Gallinger immediately introduced a bill providing for Mr. Hobson's transfer to the retired list. In his message the president gives as his reason the trouble that Mr. Hobson has had since 1900 with his eyes and recites the history of that trouble. It appears that in June, 1900, he was admitted to the naval hospital at Yokohama, Japan, when, according to the records, he suffered from weakness of eyes and retinitis, which infirmities it was stated had been contracted while on duty in repairing ships at Hong Kong. In January 1902, he was examined by a retiring board which decided that his incapacity was not such as to justify retirement. The message concludes as follows:
"In consideration of the foregoing but especially of the gallant service rendered by Mr. Hobson in the sinking of the Merrimac in the harbor of Santiago during the recent war with Spain, I recommend the enactment of a suitable measure for his relief."
BLIZZARD IN NEW YORK.
Eastern Part of the State Has Worst Storm in 14 Years.
METROPOLIS GETS THE WORST.
Suburban Traffic Subject to Long Delays—Several Stores Closed Up. Warships Could Not Communicate With Shore—Sixteen Eastern Counties Suffered From Storm.
New York, Feb. 18.—The eastern part of New York state, from this city to the Canadian border, was swept by a blizzard such as had not been experienced for 14 years. Up to midnight reports were received showing that 16 counties had received in full force the effects of the gale and the accompanying fall of snow. These counties were Dutchess, Orange, Ulster, Albany, Schoharie, Schenectady, Montgomery, Saratoga, Essex, Columbia, Rensselaer, Washington, Clinton, Oneida, Onondaga and Chemung.
Thus it will be seen that all the eastern tier of counties caught the storm and that it did not extend to the western portion of the state, although it was expected there before morning. There is a sameness about the reports from the up-state towns. Anywhere from four to 18 inches of snow, wind blowing at a hurricane rate, drifts from six to in one instance 25 feet deep are among the features while there is iteration and reiteration of delayed trains, impeded or wholly abandoned trolley service and impassable country roads.
The latest reports indicate that the worst is over, for the wind is abating and in many places the snow has ceased falling.
WILL SIGN TODAY.
Governor Odell Will Take Final Steps in the Lunacy Bill.
ALBANY, Feb. 18.—Governor Odell will sign the Brackett-Rogers lunacy bill tonight before leaving the Capitol. By its provisions the board of managers of the various state insane hospitals are to be legislated out of office April 1, and boards of visitation residing in the respective hospital districts, are to be appointed, thus completing the centralization in the [New York] state committee in lunacy of all powers and responsibilities incident to the care of the insane.
Railroad Street, Cortland, N. Y.
BLIZZARD NUMBER THREE.
Cortland Again Tied Up—Trains Stalled and Streets Drifted Full.
Blizzard number three is here and is as wild and aggressive as though it had not been succeeded by two other stingers. One blizzard during the winter season, or even two, does not seem so bad, but when three come following each other along at a breakneck pace, each one trying to do more mischief than the one before it, the state of affairs becomes exceedingly monotonous.
Last evening the snow began to fall, and a high wind picked it up as it came down and lauded it in the cuts made by shoveling out after the other blizzards. As a result traffic has been nearly at a standstill today.
There have not been any trains through on the Lehigh Valley R. R. from the east since 7:30 o'clock this morning, when the train arrived which was due at 8 o'clock last night. The west end of the line is open and a train came in from Ithaca about noon and was sent back again.
The E. & C. N. Y. train is working its way back from Cincinnatus slowly, having left the east end at 1 P. M., today.
The Lackawanna road north of Cortland was badly blockaded, but the 9:22 and 1:03 trains reached Cortland one close after the other at about 3 o'clock this afternoon.
The Traction company had its lines open early this morning and has worked hard all day to keep them thus. Country roads are reported to be badly filled up where they were recently shoveled out, and new banks are formed. In all, it is as bad a storm as has been experienced this winter, although it is not so tedious on account of the higher temperature, but this afternoon the mercury is beginning to fall.
BASKET BALL CANCELED.
Colgate Has to Give Up the Second Time for a Blizzard.
There must be something fated against a basket ball [sic] game between the Cortland Y. M. C. A., and the Colgate university team. A game was scheduled for tonight but has been canceled. The Colgate boys cannot get out of Hamilton. This is the second time this winter that this has occurred. They will probably wait now till after the 4th of July before trying it again.
THE COOKING SCHOOL.
Interest is Intense Notwithstanding the Great Storm.
Notwithstanding the big storm the ladies are interested in the Y. M. C. A. cooking school. The rooms were filled this afternoon. The further programs include frying and sautéing on Wednesday; emergency dishes on Thursday; cakes and frosting on Friday; and delicate desserts on Saturday. The hours are from 2:30 to 4 o'clock.
SOFT COAL FAMINE.
Prospect That It Will be Scarce Till Spring—Local Factories.
Cortland in common with nearly every city and village of the state is experiencing a soft coal famine, and many of the factories and power houses of the place have to resort to using pea and buckwheat coal for fuel. There are a few cars of bituminous coal coming to Cortland to a few of the dealers who have had orders in for more than a month, but these are picked up in a hurry and the market is left bare from day to day.
At Wickwire Bros.' factory no particular difficulty has been experienced in getting soft coal for use in the furnaces, except for a few days when pea coal was mixed with soft coal to tide over until the snow blockade was relieved. Their orders were in early, and the coal has been forthcoming regularly. Other factories, however, have not been as fortunate, and as pea coal and buckwheat coal are also scarce on account of the extra call for them for furnace use, it has been nip and tuck sometimes to keep the fires going.
The Lehigh Valley, along with the rest, is having to burn hard coal in locomotives and in shops. The Lehigh soft coal dump at Cortland is entirely empty. The Erie & Central New York railway has also had a taste of the famine and has resorted to wood and hard coal. Yesterday, however, a car of soft coal came for the company.
The reasons given for the great scarcity of soft coal are that cars for transportation cannot be secured and that the heavy fall of snow, which caused a long blockade of freight trains, put the railroads back in their delivery. Mr. John C. Seager, sole agent in this state for the Sonman white ash bituminous coal, which is mined and shipped exclusively by Piper & Co. of Philadelphia, recently visited the offices of his company and now makes the statement that soft coal will be scarce until spring. Mr. Seager does a large jobbing business not only in Cortland but all over the state and is in a position to speak authoratively in the matter.
Mrs. Paulina Allen Drake.
Paulina Allen Drake died in Richford, N. Y., on Feb. 18, after a long illness at the home of her son F. A. Allen. Paulina Johnson was a daughter of Jonathon and Sarah Ann Johnson and was born in the town of Genoa, Cayuga County, Oct. 30, 1813. She was married to Jeremiah W. Allen in 1834. As a result of this union she leaves six sons and one daughter: Wm. B. Allen of Binghamton, George W. of Cortland, Charles J. of Ithaca, Milton C. of Center Lisle, J. W., Frank A. and Mrs. C. H. Lyon of Richford. Mr. Allen died in 1861. She remained a widow until February, 1874, when she married John B. Drake of Union City, Mich., where she resided till his death in June, 1887. In 1892 she came to Richford and has lived the most of the time with her daughter. These sons acted as pall bearers at her funeral, their ages varying from 46 to 67 years.
Mrs. Drake was converted at the age of 21 years and joined the Methodist church and remained a very acceptable member of that church until she took up her residence at Richford when her membership was transferred to the Congregational church. She was an exemplary Christian woman.
"Mother is gone and we shall miss her, but we know our loss is her eternal gain." ***
BREVITIES.
—Rehearsal of the Rose Maiden chorus at tbe Y. M. C. A. rooms Wednesday evening at 8 o'clock.
—New display advertisements today are—R. W. Mitchell, Meats, page 5; M. A. Case, Hosiery, page 8.
— The Fortnightly club will meet Wednesday at 3:30 P. M. with Miss McColloch at Mrs. Elliott's, Greenbush-st.
—The New York Central R. R. will build a new freight house in Syracuse 1,200 feet long and 150 feet wide to replace the one recently destroyed by fire.
—Among the incorporators of the Metropolitan Securities Co. of New York City which is to consolidate the railroads of that city is Paul D. Crarath of Kuhn, Loeb & Co., a grandson of Prosper Crarath, one of the early settlers of Cortland.
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