October 2 - The Councilmen took up a "sleeper" of great age and looked at it at their session yesterday. It had whiskers and recalled the tale of the immortal but shiftless Rip.

A long time ago the Assessors mad a claim for taxes on the land leased by the Rumseys for Exposition purposes prior to the opening of the Exposition. John G. Milburn always contended that the intent of the law relieving the land from taxation was to make such relief begin at the time the Exposition company secured the land for its purposes.

Corporation Counsel William H. Cuddeback took the same view of the subject and allowed the Rumseys to take judgment against the city cancelling the taxes.

When Charles L. Feldman came into office, however, he concluded that the city had a valid claim for the taxes and sent a communication to the Alderman recommending that the judgment be reopened. The majority of the Aldermen sided with him and the matter went to the Councilmen on July 2 last and has remained on the table ever since. Yesterday Councilman Fleischmann moved that the matter be disapproved.

"This matter has been thoroughly discussed before this body," said he, "and I see no reason why all this old ground should be gone over again. It iw will known that we have utterly no hope of getting this money."

"It seems to me that in a matter of this kind we should consult the Corportation Counsel," said Mr. Stoddart. Accordingly it was tabled for one week.

The taxes, which amount to $10,000, would have to be paid out of the sum appropriated by Congress for the relief of the Exposition creditors. It is practically sure that Mr. Milburn, the trustee of the money, would not allow the claim, and the Washington authorities would not if he did.

October 8 - In its recent notices of women commissioners representing New York State at the St. Louis Exposition, the name of Mrs. Norman Mack has been omitted owing to her not being in St. Louis at this time, especially as she was appointed by the president of the New York State Board, Mr. E. H. Harriman, to be present last week for the purpose of selecting the site for the New York State Building. Mrs. Horton and Miss Helen Gould are National Commissioners while Mrs. Mack if the only New York State woman commissioner, a position of which she may feel justly proud and which she will fill with grace and the intelligence gained while serving on the Board of Women Managers of the Pan-American Exposition.

Mrs. Mack is at present at Colorado Springs recovering from a slight throat trouble....

October 13 - Lafayette L. Grove, who recently acquired fame by a legal fight against the Chicago Wrecking Company, Pan-American Exposition and others, to acquire possession of property inside the Exposition grounds, which he bought on mortgage foreclosure proceedings, made another application in this endless chain of litigation last week. The application was made before Justice White in Special Term by Attorney F. F. Williams, representing Mr. Grove.

Mr. Williams asked the court to order Charles S. Wilbur and Edward Candee, receivers of the defunct Anglo-American Savings and Loan Association, to render an account of the rents they have collected from some of the property obtained by the foreclosure which has caused all the trouble. From February to June last they collected the rents under order of the court. They took in about $4500. Mr. Grove wanted this $4500.

The receivers, by counsel, opposed the motion and claimed that, though they have not turned over to Mr. Grove the identical $4500 they collected as rent, they have already paid him something like $18,000 in one way or another and this sum ought to be considered as including the rent. It was admitted that Mr. Grove had received some money from the receivers, more than $4500, so Justice White dismissed the application.

October 18 - In presenting the great Pan-American organ to the city at the close of the Exposition last year, J.N. Adam had in mind, principally, the giving of free organ recitals for the benefit of the people of this city. The donor's idea will take practical shap next Sunday evening at Convention Hall, when the organ will be formally inaugurated at 8:30 o'clock with a fine organ concert which will be free to the public without even the trouble of procuring an admission ticket.

The members of the Common Council and city officials will attend and the occasion promises to be a memorable one in local musical history. William J. Gomph, the talented organist of the Lafayette Presbyterian Church and the official organist of the Pan-American Exposition, will be the prinicipal performer, and he will be assisted by Mr. Simon Fleischmann, formerly organist of the Church of Our Father, and by Charles McCreary, the popular bass of the Delaware Avenue Methodist Church.

The concert will only take about one hour and it is hoped that the musically inclined people of the city will fill the hall. The programme will be as follows:

"Triumphal Song"...............Brewer
"Largo".............................Handel
        Mr. Gomph
Bass Solo, "The Lord Is My Light"...............Allison
        Mr. McCreary
"Andantino".....................Lemare
Offertory in C Minor..........Batiste
"Andante Religioso".........Grison
        Mr. Gomph
Bass Solo, "It Is Enough" from "Elijah"....Mendelssohn
        Mr. MrCreary
Organ duet, Grand Fantastic on "America"
        Mr. Gomph and Mr. Fleischmann

October 18 Story 2 - Only one or two claims remain to be adjusted before the creditors of the Pan-American Exposition Company can share in the distribution of the money appropriated by Congress for their relief. Mr. Milburn, trustee of the appropriation, said this morning that an adjustment of the remaining claims might be reached within a few days.

When this is accomplished, the exact percentage of their claims to be received by creditors can be quickly ascertained. Mr. Milburn's report will be forwarded to Washington and Treasury warrants will be issued for the amounts certified by him. The warrants will then be sent to Mr. Milburn, who will deliver them to the creditors and take their receipts.

The matters in dispute are being considered by the audit committee consisting of Messrs. Scatcherd, Williams, Carlton, Schelling and Fleming, and a meeting of the committee was held this afternoon.

October 20 - Convention Hall was packed last night. The rich, the poor, the young, the old, the musical and perhaps the unmusical, turned out to see and hear the inauguration proper of J. N. Adam's gift to the city, the Howard Pan-American organ. The organ has been played many times before. It was one of the features of the Buffalo Exposition. Organists from all parts of the country came for one, two or three days, exhibiting the organ and their own skill. The organ is a souvenir today of memories of all kinds, artistic and non-artistic; pleasurable and otherwise; joyful and, yes, full of tragedy. But its memories are past. Its use is for the present and the future. And its use may become valuable beyond expectation. Certainly Buffalonians turned out en masse and showed by their presence their interest in an artistic city possession.

The programme had been planned by Mr. Simon Fleischmann who as chairman of the organ music committee of the Pan-American has been identified especially with this gift to the city. The programme was simple in its details and consisted of a number of organ selections very well played by Mr. William Gomph, who held the title of official organist at the Pan-American, a duet for the organ played by Mr. Gomph and Mr. Fleischmann and two vocal solos sung by Mr. Charles McCreary, one being redemanded. The audience showed interest and pleasure in everything that was presented, and Buffalo's new organ has been officially dedicated, October 19, 1902.

The organ itself is a splendid instrument. It is 36 feet wide, 44 feet high and 22 feet deep, exclusive of the console. There are four manuals (key boards), three large bellows, and five different wind pressures. The great organ has 14 complete stops: the swell, 14; the choir, 11 stops; the solo, four stops; the pedal, 10 stops, besides couplings, combination movements, pedal movements, etc., making a total of 84 stops and 3228 pipes. The organ is beautifully voiced and will certainly prove of inestimable value to the musical growth of Buffalo.

October 24 - Of all the beautiful buildings at the Pan-American there are only three or four left, and they probably will have been all gone before the snow flies. The Electricity Building, which is a beautiful building, can be made in to a building for light or heavy manufacturing at a small cost. It is still for sale. Men from out of town are looking at it with a view to buying. Owners of nearby summer resorts think of converting it into a summer hotel. At the price it is offered it is a wonder that some Buffalo manufacturer has not bought it ere this.

One of these buildings went to Adrian, Michigan. An architect was sent by the purchaser to mark it and take it down. It has been rebuilt and makes a magnificent structure, and and addition to the warehouses of that town at about a fourth of what it would cost if new material had been purchased, all unframed, and with waste attendant on such construction.

The Grange Building is another one for sale, being situated near the Amherst Street gates. It would make an excellent summer hotel with a few alterations.

The largest building of the lot is the Bazar Building, known as Curiosity Hall, in which many things are now stored, and which is in excellent shape. It is suitable for either a warehouse or for manufacturing.

October 27 - Mayor Knight, Comptroller Heerwagon, and City Treasurer Boeckel this afternoon certified to the Aldermen that an emergency bond for $5090 would have to be issued to pay for the work of restoring Amherst Street between Elmwood and Delaware Avenue.

 

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