USA > Pennsylvania > McKean County > Bradford > Illustrated history of Bradford, McKean County, Pa. > Part 13
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The Bradford Building, Loan & Savings Association was chartered by the state, August 26, 1896, and since that time has done a successful and consei- vative business. The success of a loan association lies in the selection of its securities in making loans. That in this the association has succeeded perfectly goes to show by the facts that it never had one dollar's worth of losses. The capital is made up from the monthly savings of its members and is loaned out on real estate mortgages. The accumulated assets now amount to $105,000. Monthly savings or deposits from $1.00 up are accepted at any time and from any and everybody and can be withdrawn at pleasure with 6 per cent. interest.
Nothing is more productive of general good results to a community than a well managed savings association. The systematic saving of a few dollars every month laid away and deposited with a local Building & Loan Associa- tion, which has a chance to loan its funds and compound the interest every month, secures the very foundation of a man's future independence. Every man, woman and child ought to have a savings account and lay up a dollar for a rainy day.
W. H. OXLEY
Is a Canadian by birth. He came to the United States while young and was educated in the public schools of New York state. He located in Bradford in 1870, is now one of Bradford's successful merchants in the grocery line.
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B.S.LOVE & GO.
F. W. DAVIS BLOCK.
PRODUCERS EXCHANGE LYCEUM BUILDING.
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T
ADFOR
中山台灣典等
CIGARS
BRADFORD BUILDING & LOAN COMPANY'S BUILDING.
THE MISFIT.
MCNAMARA BUILDING.
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JACOB KREINSON.
Dry goods, carpets, cloaks, millinery, etc., at 100-102-104 Main street. Mr. Kreinson began business in Bradford in 1886 and now employs 32 clerks.
The store is filled with dry goods, skirts, shirt waists, wrappers, corsets, muslin, underwear, lace curtains, portieres and draperies, millinery and cloaks, in fact every kind of wearing apparel dear to the feminine heart.
MASONIC TEMPLE
MASONIC TEMPLE BUILDING.
The building occupied by Mr. Kreinson is shown in the cut which gives but an inadequate idea of the immense interior.
Mr. Kreinson came to Bradford in 1883 and has been in business since that date. He is a shrewd and successful business man and his commendable policy of fair dealing and low prices has brought him a desirable class of custom.
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MARTIN W. WAGNER,
Owner of the Wagner Opera House, was born in Allegheny County, N. Y., November 28, 1844. Mr. Wagner came to Bradford in 1866, being interested in the oil fields. In 1876 he built the Wagner Opera House which he en- larged in 1879,and now has under way plans for a new building, which promises to be one of the finest opera houses in the West when completed. Mr. Wagner was married in 1868 to Miss Mary D. Frank.
THE ODD FELLOWS BUILDING.
Formerly Oil Exchange.
J. B. FOX.
Mr. Fox was born in Ireland, coming to America when very young. He located in Bradford in 1878, at which time he established the hardware busi- ness located at the corner of Main and Chestnut streets. Mr. Fox carries a large line of general hardware, stoves, etc., and has a generous portion of the trade in this vicinity. He has always taken an interest in political affairs having served as a member of the Common Council several times and as president of that Council in the years 1886 and 1887. On retiring he was presented with a gold headed cane for his valued services. Mr. Fox is at pres- ent president of the Board of Water Commissioners.
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1
ST. JAMES HOTEL.
This is the oldest hotel in Bradford, being the second hotel built in the city. Its reputation as a first class hotel has been long established. There are seventy rooms, all complete in appointments, large and scrupulously well kept. There are also three large sample rooms, a convenience which commercial travelers stopping at Bradford will appreciate.
The house was built many years ago, although in the past year has been remodelled and refurnished, to meet the modern demand for luxurious appointments, baths, etc. Col. J. C. Fox had charge of the house for fourteen years, and he made for it almsto a national reputation. Col. Fox
COL. J. C. FOX. Deceased.
died on March 14, 1901 and on March 18, 1901, R. H. Fox and C. L. Egbert became the proprietors.
Roderick Harrison Fox was born in Olean, N. Y., October 5, 1877 and his parents removing to Bradford a year later he received the rudiments of his education in the Bradford public schools, finishing with a course in Trinity college of Hartford, Conn. He has lived in a hotel all his life and is therefore especially fitted to cater to the demands of the traveling public.
Mr. C. L. Egbert, who is a son-in-law of the late Col J. C. Fox, was born in Petroleum county, coming to Bradford in 1876. He was engaged in the banking business for twelve years after which he became connected with the hotel and in later years, has pactically had charge of the St. James.
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NEW BAY STATE HOTEL.
The New Bay State Hotel, located at Nos. 70-72 Main street, is a modern brick building, three stories in height and covering an area of 44x100 feet. It contains 50 rooms, all commodious and handsomely furnished, well lighted and with all the modern conveniences.
The Bay State is one of the landmarks of Bradford. The old hotel standing on the present site, was destroyed by fire in 1896. Rebuilding operations immediately begun, were completed as soon as practicable, and out of the ashes of the old structure arose a new, modern and first class hotel in every particular.
CLARENCE L. EGBERT.
R. HARRISON FOX.
The property was purchased by Mr. P. C. Hurley in 1886. Mr. Hurley remained as proprietor until his death in 1892. The widow, Mrs. Catharine Hurley, immediately assumed the management which she has continued up to the present date, with the capable assistance of her sons, A. E. James, P. ' Charles E., John W. and Daniel A. Hurley.
The Bay State aims to please the trainsient as well as the resident guest, and caters to the better class of custom. The table is in keeping with the requirements of a thoroughly first class hotel, and no want of the guest remains unsatisfied.
Improvements are constantly being added, new ideas injected into the management of the house and its future is undoubtedly assured.
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ST. JAMES HOTEL.
BAY STATE
NEW BAY STATE HOTEL.
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HOTEL HOLLEY.
This superb hotel, recently completed, is the finest in western New York and Pennsylvania. It is strictly fire proof in every sense of the word, the only wood used in the entire building being the doors, door casings and windows.
The hotel Holley occupies a ground space of 100x130 feet and has 90 rooms, 50 of which have baths connected. The plumbing is all exposed and nickel plated, the closets and lavatories being wainscoted with Italian marble. The furnishings throughout the house are of the very best. Biglow axminster and body brussell carpets being used entirely. The bedsteads are the latest
INTERIOR OF BED ROOM NEW BAY STATE HOTEL.
procurable, being of brass and having a covered box spring with hair mattresses.
Special mention is made of the kitchen which, besides having all the modern appliances necessary for cooking appetizing food, is entirely covered with white tile. There is a finely appointed billiard hall, reading room, barber shop and bar.
The Hotel Holley was built by E. N. Unruh, but it has been under the personal supervision of Mr. F. P. Holley, who has watched every part completed and his whole thought has been to construct a building that would make a comfortable, safe and luxurious home for his guests and to say that he has succeeded nobly hardly covers it. Mr. Holley was born at Monti- cello, N. Y., coming to Bradford in 1885 and has resided here ever since.
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He was proprietor of the late Riddell house for fifteen years, his patronage increasing to such an extent that larger quarters were necessary so the Ridell was torn down and the present hotel Holley was erected on the same site. Mr. Holley is very popular and the universal wish is that his successful career will continue
HOLLEY.
HOTEL
-HOTEL HOLLE
HOTEL HOLLEY.
JAMES W. LEASURE,
Insurance agent and dealer in real estate, office third floor, front Aurheim building, was born in West Salem, O., February 18, 1834, educated in the public schools of Queensburg, Pa , and in 1879, came to Bradford, where he engaged in the printing business. He worked at the printing trade nineteen years, four of which was spent as foreman of the composing room of the Bradford Era and the balance in business for himself. Three years ago he embarked in the life and fire insurance business and now represents, all told, nineteen old line companies. He is a member of the Odd Fellows lodge and a charter member of the Heptasophs.
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HOTEL BON AIR ON LINE OF OLEAN, ROCK CITY & BRADFORD RAILWAY.
om
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A. J. EDGETT.
Was born in Steuben County, N. Y., March 28, 1838, and educated in the Fulton pub- lic schools. In 1871 he took charge of a hotel at Hornellsville and remained there three years, locating in Bradford in 1878, when he engaged in the real estate business and oil production. During his residence in Bradford, Mr. Edgett has served a term on the common council and has been an active member of the Bradford Board of Trade, and is at present president of that organiza- tion, a position he has held for the past six years. Mr. Edgett has built several fine blocks and residences in this city, among them are the Hotel Edgett and the Rochester Hotel.
THE GOGETY EJ GOODWIN
THE EDGETT HOTEL.
A. J. EDGETT.
H. P. WHITNEY,
One of the prominent business men of Bradford was born at Belmont, N. Y., in 1852 and educated at the Pennsylvania Mili- tary Academy, at Ches- ter, Pa. Adopting the profession of civil engi- neering, he came to the oil country in the early days of the oil excite- ment. While a resident of Williamstown, Pa., he drilled the first wells put down in Butler county and thus witnessed the growth of the oil industry almost from its very in- ception. In July, 1875, Mr. Whitney came to Bradford. During the autumn of 1875 he drilled on the Seward farm and leased territory in the vicinity. He has con- tinued in the business ever since and has amass- ed a competency. Mr. Whitney resides at No. 55 Pearl street.
THE PEG LEG RAILROAD.
THE PEG-LEG RAILROAD.
ENTION of the railroads of Bradford would be sadly incomplete without reference to the little old "Peg Leg." This unique road extended from Bradford up the Foster Brook Valley to Gilmour, a distance of four miles and during its brief existence attracted a great deal of attention and interest. It was built as an experiment after the plan of a single rail track used at the Centennial Exposition at Philadelphia in 1876, and had the experiment proven the success that was
FERIE DEPOT
TICKET
OFFICE
THE FIRST ERIE RAILROAD DEPOT BUILT IN BRADFORD.
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anticipated, it would doubtless have revolutionized railway construction in all mountainous sections of the country. The accompanying cut will afford a clearer idea of the appearance of the road than any description on paper. Suffice to say the track consisted of a single rail spiked to a heavy timber set on piles, and the cars carefully balanced on single wheels with a locomotive of equally queer construction, completed a railroad train that was without question one of the most interesting sights of the city. Indeed for if any strangers who visited' Bradford during the days the "Peg Leg" was in operation, failed to take a trip over the road, just for the experience, if nothing else, and judging from the tales told by the old residents, those experiences were ample and satisfying.
THE PRESENT ERIE RAILROAD DEPOT.
The road was projected in 1877, the articles of agreement between the gentlemen composing the corporation, bearing date of October 2, 1877. The petition recited that the company desired to construct and maintain a railroad having a gauge not exceeding three feet for public use in the conveying of persons and property. The capital stock was limited to $27,000 divided into 540 shares of $50 each. The officers and directors of the company were: President, A. I. Wilcox, Wilcox, Pa. ; Directors, S. H. Bradley, Olean; M. N. Allen, Titusville John B. Brawley, Meadville; Roy Stone, Cuba, N. Y .; George Gilmore, Titusville; E. W. Codington, Bradford.
The charter was granted October 4, 1877. The usual delays incident to securing the right of way ensued, but by January, 1878, the road was opened as far as Tarpot and February 11th it was completed. Eli Perkins who took a trip over the road in February wrote the following :
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The cars run astride an elevated track on a single rail. The rail is nailed to a single wooden stringer which rests on the top of piles. So evenly balanced is the train that passing over a pond or creek at the rate of twenty miles an hour the water is hardly disturbed. The motive for building is economy, the price per mile being $3,000 and the cost of a ten ton locomotive $3,000. The locomotive is a queer looking thing. An Irishman here compared it to a gigantic pair of boots swung over a clothes line. The boiler is without a flue, the engine without a piston and the driver without a crank. I rode with Gen. Stone around corners and up steep grades at 30 miles an hour."
From a business standpoint the enterprise was not particularly successful. The road paralleled the narrow gauge from Bradford to Derrick city, stopping at Tarport, Foster Brook, Babcock Mills and Harrisburg Run. The narrow gauge people did not propose to divide this business without a fight and during the brief period of the roads existence there was lively competition. Fares were cut from 40 cents to an even 25 cents and ten double trips were made daily, but notwithstanding all this the road made little if any money. Considerable trouble was experienced in procuring the right kind of locomotive. The first experiment was with a rotary engine with two boilers, the one shown in the cut. The second was 15-ton upright locomotive built to order by the Baldwin people. This also was unsatisfactory on account of its weight which strained the timbers of the track. The last was the ill-fated locomotive which blew up and terminated the traffic on the road.
Races between the Peg Leg and the Narrow Gauge were of frequent occurrence. The spectacle was worth witnessing. The Narrow Gauge its bantam locomotive puffing and snorting like an overtrained race horse, and the Peg Leg with its unique equipment, which an Irishman wittily described as "a train of cars running on a fince" humming around the snaky curves like a bicycle scorcher on the home stretch, unquestionably was a sight that afforded the passengers plenty of diversion But while the little road was a novelty, it was not practicable when measured by cold-blooded business standards, and the end came at last in a most unpleasant manner. On the morning of January 27, 1879, a new and improved locomotive was put on the road for an experimental trip. A short distance from Babcock one of the boilers exploded. Five men were killed and other badly injured by this explosion. The engine was tipped sideways on to the lateral timbers of the road, and the cars, two in number, a passenger and a flat, `were hurled off the track into the creek
This accident ended the career of the Peg Leg railroad. It was subsequently sold by the sheriff to A J. Edgett of Bradford and abandoned. Few if any of the old piles that marked the right of way are now standing, and with the exception of the few survivors of that final trip, and a printed sketch here and there, little remains to remind the resident of today of its existence.
THE ERIE RAILROAD.
The birth of Bradford, or at least the assurance of its future, may almost be said to date from the survey in 1856 of the branch line from Carrollton, which is now one of the most valuable portions of the Erie
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THE B. R. & P. R. R. DEPOT.
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THE B. R. & P. R. R. SHOPS.
railroad. It is a far cry back to the time when the present city was a mere hamlet and the train service connecting it with the main line of the Erie consisted of occasional trips of a gravel car fitted with a little five inch cylinder engine. But all things have their beginnings, and the growth of Bradford as a commercial center has kept pace with the growth of the Erie as a great trunk line.
Bradford owes much to the Erie for its development. The building of the Bradford branch resulted in the conversion of a wilderness into one of the most prosperous portions of the state. The pioneer railroad reached out a sympathetic hand to the pioneer town and gave Bradford an outlet for its oil, coal, timber and other valuable resources. Both have flourished, and now Bradford, located but a few miles from the main line, is in close communication with all the great cities of the east and west.
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B.R.8
LARGEST AND SMALLEST LOCOMOTIVES OF THE B. R. & P. RAILROAD.
The Erie, like Bradford, has kept abreast of the times. Its roadbed is equal to the best. Its beautiful vestibuled trains which glide daily between New York, Buffalo, Cleveland, Cincinnati and Chicago, are unsurpassed for comfort and elegance. Its builders have performed world famous feats of engineering among which may be mentioned the great Kinzua viaduct. But aside from its mechanical perfection it has claims for distinction in the beauty and diversity of the scenery along its lines. It is known in fact as the "Picturesque Trunk Line of America."
THE BUFFALO, ROCHESTER & PITTSBURG RAILROAD.
The achievements of the age in railroading is a fascinating story which all may read with profit. An example is the Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburg railroad, which begun with a track 25 miles in length and in the saine number
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EMPLOYEES B. R. & P. R. R. SHOPS-OFFICE.
H. Hopkins, T. Meskell, Wm. Sayers, Wm. Parry, Elmer Beardsley, F. B. Hutchens, O. C. Rusch, General Foreman, Adam Bardsley, Master Mechanic, H. R. White, Division Store Keeper.
EMPLOYEES B. R. & P. R. R. SHOPS-BLACKSMITH.
N. Lundburg, A. Peterson, A. Bengson, O. Kronvall. J. Wharton, Wm. Dorenkamper, G. Wright, J. Chambers. Harry Earnest Theo Weimer, C. Larson, C. F. Ryd, J. Bengson, Wm. Welsh, A. Lynch, P. Wells, D. Hermes, C. Behl, P. Jacoby, J. Razor, C. Bastow, J. P. Anderson.
EMPLOYEES B. R. & P. R. R. SHOPS-MACHINE SHOP.
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J. Burke, F. Paige, W. H. Habgood, J. Fay, J. Hassett, J. Georgeson, F. Bissett, P. Gohr, T. D. Henretty, J. McAmbly, H. Golden, H. Wilkins, L. Swabb, E. Kelley, H. Jay, H. McDowell, G. Ludwig, J. McCallister, E. Butler, J. Anteco. Wm. Young, E. Kelley, G. Shubert, J. Swabb, S. Hughes, H. Williams, Wm. Day, G. Hurne, Wm. Mack. Wm. Brennan, J. Lilly, D. McCarthy, R. L, Silliman, J. Swift, H. Quinn, J. Madigan, L. A. Mattimore, "Foreman" E. R. Esler, L. Harris, N. Deichter, M, Costello, C, H, Koller,
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EMPLOYEES B. R. & P. R. R. SHOPS-BOILER DEPARTMENT.
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John Welsh, Thos. Garry, Lea Jones, E. Allen, O. Oakerland, Geo. Brechtel,
Wm. Becker, Wm. O'Brine, Geo. Rounds, C. Bengson, J. McNalley, P. Sexton, A. Frey, D Carpenter, T. Desmond, J. Sexton, S. Merrell, T. Joyce, Wm. Shaw, "Foreman" Geo. Hilsinger, F. Dorekamper, J. Hanrahan.
[EMPLOYEES B. R. & P. R. R. SHOPS-CRIPPLE TRACK.
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J. Enlich, A. Stible E. Donnelly, J. Feely, T. Jones, T. Conroy. C. Cummings, M, Connelly, C. Mackay, Ed. Ehman, W. C, Willis, Geo, Place, J. M. Lylett, T, Dixon.
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THE KINZUA BRIDGE, LOCATED NEAR BRADFORD.
-Robbins Photo
of years expanded to the dignity of a trunk line, connecting three great cities of the country, opening an outlet to the oil and coal fields of Pennsylvania and tapping the fertile farms of western New York.
The first strip of track of this great railroad was laid from Rochester to LeRoy in 1874. Four years later the line was extended to Salamanca and during a similar period of time, it was further extended to Howard Junction, making a total of 129 miles. The road was then known as the Rochester & State Line railroad and while work on the extension of the original line was in progress, branches were in course of construction in other directions. In
C. V. MERRICK.
1882-83 the road from Ashford to Buffalo was built, this branch forming a part of the present Buffalo division extending from Buffalo to Bradford. Further extensions were made about the same time, forming the middle division which reaches the heart of the richest coal fields of the world.
In 1893 the Clearfield division was built, thus opening an outlet from the coal fields to the sea board.
Pushing further south and west 62 miles of track were built from Punxsutawney to Butler at a large expense, two tunnels one of them nealry half a mile in length and a large number of bridges and viaducts being necessary. This opened direct connections to Pittsburg through a traffic
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arrangement with the Pittsburg & Western railroad and made possible a through train service between Buffalo and Rochester in the north to Pittsburg and New Castle in the south and an important line east and west between New Castle and Clearfield, which route, in combination with its direct connections forms a short line between Chicago. Philadelphia and New York.
The road now has 475 miles of well ballasted track, with heavy steel rails and a train service that cannot be excelled.
C. V. MERRICK,
Superintendent of the Bradford division of the Erie railroad, was born in Canton, Pa., 1848, graduating from the State Normal School in 1871. He taught school for one year at Knoxville, Pa., but in 1872 obtained
L. EMERY, Jr., & COMPANY'S STORES.
a position with the Erie, with whom he has remained ever since. January 1st 1888 he was transferred to his present position. Mr. Merrick is also an extensive oil producer.
THE EMERY STORE.
The great supply house owned by L. Emery, Jr. & Co., is one of the institutions of Bradford. The business was organized in 1876. The firm consists of L. Emery, Jr. and W. R. Weaver. Two large double stores with floor space of 16,000 feet, exclusive of large ware houses are occupied. These stores are connected by wide arches with suitable stairways leading to the upper floors.
In the four large departments may be found hardware, oil well supplies, jewelry and china, in fact every conceivable kind of merchandise which makes the place in truth as well as title a "Great Supply Store."
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The firm covers a territory with a radius of fifty miles of Bradford, and within that territory, it is the largest establishment of the kind.
Mr. W. R. Weaver has been manager of the store and business since its inception in 1876, and to his sound judgment and business acumen is due in a large degree its present prosperity.
Each department of the store is managed by a capable superintendent and any stranger visiting Bradford, who will make a tour of inspection will feel amply repaid for the trouble.
A. M. MAYER & COMPANY,
Dealers in wholesale liquors, tobacco and cigars, No. 114 Main street, are agents for the celebrated lager made by the Iroquois Brewing Company of
114. A.MAYER & CO. 114.
A. M. MAYER.
A. M. MAYER & COMPANY'S STORE.
Buffalo and for many of the best brands of liquors made. This is one of the old establishments, having been located in Bradford for the past twenty-three years. Mr. A. M. Mayer, the senior member of the firm, was born in Germany in 1836 and came to this country in 1853. He is connected with manufactures of wood alcohol and oil production. He located in Bradford in 1878 and has been in business here ever since. He has been a member of the Bradford board of trade ever since its organization nineteen years ago, was eight years on the school board, served a term on the common council, served on the executive board of the Bradford hospital and is now president of the poor board of the city. He is a member of the Masons, Odd Fellows, Elks, Eagles, Heptasophs, Royal Arcaneum and is president of Bradford Temple of Beth Zion.
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HON. GEO. C. FAGNAN.
The popularity of Hon. George C. Fagnan is attested by the fact that although a democrat, residing in a republican city, he has been elected by the people to the highest municipal office within their power to bestow.
Mr. Fagnan has been identified with the interests of the city since the days of the oil excitement. Originally a railroad man, he was for twenty-one years in the employ of the Lake Shore and W. N. Y. & P. railroads. He finally went into the drug business, purchasing the pharmacy located at No. 13 Main street in 1892 and this business, with the exception of the time spent
HON. GEO. C. FAGNAN.
in attending to his official duties, he has conducted ever since, with signal success.
Mr. Fagnan came to Bradford during the fall of 1877, being then in the employ of the railroad. His first venture in politics was in 1892, when as the democratic candidate for county treasurer he was elected by a flattering plurality. He assumed the duties of the office January 1, 1893 and so capably and conscientiously did he perform those duties that when nominated for mayor of Bradford in 1896, partisan considerations were forgotten and he was triumphantly elected.
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