Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1880-09-08
The Junia:a Valley Printers As
sociation on an Excursion.

and as all organizations, that are compre-
hensive enough to embrace the family cir
Gle. which is the center of social impulse,
why, of course, the Association could not
ignore nature, and must therefore needs
hold re union or picnic. This organiza
tion, with the improved facilities for travel
that the Pennsylvania Railroad Company
placed a; its disposal last Saturday on the
occasion of its Third Annual Pic-N could
at any gwen or stated day, within ten days
notice convene an assembly of five TO ten
thousand people, al any railroad point with
in the Juniata Valley.
LAST SATURDAY,
September 4, 1880, was the day set apart by
the management Of the association on which
to hold the annual picnic for the members
of the fraternity. By the time that the fam
lilies OF editors and compositOrs were
counted, with the addition of here and
there lady friend of the family, and
here and there contributor, the num-
Der of pic-nickers had increased to about
nine hundred, more or less, as the legal
fraternity always count. Altoona, one of
the great railroad points in the world, was
the place where all the fraternity was fused
in one body, and left the main line of the
PENNSYLVANIA road in nineteen cars on a
branch road that leads southwark into, and
through Morrison's Valley or Morrison's
Cove. The valley is one of the rich valleys
of the State. 1t is about eighteen. miles
iong and six to eight miles wide. The more
populous towns along the branch railroad are
Hollidaysburg, Newry, Williamsburg, Mar
tinsburg and Henrietta. Large quantities
of freight pass up and down the road, and
the passenger travel is large.
The DESTINATION
of the pic-nickers was Roaring Spring sta
ton, about fourteen miles from Altoona.
Quite village has sprung up there, con-
tanning paper mill-of flargScapacity man
utacturing fine paper-foundry, stores, hotel
and churches. The village is located at the
end of Morrison's Cove nearest Altoona,
and just beyond the gap through which the
railroad enters the valley. The name is de-
rived from a spring-Roaring Spring-that
rushes ont from under q limestone hill, not
s'stones throw" from the railroad. The
knoll is wooded to the top, which is not over
sixty feet high; but from the top the land
in the direction of Martinsburg is clear.
The hillside facing the direction of the
paper-mill is indented, or scooped out into
an almost semi-circular shape, and near the
center of the semi-circle at the base of the
hill is Roaring Spring. The number of
gallons of water that rush out in a min
ute, was not told-perhaps they have never
been counted-but the volume of water is
sufficient 10 excite the admiration of all who
have seen it, and sufficient to run mills Of
different kinds that are located but a short
distance below. 1t is limestone water, i'm
pregnated with iron, that gives TO il taste
and color that is not met with in many of
. the limestone springs in the State. The
owners of the property We're wise enough to
not cut the timber from the hill and hill
side, and the plateau has also been allowed
to retain its native growth of timber, and in
that way a most attractive spot of several
acres of hill, wood and water has been left
in almost its primitive state. To be sure
the underbrush has been cut out from among
the heavy timber, and some mason work has
been added to the surroundings Of the
spring, and breast or dam has been put
across the ravine that traverses the plateau
from the spring; but all that has only helped
to add to the attractiveness of the spot.
The ravine leading from the spring had
steep banks, and when the dam was built
across the stream a lakelet was formed in
the middle of the plateau. The water is
three to ten feet deep. and Of peculiar
clearDess, such as can only be impaired by
a combination OF limestone and iron water.
The water is cold, as if it had passed miles
of its course over fields of ice. The lake
let is supplied with two splendid skiffs,
which are skillfully rowed by two stout oars
men at times when excursions enter the
grounds. Such in brief was the destination
of the printers picnic. The Newport
Band accompanied the excursionists, and as
the party left the cars and marched to the
grove the band did its best. Banners, hav-
ing inscriptions of welcome inscribed on
them, hung In prominent places in the grove,
anI NJ Of PadFnr1 opa Of tba rro
pretors of the ground, was personally pres
ent TO welcome the association The gov
eminent of the association was Immediate
ly convened near the spring, with the Presi
dent, Col. John Bowman, of the Everett
Press, in the chair, and committees were
appointed for preliminary work, after which
the management adjourned to meet at one
O'Clock at the covered dancing platform on
the top of the hill, there to hear an ad-
dress of welcome by Mr.. Spang, and to
transact such business as might be brought
before the association. 1t was now ii
O'Clock A. NJ, and all parties betook them
selves to their lunch baskets. After dinner,
officers and members of the association met
at the place designated, on the hilltop.
President Bowman called the meeting TO
order and introduced Hon. G. Harry Spang,
of Bedford. Up to this time complete
copy of the speech has not been obtained.
We must have It all, or none. 1t is too
good to publish only parts of it, and leave
parts unpublished. At the conclusion of
the speech the President accepted the well
come and thanked the gentleman for his
able address, and proposed three cheers for
Mr.. Spang and the people Of Roaring Spring.
The committee, previously appointed, re-
ported the following officers for the ensuing
year President, Colonel John N. Bowman,
of the Everett Press; Vice President, J. W.
Speedy, of the Port Royal Times; Secre-
tary, W. Port Crawford, of the Huntingdon
Monitor; Treasurer, Ii. c. Dern, of the AL
toona Tribune; Executive Committee, Z.
Conrad, of the McVeytown Journal; Ii. A
McPike of the Cambria Ereeman: l. r.