The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1890-04-02
The South Penn R. R.
What will be ths Ultimate Fate
ofgths Enterprise ?

The purchase made by George F. Baer
General Solicitor for the Reading railway. al
the sale at sIcconnslIsbug, has revived
speculation as to the ultimate fzte Of tbs
south Peen. II seems incredible that route
on which the immense sum of 8, 10000 has
been expended should be rendered Of nc
avail and the vast outlay be entirely vast
ed. Bat in what shape the south Penn may
be revived is questionable. Mr. Baer has
said his purchase was not made Tor TIE
Reading, and il Is not reasonable 10 suppose
that the Pennsylvania people, affsr TIE
pains they hai taken TO kill the enterprise,
should permit il to get into hostile hands
II Is hardly reasonable TO suppose, on the
other hand that Mr.EBaer was acting for
any interests unfriendIy to the Reading.
Thus the whole affair isfshrouded in mys-
terry.
The Reading railroad now extends from
Shippensburg. in the Cumberland valley,
from where the South Penn was TO strike on
through the southern tier of counties. A
railroad from there to a connection with the
Baltimore 4 Ohio, with which the Reading
Is acting in harmony. would accomplish the
purpose of the south Penn to furnish a
shorter trank line to the West. Under Aus
tin Corbin's Management the Reading has
beer pursuing aggressive policy in the East
Instead Of pursuing policy snbseryieni TO the
Pennsylvania railroad, as it was supposed ne
would when he was placed at the head OF the
Reading by the DrexeI & Morgan peacema-
kers. he has been quietly strengthening and
extending the system until it IS now rumor-
ed he has designs of extending to and
absorbing the Poughkeepsie bridge and
reaching AFTER New England traffic.
There has been some doubt expressed as
to what Mr.. Baer bought al the Fulton
county sale, but, in the language of former
South Penn stock holder. = no one need i'm
agine George Bser don't know what he has
purchased.
MONUMENTS TO THE ENTERPRISE
Twenty four monument, TO the South
Penn railroad decorate the broad bosom OF
the Susquehanna, strung 10 single file, stan
from the confines of Harrisburg to the Cum
berland county shore. They are Of solid
masnory. substantial and symmetrical, and
when erected in the years that are fled in
spired the people Of the Cumberland valley
with the hope Of railroad competition was
about to be given them that new trunk
line connecting the land Of the sunrise with
the sunset country would stimulate heindus-
tries Of the southern tier of counties and IN
vigprate the business and traffic Of this great
State. The iwenty-four monuments are the
piers on which were 10 rest the bridge that
was to have connected the Reading system
with the new steel highway and give the
former an entry into Pittsburgh, aud from
there a way west over the Vanderbilt
system.
These twenty-four monuments span the
stream at historic spot. Almost where
they leave the Dauphin shore is the grave Of
John Harris, father ofihat John Harris who
founded the city now most noted as the
Capital of the great Commonwealth Of Penn
sylvania The elder Harris came from York
shire, England, and built himself log
house on the banks of the Susquehanna, and
traded fire water, beads, and other products
of civilization TO the red men for the furs of
the animals that filed the forests The In
dians were not pleased that Harris built this
log house, and in course Of time rowing
band seized him, tied him TO a tree and at
tempted to burn him. But the attempt was
defeated. Harris was rescued and lived and
traded many years on the banks Of the river
that later sang requiem as his remains
we're inferred at the foot OF the tree where
he was so nearly sacrificed TO the ire of the
sons Of the forest His grave is now sur
rounded by little iron railing, and the
stump ofthe tree 10 which the Indians lied
him when they wanted to eremate him is
his monument So proud are the people OF
Harrisburg Of this monument that the man
who first planted civilization in that region
will probably have no other. unless an icon
oclastic State Legislature provides for some
thing more p-etentious