The star-independent. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1904-1917, 1915-03-03
WHARF RIGHTS GRANTED
ON ADVICE OF MANNING
Taylor, to Justify His Attitude, Pub
lishes Letter of City Architect
Mccormick Suggests Commercial
Considerations Influenced Manning

Park Commissioner M. Harvey Tay
lor gave out for publication to-day d
letter written by Warren H. Manning,
the City's Landscape Architect, to Hen
ry B. Mccormick, on February 25. Mr..
Taylor said he desired to have the let
ter published in justification of his ac-
tion in supporting the measure recent
ly passed by the City Commission
granting the right to public service
corporation to establish coal wharf on
Island Park. The Manning letter, writ
ten from Boston, is as follows:
l have just returned to my office
from the South after my Harrisburg
visit, during which | received your note
of February IL.
| called at the Patriot" Office as you
requested and talked with Mr. Miller,
but was not able to see Mr.. HOFFMAN,
who was out at the time. | have writ
ten. Mr.. Hoffman stating. that | shall
make 1t point to see him the next
time l am there, because ! am anxious,
as | know you all are, to do everything
terests of the city, and want the CO.
operation of the Patriot"
l did not feel justified when | was
in Harrisburg in giving an opinion Tor
Miller my reasons for and against both
sites. | must admit however, that
after thinking the whole matter over
it does seem to me, after having gone
into the matter thoroughly with all par
ties interested, that the interests Of
the greater number of people would
be conserved If all handling of coal
could be provided for on the Island
(where the filtration plant Isl in an
inoffensive manner. because so many
more people use and are likely to use
Front street shore and bluff top walks,
and because there are so many more
Al. lsxvs., ut lant Xrar.
will live on the Island who are likely
to be annoyed by the clatter, the dust
and the inevitable untidiness of the
coal wharf.
One of the principal objections to the
proposition is that only part of the
coal handling by this arrangement VIII
be transferred to the Island about one
third as near as | can make out, ana
that some of the wharves along Front
street will still be maintained for this
purpose. II the plant Is put on the
Island, however, it may become so OBJ :
viously advantageous to the City that
action may later be taken to transfer
all such work to that point.
An alternative to this Island coal
handling proposition that was present.
ed by the company seemed to me
tive was a floating barge with derricks
and hoisting apparatus and bins that
could be landed along the shores of
Front street and that would be floated
up anu QOWn tne river. Sucn II SlIuc-
ture could not be made as architecture
ally attractive as | believe structure
on the Island can be made, and 1t would
be likely to interfere much more with
the recreation uses of the basin.
felt that the 100000 tons of coal
and the 10000 to $4,000 tons of sand
that We're taken from the basin yearly
were too important commercial fact tor
for the city of Harrisburg to be ig-
nored 1t is certain that all this ma
terial cannot be handled at any point
below the dam.
l might say that the picture in the
not represent what ! have in mind for
the treatment of the plant on the
Island.
This is a personal letter, copy of
which | am sending to Mr.. Taylor and
Mr.. Herman with the request that it
not be published without their approval.
Vance C. Mccormick, in his newspa.
per, the 'Patriot,' this morning pub
lished letter that he wrote to Man
ming in reply to the letter to Henry b
Mccormick. Vance c. Mccormick 'cha
lenges' Manning's attitude regardin ;
the wharf, saying in part:
"The position you have taken is at
such variance with that of so many
of your friends here, including the City
Planning Commission and members of
the Municipal League and the Civic
Club, that | fill you have not gone into
the matter thoroughly with all the par.
ties interested and that you have prob
ably heard only one side of the case
The "Patriot y further suggests that
Manning Cleans heavily on the com
mercial phase of the question and not
the city beautiful idea which in inter.
views and reports some years ago he
advocated so earnestly