Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-01-26
EVENING CHAT

ON
Harrisburg is one of the greatest
cities in the State for savings accounts
according to one of the city's promi-
nent bankers and it has been cult
waiting the habit of thrift in an amaz-
ing way in the last ten years. Every
one is familiar with the big sums of
money distributed at holiday time
through the Christmas savings clubs,
but it seems that there are hundreds
of people who are conducting similar
| savings accounts throughout the year
and who at certain times take out
those savings and either put them on
| time deposit or else buy a good bond
or q share OF standard stock. The
average person does not think much
about Harrisburg as a home of thrift.
1t has become notable for excellent
municipal housekeeping, which Henry
W. Cough put on a high plane when
the loans that made possible the great
public improvements were started and
some of its business establishments are
models in economy and efficiency. Yet,
somehow or other, it has never won,
much of n reputation as a community
OF savers and has upon more than one
occasion been chided because of its
spenders. The real situation is, be-
clare men in touch with finances. that
Harrisburg people are continually
starting savings accounts and Sailing"
away money. The postal savings here
amount to pretty respectable item,
but they are really insignificant when
the savings accounts in the banks are
considered. II is n good thing for
q W Ia 81
the business of its financial institu-
tions.
The nearest the new transcontinen-
tai telephone lines comes to Harris
burg is Dallastown, York county,
where there is a substation. The first
messages flashed across the long dis
tance last night and henceforth it will
be possible to hold conversations at
any time during the day or night be-
tween New York and San Francisco.
1t takes just one-fifteenth of a second
for the voice to travel the distance
that the fastest railroad train cannot
cover in less than five days. When
the tables of time and distance were
made up one of the telephone officials
could not believe one-fifteenth of a
second could be correct, so he and the
printer made il fifteen seconds. where
upon, it is said, the men in charge of
1
tore their hair. 1t is a remarkable
coincidence that the men who first
talked to each other over the expert
mental wires Bell strung to test the
utility of his invention between two
rooms in the same building were at
opposite ends of the wires yesterday
when the first message was flashed
across the continent Much of the
Pennsylvania part of the work of set
j ting up the trancontinental line was
done in the Harrisburg office of the
company.
\ new form of betting has cropped
up in Harrisburg. 1t is on who is go
| ing to lose the next ship-allies or
Germans. The other day a couple OF
men bet and yesterday one paid the
/ bet. Last night the loser came back
/ and demanded his money back be-
fcause the Berlin report contended that
the British lost as well.
| Jesse f. b. Cunningham. who is be-
/ ing much discussed in the news these
/ days. used to teach school while he
was studying law. He was elected dis
I trict attorney when Westmoreland was
la Democratic county, upsetting the
/ time-honored order of things.
People who keep in touch with re-
/ cruiting matters say that there has
been considerable interest displayed in
recruiting matters since the debates
! i'm Congress have been going on and
that if an increase in the army and navy
| is authorized that there will be no
( difficulty in securing men in this part
/ of the State. Inquiries have been nu-
merous and some find husky young
men have been asking about the SER
vices. 1t is not generally known but
/ Harrisburg was an excellent recruit
/ ing ground for the navy and marine
corps some years ago.
| \ new and totally unexpected de-
mand for the fine Gettysburg book
issued by the State as a record of the
remarkable reunion of the Blue and
the Gray at the battlefield in July,
1913. has turned up and State officials
are wondering how to meet it. 1t
seems that there have been requests
for copies Of the book by veterans and
families of veterans in most of the
public Libraries of the country. The
commission set aside ESQ copies of
the book for distribution through the
State Library, il being the idea that if
could supply those in this State. The
! demand for the book has been brisk
at every Pennsylvania library. In all
/ proba ability there will be steps taken
| by the legislature to provide for more
copies.
The request for Information about
books relating to South America con-
tinues at the Harrisburg Public Lii
brary and there has also sprung up
demand for text books on the Span
| ish language. Apparently the speech
/ of Governor Brumbaugh at the meet
/ ing of the State teachers on the inn
portance of learning Spanish has
struck home with a good many peo-
pie in the States capital. The library
! is taking steps to secure some books
which will meet this new demand.
WELL KNOWN PEOPLE