Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-09-13
MORE ABOUT IMPROVEMENTS

or to operate a business. In the sum-
mer time residents along the river
were forced to leave town on account
of the odors which arose from it's sur
face in dry weather.
In thirteen years Harrisburg has
been transformed as no city in Penn
sylvania and as few in the whole
country have been transformed.
Through the Paxton Creek and River
Front interceptors, the sewerage sys-
tenn has been made one continuous
whole in preparation for the purifica-
ton of the sewage of the entire city
at one point. Through the Paxton
Creek channel improvement and the
Wildwood reservoir that stream has
been transformed from a liability to
great asset, the lake being favorite
pleasure ground and the lower valley
| through the city is developing into a
valuable industrial center. Flood no
longer endangers its valley The paw
ing of the streets and the construc-
ton of the Mulberry street bridge have
improved the transportation facilities
of the city and increased its cleanli-
ness to q point exceeded by few Penn
sylvania cities as regards streets and
highways. Through the river bank
protection wall and the river dam the
Susquehanna has been transformed,
dIIer Ine sewage was removed Dy the
! interceptor, into one of the most beau
tiful River Fronts that l am familiar
with.
| The publication of the water supply
| is probably the one single piece of
work which Harrisburg has accom-
plished which has done more for the
/ health, prosperity and happiness of its
citizens than anything else. The sick
ness and death from typhoid and other
water-born diseases which formerly
resulted from drinking impure water
| have practically disappeared because
the water we drink is now 99.7 per
cent pure as regards germs.
| AS a result of all these things this
, city, once Stunned in summer as a
| Typhoid, malaria ridden place has be-
come desirable for summer residence,
| an ideal city in which to live in the
summer time. With its public golt
course, a dozen or more public tennis
courts, municipal public Fairgrounds
/ and nearly one thousand acres OF
parks. it keeps its citizens well and
happy and attracts many from else
where The population has grown to
over $4,000 and the increase in the
assessed valuation of city property has
! been so great as to permit of carry
ling all the governmental activities and
| the paying of interest and sinking
| fund charges on the improvement
funds without noticeable erect upon
the property owner and taxpayers
After having done all these things
we must not sit back and assume that
Iour work is finished. AS soon as a
city is finished it is dead. have seer
few cities of this sort, but no one
comes to live there from elsewhere
no improvemen ere made, no spirit
of enthusiasm exists and the popula-
ton degenerates In quality and de-
creases in quantity. Therefore we
must not for one moment. be satisfied
with things as they are, but must con-
tinue the program so we'll carried out
to this point, of no< only keeping pace
with the growth of the city in munic'
ipal improvements, but in forecastine
what will be necessary when Harris
burg extends from Middletown on the
south to Dauphin on the north ant
from Camp Hill on the west to Pax
tang and Progress on the east; wher
instead of the population of 75,00(
Harrisburg has 100000. If we picl
out our parks and lay all our street.
we'll for the advance of habitation W.
will not be confronted with the ire
lmendous expenditures which are nov
confronting Philadelphia in laying ou
Its boulevards and in purchasing Site
i for parks in thiekly populated dis
trictS