Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-09-05
Ehrntng G4af

Appointment of an engineer to
make plans for a new State bridge
over Muddy Creek in Crawford county
calls to mind the amazing duplication
OF the names of the smaller streams
IN pennsylvania. Without glancing
over map of the State 1t is safe to
say that there are at least half a dozen
Muddy Greeks in the various counties
ana the name of each is solemnly and
officially marked in India ink nm the
olnclal county maps. This nane how
ever, is not q favorite. IT would form,
an interesting guessing contest to
hhoW now many creeks in the Com
monwealth carry the name Of stony
flshlng and Crooked. We have FisIs
tt,oro the aiiu stony In our own county and
there are similarly named streanns
Wlthln nifty miles of Dauphin conntx
r1alI q dozen Dry Runs are on the LIST
maybe more known as Big Run IyhiIe
ROCK or Rocky creeks or runs ahound
1neTe are eight Hunters runs. Sandy
creeks are known within a few miles
OF each other in the western conntio,
ana there are couple of Paint creeks
spring, Bear, Deer, Elk, Mill and pine
nave duplicates, while among the
larger streams are two Mahonine
cIeeks' just down the Susquehanna.
- SAiOA OiSldICG OF Harrisburg
two Conewago creeks empty into tbe
ousquehanna from opposite sides of
the stream. 1t does seem odd that in
a state abounding in such pretty and
interesting Indian names that there
snou!o De such a bewildering multi
pHcatloh or names Some of them. as
In the case of the Big and Little Cone
wages, are within short distances of
each other and have been given desie-
natlons according to size. 1t would not
pc bad plan for the county author
lues to get together >at one of their
annual conventions on some plan for
remaining of streams. State survey of
water resources and river systems is
oelnS mooted and will come before
long because of it's imperative import
ance ana the result will be that some
OF the major streams will have to
name their children with numbers in
the old Roman family way.
Speaking of stream names it is an
interesting fact that the stream which
poruers Dauphin county on the north
ern line and which traverses some
pretty country is in reality named the
Mahantango. 1t is almost always pro-
nounced or spelled Mahantongo. This
Is one of the most distinctive of In
olan names in this section of the State
ana is the modern way of spelling
Mohantanga, which means where we
mad plenty of meat to eat" a tribute
OF the Indians to the fine hunting
years ago in Dauphin and Northum-
berland counties. The stream rises in
Schuylkill county and is twenty-five
miles long. 1t is a crooked stream
poYer which is little utilized.
Black birds have commenced to
Iforegather for their pilgrimage to the
southland and the fiocks which have
neen assembling in battalion forma-
llon the last fortnight or so are now
commencing to resemble regiments.
Brigade formation will come before
very long. There are immense flocks
of the birds to be seen every evening
about the city and they sweep in from
the fields to the Reservoir and other
knobs and some fly across the Susque-
hanna to roosting places in the York
hills and the woods of the First Noun
tain. The blacl1birds have been very
numerous this year and for months
big birds, fine specimens, have been
noticed busy in fields and gardens
close to Harrisburg. The blackbird is
protected now, except when he is
tearing up a garden, destroying fruit
or ripping the nest of another bird to
pieces. He is foxy bird, however,
say the farmers and while damage is
often done it is not often that the
sombre coated summer visitor is
caught violating the law.
One two-inch kadydid, brilliant
green in color and with a rowing dis
position caused a trolley car on a
Steelton line to become a babel of
: tongues yesterday. The insect flew
into the car for a ride. The car hap
pened to contain some people from
Steelton, mostly female and repre-
senting possibly eight languages or
dialects. The first person upon whom
the errant bug alighted uttered some
: words in tone that sounded like the
; Balkan towns now figuring in the war
: news. She struck at the insect and
; it moved across the aisle. Something
like italian greeted the traveller in
green and so it went. Finally the
katydid in despair alighted on COL
ored gentleman. He grinned and
threw it out of the window.
The display of fireworks which
closed Harrisburg's first Kipona gave
pleasure not only to the thousands of
people who thronged the River Front
, but many who live on the highlands
about the river basin. For instance,
, people away out back of Progress and
! Oberlin, as well as some in the York
hills saw the far-away gleam of the
fireworks and the rockets were plainly
to be seen.