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

cleaning water as the illuminated boat
parade, evening feature of Harris
burgs first Kipona, swung down from
the upper end of Independence Island
and floated past the judges stand
down near the bridges.
Like Pickering F1reflies
Never in the times of the old ghost,
nor since until last night, did the ro-
mantle Susquehanna provide a setting
for such an event. Perhaps to the
shade the thousands of sparkling fire.
flies dotting the surface for nearly two
miles brought thoughts of invaders.
And perhaps he wrapped his old In
dian blanket just little tighter around
him as he contemplated the rythmic
dip and shoot, dip and shoot, of the
approaching lamps. For never did an
Indian witness such sight! And how
was he, willy chief that he was, to figure
out any way for repelling such in
vaders-hordes that swooped down
from the direction of the Dauphin
water gap with twinkling lights mark
ing the almost countless boats.
Just a few minutes after 7.30 o'clock
when the last rays of a Susquehanna
valley sunset had cast their final GRIM
son darts at the glooming and the old
shade resumed his early nocturnal
wandering the parade began.
Scarcely had the ghost of the old
chief left his resting place to gaze out
over the moonlit Susquehanna, battle
ground for many hard-fought Indian
contest and scene of many an Indian
wnoing, when a fast craft shot away
from Dintaman'S boat pavilion, itself
a novelty to the shade. In this craft
was V. Grant Forrer. chief of the new
order of river followers, and several
assistants. Bathed in light as it was,
this boat alone was a sight for the old
chief, but it's hard to say just how
he felt when nearly 80 tiny craft, each
filled with from two to six people,
darted away from the various boat
houses and swung into long waver-
ing line behind the faster boat.
As the hundreds of canoes, each lit
by at least four bobbing Japanese lam
terms, furnished free by the Greater
Harrisburg Navy, and many decked
out in strange or beautiful fashions, as
the fancy of the owner dictated, swung
into line and formed the long process
sion that swept quietly toward Broad
street, the old chief must have believed
his eyes were failing him.
Just what he thought as the line
doubled. formed for a minute a deep
loop and started back toward the
bridges at the shades feet would be
hard to even guess at.
Weird Creations in Line
It's positively certain that no living
person ever saw such sight here
abouts. In line were not only illumi-
mated canoes, but big floats that swept
majestically down the stream, little
motorboats and big motorboats that
swooped and darted around as the ca
pacity of their engines permiWed;
floats filled with singers; whole mod
ern battle fleet; imitation sailboats;
Venetian gondolas, and last, but not
least, a quaint Egyptian craft IKE the
one that bore Cleopatra out 10 Heet
Mark Antony these many, many years
ago-and true to life, this boat bore
"Cheopatra," yes, even garoed IKE
Cleo!
It was indeed a strange, weird signt
for an old shade to see. but even as 1t
stirred him, so did it stir the romance
In the souls of every one VINO paEllCI-
pated and those who looked on from
shore ... zo-,-,
stream those in the canoes at ledst
en7oyed a. scene that in years to come
ttaE, will instinctively make reference
to when judging beautiful scenes ana
Overhead a bright half moon cast
silver beams across the surface or the
stream, beams that danced ana rlpPle9i
over the waters, twinkled for a secono
on the bow and stern of each passing
canoe and illuminated the faces OF the
occupants a., a.,
Rivaling the moon were the nre-
works. AS the canoes swept uoWh
stream, lights a-twinkle, there was a
deafening report and a heavenWard
trail of sparks as a rocket shoI INTO
tho sky went up, up. hung an instant;
hurst with a crack and showered
myriad brilliant darts in all dlrections
over the heads of the canoeists. Other
brilliant lighting effects and strange
sounds, too diversified to describe: wei
coined the parade as it reached South
street and swept past the Judges.
Shoreward, a Wall of Faces
How this demonstration shocked the
senses of the old shade tbs hard 10
saw. but the fall of all his traditions
could have been no more awesome
than the feeling that swept through
the canoeists as they floated into the
lower basin. Beneath them the water
suddenly changed colorS and became
a brilliant red, white and blue at the
magic command of some WIZARD OF
electricity; high above them rockets
scared, bombs burst and strange nres
were lighted shoreward in the re-
fected glimmer of the many lights one
saw a solid wall of white staring faces.
a wall that extended from the very
waters edge to the top of the steps,
broken awhile and then renewed at
the upper park level-a wall that ex-
tended from Market streets TO Boas.
An Uncompromising Shade
AS the boats swept past the judges
stand, turned and scattered, old river
enthusiasts declared that it was a
sight that one may see but once in a
lifetime-and never forget.
But to the uncomprehending shade
of the Indian chief who, awe-struck.
gaZed on from his vantage point cross
river, Harrisburg's first Illuminated
boat parade as a part of the Kipona
was sight too strange to explain, and,
bewildered and shaken, he returned to
his narrow resting place of centuries
to resume his nocturnal wanderings no
more,