Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-10-21
REAL PROSPERITY
AT MT. UNION
Wealth of the Hills Turning
Gold Into Pockets of Its
People

Mount Union, Pa, Oct. 21. = Like
the famous old boom towns of Mon
tana and other States in the West
that-has- passed, Mount Union owes
its prosperity to the ground upon
which it Is built.
AS soon as you leave the station,
perched high above the main business
street, and enter the town you feel
the atmosphere of prosperity. The
town is fairly bursting with it.
Automobiles are rushing back and
forth through the streets which are as
congested as those of the larger cities.
Everywhere new buildings are being
erected. Big brick structures with
steel frames that look as though they
are going up for premanency and
frame buildings for mere temporary
use are going up on every block.
Every hotel Is packed. One can
scarcely obtain room. Stores are
doing business that the proporietors
would never have dreamed of a few
leaps and bounds and all business has
| been Speeded up to an almost un-
dreamed of activity.
The population has grown rapidly
from 3,S3S in 1910 to more than $500
| at the present time. So congested
have become the schoois that new
$4,000 high school is being rushed to
completion to relieve the situation and
sessions are temporarily being held
twice each day in order to permit all
students to attend.
| A new municipal building, a hand
some brick structure housing the fire
department and borough Offices has
| just been completed. A number of
streets are being paved and a new and
adequate sewer system is being es-
tablished.
Back on the hills benind the town
you may find the secr-r of all this
prosperity. In the rock which makes
up these hills is the mineral from
which the best grade Or silica brick in
the world is made.
| These bricks are used in nnfng blast
furnaces an dother heating ovens in
big steel plants and when the Eu-
ropean war broke out q huge demand
almost instantly sprang up for all
kind of iron and steel products and
the necessary materials to be used in
their making.
Here at Mount Union is located the
enormous plant of the Harbison-Wal
ker Refractories Co.. said to be the
largest plant of its kind in the world
In plants l and 2 here more than a
thousand men are employed and
huge shipments are made daily. NJ.
D. Carr is the hustling superintendent
and guiding force that keeps things
humming.
Another concern that is making
Mount Union grow is the new Mount
Union Refractories Co., plant in which
r. P. M. Davis, a Harrisburg man,
is the leading figure. This big con-
Germ, of which Mr.. Davis is president
and general manager has a capacity of
$4,000 bricks every day and empfoys
about 500 men. The rocks for this
plant are quarried at Three Springs
Is said to be inexhaustible. T.. d. Hal
stead is secretary and treasurer of
the company and C. ". Hackman IS
superintendent of the local plant
At Kistler, just on the edge of Mount
Union Mr.. Davis and his associates are
building an entire new model village
for their workmen. The new town
consists of all single dwellings and
presents a pretty sight from the train
windows as you enter or leave Mount
Union.
The Pennsylvania Railroad wooc
Preserving Plant contributes its share
, of prosperity to the town. About
thirty-fve men are employed here
, regularly coating ties and poles for the
! company to lengthen their life.
5 The Mount Union Tanning and Ex-
5 tract Company operates a large tan.
ming solution. With the big war de.
| mand for leather the plant is more
than rushed. 1t employs 10 men.
With the rapid growth of the towr
, there have naturally been q number
! of important municipal problems tc
: solve. One of these is the handling
! of the usual hangers-on in q boom
! town. Drunken men and scarlet wo.
> men have little chance in this town
> A. s. Welch, the live-wire burgess, II
very much on the job and is making 6
record for himself and the town.
Aside from the commercial build
. ings and dwellings that are going up
t there is being built a handsome new
5 theater to cost about $4,000. The ]
! S. Shiparo Company are the pro
prietors and the new structure will b,
three stories and basement of bricl
I construction.
: One of the borough's industries tha
I is spreading the fame of the town |.
, the Aetna Explosives Company. Fal
2 back of the town this plant, with it.
\ 1.500 employees, is turning out bis
quantities of powder for the armie.
y across the sea.
2 Among the businessmen who ar,
! planning new buildings are G.. L. Hill
man and P. M. Longnaker. two leading
merchants. Neither. however, has a.
yet announced his plans.
Altogether this town is livint
= through new era in its history. The
war, i'll wind that II is to others, ha!
:, brought golden opportunities to tn,
residents here.
:. And they, wise and far-sighted al
: they are, have taken prompt advant
u age of every opportunity. Noun
Union is growing and building. Will,
1t Is boom town just now it Is plan
ming for the future-a future that will
bring permanent solidarity.
Some day Mount Union will b,
:, numbered among Pennsylvania pros
+ porous cities.
REV. MIR. COOKE AT MT. AIRY
| Rev. W fnI
. some time had charge of the Marke
d SQUARE and Olivet Churches of thi