Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-08-21
Ehtntrg Ghat


The growing popularity of 1.-THE
River Basin" is astounding all the old
liver dogs" who have been Laying
around on the Susquehanna for years.
Never saw the like commented
u old boat owner, the other day.
Time was when you could go out
of an afternoon and never see a soul
rascals swimming off a sand hat. But
nowadays when there aren't 500 men
and women swimming between Mac
lay street and tho dam, it's a mighty
slow afternoon and there is more
nearly always a thousand splashing F.,
about"
Now hat the river has become quite
low there is no danger and scores are
taking advantage of the opportunity
to learn the art of swimming. It is
more than surprising how many girls
have become really expert since the
popularizing of the river front. There
is more than n pretty little sum
burned miss who car make the aver
age mar hustle on the trudgeon, this
overland, or the crawl.
To the open-mouthsd aniazement Of
long experienced, weather and water
tried rivermen, steamer, sand-sucker
and fiat travelled through the race-like
runway of the river dam at Dock
street Saturday.
The Harrisburg Light and Power
Company keeps it's sand and coal fleet
in winter anchorage in a small cover
below the Central Iron n Steel
Company plant and the boats are not
brought up above the dam for summer
operations until the river reaches such
a stage in early Spring as to permit
safe, II laborious passage, across the
obstruction. In low water especially
at the present stage no steamer or fat
has ever attempted to get above or
below the dam. One of the fleet cap
tains of the light company wanted to
get below the dam in a hurry n he
dashed steamer, sand-sucker and fat
Sposition a couple of hundred feet
above the opening, shut off steam,
warned his pilot to take an extra
steady hold on the rudder wheel, and
the boats raced directly for the open
ing in the dam. There a drop of a few
boats went through at a clip that high
est steam pressure couldn't have per-
mitted.
Two weeks more n then country
sausage and scrapple. This, in the
opinion of many who attended Chest
nut street market Saturday, is a
rather early announcement. Not to be
outdone by his fellow farmers, one
country butcher gave the information
to his patrons. He said Yes, 1 am
going to have sausage. pudding and
scrapple two weeks from to-day. II
will be genuine country make. I dc
not think 1t is too early. You have
been eating cold storage pork all sum-
mer. Why can't you have country
pork and all that goes with it two
weeks from now?"
Low water in the Susquehanna river
koe fn &c afxyNn~ nA.a1~ 81 49,
scores of river enthusiasts who are
eagerly awaiting the first annual XII
pona to be held Labor Day, by the
Greater Harrisburg Navy. The stag
of the river now is exceptional and il
many places the passage over ole
routes is pretty nearly impossible. Y
Grant Forrer, assistant park supertn
! tendent, and G.. NJ. Owes, of the Stat,
Highway Department, who have beef
-, mapping out the courses for the var
= ious races, have found the condition
G serious in some places. Whether o
: not the completion of the dam viii
: help any is questionable, although i
e is hoped that this will increase tn
= general height a trifle. AT certain
n points, for instance, ~closeAin to tn
i River Front steps," said Mr.. Owes
= the water is so low that it is prett
i nearly impossible for two men in
canoe to get through without ground
ing"
Have you ever been in the Pennsyl
vania Railroad yards between mid
e night and daylight of a Monday morn
ing? It is worth while to see III
y preparations being made for the trafi
n of the week because as far as pos
II sible the freight known as SLOW"
stopped over Sunday inc the var
e work is suspended. While the me
who work in daylight are sleeping
a force of men is moving in the yard.
q on the sidings, at the roundhouse'
a about the towers and all over the grea
network of tracks getting things i
readiness for The moving of thousand
IS of wheels. They pop into sight unde
the glare of an electric lamp only
disappear a moment later in h
shadows of mighty Goa trains stand
ing in line after line on the tracks.
y
Among visitors to the Capitol we
~ DR.. w. S. Blaisdell, one of the prom
nent coal operators of Jefferson cour
- ty. He was here on business.