Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-12-22
Et1rtttt1a GIlaf

'ho Hillslue streets OF Harrisburg
and are wondering what it is going.
to be like next week, when q cold
snap will be due again and the
proud owner of the Christmas sled
VIII be itching to try it." "It makes
me shiver to think what it will be-
IKE. The sale of sleds has been
something fierce and the youngsters
Will be coasting everywhere" re-
marked big officer to a street carl
conductor. The conductor said that
the copper. as he termed him, had
IL soft compared to the street car
men who dread coasting time. There
aLe many streets in Harrisburg
which are hne for coasting and peo-
pie recall the days when Market
street hill and Derry street used to {
De gathering places for throngs and
When Herr, Boas, Cumberland,
calder and other uptown streets
were SO much frequented by crowds
or coasters that policemen had to
De put on guard. In those DAYS
thcre was no trolley line in Market
OF cameron streets and coasters
could start at Thirteenth and go in
as far as Tenth, while the big "bobs"
used on the streets sloping off the
hldge would shoot down to old
fennsylVania avenue on the east
slde and almost to Third on the
other. The construction of the Citi-
zehs line on Capitol and Seventh
| street ended much of the fun and
the police have had to frown on it
more than ever because of the
| growth of automobile traffic. Down
| town had Harris park for the kids
to coast and Paxton street bridge.
| Ihere used to be some coasting in
| DOCK street, too, but Market street
| was the real place for q daisy ride
with all the thrills. If the weather
| is right the chances are that Pax
ton street will be a coasting ground
again and the memories of the days
| when one could start on Sauerkraut
NIL and whizz down by the old
Reading roundhouse to the bridge
at Paxton creek may be revived
|
Uptown the favorite coastine
hllls used to be Dauphin street, be-
tween SixtA and Seventh. PETER
street between Fifth and Third and
MacIay street from the top of the
Maclay street bridge over the Penn
sylVanla railroad tracks all the wayl
out TO the asylum gates, this being
ny 1ar the best of the west endl
sIeddlng places. That was beforel
the street cars came along to mari
the pleasures of coasters. Dauphin|
street always was dangerous, the|
street being often like an ice cow
cred tunnel floor with q sharp turn|
. at the bottom and not infrequently|
d misguided bobsled went straight
on through board fence on the|
D east SIDE OF Seventh street. instead
/ or prescribing the desired curb. InI
fh1f a ID
n nasty escape for parts unknown.
= providing he was physically ableI
to do so, and if not the coasters
used to add to his discomfort. TheI
Maclay street hill, during the daysl
s OK the old wooden bridge, and for al II
v the writer knows, still is, a speed n
z sllde and when the street was irI
S good condition for Shedding thd
= slide extended all the way to the
t | entrance to the insane hospita
: grounds. More adventurous ladJ
e used to haul the ::bobs" and everi
t single sleds all the way to Crooked
- HllL' nearly mile above the cityI
! which comes down to Cameron
| street, past Nissley's schoolhouse and
has a slope of a mile or two bacIj
& over the bluff and hills to the east
of Wildwood park. This hill, OF
series of hills, is steep at places and
y at others reaches almost a level
n but when in good shedding condition
f the momentum was enough to carr,y
s. sleds from top to bottom, by ia
e the longest ride in this yicinityI
= Sleds used on this hill were equipped
t with little dark lanterns as head
= lights to warn off other vehicles and
8 bells to sound at crossings. ThiI
: hill has been spoiled considerable
is by regarding in recent years, bu=
n ought to still provide plenty ol
81 good sport for those who have thu
hardthood to tote their sleds so far
| Years ago bobsledding was sue
popular sport that considerable riv
airy existed among owners of "bohs,
which were painted in gaudy colors
: appropriately named, equipped wit
I all manner of guiding appliances
| foot rails, lamps and bells, an
, some of them were upholstered 70
i, the comfort of coasters. On
: famous sled was named the "Snoy
Belle" Tt was owned by a wei
r known railroad man long since dead
t was painted white with gold letter
: ing and brass trimmings. Anothe
big red bob" with blue and whit
l trimmings was the property of Wi
liam Decker, in his time prom
. nent railroad foreman. Another wa
: the Arctic Queen" and there wer
dozens Of others.
, "Chiefy" Gilnor, as Patrick Gi
= nough is known on Capitol Hill,
which he is the self appointe
guardian and title holder, paid h
annual visit to several of the d,
partments yesterday. Ordinari
"Chiefy" haunts the rotunda ar
the only official whom he homo
is superintendent Shreiner to who
, he gives tips on how to run Il
building. Yesterday he started
make the rounds to show his ne
clothing and stopped at the Heal
Department. DR.. Dixon is away, /
Then he went to the Treasury ar
found Mr. Kephart was sick, to
Next he found Attorney Gener
Brown had been called home
the death of his brother. Then
discovered Adjutant General Bea
and Highway Commissioner ON
were away. Finally, he called at Il
Governors office only to find L
Brumbaugh in Washington.
"Yeh, hey" called out Chief
to one of the newspapermen. ''I1