Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-10-10
Etrpttttts Ulra1

1iairispurgs first patrol wagon. now
DONG humble duty as a tool wagon
On street repairs, seems to have
struck a chord in the memories of
ola police officers and newspanarmen
anu the mention of some incidents in
ehe STIRRING life of the old wagon as
poilce conveyance last night L,s
brought some interesting stories
one Oh these came from a bus,nass
man who was an officer vears o.
ana told of how he gave q nreacbor
rue oy mistake. 1t seems that
mere was a disturbance up ION the
''ehoo' as Seventh street used tn
pe named, and when the wagon nv
rived the officer who had ring tba
call was busy trying to captura +ba
man who had made the troubIa a,a
VINO had taken refuge in a haymow.
however as the wagon rushed nm
'here was fair-sized "mill' going
on 1t was due to the fact that a
munster was endeavoring to secura
peace and quiet and in pursuarca
ohereoI mad been asking questions in
manner to which a brother of Az
man man VINO had made the bother and
the man s wife took exceptions So
they had started "slugging" the
on,9erehman, ,e who had hit back in
a. % %ueIense. The upshot was that
the minister and his assaiIsnts ,yaro
| bundled into the wagon. which "lo+
| tered OF to the old police station in
south Third street without the raai
! culprlt OF the occasion. the source
| oI all the belligerency, who was re0
| trleVed from the hay some five min
utes after the wagon and its nro-
testlng load had driven off. That
was over twenty years ago and If q
tso"a IS any more inclined to tell
sne cops anything more of the
iacts about row now than II was
then We have failed to notice it.
On one historic occasion the "Hv-
ing wagon" as Joe" Bohlen who
looked like Robert E. Pattison and
acteu very much unlike him, termed
@ 1ne patrol, invaded Capitol Park.
ne park is state domain and may
But it happened on a certain nipbt
that some men began to sing of arms
ana heroes near the Library and
Wnen the squirrel guards, it was lust
a1ter Col. Lewis e. Beitler had
brought the first squirrels from Rich
mond, came along the paths in ont
RACED dignity, the singers turned
upon them. Fear argued ignoble
minds, as the poet would saV' and
the old-time guards fled. some one
telephoned for the police. When the
wagon came into the park the dis
turbers of the night were amazed
and one impudent rascal declared
the city police had no right to ar
rest men on state ground. Mayor
Eby gave the doctrine of state rights
snort shrift and the men ten days
the next afternoon.
Most of the adventures of the old
patrol wagon happened on the wav
TO hres. One time, when there was
an alarm of fire on Allison Hill. the
driver, remembering some unpleas-
ant experiences at the Market street
grade crossing, decided to go out
Fourth street to the Mulberry street
bridge and thence to his destination.
AT the same time the driver of one
of the downtown fire engines deter
mined to avoid the hard pull at the
foot of the bridge by going out
through the subway, his route being
down Chestnut to Fourth and uD
Fourth to Market. The result was
that the two vehicles came together
with crash at Fourth and Market
streets and the occupants of the
patrol wagon were thrown into Il
nearby cinder bank thrown up by n
contractor who was laying pave
ment. They were badly scratched,
but the cinders saved them from
broken bones. Both pieces, engine
and wagon, were put out of commits
sion.
Charley Yowler can tell many in
| 20. -, 4nI. l.
that old patrol wagon. On one of
the trips in answer to a fire alarm
at Sixth and Dauphin streets, the
driver had neglected to harness the
horses properly, and at Fourth and
State streets both horses slipped their
bits. Driver Yowler knew what
would happen If anything came in
front of his runaway team up Sixth
street, but he held fast to the lines
and finally with much coaxing he
managed to get the horses stopped.
The brakes refused to hold. The
one big factor in getting that team
stopped that night was q muddy
thoroughfare, the horses showing the
effects of the hard run. The occu-
pants of the wagon that night did
not know of the narrow escape they
had until the patrol was back at
the police station.
The late John Hooker also figured
in many thrilling rides. One night
during Christmas week a fire call
came from South Cameron street.
Near Shanois street plumbers had
dug ditch and failed to place a red
lamp at the hole. They had two
small trestles with q board across as
a guard to prevent any person from
falling into the ditch. Johnny
Hooker did not see that hole until
almost in it. He turned his horses,
throwing the rear of the wagon into
the ditch and smashing one of the
wheels. It was not necessary to tell
the occupants to get out. They were
out when Driver Hooker reached
them. Fortunately none was serious
ly injured. That was another time
the patrol failed to reach the fire.
Spencer G. Gilbert's remark in his
speech at the Chamber of Commerce
War Meeting" the other night that
the Chamber had enjoyed listening
to many noted men, recalls the fact
that in the hall where Secretary
Baker spoke, there had been heard
Presidents Roosevelt, Taft and Will
son, Vice-Presidents Fairbanks and
Marshall, Secretary Daniels, Ambas-
sador Gerard, Senators Penrose.
Oliver and Knox, Speaker Clark and
q host of other notables.