Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-10-27
Enptttttn Gfrat

they saw the commencement of one
of the most elaborate park schemes
laid out in the state. Not only have
Arnold w. Drummer and Warren II.
manning planned where every tree
ana every shrub and walk and flow
er bed shall be in the Capitol Park,
but they have outlined where the
buildings shall be constructed twenty
years from now within the extension
and will look to the city of Harris
burg to restrict the character of
structures to be erected in streets
surrounding the park. And then
1t is planned to make the Capitol
Park the center of Harrisburgl
streets which will in their turn open
into the parks and parkways of
metropolitan system that will stretch
from the Susquehanna Water Gap
in a wide circle taking in the upper
valley of Paxton creek and thence
around to the Swatara, up along the
Susquehanna from historic Middle
town ferry on into York and Cum- :
berland counties linking up the
beauty spots of the Yellow Breeches
and Conodoguinet with the drive
ways of the West Shore. It is a
most enhancing idea that is being
thought out, but it is insignificant
when one considers that the reSE
plan is to make the Capitol by meaE
of some changes of roads and tna
construction of a couple of bridges,
the widening of some city streets
and the creation of municipal plaza
the center of the highway system
OF Pennsylvania. This the State
House is to-day, but it is more or
less by means of elbows and curves
in roads and twists and turns in
streets. By laying out highways so
that they shall radiate from tho
al fYNer Y-tN
and bringing them into Harrisburg
on long perspectives this dream can
be realized.
To return to the trees. In addi-
ton to planning out the Row of the
Governors" Mr.. Manning has been
working on a plan for a quadruple
line of trees on the proposed mall
where trees can be planted for the
cities and the counties of the Key
stone State, each to be in a desig-
mated place and the tree to be suit
ably marked after being formally
planted. Then, it is the idea to-
locate all of the trees for the park
extension and to work out a scheme
for changes of those now in the
older park and to dedicate some and
name others which have to be plant
ed. One of the ideas is to honor the
of Pennsylvania in provincial and
colonial days, selecting those who did
not occupy governmental positions.
Then there can be trees named for
the long line of distinguished mill
tary men, Wayne, Knox, st. Clair,
Harmar, Brown and the others; the
financiers of the Nation in crises.
Morris, Hillegas, Girard, Clarke,
Cooke and so on; the inventors; the
transportation chiefs and captains of
industry There will be several hun
dred trees, all selected, in the park
and it can be made place to stimu-
late not only interest in the history
of the keystone Commonwealth, but
to perpetuate in the official seat of
government the memory of Penn
sylvanians who played their parts
in strenuous times.
A friend who has been observing
the strides made in that section of
Harrisburg beyond what we popu1
larly know as Allison Hill, as distin+
guished from Capitol Hill and Reser-
voir Hill, has written some exceed
ingly interesting sketches of the de-
velopment of the Thirteenth ward.
One of these appeared yesterday in
some memories of the old Rudy ice
dam or Cashmere as the pond in the
dip just about Twentieth street used
to be known. Tonight there are
presented some additional notations
on this thriving section.
With the paving of Derry street
to the city limits at the Poor House
lane, now Twenty eighth street, the
Harrisburg Railways company also
began improvements. Not more
than a dozen years ago there was
only a single track to PaXtang Park
from about Twenty-fifth street, with
a turnout west of PaXtang avenue.
The rapid growth of the city meant
increased traffic not only to the
summer amusement park, but also
to accommodate persons moving to
that district. Only a few years ago
the Twenty-third and Derry street
trolley division was started, replac-
ing the Twenty-first street trip,
which had replaced Nineteenth street
runs. Now the railways company
has a double track to PaXtang to
handle the many hundreds of pas
sengers using that line each day.
Fine building opportunities were
opened to contractors and realty
men who at once saw the future de-
velopment which was sure to come.
Since the big boom started in the
east end scores of homes have been
built at cost of thousands of doll
lars, and at the present time a COM
tractor is building twenty-six more.
Increasing population in a COM
munity means increasing business.
To meet this need a number of
small businesses not in existence five
years ago, have been started. Smal
grocery stores, a small dry goods
and notion store, ice cream parlorsI
and even pool rooms have been
opened during the last few years
Two large grocery firms, seeing tho
trade possibilities in the community
have opened stores there to compete
with the older ones.
War gardens in the Thirteentf
ward were much in evidence this
year. Large stretches of vacan
ground, most of it south of Derry
street, and uncultivated for many
years, furnished space for any ond
who was interested enough to plan
vegetables. The value of the crops
has never been estimated but resi-
dents have placed an approximate
value we'll up in hundreds of dollars
Large lots which had never beford
been anything but a nuisance be-
cause of the high weeds were turned
into corn, potato, tomato, turnip
cabbage and other vegetable patches
Next year the people are planning to