Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-04-02
Ehrntng Ulrat

| the states capital is going to house it's
guests until 1t builds the proposed
Penn-Harris and more "reminiscences
inside than any event in recent years.
The Commonwealth has been so inti-
mately connected with the political
and business life of the state that the
outside interest Is easily understood,
while the fact that except for a COM
paratively few years in the infancy of
Harrisburg the corner has had a hotel
| thereon makes 1t of enjoyment as a
conversational topic at home. The
hotel as we know 1t to-day is a sur
vival of the Jones House and of the
Fleming annex. When the hotel was
rebuilt in the early part of the last
century 1t still bore the name of the
i Washington House, which was given it
when the General came here on his
way to suppress the Whisky Insurrec-
tion. 1t was a comfortable, wide
spreading hostelry such as is to be
found in many county towns in the
state and had q swinging sign. Along
in the fifties j. R. Jones, who owned
the iron works located where the plant
OF the Harrisburg Gas Company stands,
bought the property and built the
hotel as we know it, He put up the
| Market street and the Square side as
far down as the ladies' entrance. 1t
was brick red and was called the
Jones House in honor of the builder.
There was succession of notable
landlords. among them Wells Coverley,
who took charge after giving up his
own hotel where the Johnston build
ing stands. Mr.. Jones was a good bit
of speculator and when he got into
trouble his hotel passed into other
hands. 1t was during his ownership
that the Prince of Wales, Abraham
| Lincoln and General Scott visited the
hotel. 1t became the Leland in the
eighties and in the early nineties the
Fleming estate enlarged 1t and changed
the name.
Speaking about the Coverley hotel,
it was a rather fashionable tavern in
the forties and fifties and its owner
after he left the Commonwealth built
a home at Second and Barbara streets
which the city helped buy to present
to the State for the home of the Gov
ernors. Parts of this old house have
been preserved in the Executive Man
sion. Coverley succeeded landlord
of a name which has been forgotten
and he straightway started to make his
| hotel the place where state officials,
legislators and men of means visiting
the Capitol could stop. Not a few
people of national note were among
his guests and like Captain Andrew
Lee, of the early days of the town, he
was not only the leading boniface, but
a man of affairs in Harrisburg. In
those days Carlisle was government
post and there were many occasions
would come down to Harrisburg to
attend entertainments or to give din
ners. The Coverley place was noted
for such functions,
Guards about the railroad bridges
in the vicinity of Harrisburg make no
distinction these days and people who
approach them are apt to get into
trouble. A good story is being told
about Master Carpenter Edgar McClin-
took. of the Pennsylvania Railroad.
He wanted to see a bridge somewhere
near Harrisburg and had the usual
railroad pass. When he arrived the
guards refused to allow him to inspect.
He tried to convince the guard that
it was necessary for him to make the
inspection then, but he had to go back
to the office to get his identification.
| Even railroad officials have their
troubles in these days.
Speaking about close inspection, az
friend who has just come back from
Washington says that people living in
that city who are Germans and who
have been rather noisy about it are
now decidedly subdued and complain
ing to the authorities that they cannot
make a move without being watched.
One man who was active in the Ger
man cause for a long time berated a
policeman because he did not run in"
a man who had followed the Teutonic
gentleman's automobile on trip along
river road which was marked by fire.
quent bridges
A good story is being told about a
preparedness move made by public
utility company not long ago. This
company has some important things
| to guard and can take no chances. SO
it put armed watchmen about it's plant
at night. The first week several Of
ficials of the company narrowly es-
capped being arrested and then a man
who had some urgent business which
called him to place where affairs
were being handled undertook to storm
his way in when Tagged" and almost
got arrested. Getting by the guard is
about as interesting a proposition as
can be framed.
"The crisis has caused an outburst
of demand for patriotic and national
music that is surprising" said man
who deals in talking machine records.
| "And it has almost ruined the business
in the classic. For a long time5 the
German led in the classic. but we have
made very few sales of such records
lately and they have been of the very
high type. This condition, singularly
enough, has also struck the French
and Italian records, although the
stirring national airs and folk songs of
those countries and some of the Rus
sian RECORDS nave taken Ine place OIL
/ the old German songs. / have also
! noted q jump in the demand for Brit
ish, Scottish, Welsh and Irish songs,
especially the latter. But the patriotic
medleys and songs have got the call"
| Members of the Governors Troop
have been working pretty steadily
since they have been home in order
! to keep themselves fit for any service,
but the last week or so the govern
ment horses which are kept in the
Eighth ward for the men to practice
upon have been going morning, noon
and night The troopers are quite evi.
IDENTIFY taking care to be prepared and
the men who have not horses in sight
in the troop stables have been looking
up mounts so that when called they
will have them handy.
|