davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-12-31
All ROADS LEAD
TO HARRISBURG

passing through Reading and Allen
town. The State Highway Depart
ment has plans for the permanent
i,nproveiACI,t OF the Reading Allen
town road; and if the commissioners
of Dauphin and Lebanon counties
will act speedily the thoroughfare
from Harrisburg to Reading will
soon be in excellent shape, Berks
county having agreed to go along
with the state.
West of Harrisburg many i'm
provements are planned. From Mil
lerstown to Ebensburg, Cambria
county. through Lewistown, Belle
vile, Huntington, Hollidaysburg and
Cresson, is a stretch of road un-
paralleled in Pennsylvania. Improve
ments for the road from Harrisburg
to Millerstown are a thing of the
near future. Eventually Liverpool
will be eliminated, the William Penn
Highway passing direct from a point
west of Clark's Ferry through New
port to Millerstown. West of Ebens-
burg the highway to Johnstown will
be in permanent shape within six
months. Travellers who do not wish
to go into Johnstown will find the
direct route from Ebensburg to
Blairsville improved within 1S
months. 1t is now good road in
the summer months, but bad in win
ter. From Blairsville to Greensburg,
where travellers reach the Lincoln
Highway on their way to Pittsburgh,
the road is in good condition.
Main Market Roads
Under the road reconstruction plan
IL AtN1 I1aVR Il
vania within comparatively short
time will have four north-south main
market roads which will mean much
to Harrisburg because of the great
amount of travel that will be thrown
this way. These four roads con-
meet:
Erie and Pittsburgh.
Warren and Lewistown.
Elmira and Harrisburg.
Binghamton and Reading, through
Easton and Allentown.
These four feeders of the William
Penn Highway tap a rich field, and
the result cannot help but be advan-
tageous to Harrisburg.
Improvement of the road from
Harrisburg to York and. from York
to Baltimore will bring business this
way. There must be a better road
to Gettysburg and to Chambers
burg. The Lancaster route oan stand
great deal of improvement. When
these things come, 1t can easily be
seen, Harrisburg will be the tourist
and market center of the atate. !
glance Mt the map of Pennsylvania
will show that Harrisburg Ia the
logical highway centar of the Com
monwoalth. All roads lead to 1t.
For that reason It's hotel aooommo-
dutlons should be of tIhe best, The
construction of the,l Penn Harris
Hotel now puts Harrisburg In u class
by itself, 30 far as Its hotels are
concerned.
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-12-31

With X-cYlinder speed, as soon
as the hotel had been launched by
the Chamber of Commerce, the Har-
risburg Hotel Company incorporated
as owners of the Hotel Penn Harris,
under the managem ent Of the United
Hotels Company. with the follow
ing officers:
E. u. Wallower, president; Will
liam T. Hildrup Jr., president;
Warwick NJ. Ogelsby, treasurer. Di-
rectors-Edward Bailey, j. William
Bowman. Henderson Gilbert, Edwin
S. Herman. William Z. Hildrup Jr.,
William Jennings, L. j. Stackpole,
A. C. Stamm. David E. Tracy, E. u.
Wallower.
Appealing with the promise of it's
being a good investment, and to in
stincts of loyalty for the home town,
very little difficulty was found i'm
raising the necessary $1,30O,OOO. In
the first canvass a number of promi-
nent citizens and many who were
able and who have the civic pride to
help were not called upon, so a sec
ond canvass took place, with the re-
suit that little urging was necessary.
Some of the leading and financial
citizens took big blocks of stock, four
investing to the amount OF over S5O.-
600 each, and others for $4,000,
5000, 100000, $4,000 and $1,000
and great number for less
amounts.
Other Hotels Managed
The Harrisburg Hotel Company
was fortunate in making q lease of
the hotel to- the Penn-Harris Hotel
Company, operated by, the United
Hotels Company, which leases and
successfully operates a large number
of first-class hotels throughout the
the country, including The Ten Eyck,
| Albany, n. Y; Tho Seneca, Roches-
ter, N, Y; The Onondago, Syracuse,
| N. Y; Tho Jefferson, Peoria, Ill.
The Utica. Utica, N. Y; The Portage,
Akron, Ohio; The Lawrence, Erie.
Pa; The Bancroft Worcester, Mass.
The Tutwiler, Birmingham, Ala,
The Nonotuck, Holyoke, Mass: The
Devonshlre. Toronto. Canada; The
Royal Connaught, Hamilton, Ont.
The Prince Edward, Toronto, Can
ada.
A contract or lease has been exc
cuted by which Penn-Harrls Hotel
Company will pay to the Harrisburg
Hotel Company per cent, per an
mum. IL earned, minimum of per
cent, on the amount invested, for
the first five years; thereafter, per
cent. per annum, fixed. plush one
half (49 per cent? from tho begin
ming of the lease of all of the net
earnings of the operating company.
The nature of the lease is considered
exceptional and shows the conf
dence of tho United Hotels Company
In Harrisburg as hotel location,
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-12-31
WAS
BACK OF PROJECT
Public Need Met by Public
Spirit and Penn-EIarriS
Was the Result

"Breathcs there the man with
soul so dead,
Who never to himself hath said,
This is my own, my native
land"?
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-12-31
By NJ. III. JAMES,
Secretary of William Penn highway
Association, and Associateu
Highways Organization or

Highways Organization OF
Pennsylvania
"RAVELERS overland through
the central tier of Pennsylvania
- counties have for years COM
planned that hotel accommodations
have not been sufficient. This con-
dition has finally been remedied
through the construction of the
berkshire Hotel. at Reading; of the
Fort StanwiX Hotel, at Johnstown'
and, finally, of the Penn-Iiarrls' IN
Harrisburg. 1t is now possible lor
| trans Pennsylvania tourists using the
William Penn Highway, ana the
feeder-routes which come into the
William Penn from the north ana
south. TO find hotel accommodations
as fine as can be found anywhere.
While automobilists can by push
ing their cars make the Philadei-
phia- Pittsburgh trip in one day there
is no pleasure at lall in a hurried
trip of that sort; and two days are
usually required. That means an
overnight stop, Three years ago
travellers found existing hotels in
sufficient; and as time passed the
congestion became worse. Three
times as many automobiles make the
trip from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh
in a season now as in 1916. The
short-trippers are five times more
numerous. And the coming eXpendi-
ture of S5O,O0O,000 for better high
ways in Pennsylvania will mean a
further increase one that cannot
properly be estimated at this time.
While the William Penn Highway
is the logical east-west route for
central Pennsylvanians travelling to
Pittsburgh or to New York and
Philadelphia, the Lincoln Highway,
in the southern tier of counties,
carries O more extensive through
state traffic. Until recently these
travellers, knowing, as travellers do
about certain cities everywhere, that
hotel accommodations were insult
ficient in Harrisburg, refused to come
this way from. Lancaster, Gettysburg,
or Chambersburg. But the opening
| of the Penn Harris Hotel means
that, once the word gets around, Lin
coin Highway travellers will take ad-
vantage of increased accommoda-
tions and come to Harrisburg to see
the Capital. and the city's other at
fractions.
Great Automobile Center
Harrisburg within Ave years will
each day accommodate more auto
m obile. travellers than any other city
in Pennsylvania other than Phila-
delphla' and Pittsburgh. The state
of New Jersey Is proceeding re pldIy
with the construction of tho high
way which will join the william
Pom Highway at Easton, and af-
fNrd an nll-WAathap ghoptan rant a
J between Harrisburg and New York,
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-12-31

rcoDtInued from Fist PaSe'l
oocnnancv today. Painters and dec
orators were at work and there was
decided notion in the mind OF Mau, I,
ager Virgins that the pupilc sBou.u
"estnone its Mecca to the Fehh-
1To,tis for a week or so when every
thing will be in ship-shape'
Demand For Rooms
rho influx of demands for rooms
beaan several weeks ago and TO-DAY
every room fit to be occupied s was
onpaaed. Manager Virgins had
answers from 175 legislators ashins :
for reserve. and the big news TO-DAY
was that the Penn-Harris IS Delhs
SO besieged for rooms that an I'M
mediate demand is going to be 10
make the hotel bigger. If TINS ue-
maud is proved sane and demon
strahle the chances are that Penn-
Harris will be extended along wal
mt street: Architect Stoddart nav
ing the foresight to put in an ele-
vntor at the far end down WalnuI
street way. ..
Today and tonight is the opening
Tonight marks the actual hotel open
ing and Harrisburg's. citizens Will
celebrate with a dinner, beginning al
seven o'clock, to be followed by
music and dancing, the large pail
room being opened for the first time
for the social feature.
The president of the Harris
Company. Il. u. Wallower, will pre-
side at the dinner ana introduce
Governor Martin G. Brumbaugh,
Mayor D. L. Keister, Frank A. Duo
lev. president of the United Hotels
Company, which will manage the
Penn Harris, and George S. Rein
oehl. the president of the Chamber
of Commerce, who will extend the
greetings of that body.
Marvel it was that the big hostelry
opened on time, but tonight, barring
the working to finish details, every
thing will be in swing Green laurel
Is twhued about the lobby; the
lounge and banquet rooms are ready;
colored girls in uniform man the
elevators; two orchestras will FUR
nish music, and a special treat at
the dinner will be the SELECTIONS of
Miss Neva Landrum, vocalist.
So trem endousiy popular is the
new hotel that events are booked
every night up to February %. This
week will see the Victory Ball, Jan
uary 8; on January 4 the Moorhead
Company banquet and the dinner TO
the Telegraph Family by f. j. Stack
pole.
A public inspection of tho Penn
Harris is amounted for New Years
Day - wednesday - from 3 to 5
o'clock.
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-12-31
hn Newton demanded of the off,

John Newton demanded of the OFF,
Ger.
Il don't know" said the police
man. I'm stranger on this cor
ner."
James wanted to put it up to
George Harry, but Mr.. Harry could
not be found. Postmaster Frank
Sites refused to be drawn into the
controversy.
And it is hard to tell what would
have happened just then had not
Warwick NJ. Ogelsby appeared and
distributed tickets of admission to
the opening banquet among the
Sons of Rest The steam-shovel
was again forgotten as the Sons
debated over their probable orders
for dinner. Supreme of guinea hen
seemed to have the first call, al
though there were one or two whose
minds ran to pates de fois gras.
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-12-31
How the Site
Was Bought
oRTUNATELY," wrote Mr..
L. q. wallower, in his letter

nm ToRTUNATELY," wrote Mr..
Il. q. Wallower, in his letter
headed: "rhe Harrisburg,
The Susuuehanna, Orr" (for at
that time name had not been
chosen) I'VE now have under option
the very best location in the city,
at what is considered a most favor
able price" He then went on to
describe the old Grand Opera House
corner, on which years ago burned
down the play house of that name
and which had long been vacant.
This location" he pointed out will
command the largest rental values
for the Third street front, a most
important item in the profitable con-
duct of the hotel. 1t will not only
command a view of the Capitol
Park, and the river from the upper
stories, but its close proximity to
the Post Office, the prospective Wild
ening of Walnut street by the state,
its location in the heart of the city,
within three blocks of the railroad
stations. will all add value to it's
location for O hotel site"
The task of actually securing the
option was assigned to E. j. Stack
pole and Henderson Gilbert and one
VERY cold but auspicious day they
took a fast train for Philadelphia,
feeling they were on a delicate and
mighty important mission. Other
spots for locating had been suggested
as for instance Front and Market,
the site of the Commonwealth Hotel
and Third and Locust, so that if they
failed to get the option another place
would have been selected. But this
one was the desideratum and the
plenipotentiaries sought Hampton l..
Carson with something suggesting a
shiver. Mr.. Carson, formerly at
torney general, was counsel for the
Weightman estate which owned tho
Penn Harris location.
Procured An Option
Talking at first OF a long mortgage
he became interested greatly, but
presently, in the twinkling of an eye
the Harrisburg hungerers, suddenly
suggested the option proposition and
it was not long before they paid that
historic one dollar TO bind thengree-
ment for all time.
I'VE left Carson's Office" relates
MIR. Stackpole. IN Precipitation,
but in such citation, after so many
years OF hoping we had accomplish
ed this good days work, that we
almost walked on the air.
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-12-31
Difficulties
Were No Bar
GED ERUTATIoN for getting
X things done!"

,ID ERUTATION for getting
h things done"
This was the slogan
which caught the eye of the brisk
Chamber of Commerce men when
they began looking about for an
able contractor and builder and
the message exactly fitted the firm
of Frank c. Levin, with offices at
26 North Third street; GIG Twelfth
street, n. W., Washington, and the
Peoples Gas Building, Chicago,
This firm had already erected 500
large buildings in a 500-mile radius
of Chicago, including hotels, club
houses, high-class apartment houses,
etc, one of the most recent hostel
ries being the Washington Hotel, at
, Washington, with its 500 rooms and
baths. The latter rose in time to
be n great boon for those working
on government contracts.
From the very start the levin
folk encountered vast difficulties
here, due to war conditions, but,
despite these, the Penn-Harris il
opened for business now and 1t Is
interesting to know that it is tho
only big private project started in
1917 which Is finished to-day. This
accomplishn ent surely bears out
the firms claim of Twenty years
in business and no building opera
tlon too big to tackle"
In the neighborhood of three
thousand cars of material were
used in the building; as many as
500 men were working at one time.
Whom materials did not come
through fast enough by freight they
were ordered through by express.
No stone was left unturned to get
the job done, and done as quickly
as human ingenuity and facilities
could make possible.
The head of the firm has asked
that high tribute be given to his
superlntendents and foremen on tho
job, General Superintendent l.. r.
Sholtes, Assistant Superintendent
Il. j. Johnson. Foremen Gus Aim
qulst and Harry Bartel. Mason Su-
perlntendent Fl, S. Gilbert, Mason
Foreman John Crollg.
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-12-31
IN HE Susquehanna lured Ralph
T.. Hawes, resident architect,


l.. Hawes. resident arehitect'
TO remain here until the finish.
"I only intended to remain short
time" he relates, to fill a temporary
Job, but l found the city so fasci-
mating, association with the archl-
tect and members of the Hotel Com
pany so agreeable that l decided to
complete the work.
you ask me what my work was
in Harrisburg. Well, / have directed
the construction of the building Tor
the supervising architect from the
time the first footings were laid for
the foundations until the completion
Of the building, and YOU Will not
misstate the facts in giving me credlt
for overcoming many of the dlthcul-
ties TO hasten the construction as
well as obtaining the finished work
of such high character
"As TO my history-my residence
is Pleasure Farms, Ridgefield, Conn,
NV father. was an architect and
builder who died in 1894, when l
was eighteen years of age. con-
tinued the business until lett with
the Twenty-second National Guard
of New York and served with them
during the Spanish American war
Il have since been associated with
some of the best-known architects
and directed some of the hnest as
well as the largest building opera
tions in this country--in fact, feW
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-12-31
Civic Club Is
MuchPleased
HE Penn-Harris Will be rel

TN HE Penn-Harris will be rel
ished by members of the
Civic Club" spoke Mrs. Will
liam Henderson, "if for no other
reason than that re may now in
vite here the Federation of Wom-
ems Clubs for its annual meeting.
1t has been a great disappointment
to us that Reading and other cities
could entertain this body but that
Harrisburg had TO be tabooed be-
cause there was no suitable hotel
and assembling room.
''It is quite exhilaratlng to all
women working for their sex to
know that Harrisburg will have fine
and clean quarters to take care of
the vast number of women now
travelling alone on business errands.
Also, that like the civic Club, which
demonstrated it's home atmosphere
In the entertaining of soldiers, this
beautiful place will appeal as u
homy spot where folks may meet
downtown amid such charming SUR
reundings, The Civic Club extends
it's heartiest congratulations to the
Penn-Harris
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-12-31
ARCHITECT WHO DESIGNED PENN-HARRIS HOTEL HAS
MANY MAGNIFICENT STRUCTURES TO HIS CREDI
Recent Work of w. L. Stoddart,
Architect of the New Penn-Harris Hotel
DESIGNED AND ERECTED AS ARCHITECT


Citizens National Bank ......,.
Empire Life Building ........
Chronicle Office Building .....
Connally Office Building ......
Perth Amboy Trust Company. .. :.
Hough Avenue Bank Bui!ding...
Garfield Bank Building .......
Natl Herkimer County Bank. 49,.
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-12-31
W. l. STODDART
BIG FIGURE IN
, BUILDING WORLD
Plans For New Hostelry Here
Result of Years of Wide
Experience
CLASSIC IN EVERY LINE
Best Ideas of Scores of Hostel
ries Are Embraced
i'll This

VTTHAT style of architecture has
wv the Penn-Harriss? -
OF the myriad questions pro-
,oundad from the time Harrisburg's
great hotel began to develop none
has been more common than this,
and. as Dom Paul Kruger identi-
fed losing the Transvaal with the
word staggering the term might
tuStiv he applied to our community s
generaI ignorance of this divine and
Useful art. The Telegraph man VINO
interviewed William Lee Stoddart,
Manner of the Penn-Harris' knew
himself himself to be one of these delin-
eonicaily replied adam" to the Oft
heard query, the only thing the uh-
TContinued OH Page 1S'l
Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-12-31
PENN-HARRIS IS u
OPENED TO PUBLIC

rcoDt,nued from Fist Pase.l
Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1918-12-26
"A PAIR OF SILK STOCKINS."

If your husband not only objected to your taste in motor cars. insisting on one of his one selection, but bought sables for another woman tto make you jealous) as well, would you im- mediately lose no time in suing for a divorce?
 Come to the ,Hauber Theatre on Sat urday and see just how Mollie Thorn hil Constance Talmadge) solves the problem of the motor car and the sab les, ilf her latest Select Picture in which she is presented by Lewis J. |Selznick.
 Sam and Mollie Thornhill, a young English couple, are happy indeed un- til the serious question of motor car arises. Mollie wants this and Sam wants that with the result that Sam in rage, goes off to make Mollie jealous and attempts this by the sab- les for r-another-method, leaving the bill around for her to find. Mollie not only finds the bill. but also the speed fest way of divorcing Sam and starts off to tour the country in a car of q make which she is sure Sam disap- proves.
 Sam goes to a country house and tries to drown his sorrows ill the mer- ry whrl of amateur theatricals. Mol lie, approaching this same house breaks down and is compelled to be guest in the house which shelters Sam. Here, through the medium of "A Pair of Silk Stockings" which Molly loses, the two are rejoined and are re
 married by the vicar in the village.
Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1918-12-26
CONFERENCE
 CONFINES IN
 THREE WEEKS
Continued from page one.

(Continued from page one.)
 influence of the president across the channel was almost as great as in France
 "The president and members of the mission are devoting themselves to the task of establishing an under standing. They are not playing pol itics- but, on the contrary, they are avoiding it. The president Believes in announcing principles with such clarity that they will speak for them selves. He has faith that whatever honest differences may arise can be smoothed' out by conference, and that this will occur in the proceedings.
 There is noticeable decrease of expressions of misgiving and of sus- picion on the part of the British press and by public men in England. This may be due to the fact that the elec- tion is past, and bogies are no long, CT needed to scare the voters into party channels.
 Fears Fast Disappear.
 The feeling of timidty and doubt that was manifest at the time of the presidents arrival may be laid to the fear that he might be swayed unduly towrd len'ency for Germany. Each day since his arrival has added to the strength of the conviction, that Americ's position will not anta- gonize any proper interest that rests on justice, and that the only col !isions likely are those in which self interest and tho spirit of eXplcita- tion cferrun fairer attitude
 The intensity and ccrdiality of the public reception of the President war ront the belief that the attitude of the French government in respect to peace demands has already been affected by his visit. If there were plans afoot to isolate the President in the peace con- ference by diplomatic maneuvers, such intent bids fair to prove ahOrtive. it this moment the statement is justified that other governments need the PreSi. dent more than he needs them. He has become a source of strength to their programs. Realization of this fact has gone for toward smoothing our wrin- kles, some real and some imaginary, which had appeared on the face of the situation.
 So far the President has been sizing up the problems that are ahead. Be- hind the clouds of conjecture as to the meaning and happenings of various conferences, there is a certainly that each of them has marked a step to- ward fuller harmony and more sym- pathetic understanding between the Americans and the French.
 i President Wilson has adhered in his conversations to the plan indicated in his 14 points of peace settlement. By his constancy of purpose, and his sin glemindedness, he has built leader ship that is generally acknowledged here, both by the French and by the British. There is no dissent from his view, except by handful of reaction aries. among whom must be included
Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1918-12-26
CHRISTMAS GREETINGS
 FROM PRES. WILSON

Washington Dec. 25.--President Wilson in Paris sent to the American people today the following Christ mas message:
 Il hope that it will cheer the peo- pie at home to know that I find their boys over here in fine form and in fine spirits, esteemed by all those with whom they have been associat ed in the war and trusted wherever they go and they will also, am sure, 'te cheeged by the knowledge of the fact that throughout the great na- tions with which we have been as sociated in this war. public opinion strongly sustains all proposals for 6 just and lasting peace ahid close ko-operation of the self-M0verning peoples of the world in making that peace secure after it's prsEent set dement's are formulated, Nothing could constitute a, more acceptable Christmas req ssurance than the sen- timerts which I find everywhere pre- valent