Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-11-09
Enrtttttg Glrat

show O loss of hundreds OF thousands
of tons. possibly a million, as the re-
suit of the influenza epidemic which
swept through that section with
great severity. The ban was just
raised to-day on that territory, the
emergency hospitals at Lykens and
Williamstown having been closed q
few days ago. There are dozens of
persons just recovering from the epi-
demic and there will be weeks be-
fore the full tide of production of
coal can be resumed. In this city 1t
is estimated that there were 500
deaths and between 1000 and 5000
cases, while Steelton was hard hit.
Where housing conditions were not
good there were many fatalities.
Middletown, Hummelstown, Millers-
burg and Hershey were not so seri-
ously affected as the mining section.
In the mining region the men are
slowly getting back to work, and
Charles ]. Price, the state mine in
spector, says that mining has been
much hampered by the epidemic.
In Williamsport 1t is reported that
there were forty-two deaths in a
population of 5000, while Tower
City and vicinity, over the Schuyl-
kill line, had about 115 deaths in
5000 population. In Lykens and
Wiconisco there were fifty-three
deaths with q population OF about
5000. Several of the collieries were
actually shut down for from three
or four days to a week by the epi-
demic and the production of anthra-
cite of q high grade, ordinarily T.
900 tons q day went down to fifty
per cent. for the October working
days. Much expense will fall on
municipalities, but largely costs of
fighting the epidemic are going to
be taken out of the half million dol
lars or so to the credit of the State
Health Department. All these bills
will be paid and then sent to the
Auditor General for final auditing.
The cost to the state will not be
complete for weeks owing to the
widespread nature of the epidemic
and the extraordinary conditions
which had to be met.
People hereabouts are wondering
what effect the end of the war is
going to have on the plans of the
government and the great military
storehouses established at Middle
town and Marsh Run. Some very am
bilious projects for road improve
ment and other developments are In
the wind and if the national au-
thorities determine to curtail or
abandon the plants there will be
changes. The belief is that they
will be permanent, at least for a
decade to come.
State Librarian Thomas Lynch
Montgomery, who is greatly inter-
ested in the systematic organization
of efforts for collecting the history
of Pennsylvania, has begun prepara-
tions for the meeting of the Penn
sylvania Federation of Historical So
cieties here next January. There
are almost fifty societies affiliated
with this organization and they are
being relied upon to assist the State
Historical Commission in assembling
the data relative to Pennsylvania
and the great war, work of the
utmost Importance because of the
tremendous part Pennsylvania men
and resources and products have
| played in the struggle. Captain H.
| NJ. NJ. Richards, of Lebanon, is the
president of the State Federation
and its first vice-president is a Har-
risburger, DIR. Hugh Hamilton :
while B. M. Mead, the lawyer and
historian, is chairman OF the COM
DlIIee on SlIeS.
The white frosts which have %
peared on the roofs and lawns Of
Harrisburg the last few days bring
| home to us that the election is over
and yet in spite of the heavy char
acter of the particles to be found
on every surface before the sun gets
busy have failed to dim the glory
of the cosmos or the colors Of the
chrysanthemums. The tall cosmos
J is to be seen peering over many q
fence and hedge and is rivaling the
| chrysanthemums in insisting that
! this is an ideal autumn in the Sus-
quehanna Valley. And similarly the
| foliage on the islands show that
winter has not yet compelled the
lowering of the colors.
Pennsylvania's State Capitol, de-
dicated in the month of October,
| twelve years ago, had fewer visitors
in the month just closed than ever
known in any similar period since
| the building was formally opened
| by Theodore Roosevelt in 1906.
This was due to the fact that the
month had scarcely commenced be-
fore the influenza ban was placed
upon it and all visiting except on
official business was forbidden, the
Show places and legislative halls
being closed tight and signs and
Natchmen put at the doors. The
office of the guides and the register
on which people of every state and
every nation and every cline have
written their names were locked up
and the autumn automobile parties,
which have been feature of every
year since the famous penny a mile"
excursions instituted by the late
Governor Samuel w. Pennypacker,
were notable for their absence
This has been a favorite time of the
year for farmers to come to Har-
risburg as the harvesting is ended
and they can visit the Capitol. Even
the State Museum with Pennsyl-
vania birds and beasts and reptiles
and fishes had to close up and the
various educational excursions to
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