Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-11-14
Euettttg Utrat

Reference in this column a night
or two ago to the firing of salutes
on Capitol Hill to celebrate the
overthrow of the Confederacy has
brought from one of the older resi-
dents of Harrisburg some interest
ing "reminiscences ahoLt that method
of expressing joy, which went out of
vogue in this city about the time of
Pattison's second Inauguration when
cannon placed near the present
site of the Mexican monument was
fired with such charges that the con-
cussion smashed windows in the
Grand Opera House, which occupied
the Penn-Harris corner, cracked q
pane in the old Park hotel and made
residents of Walnut street and Third
street replace glass for a week. Since
that year the salutes have been fired
at the State Arsenal, which being
higher up gives chance for the
sounds to reverberate in the valley
of the Susquehanna and to fitly de-
scribe popular sentiments without
GLACIERS bills. when the state ar
senal was in the Capitol Park there
were a number of cannon in the
building which were used for firing
salutes on all occasions, not only
when the Union forces won, but on
holidays and high days and l can
well remember the banging that
bunch of guns made" said my in
formant. II think some of the can
non dated from the Mexican War and
some We're used in early days of the
Civil War. In the lot was one
known as a brass Napoleon" WHICH
used to make a splendid crash. The
| powder was fired in leather bags and
there were some serious accidents.
| Billy Longnecker, we'll known as a
watchman in later years, was one of
the officiating gunners and helped in
many a celebration. One time the
gun was prematurely discharged and
the hands of two men were blown
off. The rammer was found stick
ing in the street below where the
Columbus now stands"
A friend who read the account of
the old Telegraph in Civil War
| times and the way the devils" had
to "chase copy" from the Telegraph
offices in Third street in 1866 says
| that during the war George Bergner
was the publisher and Vein Forney
editorial writer with James NJ Mil
Ter, the lamented Squire" Miller of
later days of the Harrisburg Tele-
graph business office, as local editor.
The Rev. Jackson" referred to in
the account of the celebration of the
victory over Lee, was the Rev. ].
! Walker Jackson, who was pastor of
the Locust Street Methodist congre-
cation, which worshiped in Locust
street almost opposite to the site of
the present building of the Harris
burg Telegraph. Mr.. Jackson was
a noted pulpit orator and at his best
in wartime sermons, as many of the
older residents will recall.
| Apparently there are still some
proc ermans hereabouts, as the
following conversation over the tele-
phone from the Telegraph Office
early Monday morning when the
whistles began to blow as a notifica-
ton that the armistice had been
signed would seem to indicate:
Voice from afar: Vat, please, is
all dis noise apout?"
Voice of reporter replying: why,
Germany has surrendered"
Voice from afar: "Oh. 1t can't be;
dere must be some mistake apoutI
dot"
Voice of reporter: mo, no mis-
take. Germany has quit and the
Kaiser has fled to Holland"
Voice from afar: We'll, if he has
gone, 1 guess you'll find he had some
business ofer dere."
Voice of reporter: Eyes, he had
very important business"
| Conversation closes.
|
High school boys who were drilled
yesterday by the members of the
Harrisburg Reserves resumed their
marching with the greatest ginger
and are all planning to show the
town a thing or two when the jubi-
lee parade is held. The Technical
boys marched over Capitol Park eX-
tension, while the Central students
took the highways around that high
school with Captain w. II. Moore
showing them how. The drills will
be held once a week and will be con-
Quoted by the details from Major
Stines organization.