Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-10-07
Eufntttg Glrat

Although there is q very general
disposition to regard the present
epidemic OF influenza as Q new dis
ease and to call It Spanish. DR.. 3. +.
| Roger, the acting commissioner of
health, says that 1t is essentially the
| same as that which ravaged the
| United States in 1889 and 1890 uS>
der the name of the Russian in
fiuenza. meteorological tests have
shown that it is the same as that
which afflicted this country twenty
eight years ago and it seems to be
severe type, which spreads rapidlv.
and is very prostrating." said he.
The 1SS9-90 outbreak came to this
country from away over in Eastern
Siberia, said the acting commits
sioner. 1t spread through Russia,
and was soon brought to this coun-
try, much as the present outbreak
seems to have come over. Recollec-
tions by medical officials here of the
| 1SS9-90 outbreak were that 1t did
not fall as heavily upon Pennsyl-
vania cities as the present. but then
industrial conditions were different
and the country was not under the
| stress of war production. The COM
batting of the disease was directed
by the old State Board of Health.
but more in an advisory manner
than regulatory as it did not have
the power of the Department of
Health and no such drastic action
as that taken few days ago to pre-
vent congregating of people was pos
sible. Capitol officials are referring
to the present outbreak as grip"
Better results in enforcement of
the dog license law are being OBJ
tanned in rural districts of Pennsyl-
vania, according to officials of the
State Department of Agriculture,
which is charged with enforcement
of the code of 1917. In districts
law to force constables to kill un-
licensed dogs or to arrest men
who permitted dogs to go un-
! licensed or at large in farming re-
gions where efforts are being made
1 to increase sheep there have been
evidences of regulation. The State
police and State game wardens have
been assisting in the enforcement
1 and also forcing aliens to give up
dogs. In some cases foreigners
were discovered to have several ami
/ mails.
Capitol park pigeons have been
driven to the tall timbers and the
sparrows forced to fly for their
lives by an invasion of blackbirds
the last few days. The blaclcoats,
officially the purple-headed grackles,
arrived in a swarm and proceeded
! to disturb the breakfasts of the
] feathered denizens of the park on
Saturday. They did not bother the
gray squirrels, but did not run when
the bushy-tailed bosses of the park
| came around. But no pigeon had a
| nho 20 OF ~
for the sparrows, they were not only
| driven from the feeding grounds
along the walks frequented by visi-
| tors to the park, but pickets of
blackbirds disturbed their morning
! baths in the fountains on the west
front. 1t was the first time the SPAR
rows had been put to rout and yes
terday they were in a state of ter
ror. The blackbirds held the park
and sparrows were forced to forage
in streets and along the River Front
while the pigeons stayed up on the
capitals of the pillars of the State
House or in the trees and watched
the black-coated invaders making
free with the grain asd kernels of
nuts thrown about by>vistors.
Colonel B. N Hyde, for years Ii
brarian at Pottsville, and we'll
known to many residents of this
city, died Saturday at an advanced
age. He was a West Point gradu-
ate and classmate of General o. o.
| Howard.
Henry f. Bodine, formerly in the
Department of Internal Affairs, and
lately manager of the Altoona
Chamber of Commerce, has resigned
| to go to Fort Wayne, where he will
| become identified with the Chamber.
He was formerly at Clearfield and
in Altoona was active in the Liberty
Loan and other work.
Major Rudolph F. Kelker, Jr., of
the United States Engineers, has ar
rived in France where he will report
to the Pershing headquarters for as
signment. Major Kelker. who is a
son of the late Luther R. Kelker
was formerly engineer of transit for
the city of Chicago and later camp
adjutant at Camp Grant where he
helped organize a regiment of engi-
neers. He is State College gradu-
ate.
Squads of Technical High School
| boys who are out in the orchard dis
tricts of Adams and Franklin coun-
Ties are WfltlnB tWltIlng letters TO
their comrades in this city who
have to give up work because of the
! school closing order, while they are
having the time of their lives in the
orchards where apples are plenty
and influenza unknown.
Combination of gasolineless Sun
day, the closing of the churches be-
cause of the influenza outbreak, the
advice of the doctors to everyone
to get into sunshine and a perfect
day caused every road in the vicin-
ity of Harrisburg and the River
Front to be filled with walkers.
| Taken as a whole. said one of the
doctors last evening, the day was
the kind needed to chase people out
for healthful exercise in fresh air
and probably went a great ways to-
ward bringing about better condi-
tions. 1t seems to have been one
of the situations which could not