Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-10-01
Enrntrtg Glrat

Closing of the United States Army
signment of Lieutenant. now Cap
tain Robert V. Lesher, to Fort Ma
sara, maks the end of an army estab-
! lishment in Harrisburg after more
than forty one years. There are few
places the size of this city which
have had u recruiting office Tor
regulars" so long or so continu-
ousIy and there is no district IN the
whole United States which has rec
ord of men furnished. Men who en-
listed here are commissioned oIncers
or resting beneath soldier mead
stones in many states, IN Cupa, Ala
ska. China, the Philippines ana
France. The first recruiting station
was opened here about 1877 In the
old Eby store building at Firth ana
Market, which was formerly the exc
cutive offices of the Eorthern Cen
trail Railway. At that time the army
was commencing to be reorgamzed
after the strenuous Indian Hshttns
which, followed the civil war ana 1t
was desired to get in young men.
Colonel Chambers MCKibbon, later
a general in the army, was the urst
recruiting" officer here and then Cap
tain E. Pollock, " member or a we'll
known Harrisburg family, came
here. The recruiting station moved
from the E.hy store to the Koss
building in Third street and then
to the old Eby residence at Firth
and Market with some interlms III
College Block, the Haldeman pulld-
ing on Market Square where the
Central Democratic Club holds forth
and the Cumberland Valley Teie-
phone building, going thence to the
Bergner building and then to the
Strouse building, where 1t has hcld
forth since before the war began
In that time some distinguished ofn-
GERS have been here among them Col.
c. .. Booth, the late Major w. r.
Almy, General Samuel W. Miller, the
Fort Niagara commandant' General
William Ennis, of the artillery; Major
c. d. Parllhurst, Major H. l.. Roberts
and Major d. L. Holley, who are now
colonels; Col. Alexis r. PaXton'
Col Archibald Campbell, Col. r. e,
Williams and Col. Robert Carmich-
ael, the latter in command OF an
artillery regiment in France and Ma
jor w. +. Harrell, now in france
with an infantry command, Dr.
Hugh Hamilton. of this city, served
as examining surgeon almost from
the day The station opened mere
ed upon regiments of men.
The manner in which young men
are getting up before the sun these
! days to get cracks at the wild ducks
that are to be seen in the Susque-
hanna anywhere between Dauphln
rapids and the big islands below
Steelton shows that the sport has lost
none of its popularity with years.
Some 1gNS rnfPrance was made
to the men who used to go out in
round bottoms to shoot the ducks
years ago. Recent developments in
dicate that duck shooting is not
lost art about here by any manner of
means.
The six-cent fare which goes into
effect on Harrisburg trolley lines to-
day reminded the oldtimer yeSter-
day of the six-cent fares and the
horse cars. II so happened that the
old horse cars and the siX-cent fares
were what saved the local tranSpor-
tation day for Harrisburg. The first
street railway in Harrisburg had
glorious smash and lost a lot of
money for the people who started it
and SiN-cent fares were all that kept
the company which succeeded it in
business. Since that time the nickel
has come to the front amazingly and,
il is hard TO break away from it.
In some cities in the state advances
in trolley fares have been made from
five to six and then seven and eight
and in one case to ten since the first
of the year.
It's odd the way boys turn on what
has given them pleasure. Now that
the riverside bathing season is over
boys are busy bombarding the bath
house near Schuylkill street with
stones. 1t is subjected to more bonn
bardments than Metz and the boys
seem to be storming it in relays.
Even the benches have not escaped
and if it We're not for people living up
that way few would be left.
Boys should remember that there
is a city ordinance against riding
bicycles at night without lanterns
Just as older people should remem-
ber that riding without means of pre-
caution endangers both pedestrians
and riders. The gasolineless SUNDAYS
has caused u marked popularity for
wheels again and the number run
ming in the evenings without lights is
too great to go without attention
from the police department A few
arrests and fining of offenders would
have an excellent effect.