Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-08-22
Eurntttg Grat

A good many people in this part
of the state will be interested in the
plans for the reunion of the Old
Boatmen's Association which Is to
be held near sunbury on the last
Saturday of this month. This or
ganization is made up of men who
once worked on the canal systems of
the state, especially the old Penn
sylvania canal and the number who
are still hale and hearty is larger
the reunion. which was started
few years ago, is an object of much
sentiment and men travel fo=
many miles. some of them from
the depth of rural districts to gather
around and "swop" stories of the
towpath and the BERN bank. There
will be quite program and the men
who were shippers and mule drivers
and just boys will meet and form a
permanent organization, taking steps
also to get together the stories of
the waterways which we all wish
that we had back again. To the
average Harrisburger who knows
only of the canal through this city
by the remains near Paxton ana
Lochiel furnaces and up along the
Pennsylvania yards above the city
| limits these canal stories mean little.
but there are many active in affairs
In this city who came from towns
along the canal who could tell of
| rare swimming sport in summer and
F., rides in the fall and skating in win
| ter. while the native sons recall the
days when they used to dive from
the Paxton, Herr, Maclay or Dock
street bridges. Jump boats and
ride down TO Steelton or up to Rock
Vile; gather round the Walnut street
| lock to see the boats go through and
| occasionally to assist the coroner
/ hall
| fortunate who turned up in the
waters. And then there are the men
who can tell of the time when Har-
| risburg got most of it's coal by boat
| and we were not dependent upon
any railroad administration for coal
cars. There was brisk competition
to sell coal in those days and the
patient mules that used to Jingle
into town brought many a ton that
sold for less than half what we pay
now and incidentally, burned much
better.
Besides being president of ths
First National Bank of Beaver
Springs, A. A. Ulsh is prominent in
the affairs of the little Snyder
county village. Speaking to his Sum-
day school class several weeks ago
he told them story which may be
of interest of Harrisburg readers.
"There are many strange ways of
converting people to Christ" he
said. Several years ago I was
present at a protracted melting series
held in a country schoolhouse. The
janitor was very worldly man. One
evening as he was cleaning up the
schoolhouse he remembered his
duty of ringing the bell. When he
attempted to ring it, there was no
sound. Naturally he thought it a
supernatural phenomen and was
converted to Christ that evening.
But a party-of boys lettering near
the schoolhouse could have ex-
planned things. They had cut the
bellrope. Mr.. Ulsh isn't the only
interesting character in Beaver
Springs. There is II. I. Romig, for
thirty years secretary of the Snyder
County Sunday School Association
and for twenty years the chorister
in st. Peters Evangelical Lutheran
Church. President is his middle
name. He is head of every organi-
cation from the Romig Reunion AS
sociation to the Odd Fellows Re-
union Association. He is secretary
of the Odd Fellows Orphans Home
and director of the Romig S hop.
There is probably no man in the
entire county who is better known
than he. Incidentally he is a
brother-in-law to Federal Judge
Charles B. Wilmer of this district.
Harrisburg friends have sent
their congratulations to Ex-Post-
master Caleb S. Brinton. of Carlisle.
Mr.. Brinton likes to tell of the days
when he taught school and of his
first case as a lawyer. He was also
on Shippensburg Normal School
faculty.
The desire for military training in
Harrisburg seems to be intense. Tha
Harrisburg Public Library has been
compelled to replace its drill man
uals and other textbooks several
times. The books seem to just walk
off.
In spite of the fact that revenue
is not making any great showing as
far as million is concerned every day
there has been such a steady flow
of money into the State Treasury
that everyone is being kept busy.
The receipts each day are made up
of banknotes, certified checks or
money orders and Earl DeWald, the
deposit clerk has to handle whole
armful every afternoon.
The old Capitol Park conservatory
appears to be as we'll built as the rest
of things about the State House. and
Sam Fishman's men in charge of
demolition are having their own
troubles getting rid of the bricks and
mortar. The buildings were heavily
constructed and it will take much
pick work in the hot sun to get them
down. Practically all of the 1000 or
more panes of glass in the building
have been sold to a man living near
New Cumberland.
One of the most impressive things
about the city is the manner in
which the piles of river coal ara
growing. There are several veri-
table mountains to be seen in the
manufacturing district and the Har-
risburg Light and Power Company.
has reserve which is as impress
sive as its smokestack. The coal
fleet is the busiest proposition
about Harrisburg these days.