Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-09-02

| signaled for flare of army rockets
at the upper end of the island.
Tho Pageant
| At this given signal tho Indian
! warriors and maidenS passed the
! reviewing stand in their canoes and
! boarded fiat No. 1 whore scene
was enaced by provincial officers
arresting a French trader and Il spy
| who were taken from Harrisburg TO
Philadelphia in the early days of
! the war. Under the direction of DI.
! Hugh Hamilton this scene was -ad-
| mirably worked out, the title
! Pe:xtan being derived from the
! name that this community had un-
| til John Harris settled here on the
| banks of the Susquehanna. In those
| days it was the scene of many bor-
der raids and it was from an Incl
/ dent of these times that the first
! picture of the pageant was worked
! out.
The second scene was laid at Old
| Paxton Church. the settlers and Indians
| being shown in one of the fights that
occurred in the valley near PaXtang
and Swatara, while2sene three showed
the old Harris Trading house with the
we'll from which the settlers drew their
about and it was dangerous to venture
far from home.
Scene four which Immediately fol
lowed was a representation of the in.
terror of the Harris home and was an
actual picture of an occurrence there
when n young colored girl sent by Mrs
Harris into a storeroom placed lighted
candle in a barrel of gunpowder under
the impression that il was flaXseed. A
n 1r1y1, 10 off pf ,fc Nt-oe-
sented by a young woman taking the
part of Mrs. John Harris who blew out
the candle and saved the family's life.
No explanation was needed Of the
next scene, presenting the historic oc
casion when hostile Indians attempting
to burn John Harris at the stake were
driven off by n colored man and a
party of friendly Indians from the Cum
berland shore. The part of Hercules,
the colored man. was taken in
most realistic manner. This was one
of the most impressive of all the
pageant pictures.
Another attempt to kill John Harris
was enacted on the adjoining float by
persons representing British officers who
visited him on the preteXt that they
had come to discuss plans TO prevent
Indian raids. The last and also one
of the most picturesque of all the
scenes was a reproduction of Wash
ingtons visit to Harrisburg on his way
to quel the Whisky Insurrection of
1894. Washington was presented as
stepping out of the famous old White
House tavern to receive the greetings OF
the assembled people.
The training of the hundreds of peo.
ple who took part in the pageant and OF
many who assisted in the choruses was
in charge of Mrs. Florence Ackley Ley
assisted by Messrs. Neate and ZorSer,
of the War Camp Community Service
and all of them were most heartily con
graduated for the success of their ef-
forts.
The Boat Parade
The boat parade started Immediately |
unon the conclusion of the pageant fea' |
lures and was announced by purst
of fireworks from the Island 1ollo"eu
nv music from the Moose band IN |
white uniform occupying large steam
driven fat handsomely decorated. Inc
Darade itself was beyond comparison !
and the river presented falrylike aP'
pearance with the dark hills ana lslahos
sharply outlined by n crescent moon
th,t hung over the river in the west |
THE water sparkled under the brilliant
eoodliehts and reflected back the
t,yinkling light of nearly thousand
boats lighted by Japanese lanterns
electric lights ard fedhre. ne pro-
oession swung down the river from
roint near Reilly street and up INTO tne
lagoon formed by the mats anu t"e
shore and there assembled, the entlre
space being taken up by the beauu
fully lighted boats that for an hour
during the remainder of the fireworks
disnlav moved about from place to |
n1ace like a myriad of great hrefiies ,
boyering over the water. The spectacle |
was beyond question the most impress
siye ever presented to a Harrisburg |
assemblage.
Little Delay
War canoe races, swimming con- !
tests obstacle races, tiltirg and |
man fishing contests and high diving /
amused the thousands lined on the !
banks and in theS river in small
boats in the afternoon.
The program got started with lit
tie delay and for almost three hours
the aquatic events continued. Now
and then the officials on the course !
were kept busy rounding up the par !
ticipants in the various races and /
this caused some slight delays, v.
Grant Forrer, clerk of the course, |
explained.
The hundred-yard swim for boys
under 16 years of age started the
program. BY that time every bit OF
space on the front steps" from
Market street to the pumping sta
tion ard above was taken, and hun |
dreds of persons went out on the
Market and Walnut street bridges. |
Scores of canoes and rowboats went
up and down the river or anchored
along the shores while the contests
were being held.
Winners of Events
Three of the events could not be |
presented because there were not
anouph contestants. These were the