Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-07-25

This is the story of visitors day"
at Camp Harry C. Ross, on the Isle
of Que, opposite Selinsgrove, where
Colonel Charles E. Covert and, his
! brave little band of campers are
holding forth for the week. OF
about this camp that the mere out
slider never learns, but so far as pos
sible one of the guests who toured
up to the Isle at the invitation of
Colonel Covert got behind the scenes
and he has faithfully recorded his
findings.
In the first place, the camp is
properly named, for 1t is just as
charming as it's sponsor, Harry C.
Ross, who had the surprise of his
life when he got into camp Monday
morning and saw his name in big
letters on a banner swung across
the entrance of the camp. Every
body up at camp calls him BOSS"
Ross and he never resents the soft
impeachment. He is one of the
liveliest figures in camp, despite the
fact that he carried n saber in many
a gallant cavalry dash in the Civil
War and by all ordinary methods of
computing age ought to be an old
man. Hello, young fellow" was
the greeting one guest gave him
| yesterday and he responded cheer
fully, That's me-"
Another outstanding figure of the
camp is Colonel Covert himself.
| Every summer barring that of last
| year when the war interfered, the
| Colonel has had big camp on the
Isle of Que, which is just opposite
his boyhood home between Penn's
Creek and the river. Each summer
he gathers about him party OF his
personal friends, made up mostly OF
members of zembo Temple, Mystic
Shriners, of which he is the poten-
tate, and takes them entirely at his
own expense to camp for full
week. Lucky is the man who gets
an invitation, for the Coloners camps
are famous among those who love
the outdoors. And each year, on
Thursday of the camp, falls visitors
day. which is why this happens to be
written, for on other occasions re-
porters and their activities are dis
couraged about camp. There is a
reason" as Cenator Frank A. Smith
formerly general factotum of the en-
campment and who this year sent
his fearful regrets from California
where he is on business trip, might
have said had he been present.
But, as the writer started out to
say, Colonel Covert Is the main ga
zabo of the camp not only because
he is the host but because he is a
leader in every form of sport from
uuoits to volleyball and from base
ball to swimming. He is the first
man in the field and the last to
leave it.
The Colonel gives all credit fol
laying out the camp to Captain
Frank Hoy, who went up late last
:, week and put up the canvas, named
the streets, laid out the volleyball
field, etc, and laying out the Colonies
camp is some job, for 1t embraces the
erection of some fifty tents of var
ious sizes, to say nothing of kitch'
ems, mess halls and the like. "Cappy
has some fine ideas about street
naming, too. For example. the row
of tents at the head of the camp
where such high lights as the Colo.
mel, Boss" Ross. Lieutenant Cover.
= nor Beidleman, "Art" Bacon, Mercer
B. Tate and "Cappy" himself hav:
their headquarters, is known a'
Highbrow avenue; one side of the
company street bears the inscription
Rue de Ruffneks," while the Other
is Allah Alley" In front of the
Co'onels tent is the fiagpole with q
big sign, "Coverts Kamp," fiat or
the ground beneath it.
why put the sign on the
ground 2" asks the innocent visitor
"Oh," is the solemn reply, that's
for the aerial mail carrier" wherea
the aforesaid innocent visitor mar
wells at the wonders of Mr.. Burleson':
transcontinental, get-lostin-the-fo fog
get-there- once ma while system Of
postal transportation, for it is a sad
fact that UP to this time the aeria
mailman has not delivered a single
letter to the ColonePs Kamp.
"Covert's Terrace"
Then there is the lovely little gar.
den next door to the headquarter.
tent, labeled "Coverts Terrace" ir
which are planted a stalk of corn, q
sunflower, a milkweed and a dande
lion. This is supposed to make yor
laugh, but 1t couldn't prevent a wave
of sorrow from sweeping over the
Isle yesterday morning when it wa:
discovered that DOC" Kann wa:
missing from his bunk and it wa
currently reported that he had beer
carried away by big mosquito. Hi
fellow campers gathered sorrowfull!
about and in lieu of the missing com
rade they rigged up an effigy of the
doctor from some of his spare cloth