Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-07-28
Ea1Ptttng Gf1at

Il
| ment the other day that United
states authorities had informed him
or intention to start upon the survey
OF the lower Susquehanna called
for by the Griest resolution in Con-
gf ess has not only aroused the in
| terest Oh many people among the g.
>oVV,OoO living in the Suquehanna
pasln, but attracted attention to the
historic character of the work. 1t
{ is almost century and a quarter
since this project was first brought
10 tne attention of Congress. In fact,
IL was one of the very first matters
to be laid before the newly-estab-
llshed legislative authority of the
/ lnlant federation. The value of the
| stfeam as means of communica-
| tLon was recognized 200 years ago
ny John Harris and the writings OF
Weiser, Maclay and other men who
ngure IN the splendid history of the
ousquehanna valley are filled with
eIehces 10 traffic borne on it and
What developments were possible
indeed, in those far off days wben
harrisburg was trading post and
Reading and Lancaster lust COM
menclng to be heard of men non
uered on now the river which fur
| nlshed such an ample supplv op
water could be cleared of rocks so
that navigation could be made safe
ana more than one army engineer,
one no less distinguished than
George Washington, thought of an
plying the explosives of his time to
proving out the channels in the
leuSes. This proposition with tba
potential force of INT behind it was
much heard of here this last wear
Inc Susquehanna, as every student
OF It's winding course knows. is a
succession of shallow ponds con-
mected by waterways due to erosion.
me ran Is slight, the width magnif-
cent ana the population to be served
growing every day.
The earliest record, as far as
harrisburg is concerned, shows that
CLedrlng out of the rocks to make
me SuSquehanna navigable was
formally considered here in 17e5
Irlor to that time John Harris ana
Wlillam Maclay had paid to remove
npcks from landing and along the
shores OF what is now HARRISBURG
both being interested in the harges
that brought down various materials
from the Juniata and the north and
Mest branches. Tradition says that
Mhen washington was here on his
way TO suppress the Whisky Insur-
rectlon he discussed the clearing out
OF the rocks in the river and thai
ailly oHcer5 studied it seriously as
Iieahs OF provisioning the costal
eSiohs; tradition is not always re-
1t is we'll known in the Ieeends 20
OLD families here that Anthem
wayne who owned land here and in
the Cumberland Valley, more than
once heartily denounced the rocIa
III the Suspuehanna as spoilin1 !.
waterway of vast economic imnor-
lance. AS Wayne was here often
and was known to use explicit Ian
eu"ee 'his Is probably true.
The Oracle of Dauphin tolls +h,.
on August IL, 1895, Representa- +iuas as
) OF Lancaster, York, Dauphin C,,,oN
, oerIand, Miffiin Huntingdon and
Northumberland counties mot bara
eeosether with men named bv tbe
; maryland authorities to devisa
means of ripping out rocks in the
river between Wrightsville and The
oe 1nai :, iand line with eventual advance
VI tne work to Harrisburg. This
go was held in the courthouse
M u,ai. d subscription list opened. Money
was raised and rocks blown o,,t -
; then the project languished until
: aIter the War of 1912 when water
r ways having been found valuable the
} nSS stature was spurred into action
5 Inc session of 1928 passed an an
? preparation to improve NAVIGATION
from northumberland to tidewater
@ anu named commissioners. This
: SS' together with some factss
l carry newspapers about the
r troubles of commissioners has aI
t ready been told in this coI1Imn IT,.
l State spent about $4,000 and fonnd
: Ihe rocks to be of the. rocky kind
J, N ~ looz the matter was revived
S falehtlne Hummel taking a proni,
e neht part In the affair and in Son-
t tenn Der, 1888, another courtbonee
: meeting was held and a committee
= named which drafted a memorial to
4 Consress' Henry Beuhler is said
~ nave written it. George Wash
b ne. MS ton harris wrote another and
q next year Henry K. Strong IagisN
: lator and later prominent in fho
Q state government, interested Lewis
:, GaSe. tnen Secretary of War, and
( Dr' William Howard was assienad
= ny lhe army to make a survey.
,
t This project fell through but tho
Y story OF It's abandonment is interest
$ ing When DR.. Howard came here
t ne had meeting with the citizens
r ailu hlade an estimate of the ex-
II NfS NiliNtuS started ONT RI
Y get the money, the executive go ~
g mlttee being Mr.. Strong, John q
It Bucher, Jacob M. Haldeman VaIan
S tine Hummel and George Misb Ra
v fore much could be done DIR, How
r ard died suddenly and Congress- fo;,-
= ing 10 make an appropriation to
: match what the citizens raised ~
f army engineer officers got busy else
: Where and the survey of the Susoue-
= mamma which might have resulted
Q IN the wide branching river heirs -
e OF tremendous value to the TTnion
t army IN the matter of provisions
f IN the civil War was forgotten The
opening of the era of canals ana tho
coming of the railroad pushed the
protest further from the public mind
ana save for some revivals in tima
Oh national stress or when a steam
boat tried to get here and was held
e pack by lodge of rocks nothing has
r peen done. 1t is a project filled with
# great possibilities. The Susuuebanna
s taps coal, lumber, wheat iron
: quarry, produce and other regions
=; and its current could cut freight
e rates and make Harrisburg's front
: steps" of still greater value some
= day.