Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-08-20
Es1rntng Ghat

L. f. Neefe, president of the XII
wants Club, has his hands full these
days arranging for the picnic of
kiwanis clubs of Pennsylvania at
Hershey park, August 2S. All the
clubs of the State and the Whining
ton Kiwanians have been invited.
Much as the members would like
it, there will be no basket" dinner.
Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and other
kiwanis enthusiasts object to toting
hampers all the way across the State.
So arrangements have been made for
light luncheon at noon and for
an oldfashioned country chicken
d. 2or such as only the housewives
oL this locality know how to pre-
pare.
During the day there will be stunts
of all sorts, including baseball, golf,
swimming races, etc. with prizes
for each and band and orchestra
music all day. So far as known this
is the first Statewide picnic ever
attempted. The attendance is prob
lematical but some thousands at
least are expected.
Mr.. and Mrs. Frank E. Musser
have just returned from 1900 mile
motor trip, visiting their son, Clay
ton, at Bonneville, n. Y, and their
daughter, near Wilmington, Del
aware. Not an unpleasant Incl
dent marred their trip. They mo-
tored to the Thousand Islands, up
the st. Lawrence and to Placid Lake
and the seashore. Mr.. Musser's son,
who is engaged in the newspaper
and general printing business at
! Boonsboro, with his father-in-law,
| former Senator Willard, is a keen
| sportsman.
You ought to let me take You
out for bass while you are up here,'1
said he to his father.
The elder Mr.. Musser agreed. The
son carefully instructed his father
in the gentle art of making timid
bass take the bait.
The trip took place.
Result-ten bass for father; six
perch for son.
Great Oaks From Little Acorns
Grow" Nothing new in that, but
it is true, nevertheless. 1t is also
true that big things are accom-
plished as result of an experiment.
Several years ago there was trouble
at the soft coal mines. This was
before the war. Railroads just had
to do something to be sure of a
supply of coal for winter. One Off
cial high up, in discussing the situa-
ton at Altoona remarked, "let US
store coal" That is just what the
Pennsy did. Thousands of tons were
stored at Enola and in other Pennsy
yards, and wherever it was possible
coal was piled up almost as high
as a mountain.
One day another Pennsylvania
Railroad official on a trip TO the
west in discussing the coal supply
said, don't you think we have
enough" A younger official ans
wered, yes and now is the time to
begin to save" How best to save
coal was discussed at length, and
finally the young man offered a sug-
gestion that a count be kept on the
number of Shovels used on each trip
The experiment was started the fol-
lowing day and within ten days
every fireman on a Middle division
passenger train was counting coal
by the shovelful. Then interest died
out, as coal conditions improved
Later on came the war and again
the slogan went out save COAL
Now records of coal consumption on
engines are being kept all over the
United States, based on the amount
of coal used by the shovelful. 1t
is bringing the results. The young
man who started this movement
was just taking up duties as super
intendent. He is now a general su-
perintendent and his name is Noel
w. Smith.
Along the line of coal saving there
was a time when firemen and en-
ginemen received a bonus on the
amount of coal saved. Sometimes
the monthly pay check was increased
from $40 to $50. OF course the style
of engines was different, and trains
were not so heavy as at present,
and sometimes it was said that bags
of coal were taken from cars on
sidings and added to that on the
tanks, and other schemes used to
get a good bonus check There was
also dissatisfaction because the
amount of coal on a tank at the end
of a run was not always computed
correctly. These kicks increased
wages and changes in runs made it
necessary to cut out the bonus. Now
there is some talk that the bonus
system may be taken up in the near
future, after it is proven beyond a
doubt that trains can be run on a
certain amount of coal computed by