Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-05-19
Ehrntng Wlrat

uay III court this week. The appeal
taken in the condemnation proceed
ings growing out of the effort of the
city of Harrisburg to obtain for con-
tinuation of the public parks, the
strip of river front from Herr to
Calder streets, is before the Supreme
Court and when the highest tribunal
OF Pennsylvania renders its decision,
the city will be in shape to take
possession. There is no question OF
city right. only a matter of reisn-
oursement, when the situation is
analyzed. Yet the action has be-
come one of Statewide importance.
1t will establish a precedent in GER
tain legal matters and one the re-
suit may hang the proposed i'm
provements of river fronts in a
dozen other cities. Harrisburgs
treatment of it's river side has at
tracted wide attention. There is
scarcely a delegation that comes
here from any city OF the State
which does not, If the weather be
good, visit the river front. stroll
along the wall and remark upon the
good fortune of Harrisburg in pre-
serving its river front for the public.
And then they strike Hardscrabble.
The reason why Harrisburg does not
take that section has been asked
more times by visitors to the State
| Capital than any other regarding
city improvements in the last twen-
| ty years, the conspicuous success
attending various other municipal
enterprises making it all the more
remarkable that it delayed so long
in Strengthening out the park sys-
tenn. Whether it be politics, or law,
or disnclination, or short sighted
ness that is to blame, the fact is
that it has been fifty years since
movements to make park of three
blocks of rather indifferent appear
ing houses was launched.
Hardscrabble was an outgrowth
| of river traffic. One hundred years
ago the Susquehanna was the big
highway and everything from coal
to wheat and lumber was floated
down. Two sections of the river
front were used for handling lum-
ber brought by water. One was
down town below the site of John
Harris ferry and the other where
! Hardscrabble stands. The Duck and
the Fox taverns were located in this
latter section and it became a place
where rivermen stopped. 1t was
settled early and while a part was
never much in Harrisburg. the city
went out and beyond it. For years
people said that eventually the city
would take the houses from the
river bank and get rid of bad
break in a beautiful park miles IN
length. After the act of 1860. which
made Harrisburg n city, there was
n special act of the LEGISLATURE
which brought forth the first city
planning commission for Harrisburg.
Not many people know of the work
of this commission. 1t laid out the
city for miles and miles around and
named streets where burdocks grew
and bullfrogs sang. Some of its
ideas of nomenclature were good
and others were not. But the COM
mission did its work we'll and one
of the efforts which the public spir-
tied men who comprised it made
was to get rid of Hardscrabble. Back
in Civil War days the folks were
talking about the time when the
city would add that section to the
river front parks and there was not
so much of Harrisburg then in what
we know as the Fifth and Sixth
wards. One of the men, who was
a member of that commission, told
me that he had data to show that
the city could have bought the
whole tract known as Hardscrabble.
including some of the lots on the
east side of Front street, for less
than $4,000 and that there would
, have been very little ligitation over
; the proposition. He said that he
had been thoroughly abused for his
efforts by some and called progress
) sive by others.
So on the eve of the presentation
, of the final papers in the half cen
tury discussion of Hardscrabble,
this little incident of failing to real
ize a bargain when at hand will take
rank with that other incomprehens-
ible blunder in the earlier history
: of Harrisburg-the refusal to pur-
) chase for Capitol Park the land be-
tween North and Walnut streets and
} the river and Third streets for some
thing less than it would have cost
to buy out Hardscrabble in 1869.
Our friend, Jacob r. Miller, in
; the course of a letter he sends re-
( garding the fences which enclosed
: Capitol Park, and of which it is the
intention to treat at length soon
: offers a new translation of the Latir
, epitaph on the gravestone of Johr
Harris, the settler. This grave is ir
, Harris Park and is surrounded by
a section of the old iron fence which
used to enclose Capitol Park. 1t /,
> not very imposing resting place
for the man who was the first white
4. settler on the Susquehanna ant
? whose presence here just 200 year:
{ ago had marked effect upon Penn.
{ sylvania history. Mr.. Miller call:
t him the Great Pioneer of the
, Western forest at that time" ant
S says that it is easy to work out the
E meaning of that Latin inscription
His version is: Here Lies Johr
$ Harris Neglected"
"Well, the old Susquehanna 1.
through that raise and L hope tha
it ends it for this spring" said 6
river bargeman Saturday night
I you know this old river goes or
! q rampage once every May. There
I have been April floods, June flood
: and some at otker times due to thu
weather, but Ih~re is always per
: iod in May when the Susquehanni
runs true to foiln. That high waite
a came as a result of hard rains ant
, last week I can tell you was a bus.
time for us. You see the river CAM
, up Saturday and we had to go ou
{ on Sunday and protect our Graf
r and get things shipshape. Then tn
river fell and twenty-four hoAir
later started coming up again. w
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