Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-08-15
E1frttag Grat

10 lOO SOOu W Keep.
Mr.. Elmer is a mechanical en-
gineer, the first of that branch of
the service to become division su-
perintendent here. Ordinarily SUI
perintendents have been civil en-
gineers, usually starting in that
branch and consequently unfamiliar
with the operation of locomotives.
Not long since he, the train dis
patcher and the master mechanic
of the Philadelphia Division were in
his special car doing inspection
| work at Philadelphia. Coming west
the party had dinner on the car.
Finishing their repast Mr.. Elmer
suddenly remembered the engineer
and fireman. Say, men. 'he said,
do you realize the engine crew
| must be hungry and have nothing
! to eat?"
One man suggested that a plate
of sandwiches be sent to them. Not
SO the superintendent.
| Looking over at the master me-
chanic he said IF 1 run the engine
from here to Harrisburg, will you
| fire it?"
OF course the master mechanic
| said he would.
And then to the train dispatcher:
And will you pilot us at points of
1
! familiar?"
| Another ready assent
Then a signal was given to stop
and the engineer and fireman got
the surprise of their lives when the
three officials crawled up into the
cab and invited them back to din
ner in the superintendent's car
while the trio took over the engine.
! Those back in the special thought,
of course, that Mr.. Elmer would
take the train up the road by easy
stages until the crew had finished
| eating, but in a few minutes the
| speedometer in the car registered
20 miles an hour, then 80, then 40,
then so and finally settled down,
steady as a clock about so and stay
ed there except on curves, and
when the superintendent got down
out of the cab the train was in the
union station shed.
OF course the tale spread that a
real superintendent was on the
job and it was mooted about that
he was "some engineer" One old
locomotive driver is reported to
have remarked that running a
special was one thing and running a
fast train on schedule quite another
and he was ready to bet a lead
nickel that the superintendent would
meet up with some difficult job if
he tackled one of the regular fliers.
| 1t is also rumored that this story
got back to the superintendent of
flee in the depot, but whether it did
or not a few days thereafter, Mr..
Elmer suddenly got up from his
desk, put on an old pair of gloves
and a greasy cap and announced
that he was off for Philadelphia,
casually remarking that he thought
he would run the flyer down that
day.
And he did. OF course all per-
sons interested - and there were
quite a few of them-watched the
operators reports of the progress
of the train that day and it is re-
corded that it passed every tower
on the dot of the schedule.
Salvage" is a word dear to the
hearts of many supply officers and
non-coms and a number of anus
ing stories have come out of the re-
cent war concerning salvage of one
sort and another.
One battery of field artillery came
out of an attack with six more
horses than it had gone in with;
two more fourgons and an extra
rolling kitchen; two brand new
caissons and half the boots in the
German army. Another outfit
emerged from battle clothed with
victory and a goodly portion of big
boche overcoats, to say nothing of
the usual assortment of revolVers,
trench knives, belts, etc. And there
was scarcely a veteran infantry out
fit in the A. E. F. that did not have
practically every man supplied with
Colt automatic, which is not an is
sue weapon to the infantry private;
where they got them no one knows,
but the mysterious word salvage
tells everything.
Here in the States supply officers
had the same problem. In mounted
outfits always after an influx of
horses and mules, the first night at
the corral would see a dozen or so
of lurking figures, and when the
sun rose the next day and the sup
ply officer inspected his stock he
would usually curse loudly and go
hunting among the units for his
best animals. The same thing hap
pened on the march; if any buck
came along the road and saw a good
horse tethered to a fence, he merely
| SIlppSu d hlllle through ln6 rem
and someone was out a horse. Sal
wage covered a multitude of sins!
The autom obilists of Camp Hill
have turned their machines over to
the Chautauqua committee for ad-
vertising purposes and each one of
them bears a big sign across the
rear-"Camp Hill Chautauqua," with
the dates and other particulars. This
is the work of Robert Cahill, who
has undertaken with his fellow COM
mittecmen to put Camp Hill on
the map with the most successful
Chautauqua ever held in Cumberland
county. Give us sunshine and we
will crowd the big tent every day."
said he to-day. THE whole West
Shore is back of the project and
we cannot fail"
The West Shore Lodge of Masons,
of Camp Hill, a very progressive
body, has leased the Holler building,
a large structure on the main street
of the town, centrally located and
commodious, and will establish
headquarters therein. with dining
hail. kitchen and all that go to
make up a modern meeting place.
The lease was completed this week
and in a short time the Masons will
refurnish and redecorate the place,
making it one of the finest of itS Kind