Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-04-08
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II
Few more interesting closeup"
talks on the experiences of men
from Harrisburg in the great wal
have been given than by Captain
John T. Bretz, who commanded
Company d, when it left Harrisburg
for Camp Hancock, at the gathering
of members of the Harrisburg Re-
serves. Militiamen and Veterans OF
Foreign Wars at the courthouse Sat.
urday night. The captain left out
lot he might have told in which he
figured, but modestly mentioned him.
self only twice, once when he admit.
for his men and the other time when
he remarked that he had been given
charge of "a hard boiled railroad
unit at Bordeaux and found that he
had to inoculate discipline. The cap.
tain's recital was simple and direct
and was heard with closest attention
by the men fortunate enough to at.
tend the meeting. He told just how
men from York, Chambersburg, Car.
Isle and Harrisburg endured theiI
first shelling and among those who
heard him tell that story was Cap.
tain Henry NJ. Slime, who recruited
the Chambersburg company, but had
to relinquish command because
army surgeons turned him down. II
was a dramatic moment, when he
told how the company commanded
by the Harrisburg man, lost men by
Oh 90
gle through gas filled trenches. Cap
tain Bretz's talk was the first he had
given and he possesses a style OF
simple, direct narrative that goes
right home.
The plan for big welcome to the
returning soldiers has met with the
greatest support from officers and
men who have returned from over
seas. Letters from officers on the
other side also commend the plan.
1--WE can't have it as big as that
Fourth of July celebration, but we
are going to make it the same kind
of real affair."" said William Jen-
nings.
Congressman J. Hampton Moore.
the greatest authority on inland
waterways in the United States, is
sincerely and enthusiastically of the
belief that money can be procured
! from Congress for the deepening OF
| the Susquehanna River if the peo-
pie of the Susquehanna Valley are
energetic and persistent enough.
He is likewise of the opinion that
| the project can be developed more
chcapy and will be successful from
a business standpoint. He believes
the amount saved in coal freight
-, nG
pay for the whole Improvement and
he proves easily that the Susque-
hanna, navigable stream, would
carry much more freight than the
Ohio River. The West and the
South, he says. have gotten almost
all the river improvement money
because they went after 1T. He
thinks the time very favorable now
for the launching of the enterprise
for the reason that the War Depart
lment engineers in charge of the sur
vey have recently returned from
France where a part of their work
was the survey of French water
courses and are much interested in
doing the same for this country that
has been done for Europe,
your boys are giving the best
years of their lives and many of
them poured out their lives for the
up building of the Marine, the Seine,
the Rhine-none of them to COM
pare with your own beautiful river
either in size or beauty. Are you
going to let feeble efforts or lack
of interest on your part hold back
the development of this really great
stream, when your lads are doing
so much for the development of
deeper waterways in Europe? l
think not"
Speaking of Columbia-that is the
birthplace of Frank B. Musser, pres
ident of the Harrisburg Railways
Company. and John S. Musser, pres
ident of the Dauphin Electrical Sup
plies Company. Being enthusiastic
Rotarians they went down to attend
the deeper Susquehanna conference
held in their old home town few
DAYS ago. The Harrisburg party,
twenty-eight in number, was met by
a band and members of the Mer-
chants and Manufacturers Associa-
ton. The Columbia people, being
very hospitable and desirous of hon
oring a son of the old town who
had gone away and made good,
chose John Musser to be chief mar
shall of the parade and put him out
in front of the band.
That's always the way" grum-
bled his brother Frank from a hum
BILE place in the rear ranks, John
always gets the honors and / get
all the knocks. Now l used to play
cornet in this very band and they
might have made me chief marshal,
me being a former member of the
band"
May be-" observed Preston Crow
ell, who was standing near, may
be, Frank, that's the reason they
didn't ask you"
If you want to get rise out of
Frank Cousylman, manager for
Doutrich & Company, just ask him
how you get to Columbia by way of
the Spooktcwn road. Frank was
born in Marietta and modestly ad-
mitted to friends with whom he was
motoring to Columbia the other eve
ming that he could find his way to
that town with his eyes tied shut
} "Well' asked Jim" McCullough,
who was driving. that being the
case, may be you'll give us some
light on how to get to Columbia
quickly and comfortably"
Frank said he'd be glad to do 1t
and advised that they "go by way
of the Spooktown road"
They followed his directions and
got lost.
Finally in Columbia they explain
ed their lateness at a meeting by
telling their hosts that they got
lost on the Spooktown road"
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