Miscellaneous News Items From the Past, Dauphin County, PA

Transcribed by Nancy Piper unless stated otherwise

The Republican Compiler, Gettysburg, PA
August 11, 1819

Harrisburg, Aug. 6
Casualty - On Sunday last, a stranger passing through town, overcome with heat and drinking cold water, dropped down on the street and died in a few minutes.

Search for Michael Naghten

Michl. Naghten, a native of Ireland, born near the town of Boyle and county of Roscommon, is now sought for by his brother. He came to America about 29 years ago and was last heard of in or near Harrisburgh, Pa., and is now supposed to reside in said state, or in Ohio. Andrew Naghton, his brother, has made a voyage to this country for the purpose of ascertaining whether the said Michl be still living. Communicate information to Rev. Chas. B. McGuire, Pittsburg, or Mr. Peter Higgins, Prince & Elizabeth sts, NYC. [National Intelligencer, Feb 7, 1821 - Contributed by Kim Torp]

Gettysburg Compiler (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania)
July 10 1822 Page 3

James Peacock, late editor of the "Harrisburg Republican," has received the appointment of Post Master at Harrisburg, in place of Rose Wright, deceased, and entered on the duties of his office on the 1st instant. Penn. Intel.

Gettysburg Compiler (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania)
July 17 1822 Page 2

From the Harrisburg Oracle, July 6
We are sorry to learn that the distressing malady of the dysentery is prevailing to an alarming degree in Hanover in this county. A number of deaths especially among children have taken place in that neighborhood within the last two weeks.

Republican Compiler (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania)
May 12 1824

Harrisburg, May 4

At a court of common pleas, held last week, in this borough, in an action of slander, between John Perkey & wife, plaintiffs, and Emanuel Cassell, defendant, the jury gave a verdict in favor of plaintiff for $500. The case was of the most aggravated kind. We hope that in futer it may serve as a bridle to the tongues of the evil disposed. His honor Judge Franks delivered a very pertinent charge. Messrs. Elder and Shoch, were concerned for the plaintiffs, and George Fisher, Esq., ofr defendant. - Intel.

Republican Compiler (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania)

November 17, 1824

Harrisburg, Nov. 6

Governor Shulze and family arrived here on Thursday last, having changed his residence from Lebanon to this place. A Troop of Horse and several companies of Infantry, had paraded with an intention to escort him into the borough, but his excellency anticipated them, and arrived before they were ready to march. They afterwards paid their respects to the Governor, and were treated with much hospitality by him. - Pennsylvanian.

Indian Darts found in Cellar (1825)

Republican Compiler (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania) January 19 1825

For the Curious

In digging a cellar on the island opposite Harrisburg, at the depth of about 5 feet, several Indian darts were found. These darts are of stone, cut to the same shape with those that have been found at all Indian encampments in the first settlement of the country and bear the marks of great antiquity. The query is, whether they were deposited with the bones of their owners at a period so distant that the bones have become incorporated with their mother earth, so as not to be distinguished from it, or whether the soil that covers them is allusion. Trees of enormous growth stood a few years ago at the spot where this cellar has been dug. - Har. Chron

New Road for Coal

Republican Compiler (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania) November 2, 1825

Coal. - We understand that he coal company in Middle Paxton in this county, have constructed an excellent wagon road from Green's Mill to the pits and that it is intended by the company to supply Harrisburg with coal for the winter. This coal is bituminous, but contains so little sulphur as not to be unpleasant on account of the smell. It ignites remarkably easy and produces intense heat. A number of grates for the consumption of this coal will be put up the present fall and in a few years we have no doubt that coal will take the place of wood in our parlors and shops. A ton of Wilkesbarre coal costs about as much as a cord of good hickory wood and contains twice as much of the heating principle. - Harrisburg Chronicle.

Dr. Ethan Baldwin Invents Canal Excavator

Republican Compiler (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania) June 14, 1826

Dr. Ethan Baldwin of this town has succeeded in inventing a machine which is calculated to be of great service to the community in the excavation of canals or in removing large bodies which require great physical force. By means of a double railway, to which he has attached a boat and windlass, the earth or whatever is desires to be raised from the bottom of the canal is placed in the boat, which is carried on the lower rail to a lift, whence it is raised to any height that may be desires to the second railway, where it is made to glide to the edge of the canal and unload itself. In deep cuttings it will be particularly serviceable as one man and a boy may raise perhaps ten tons with comparative ease in a few moments. We are not sufficiently acquainted with mechanics and neither do we desire to give a correct description of this machine as we are convinced that it will recommend itself whenever put into use; but it is exceedingly simple in its formation, may be made at a very trifling expense and can be removed by a few men to any place desired. We understand the Doctor intends having it put in operation on the Chesapeake canal. We hope he may be rewarded in proportion to the usefulness of his invention. - Harrisburg Intelligencer

The editor of the Harrisburg Republican was drowned on Saturday last, while attempting to cross a swollen stream at Stanton, Va.

Taken From the Republican Compiler (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania)
April 11, 1827

Harrisburg, April 5
Union Canal - On Friday last, the 30th of March, the water was let into the western section of the Union Canal, at the water-works, from the dam at the mouth of Kettle-Run and termination of the Swatara feeder. The water was let in to the depth of three feet and reached Middletown, the western termination of the Union Canal, on the evening of Sunday, April 1. The canal bottom and banks were found unusually water tight - very few, and those immaterial leaks occurring  in the whole distance of 29 miles. We walked from the cave near Hummelstown, to Middletown, between four and five miles, on the canal bank, and observed a waste gate near Middletown, the only leak in the distance, and that one of no consequence. The water has since been taken out of the canal, in order to let the banks settle.

The water has also been let into the Union Canal on the eastern section, as will be seen by the following extracted from a letter of the date April 1.  "John Swalm of Womeladorf, is boating bricks from lock No. 2 to 25, for the lock houses.  On last Friday afternoon, he left the level between locks 24 and 25, and came up to lock No. 2, passing through 23 locks in the short space of four hours, the distance is eleven miles and four chains. Mr. Swalm says, the average time of passing the lock is three and a half minutes."

We need not say that we rejoice at the success of this enterprise, so far; and we anticipate equal success with the whole line, when the water shall be let in, which, we are informed, will be in three or four weeks.

Taken From the New Oxford Item, New Oxford, Pennsylvania
January 24, 1896

Frank Lutz, Hummelstown, is convalescing from a peculiar affliction.  In the right nostril, near the base of the nose, there protruded a hard formation. This was removed by cutting and proved to be an eye tooth half an inch in length.  Physicians pronounced it to be one of the most singular freak of nature they have ever met with in all their reading and practice.

Taken From The Daily Courier (Connellsville, Pennsylvania)
November 17 1902

Senator Fox Badly Hurt
Harrisburg, Nov. 17 - Senator John E. Fox, of Dauphin county, was badly  hurt while going to Hummelstown yesterday on horseback.  Going over the hill near Hummelstown his horse stumbled, throwing the senator over its head, and in the fall he broke a ligament in his left leg and hurt his head.  He was at  the residence  of Collector Hershey, in this city, last night.

Taken From the Indiana Evening Gazette, Indiana Pennsylvania
December 4, 1911

Marietta PA, Dec 4 - Morris Stricker of Hummelstown has discovered an old violin which he purchased twelve years ago for $7 is worth $30,000.  The instrument was made in Germany and bears the date of 1772.

Taken From the New Oxford Item, New Oxford, Pennsylvania
August 23 1917

Charles Glass, chief engineer of the Hummelstown electric plant and a former resident of York Springs made a grewsome find on Monday when he went to clean out the race which operates the plant and fished out the body of Jerzasi Divacado (sp?), a Harrisburg lad, who was drowned in thw Swatara creek, on Saturday.  Engineer Glass thought the race, at the point where it empties into the electric plant, had become clogged with leaves and brush. He soon discovered the hand of the boy.

Chronicle Telegram, The (Elyria, Ohio)
August 12, 1927

Elizabethville, Pa., Aug. 12 - Plunging ten feet to the ground when a rotten board in the barn gave way, John Zerby, aged 80 sustained a broken neck which probably will cause his death.  When the body was foundthe aged man grasped an unbroken egg in his hand.  Neighbors found Zerby's body and carried him into the house.  Physicians expressed a surprise that the aged man was still alive after sustaining the broken neck and internal injuries.

Taken From The Bradford Era (Bradford, Pennsylvania)
July 18 1947

Harrisburg (AP) - A baby boy, weighing less than two pounds, amazed doctors at Polyclinic Hospital yesterday by rallying to the point where it was reported as having "an excellent change of survival". The infant, born Monday to Mrs. Albert C. Smerilo, 36, of nearby Hummelstown after little more than five months gestation, was rushed to the hospital and immediately placed in an incubator.  (Infant did not survive)

Taken From the Gettysburg Gazette, Gettysburg PA
October 10 1956

Harrisburg:  A nearby Hummelstown lady farmer prepared to carry to the US Supreme Court her appeal for a US District Court judgement fining her $403 on charges of over-planting her wheat acreage allotment. "Congress has no legal right to pass any law which forbids a farmer to eat the food he has grown on his own land and further directs him what to plant  and what to reap", Miss Elsie Mumma said last night.

Act On Ammendment
The US Court of Appeals in Philadelphia upheld the $403 judgement last Monday and contended that the agricultural act of 1936 was constitutional. The US Agricultural Department charges Miss Mumma with overplanting by 18 acres her six acre wheat quota for 1954. The US Supreme Court previously upheld the Agricultural Act by Miss Mumma said "the act has been upheld on certain sections, never as a whole."

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