Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1879-05-07
5000 MILES IN A HAMMOCK.
The Story of Man Who Rode Across
the Continent Under Sleeping Car.
Virginia New Chronicle, March 90.

Inc Story Oh u Wdu WHO hOUt AcIOsS
the Continent Under Sleeping Car.
Virginia (Nev.) Chronicle, March 90.
Yesterday afternoon Chronicle re-
porter noticed man sitting on q lum-
Der pile near the Consolidated Virginia
works basking in the sun. He was
greasy and dirty to the last degree. and
neither razor nor pair of shears had
touched him for at least year. 1t was
easy to see that he was a tramp, and
had just arrived IN the country. The
reporter determined to interview him,
and began by asking: When did you
get in?'
Tramp-About an hour ago.
Reporter-How? .9
Tramp-Came up on the wood train.
Reporter-Pay your fare? -.
Tramp-No, of course not. [ rode q
little way behind a od-pile On flat
car and they kicked me off and | &c t
on again just as they started. Got on a
few cars further down. At the next
place they stopped l was booted again
and then got on a brake-beam and
came up. The break beam racket is
the best thing yet. You can ride all
aver the United States on break beam
and not pay cent. I've rode thousands
of miles on break beams and I've got
so l sorter like it. I've slept on a break
beam all night, but some men fall off
and get run over. That's the reason
they find men here and there smashed
up on the track. A cove came to Reno
with NE from Truckee yesterday that
II cd br oh OF 10 n n l.,
hammock slung under the sleeping car
and rode along as easy as you please.
He said he was coming up this morn
ing to see Virginia City, and he halls
from New Haven. He's the queerest
cove you ever saw. and [ guess he rides
just for fun, because he has plenty of
cash and could pay his way if he want
ed to. Guess he's got some kind Of a
bet up.
This was all the tramp knew about
the matter, and this morning the re-
porter watched the arrivals. A few
minutes after the lightning train came
in man registered his name as Charles
IL. Pendleton, New Haven, at the In.
ternational Hotel, and was assigned
room 125. The reporter presumed that
this was the man he was after. and
called at once at his room. Mr.. Pen
dleton is short, thick-set little man
with red hair, and did not show much
of the fatigues of travel. The reporter
announced his business with the re-
mark:
l am newspaper man, and came
to interview you about your trip across
the continent. Your name is Pendle.
ton, I believer" Fa
Pendleton-Yes , that is my name but
| have nothing to communicate about
my trip. s~ezs ssEsgev
Reporter-Did you not ride all the
way in a hammock under a sleeper
Pendleton (ouite surprisedl- Who the
devil told you that? 7a
The reporter declined to be pun ped
and, after a few minutes more of con
yersation, the man said he had no OBJ
lection to giving the whole matter to
the public. "You see," he said, "about
three weeks ago | started from New
Haven to go to San Francisco in a
hammock. | made bet that [ could
go to San Francisco inside of three
weeks without riding in any car or con-
veyance on wheels. The parties with
whom laid the wager Imagined that |
had some new-fangled balloon with
which intended to make the trip, and
they took the wager. TWAS for $4,000,
and the money is now deposited in the
New Haven Savings bank. Well.when
told them thatT did not intend to
ride IN a car, but under. one, they
laughed, and said they would double
the bet.
Reporter-Did you double the bet?
Pendleton-I was willing to, but could
not get hacker. [ did not have the
money myself and [ did not wish the
affair to become too public, so the bet
was left as it was originally made. You
see they imagined that / was going to
ride on q brake-beam with the tramps.
But had another plan. / rugged up a
+, c,ontrlVance which [ could sling under
the cars between the rods which run
lengthwlse below the car on each side.
The hammock ran crosswise and also
had stays to keep it from swinging.
Here it is. =
Pendleton took from corner the
hammock IN which he had made this
curious trip across the continent. 1t
was close net OF strong Irvine and Just
a little longer than the width of the car.
The stays were long ropes with hooks
at the end. The hammock was also
supplied with hooks and gagged to fit a
Pullman palace car. Pendleton ex-
planned the modus operandi of his in
yention.
Just before the traiD starts / hook
" kA.o IL he hor h
fasten the stays. Next | spread an oil
SKIN IN the hammock and then a blanket.
then get in and pull another blanket
over me. L wear a thick veil AS a pro-