The Durham daily globe. (Durham, N.C.) 1889-1894, 1892-01-02
T".lUP5 On RAILROADS.
THEY GET OVER GREAT DISTANCES
ON SCHEDULE TIME.

the Best That the Exterior A ffords, and
Sometimes That Is Very Good, Though
a Trihe Dangerous.
While trainmen are of one mind in re-
gard to the annoyance which tramps
cause the railroad companies they dis
agree about the methods of these indi-
yiduals in doing the country. In
spite of the strict rule of all railroads
prohibiting tramps, these professional
travellers get over the road somehow or
other with astonishing rapidity. They
have been known to come from San Fran
cisco to New York IN but a trife longer
time than it took Mr.. Mackey on his
record breaking trip. It is by no means
certain that one of these nomads didn't
accompany Mr.. Mackey part of the way
across the continent on the fast mail
train. Tramps are partial to mail
trains. The trucks are roomier thar
those Of the ordinary coach or freight
car. Whatever doubt there was about
Mr.. Mackey's beating the record there
certainly wasn't any doubt that Mr..
Tramp beat the railroad company.
There are tramps and tramps. Many
a poor fellow who has spent his last cent
and is out at the elbows wants to try his
luck in another part Of the country, but
he has no means Of getting there except
his heels. These will not carry him far
without b17r % c&o7iJ1 or him in tho H,oa
He sinks about some freightyard, and
when a train is pulling out begs a train
man to carry him along a bit. He adj
mits that he is tramp, but he isn't; he's
Il beggar and a tenderfoot. There are
others, who have just got their hand in,
travelling from town to town, and when
a trainman catches them slowed away
in a box car they whine piteously and
recoul& their suffering1 OF those of q
sick family miles away which they arc
anxious to get to.
HOW REAL TRAMPS ACT.
These are no tralnps," said Il brake
man. ''Ihere is nothing interesting
about them and they are "a nuisance.
The professional tramp is a character,
and sometimes you meet with one so
SLICK U11iG LIT CC3CI FtS W DCCIU Ills way.
The real tramp makes no excuse when
he is discovered. Nine times out of tea
he makes a threat, and as a good many
of them go armed it is dangerous to
NEEDLE with them. For if there is IL
human being who might be expected to
value his life c~heaplyit is a tramp rather
than a burglar. How many times have
| had a tramp snarl at Inc with II string
Of oaths and wind up by threatening to
put q hole through mel"
"Probably tramps will hang on tc
most anything, frorn the bralkesloe to
the wheel box" suggested the reporter.
"No," said Il trainman Of the Contra
Railroad of New Jersey. MANY people
have e~rroneous'ideas about the habits OF
tra1nps. Personally l never saw a tramp
on a truck, but others say they have.
Tramps generally pull for an empty box
car, il there is one open. 1t is curious
to see them search the yard over, inquire
about the departure Of trains and
their destination and the stops they make
along the way. Why, Saturday night,
just before leaving for Phillipsburg, |
went to search my train for tralnps, and
found an empty Fail Brook car full Of
them, right next to the train shed. They
knew somehow that the car was going
home, aud that it went to the end Of the
journey. They always seem to want to
go as far as possible.
"These fellows set up q whining and
begged me to let them go along. They
all had sick families, or something Just
as bad, to go for, and one Of them said
he wanted to go to Phiilipsburg to attend
the funeral Of bis brother. | drove them
all out. None of them was a professional.
They didn't know one another, and thy
all scattered IN different directions.
REVENGE FOR Ill TREATMENT.
"Of course they will get into any car
that is left open, and if there is anything
eatable they always help themselves. Ii
there isn't an open Car they will Try 10
find a car OF lumber. That is more ey-
posed, but there are always some vacant
hooks between the piles Of boards, aud
they make very good hunks. When |
was running on a Long Branch train we
had an experience with tranps at Mata-
wan. We picked up a car Of lumber
there. A gang Of tralnps had learned Of
its time of departure and that it was a
through car, which just suited them.
They always try to get a through sleep
en- like passengers who pay their way.
One of them, who had a wooden Lee. they
put OF top Of the lumber in plain sight,
and then they appeared to go away. OF
course the trainmen wouldn't put a de
formed man off, and apparently lie was
the only one who was going along. But
no sooner did the locomotive signal to
start than the gang lit upon tie lumber
car like swarm of bees. We went back
and pulled them all out from the GREY
ices, and we got curses in return.
The next night when a freight train
came along the switch at NLatawan was
open, and the train smashed q LOT of cars