The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1892-03-17
EXPERT WOMEN TRAIN JUMP
EDG

Mrs Marie Stantow is one of the
most expert train Jumpers In the
United States. With the ease and
dexterity of a veteran railroader Mrs.
Santow takes flying leap on swift
moving railroad train and safely lands
on the bumper or on the axle end
| above the wheel. With the same ease
aud success she jumps safely from a
train and goes on her way rejoicing.
Mrs Stantow is buxom, good look
ing. black haired and black eyed wo-
man, and IS thirty five years old. She
is coal picker, and at the close of
the night her face and hands are be
grimed and black. She is what Is
known as professional coal picker:
that is, she picks coal along the rail
road for the use of her family In the
lower section OF Reading are some
thirteen women coal pickers who
nightly jump on and off moving coal
trains and think nothing of it. Mrs.
Santow is ''the queen of the gang"
and is regarded as the most venture
| some.
It is a common custom for the wO-
men to go down the road on loaded
trains and come back on empty
trains. The trains go at the rate of
ten to fifteen miles an hou' beyond
the lower outskirts of the city. Three
or four women jump on loaded coal
train at night and scatter along the
middle cars away from the sight of
the brake8men and conductor. In
the space Of three miles they succeed
in pushing off lot of coal from the
tops Of the well loaded cars. Those
loaded with egg, furnace or steam
boat coal are not molested. The
nut coal Is the most sought after
After the women have gone down far
enough. and if not detected, they
Jump off the train no matter how fast
it is moving; but they generally take.
their time in selecting the best place
to make q safe landing.
The coal they push off the cars on
the down trip is gathered up at dawn
By girl coal pickers who have not yet
become proficient in train jumping.
After the women leave the loaded coal
trains going down they wait for an up
coal train made up of empty cars.
These trains run rapidly, but the wo-
men, no matter how dark the night,
run swiftly along with the train and
lump on them as gracefully and sue
cessfully as any practical railroader.
They gather up their skirts in secur-
ing grip. Once on an empty car,
the w0mensget down into it and scrape
the coal together At times consider
able coal is left in the bottom by care
less dumping at the great piers at
tidewater. and this coal is bonanza
to the women who scoop it up in bags
completely filling them by the time
the train reaches the outskirts of the
city.
These bags are then swung over the
side Of the car and dropped to the
ground, followed by the women them
selves. In this way they toll all night,
and succeed in getting together lot
of coal, which is deposited in the
back yards of the shanties they oc
cupy. Their husbands work in the
neighboring mills, and are never
known to buy more than ton of coal
for winter use They buy this coal in
order to have a receipted bill to show
in case they are arrested. The girls
gather up the coal i'll pans and old
scuttles along She railroad They are
frequently chased by the railroad
police. bat are rarely arrested, because
the girls are seen doing nothing wrong,
and the women train jumpers only
work at night and are smart enough
not to be caught at it.
Occasionally one is killed through
her own carelessness, but such an ac
cident has not happened recently
Some of the most successful coal
pickers have enough coal to spare to
sell to their neighbors.