Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1893-09-30
EXPERT woaEn TRAM JUMPERS.
They Rob Coal Brains in TrAnsit Along
the eehnNlkiIl valley.

Mrs. Marie -8uf0w j. one 0f the most
! expert train jumpers ia the United States
With the ease and de&terty Of veteran
railroadcr Mrs -aHt8w takes "a ftyiug leap
on a swift mos ss coal train and safely
lauds on the bumper or on 1he axle end
above the wheel With the same ease and
success she jaups safely from a train and
I goes on her way Rejoicing.
Mrs. S4nt0w j. buAoIn, good looking
black haired aud black eyed woman, aud is
thirty five Year, old She is a coal picker.
and ~ the clo,e Il the night her face and
hands are htgrlmed and black. She Is
K Whist + kunwuas professional coal picker.
that j., She picks coal along the railroad
\ for the use II ter family. Ia the lower
/ section ~ Reading are some thirteen WON.
en- C1al ricksrs who nightly jump on and
I 81 m0fing coal trains and think nothing
u H. Mrs Santos &. "the queen Of the
gang aud is regarded as the most ven
I tgrrsome.
I Il j. common custom for the women
70 70 down the road on loaded trains aud
come back On empty trains. The trains
I - ~ the rate ~ ten % fifteen miles an
4 hour beyond the lower outskirts og the
7 city Three or four women jump on a
I loaded coal train At night and scatter
along the middle ears away from the sight
Of tbe bruEeWen aud conductor. In the
I space - three miles they succeed IN push
I ing Oh "a lot Of coal from the tops Of the
we'll loaded ears. Those loaded with egg
/ furnace or steamboat coal are not modest
ed. The nut coal j. the most sought
after. After the women have gone down
I far enough, and II not detected, they jump
I nH the train no matter how fast It il NOV
I ing. hut they generally take their time III
selecting the best place % make a safe
l landing
I The coal that they push OF the cars on
the down trip Is gathered up at dawn by
Z girl coal piekers who have not yet become
! proficient Ia train jumping After the
women leave the loaded coal trains going
down they wait for up coal train made
up Of empty cars. These trains run rapid
", but the women, uo matter how dark
the night. run swiftly along with the train
aud jump On them as gracefully aud sue
ces-fuily AZ any practical railroader They
gather up their skirts Ia their left hand
aud use their right ia securing a grip.
once on an empty car, the women get
down into 1t and srrape the coal together
At times considerable coal j. left ia the
bottom by careless. dumping at tine great
piers at tidewater and th coal is a bOnaa
~ 70 the women, who scoop It up into bags,
completely tilihg them by the time the
train reaches tHe outskirts 81 the city.
These liupd bags are then swung over
the sides Of the ear and dropped 10 the
ground, followed by the women them
selves. II this way they toll all night.
ana succeed ln getting together a lot II
coal, which Is deposited iu the back yards
OF the shanties they occupy Their hus.
bands work ia lie neighboriug mills. and
are never known 70 buy more than "A ton
oi coal Tor winter use. They buy this coal
ln order Ia have "A rcccipted bill to show In
case they are arrested The girls gather
up The coal IN pans and old scuttles along
the railroad. They are frequently chased
by the railroad police, but are rarely ar
rested, because the girls ARE seen doing
nothing wrong, and the women train
jumpers work ouiy AZ night and are smart
enough not 70 be caught at IT,
Occasionally one i killed through her
own caries-uess, but such an accident has
not happened recently. Some Of the NOR,
successful coul piekers have enough coal 10
spare 20 sell 70 their neishb1rs
New York SHu