Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-01-13

NeA~ class by themselves
"A l have seen n train
.EEZ~/ on one of the Pacific
coast railroads carry
ihs' IL Is safe TO say, one-half as many
'ramps as paying passengers. Going over
the Slsklyou mountains u few years ago
our Train stopped four times within a dis
'ahce OF twenty miles to comb OUT the
tramps. They were under the cars on top
OF the cars. hanging to the platforms. rid
ing On the cow catcher--everywhere in
snort, where human fingers could close a
grip. They were more decently clad and
better looking, a rule. than the tramps
we see IN the east. l was told by an ex-
perienced railroad man that most of these
ieiiows are mechanics and laborers of re-
Specialize antecedents who have diifted
westward in search of work spent their
money an1 been compelled to resort 10
THIS raggei-edse sort of life in order TO
make their way home again Some of
thein by-and-by acquire a habit of tramp
ing ana a taste for Ii. so that they are un-
htted for steady employment. but Others
steal rides from place 10 place Till they
strike job then settle down and become
reputable and well-to-do citizens In the
newly settled communities of the other
coast Il disposition TO pry into ones neigh
boris past Is not encouraged and the man
who begins ride Stealer does not have
TO live down his record. as he would at
this end of the country. A member Of Con-
gress from western state who has made
something of national reputation for
himself. once told me in confidence that as
young man he was a champion tramp
and train nuisance
One Tramps' Persistcncy.
/ rem hpr T,,a FL 4
who was put off u way train at every sta
ton between Roseburg and Salem. but
who always contrived To get aboard within
a minute or after his expulsion. He was
bound Ia go TO Salem, and frankly said as
much to the first train hand who tackled
him. and he accomplished his purpose Hav-
! ing formerly worked on a railread he knew
all the tricks of the trade. At the start
he crawled in under car and rode on the
trucks. When discovered there he walked
OF as if atiSfie1. only to go around the
train and crawl in again on the other side
He was next caught riding on the roof
Then E- climbed up the rear of the tender
and stretched himself out that he looked
like log of wood. Discovered there, he
secreted himself under the step of the To-
connective cab and, when the train was on a
stif upgrade, that il could not very
well be stopped, he mounted TO the cab
and inpudenty offered his services to the
engineer assistant fireman. Next he
tried the trucks once more, and SO on.
4 Leap From the Train.
The manner of his final ave-taking was
startling. Having been discovered on the
roof of the first car just we were draw
ing near Salem, he was chased by one of
the angry trainmen down the roofs of the
cars to the rear end. skipping from car to
car like a monkey. At the tail of the train
he Mortified his pursuer by taking a flying
leap from the roof down into a gully at the
side of the track. The trainmen signaled
the conductor, the engine sounded down
brakes and in a few minutes We were
backing to the scene of the perilous exploit
The courts of Oregon at that time were
dealing very seriously with accidents on
railways. and even tramps were considered
as having rights that must not be trified
with. SO the idea was to pick up the jumper
and carry his corpse to the undertaker's I'm
Salem or his broken bones to the nearest
hospital The conductor brakemen and all
hands. except the engineer and fireman,
jumped of and FASTENED to the rear of the
train. peering into the gully as they APP
preached it. to get first glimpse of the
victim. Fancy their modification at espy-
ing him presently seated on a grassy bank
and engaged in lighting his pipe. with the
calmness of a householder by his own fire.
side.
Anything the matter?" he called out,
ii
Aren't You hurt?" shouted the con-
ductor.
"Nawr' drawled the tramp. WHO said
he was goin' ter hurt me-"
Sent the Train Ahead.
The conductor sputtered out some phrases
with which / shall not decorate this page
and the whole crestfallen crew started to
return to the train. Once more the traIhp's
spirit of impudence overcame him. He was
.;rrk~ ,,,l, h. IL
full view of the engine. The trains crew.
on the contrary, were crossing a depres-
sion where they were hidden. He sprang
to his feet, and, calling his old knowledge
of railroading to his aid. waved his arms
in the air with the signal meaning: Go
ahead!" The engineer. mistaking him for
a trainman, sounded his thistle in response
and the train started. Then the tramp
threw himself down on the ground and
roared with merriment as he watched the
crew scramble over each other in trying to
catch the platform of the hindmost car,
while the mystified and alarmed passen-
gers poked her heads out of the windows,
no enc understanding the situation we'll
enough to pull the bell cord. The first
member of the crew who climbed aboard.
of course, brought the train to a stand
still again and enabled his companions to
re-embark with more dignity.
/ recall another incident in my western
travels, in which tramps played a most
creditable part. Two of them had been
put off a Denver and Rio Grande train a
few miles east of Salida, Col, and had
seated themselves urder tree to escape a
rain which had begun to fall, when a
clCudburst-one of those dreaded visitants
which are not infrequent I'm that region
deluged the hillside few yards away
scooping out a trough and buryng the
railway track several feet deep under earth
gravel and small boulders.
Both Were Warned.
From the windows of our train, which
had crossed the great divide on its way
eastward that morning, we lad seen the
peculiar cloud formation strike the side of
the mountain and disappear among the
trees, but nobody suspected its effects. AS
the road had single track, we waited at
Salida several hours for the west.bound
train to pass us on the siding, and then
concluding that it had been detained at
the next station beyond, our conductor
ventured to move us cautiously forward
whistling sharply all the while. Suddenly
man was observed on the track a short
distance ahead of us, energetically waving
his coat a signal to stop. On hating our
engineer learned from him that he was one
of the tramps just mentioned, and that his
companion had gone eastward while he
went westward to warn approaching trains
of their danger. He was taken aboard the