The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-12-03
TERRADELPHIA, THE LOST.
WRECK OF A PHILANTHRoPIsrs
am TO HELP H0BOEs.

AIM TO HELP HOBOEs
Thom,s NJ Terrndelrs Community Near
Tr.ptop In Unfit Tramps-Its Beginnings
ana GREAT Success Until the Hard Times
Csme-stiii Dreams OF Gettine II Back.
TRENTON, N. j., Dec. 2-out in what used
IN be the swamp. beyond the railroad on East
Carroll street ono Of the biggest and handsomost
factories I'm this city stands four stories high
among surroundings Of grimy coal-yards and the
accumulated refuse Of railroad Junk. Through
out the day the buzz Of its industry sounds in the
cars Of man who sits In q little shanty back oil
one Of tho coai.yards poring over his ledger with
but ono dominant thought that runs through
all his labor; how he may once moro come into
possession OF the big factory that ho built and
owned and lost and make II again home for
the thousands Of its former dodgers now scattered
over tho length and brendth Of the continent
The man is Thomas NJ Teradell, and the factory
building with it's surroundings was formerly
a community which TO prove to tho world
the industrial worth Of tho so-callcd worthless
and all but succeeded
Fifteen years ago, Terradcll, then a man Of
81 was an engineer on the Pennsylvania Rail
road. He had already seen life In many phases
Az a school boy in Trenton he had blacked boots
and sold papers TO pay for his books and clothes
Thereafter he had been an iron moulder. n Jockey
circus man. minstrel. and jack .of-all trades
wandering from place 10 place and constantly
thrown In with the floating population Of tramp
dom When no went into the employ Of the rail
road. as fireman FIRST and then as an engineer
no found himself still in position 10 see much
Of tramp life and a certain fellowship which ho
had always felt for tho knights Of the high road
developed into a strong desire TO be Of some lasting
benefit TO them. In his years Of experience and
association with the tramp fraternity he came
| 10 the conclusion that the hobo. as class, was
not q cumbercr Of tho earth but unfortunate
| misfit who under the proper conditions might
| be made Of use to himself aud the community
How to establish the proper conditions was the
| problem which Terradell set himself To solve.
| The tramps themselves gave him little aid: their
ideas were vague beyond the firm conviction
| that permanent settlement for aged and worn
out uamps where beds and food could be always
| found ready would be grand thing for all con.
cerned This wasn't precisely rcrradell'sid idea He
had no mind 10 set up home for the idle. What he
| wanted TO do was 10 make the tramp work and
| feel satisfaction in his work. While he still
delibcranng on the matter he himself was incapaci-
| tatcd for work by al the accidents incident 10
| his business His locomotive plunged OIL an EN-
bank ment one day and when they got the en-
| ginecr out from under the wreckage there wasn't
| much left Of him tina, was in place and unbroken.
| For months he was in bed and after he was able
to be up his health was 80 shattered that II was
impossible for him TO return TO his old occupation.
| and no supported himself by odd jobs.
All this time the scheme for the redemption ~
the hobo was growing and solidfyirG in hs
| mind. and 10 the idea OF making scmothing Of
this life for the tramp was added the hope Of pre-
pairing him for the next for Tcrradel had Joined
The church and had thrown himself II To religion
with tho feryor character stc OF the m an In what
| ever he did Though without regular employ
ment he coniIiysd @ get together lev dollars,
| 70 achieve such amazing results, set out 10 build
| q uamps home For site he selected bit OF
along sG
Tavei; partly because The land was 81 worthless
that nobody cared 10 claim the ownership Of IL at
that time. To build some sort Of shelter was
the next consideration Lumber was beyond
turn up Il turned up in the river in the shape
Of o rait Of old telegraph poles which had broken
loose nom s moo ing an , was . ,oa h nowa
| his luck and wondered what he was ever going TO
do with it G.ea! was his astonishment when
on the scene and offered him price for the out,
a. II was not such a price as The owner would
have wished to ask. but Il was better than he ex:
pccted under the circumstances and /, involved
no transportation. 50 the deal was concluded
after paying ior the old poles Terradci hired help
TO take them over To the swamp and there plant
them Tho cornerstone, Of the establishment, II
a cornerstone can be made OF wood. was laid when
the first pole was firmly planted upright on the
edge OF the swemg a circle Of poles was formed
That was the office. and the hotel was declared
formally open.
went out tn the railroad track and sat down to
wait He didn't have long TO wait Three uamps
s " who one 81 ss
Ta.s memory; he hailed his iarmey asquaintasce
gave you q III from Bristol once when you were
padding on bum stump" walking with an
"its the engineer" said the tramp Il .ost
your Job? Are you on the pad, too? Come aong
with US made good touch back on the path
and your friends and in Eu, YOU up for The night
What's the hold.upY" asked one of the trio
Nothing, unless You want to. Blu, want a
Come along, boys" said Hardy. He's on
iSs d the Which T%1 4r ne he'd
sor. Of shelter built across a small segment q
the circle in which they slept that night Twr
they might meet, Of the new hos,elry.,, Hardy
the place and, when be icf, he contributed a pci
of good secondhand blankets which he had bouEh
Every in SS hs Of hs
, try and dodgers came in rapidly, None wa'
sS, by the Or but each
was soon completed and stranger: looking build
. Ing was probably never raised since the day
! when every man was his owp architect.
| The place was orderly. for the proprietor, Will
, liberal In his allowances for hobo nature would
tolerate no riotousnesS He was mn unwsr hob,
3 who attempted 10 disregard orders for Tcrradel
I had too many friends among the tramps VIII
were ready at any minute To take up his cause
A case In point Ii that al n tramp who was foun,
: unconscious beside roadway nenr Rahwn,
o several years ago. The police thought the!
. | had a murder mystery on their hands, hut III
and finally left, refusing 10 tell how he came b.
his injuries Two years later vagrant who wa
| Jailed revealed the secret The injured man ha
fallen In with some of his fellow hobocs and bcn
drunk. had boasted Of having robbed Tenadell'
| till Of half n dollar, whcrcupOn the whole part
n set upon him and beat him into insensiblty
That was the only time that the till was eve
robbed: indeed, most Of the time II would not hav