New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-12-13

looked doubtfuly at the speaker. and rubbed his
hat with his elbow.
"An right. Gimme room"
The conference ended and the waytarer
shown to a ROOM where he had clean bed. clean
water. a chance for a shave and good meal In
the morning he paid for it by saving enough wood
equal when sold at the market price the cost of
his keep overnight. 1t amounted to about % cents.
The q hobo and he had taken adj
vantage Of the most remarkable place of accom-
mediation in this country. the Rescue Mission. OF
Rochester.
This Rescue Mission is we'll known. The house
holder may not have heard Of it. but the man
who raped at his kitchen door and asked for a
there himself, or, with equal likelihood he might
have been told about it by brother wayfarer he
met in Oregon. To the great army of restless
wanderers it is known from one end of the country
the other.
Rochester is on the main line Of the hobo trail
They follow the railroad east and west, and few
cities get Of them in proportion than Roches-
ter and Buffalo Besides the location the railroad
there is another reason for this multitude OF the
ragged Western NewYork. especially along the
northern tier. is of the great apple regions OF
the world. little further to the south there are
immense hop fields. Apple picking time and hop
gathering mark the periods of the year when
the tramps are most numerous. The books Of the
Rescue Mission the best indicators OF the activ-
ty in these lines. or October Last in the height Of
the apple season. the mission register showed
total accommodation of 2.7G0 tramps. This was a
little more than eighty night. Every other one, in
giving intentions. said that he was looking for a
job picking apples had been paid off and was
dead broke" again AS the winter advances the
numbers will become fewer and fewer. When spring
breaks the numbers will increase steadIv until hop
picking in September and apple picking In October
begin again. So it goes the year around.
But there is class OF tramp that does not lean
toward the accommodation that the Rescue Mission
can offer him. This is the hopeless dyed-in-the-
wool "hobo." sharp distinction must DO made be-
tween the tramp and the hobo" "Hoboes" are
tramps but tramps not "hoboes" A tramp may
be man in hard luck. dead broke and trying 10
reach home without any money to help him on his
way. His condition may be his own fault. but his
case is not beyond hope. The hobo" the other
hand, is as much a victim OF the wander fever
as the alcoholic wreck Is of whiskey. lie may have
started by losing his job and having take to
the road. This. awakening the germ OF the wander
fever it to growing. and unless with
a strong win takes hold OF him the loses all
love for home for people. for self-respect. he
couldn't drop II II he tried. This class Of tramp
for tie most part, passes the mission the other
eide Tho reputation OF the wood yard is too sug-
eest!vo or work. Instead they band together out
nce CT tha city and the farmers begin their annual
season OF excitement and suffering.
Some of these "hoboes' interesting charac-
ters. They know tie country IS 10 enc else does
and authorities every foot OF its roads and
by-peths from Maine to California A few days