Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-09-24
RODE TIE TRUCKS
WILLIAM KING HAS TRAVELLED
FROM OCEAN TO OCEAN WITH
OUT PAYING HIS FARE.
ottumwa Youth Starts Out on Two
Trips Without Funds and Visits Ev.
cry State in the Union But Nine
Worked Only Four Days.

Starting from Ottumwa on two trips
without funds and working but four
days, William King. who resides at
has visited every state in the union
but nine. The first trip was begun
July 6, 1902 and was through the west.
Through the mountain snowstorms
and blizazrds and the sun baked des-
ertsf young King travelled, riding the
trucks or the tops OF passengers and
not mile of the trip was taken on the
cushions" The second trip was to
the east and was taken during the past
summer. All the historic points of in
terest We're visited and according to
| Kings statement, were enjoyed as
much as il he was provided with I'M
limited funds Frank Wright, anoth-
er West End youth accompanied King
on both trips.
-. The Western Trip.
| July 6. 1902, King, in company with
young Wright, climbed aboard Bur-
lington freight, headed for Denver. Aft
er changing cars" several times Den
yer was reached. Cheyenne, Wyo.,
was the next stop and this trip was
taken on the trucks as the travellers
4 found after leaving Denver that it was
not such an easy thing to steal a ride.
After Cheyenne, Portland. Ore, Seattle
/ Wash, and Vancouver. B. c., We're
j visited. Salem, Oregon, the town made
famous by Harry Tracy, the notorious
! outlaw, was visited on the trip into
California during which all the princi-
4 pal cities in the state were seen. 1t
was in San Francisco that KING went to
work and he stood it for four days.
1 Through Arizona, New Mexico and
u Kansas the trip was continued until
Kansas City was reached, when a
Milwaukee box car was boarded for
the return trip ihome.
4 The Eastern Trip.
} 1t was August 2 of this year that
i King and young Wright started out tc
!. complete their tour. A Burlington fast
freight happened along that night ant
it landed the two travellers in Chicago
the following day. All the largest cit
les between Chicago and Boston were
visited while lake trip was added tc
the itinerary. Niagara Falls, thu
Brooklyn bridge, the spot where Wash
ington crossed the Potomac, the Bun
ker Hill monument, the site Of the Bos
ton tea party, and all the other point.
given prominence in American histor
les were taken in and the Lake Shor,
Route furnished the freight tina
brought the tourists" back again tt
Chicago and then the Burlington land
ed them back in Ottumwa.
May Take Southern Trip.
Georgia, Virginia, West Virginia
North and South Carolina, Florida am
! Mississippi are the nine states MISE,
by the two young men and it is prof.
able that when the warm weathe
comes again, southern trip will b.
taken to include those states. The eS
periences Of King and his companiol
z on the trip would fill volume, as any
one who has ever attempted to take ey
J en- a short trip in box car will test
I fly, While even they will not know tn
variety of experiences met with unit
? they have tried to steal a ride on tn
trucks. King is now assistant to tn
t city engineer and his trips acros tn
continent are forgotten for the tim
!, in the rush OF municipal duties.