Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1906-02-16
FIVE HUNDRED HOBOS
IN GRANTS PASS
More Than That Number Pass
Through Each Month A
Serious Danger.

Neither weather nor financial con-
ditions affect the migration of the
hobos, for they come and go with a
never ending procession along the
Southern Pacific, the heat of the Sum
mer nor the snow of Winter dismay-
ing them. 10 order to form an esti.
mate of the number of tramps that
pass through this city each month,
Night Marshal George Woodbridge
kept tally on them during January.
During the month he counted 2O9
hobos. that he saw, and there was
probably as many more hid in box
cars, on brakebeams, on tops of cars
and those who jumped off the trains
as they entered the yard limits and
sneaked on through. The day trains
also carry many tramps SO it is safe
to assume that between 600 and 500
tramps passed through Grants Pass
during January. Owing to the
weather of that month being the
severest of the year the hobo travel
for January is without doubt lighter
than for the other months of the year.
There is no doubt but that there are
1000 tramps month passing over the
Southern Pacific road in Rogue River
Valley.
These holders of passes that are not
revokable by railroad officials, ex-
cept by means of the heavy boot of a
husky brakeman, have no preference or
scruple as to where they will ride on
a train. Their usual place is inside
q freight car, but if an open car is not
handy they will swing on the truck
frame, breakbeam or stsyrods under q
car. They also ride on top of pass n
ger cars, lying fat to keep from being
observed and to prevent being blown
off. On the "blind baggage, is
another place where the tramp rides
in safety and free from molestation
of the trainmen. This "blind bag
gage" is on the drawheads between
baggage cars that are not vestibuled
and between the mail Car and tender.
And they are not 10th to riding on
the pilot of the locomotive, the cold
wind and the possible danger having
no terrors for them.
This regiment of tramps that are
passing through this Valley each
month usually have no money but
that does not mean that they 60 with
out eating. They eat, and live well,
for who ever saw hungry, ema-
ciated hobo? What they can not beg
of women, through the pity or fear
they arouse, they steal. Thus each
railroad community has to feed large
number of able bodied men, who are
seeking work and never fin ! it.
The tramp element in the United
States is steadily increasing and how
to check it is the problem of today.
Alabam has solved it so effectuslly
that there is not hobo in the state,
and a tramp would sooner cross the
dead-line about pest house than tc
90 into that state. Alabama has the
chain-gang system of working con
victs in coal and iron mines and OF
other contract work, and life in al
ordinary penitentiary is picnic beside
that in a chain-gang. AS every mai
who is caught beating his way on
train in Alabama is given long tern
in the gang the hobos keep cleal
of that state. Oregon has law thai
makes it a misdemeanor for a person
to steal ride on train, but it IL
not enforced, as the tramps would re-
taliate and cause SO many wrecks II
the sparcely settled sections that the
railroad men bear with them the best
they can.