Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-07-27


They reached New York via coal
trains. box cars, fights with trainmen,
hunger and thirst. He rode forty hours
locked in q compressed hay box on top
n cattle car. In New York no Quilted
the tramp. He secured a place as
coal stoker on the steamship Norge,
bound for Copenhagen" and 30, off
for the art centers." He did not even
know what they were.
He was strong fellow. He had en-
joyed experience with mechanics, and
the work came easy. 1t was q bad
boat, with rotten boilers, and she dis
appeared the next year, with all souls
on board, of Rockal, in the North Sea.
Finds Joy In Stocking.
Edstron1 always enjoyed doing ply
steal work-"and seeing other fellows
do It." In his present high fortune ne
finds 1t hard to resist. Recently in
Paris he threw off his immaculate
frockcoat and helped a drawman I'M
load from a broken axle; and the
story got into the Paris papers.
"It Is the plastic tension that de-
lights me-" he explains. Seeing those
stokers take their vast iron rods,
thrust them into the blazing furnace
and fairly wriggle on him with their
whole weight was o Joy. Cleaning the
fires with heavy rakes in binding
light was simply terrific. The ship
is rolling, the red-hot stuff is all over
the place, and You must jump for your
life in the scalding steam. You know
they kill the cinders with water be-
fore they can cart them away"
| II you have seen nothing marvellous,
unparalleled and unique in the story
so far, you will see it now. American
art students come to Europe currently,
but they have some education, some
slight experience they know what art
is, and they have some dubious back
ing, some small stock of money, some
acquaintances, some hopes.
Edstrom had nothing.
His mother had told him Of the art
schools Of Stockholm. He must enter
the Royal academy. Working on q
tramp steamer from Copenhagen to
Stockholm, he went to the Count Won
Rosen, director Of the Royal Academy
of Fine Arts.
II suppose he was never before ap
preached by such a looking object as
was,' says Edstrom. My hands we"c
hard enough to drive nail into O
board. was washed up as clean as
could imagine; but you know how
coal stoker comes out of a ship. With
out my American audacity I would
never have got to see him at all!
Count Won Rosen asked him CURLY
what he wanted. Edstrom said he
wanted to enter the Royal academy
to become sculptor. His Swedish
| :, In, hxy6 10 a
and old-fashioned contrasting strange
ly with his rough appearance. TIKI
aristocratic fine arts director was pUz
zled.
"Have you anyone to aid you?" HI
asked. mo? That is bad. Show M
your drawings. You have never mad
any? Cannot drawn"
Really, Count Won Rosen could no
encourage such a freak. He trie
to explain to the ignorant America
young man already 81 years old tn
impossibility of his entering the Roya
academy.
No Obstacle Too Great.
81 did not ask you If I could over
) come the difficulties" famed up Ef
strom, "but to kindly indicate YOU
t requirements"
y The count turned more frigid; y
v answered that Royal academy pupi!
e first go through the Technical schoo
Edstrom asked it's address. He got
] without further word.
9 Mr.. Adler. its director, received tn
l tenderfoot kindly. He informed hi
that the evening classes for workin,
t men would not open until autumn"
o "It was up to me to live meanwhii
n and AFTER says the uhdaunte
American "They offered me job o
the boat that brought me to Stool
r holm, but had no papers A Unite
g States minister named Graves was
/. brick. He gave me sufficient paper
J. to muster me on that boat for Lol
!. don, waiting for the school to open.
!, saved little money, and entered tn
d infant class in due time"
n He was freak from the start. The
< put him drawing straight lines like
Q child. He knew infinitely less th@
k mechanics apprentice-he kne
q nothing, a round zero!
d Because | said l was going to be
sculptor, became laughing stock
\ teachers and laboring men"
# He suffered wretched privations. f
IS lived with an organ grinder; earnt
n his living giving English lessons
p workingmen at 10 cents per hour.
+. He has Travelled infinitely. He has r.
n created himself.
u P. ST. wanted to know what b
came of that town lot. 1t seems that
" it on the point of selling it now. f
a some $4,000.
1t Lived a Month on So.
e. TN two years I got through t
If Technical School," he tells. And
- ~ was hungry every day of it. I lived o.
81 month on SO. My diet was herrin
n. SKINNED milk. raw onions, salt al
rs black bread: but went for weeks
he only the onions. salt and bread, doll
v, solid work all day at the school al
n giving lessons half the night
He never had money for clothes. /
stead Of socks he wrapped rags roul
le his feet.
IS "1 became looked on as an oriSin
Id / was so poor, so set on doing 1t,
IN always in a hurry, white and sha
Ie looking that / suppose l seemed
- freak. But I hated it. 1t broke r
~, heart to find even the poor peoI
!, watching for me to come down t
up street as sight. Once l heard wor
ay an calling out: Here ne comes!'