The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1914-05-08
JOHN POWELL WRITES
EXPERIENCE IN OREGON

When | left Blackfoot in 1905, |
remainder promising to write you of
my experiences as soon as | got
rested up. After nine years in Port
land l am beginning to get rested up
a bit, so will proceed with the prom
Used information. After taking in
the Lewis and Clarke fair, l began
to look around for a job At one
employment office | saw this sign.
Wanted, man to dodge horse tails,
wages $500. free fare, 400 miles
east, board 1925 per week. The
agent charged me 81 for the job.
Thirty poor devils shipped to the job
with me, either as SINNERS or labor
ers. The agent gave us instructions
to be at the Union repot in time to
board the S:15 train for Durkee.
Every man was compelled to ship his
bed and other belongings in the
name of the contractor for whom he
intended to work, as a guarantee
that would show up on the job after
getting the free ride. At the ap-
pointed time the agent arrived at
the depot with the SINNERS, laborers,
flunkeies, straw boss, etc., who had
signed up for the job. Two-thirds
of them were so drunk that they did
not know that they were going away
from Portland and the other third
was composed of people living in
Idaho, Wyoming and points farther
east, and who took this method of
obtaining free ride of 400 miles,
and who had no intention of work.
ing, or even stopping at the camp
when they arrived there. The agent
herded all of us into the smoker and
gave each of us hat check SO that
the conductor might identify us.
The bunch was composed of Greeks.
Hindus, Austrians, Slavs, Italians,
Firms, and one lone Missourian.
Each foreigner had bottle of whisky
and one son-of-a-gun had two of EN-
They were well heeled for drinking
material, but had absolutely nothing
to chew on and no spondulix.
By the time we struck the Dalles,
two of our bunch were sober enough
to see that they were not going to
Astoria, the place that they started
for, so as the train stopped they
slipped overheard and gave their
checks to couple of hobos who were
preparing to jump the blind bag
gage" these tramps then took seat
with the rest of the bunch and rode
over three hundred miles with us,
they said they did not intend going
so far, but seeing it did not cost
them anything they would stay to
the end. When we arrived at Una
tilla, all hands were hungry, a man
on the platform was serving hot cof-
fee at ten cents per cup, but there
wasn't ten cents in the crowd, so the
boys all stuck their heads out of the
windows and took a free smell, it'll
smelled good enough but it didn't
go far enough. Whenever we
stopped at a station the brakes
would lock the doors so that none
of the free passengers could take
French leave. Five Greeks tried to T!
get off at Umatilla, but the brakes
mobbed them and put such a head
on them that they could eat hay out
of barn. When we arrived at the
letter buck town the five Greeks sue
ceeded in making their escape. We
lost a few men at Lagrande, Baker
City and Pleasant Valley and when
we arrived at Durkee, what was left |
of us got off the train the ten east
eners, ETC., layed off until the next
train, when they bought tickets for
the rest of their journey and went
on their way rejoicing, leaving their
dummy baggage to the tender mer-
cies of the contractors. Out of the
thirty who had started only two of
us reported for work.
The camp was about three miles
from the station and the boss had
sent a wagon to haul the men and
baggage to their destination. All
of the baggage was turned over to
the boss, he had over 200 rolls of
bedding, suit cases, ETC., which were
unclaimed and belonged to men who
failed to show up after getting the
free ride.
This camp was what is called a
team camp. That is most of the
grading is done by teams, with scrap
ers, carts etc. At six o'clock we
placed away meal that would make
an Australian "Nigger" turn green
with envy, and at o'clock we hit
the hay. At four next morning we
were awakened by the flunkey's loud
yell, grub pile" Instantly the
camp was alive, all was hustle and
anna rant confllsion After breakfast