The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-02-14
FORSAKE CHICAGO
AND FLOCK TO NEW YORK

than any of the three other methods.
The tidings Of Father Knickerbock-
er's munlflcence spread over the
country with incredible rapidity Then
the answer OF the hobo TO the query
Where you heading?" became "Ncw
York" instead of Chi" as it has been
in the past. Now New York has a
hobo problem to solve.
The railroad man will tell you how
the hobo came to New York. Hardly
a freight train has entered the great
yards of the Pennsylvania in Newark
and Jersey City Of the Erie in Jersey
City, of the West Shore and Ontario
and Western in Wechawken and West
New York FOR months past without at
least one hobo hidden upon it.
\ railroad man who has spent forty
out of sixty years as a brakeman de-
Clarcd that the hobo army is incrcaS-
ing almost daily. He furnished the
interesting Information that % per
cent. of the American born youths
who take to tho road are the sons 81
farmers whp, failing to secure en-
ployment in the large cities, become
ruVers and a menace to society.
II" Classics the other - per cent
in this manner: % per cent. are the
products of our reformatory system
20 per cent. come from the Sums, &c
per cent, are youths of rowing dis.
positions who later become useful Citi-
2ens; 10 per cent. are mental dere-
lets, while the remaining . per cent
are adverse 10 work of any sort.
Y has been asserted that II the
United states estimated population OF
100000 900 fully 100000 belong t.
this army. That Is to say. out of the
100000 male workers in the country
one out Of twenty is n hobo. And but
unc-tenth of these ever become use.
full citizens, so that there are 100000
human dereliCts In the country.
TO the million in the ranks OF the
floating army hoboing becomes n dis
ease. with the coming Of spring they
become infected with the desire &c
wander, regardless Of the positions they
may hold. and start on the road. The
farmer boy feels the cali and he joins
the ranks and within week after
warm weather sets in every train. botl
passenger and freight, carries one ol
more hobOes.
It was a boast of veteran of tn,
road that runs into New York that NJ
hobo ever rode on either n freight ol
passenger train of which he was con,
duCtor. But he was disillusiOned upDT
uncoupling at the New York terminus
one day last summer when he found Z
hobo comfortably putting away at
cigarette while seated on a truck 81
the front coach Of the Twentieth Cen
fury Limited. Upon being questioned
the hobo declared that he had riddeT
from Cleveland in the perilous position
without once being discovered by tn,
railroad men. He had, he said, beer
seen by a car "knOcker" (hobo for ca
inspcCtor) in Buffalo. but the inspectp
had been SO amazed by his audacitl
that he had allowed him to remain.
And there are a hundred and on'
places for hobo to hide on train
The veteran of the road, such as "A No
|, who has been reported killed sovera
times but who has always bobbed M
alive, will ride upon nothing but n pas
senger train. Occasionally he Is dis
covered and thrown on, hut not often
and many times will traverse hundred
of miles at n stretch.
The amateur hobo rides on the freigh
train. He fears the wheels. but H.
learns quickly and can make" a trail
travelling at high rate of speed
Decking" or riding on the top OF
passenger coach 10 q favorite means o