The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1943-03-31


was 80 near at Ses-Tse. As resi-
human interest yarn. which follow
Hun has been al Sea-Tae since
last August. He WAS born in Cham
paign. NJ. July p. 1854. which
makes Mr.. Hull 70 years young.
He took a weeks vacation in
February. To keep in trim for his
Job at sea-Tao, he spent the week
at his place near Tenino saving
wood. Hull was glad TO get back
az Sea-Tae. however. and expects
10 work there until the end Of this
cruel war"
To show YOU he was proper
n named. Smith likes 10 work.
20 he II not "wise-cracking
when he SAYS his middle name
Il Work" He also works on
hull At the shipyard. 10 that
fits right into his last name.
But, wait. let Hull tell you the
story of his colorful life. in his
own words
SICKNESS NOT ON LIST
Il am old. but don't feel old. I
was never sick at all since l was
one year old. Ny mother told me
] had the Group when baby and
darn near died.
II went TO Auburn. y. u,
with my folks in 1867. l went
% school in Auburn. but not
very long. i graduated In 1872
from the second grade and
that ended my school career.
II went TO work wheeling shaw
fngs to fireman to fire a boiler in
a factory, received S1.32 a day
for IL hours work. Liked this job
fine. Nv father worked there, too.
/ stayed on the job until father
and l had an argument and he
booted me out the shop door.
81 went home and told my
mother l was leaving home.
She pleaded with me to stay,
hut I had my mind made up
20 leave. So, she made me
four sandwiches and kissed me
goodbye.
'I went to the New York Cen
tral depot and crawled in an empty
box car. Pretty quick the train
began to move. / was on my own
and out to conquer the world at
the age of 10.
LOCKED IN Bon CAR
About IL miles from Auburn
the train stopped and some men
came alongside and shut the doors
to the box cars, locked them and
put seals on them.
Il was imprisoned in the box
car for four days and four nights.
The train finally stopped again and
/ yelled as loud as / could. Some
one heard my cries. for the door
was opened and there stood a big
policeman.
"'What are you doing locked
in a box care ne inquired. i
told him my story of leaving
home. He felt sorry for me
and gave me quarter and
told me to get something TO
eat.
II discovered I was in Mobile,
Ala. After roaming about awhile,
] soon became homesiek, but got
over it. Later, met Negro and
we went to a graveyard, where we
caught a rabbit. l got the left
hind foot. which ! have carried
with me since as a good luck
charm.
81 soon left Mobile via a
box car, heading for st. Louis.
Arriving there. l met young
bootblack, who told me where
I could find a bootblack outfit
10 use and make some money,
as / was good and hungry.
This young bootblack was none
other than Billy Sunday, who
later became a great evan
gelist.
Il stayed with Sunday for three
years. We ate our meals together
and we bunked together. Billy was
well educated and he taught me TO
write. also to do arithmetic. He
was the king of bootblaeks in st.
Louis and we shined all the boots
of the Cardinal ball team at Sports
mans park.
BECAME A NEWS BUTCHER
After awhile Billy began play
ing baseball for the Cards and
got a job as a news seller on the
Texas Express train, running from
St. Louis TO Texas. was news
butcher for about year, then got
Job in 1873 as a machinist' s
helper in a railroad shop. In 1882
I had finished my apprenticeship
and Joined the National Associa-
ton Of Machinists.
Later / 'hobOed' all over
the L. y, working here and
there. 1 settled down in sayre,
Pa, firing an engine on the
Lehigh Valley railroad. fired
for two year, and got pro-
moteG - the right hand side
In 1898.
while in Sayre, one day ! saw
oue Of our engines leaving a round
house two hours early. When she
ran through the switch 10 the
north. we observed no one was in
the cab. II daW-ned on me that the
runaway was heading straight for
a passenger train, on which my
brother-in-law, Jack Kasper, was
IN the cab.
a steamed-up engine stood
IN front of the rOundhOuse. Two
finemen leaped aboard and 1
took the throttle and we were