#riding rod

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"CITY ROD-RIDER HURT IN WRECK," The Province (Vancouver). May 1, 1934. Page 8. ---- John Suss In Hospital at Jasper and Recovery Doubtful. ---- JASPER, Alta., May 1.- Search continued today for an unknown "rod-rider," believed buried beneath cases of fish beside the Canadian National Railways right of way near Mount Robson, B. C., west of here.

The boxed fish rolled from a refrigerator car when the engine and tender of a mixed train toppled down a fifty-foot bank, causing minor injuries to the engineer and fireman and serious injuries to another rod-rider.

The second rider is at Jasper Hospital and gave his name as John Suss, 22. of Vancouver, B. C.

He has multiple injuries, physicians said, and his recovery is doubtful.

The cause of the wreck has not been revealed. The wrecked engine is deep in the mud at the bottom of the embankment.

The only information available on the missing rod-rider is that he was of dark complexion and wore a black hat.

Engineer "Scotty" Kemp and "Dutch" Fouts are back at Jasper.

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"Ban on Rod-Riders Begins In Earnest," Ottawa Citizen. October 3, 1932. Page 1. --- Railway Police Think Close Watch Will Eliminate the Practice. ---- Stringent enforcement of the ban against transients "riding the rods" from one city to another in Canada. which Rt. Hon. R. B. Bennett, Prime Minister, speaking at Calgary early in September, announced would be enacted on October 1st. began in earnest here this morning when police of both the Canadian National and Canadian Pacific railways, the provincial police and the R.C.M.P. began a campaign which is intended to eliminate the practice.

Regulations issued by the railway police were to the effect that no person may travel on trains in Canada except by the proper method on passenger trains. All incoming and outgoing trains, both passenger and freight, are to be checked and anyone found "riding the rods" is to be prosecuted. The R.C.M.P. has issued circulars which were sent to all police forces in Canada notifying them that the ban came into effect on Saturday and enlisting their support. Also a detachment of "Mounties" from "N" division. R.C.M.P.. stationed at Rockcliffe, left Ottawa over the week end, the members of the detachment to be stationed at various points in eastern Ontario and western Quebec to help the railway, provincial and municipal police stop transients from getting onto trains and removing them from trains in the various communities where they are located.

Over the week-end C.N.R. police arrested three youths who appeared in police court this morning on charges of stealing rides. All three were let go by the court. Two of them. residents of Montreal, were arrested Saturday en route to Toronto where they intended to cross into the United States. One of the lads said he was the son of a Mont- real bank manager and both had in.migration visas allowing them to make a three weeks stop in the United States. The other youth, who was arrested this morning. was on his way to Montreal from North Bay to visit his parents.

At R.C.M.P. headquarters here today it was announced that the R.C.M.P. throughout Canada would assist in enforcing the ban against transients "riding the rods."

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"Eight Windsor Youths Caught," Windsor Star. June 23, 1943. Page 5. ---- Two Sent to Jail; Others Held in St. Thomas Are Juveniles ---- ST. THOMAS, June 23. - Eight youths from Windsor were apprehended yesterday riding on a Michigan Central oil tanker, and all appeared in less than two hours in city court before Magistrate E. Donald Smith. They ranged in age from about 16 to 29.

Two being over 21, Arthur Baker, 29. and James Martin, 23, were sentenced to seven days in jail, and one being under sixteen was placed in the charge of the Children's Aid. The others are also in the custody of the Children's aid pending word from their parents.

Dennis J. Moynihan, of the railway police testified he had received a call from Conductor Handley of the train of loaded oil tank cars at about 8:30 a.m., to the effect that about 10 hobos were on the train, and the boys had been rounded up and brought to court. The boys said they all lived on the same street in Windsor, and had been on their way to the Niagara fruit district, all but one of them seeking farm work. One said he was on his way to a job in Fleet Aircraft at Fort Erie.

Statements of the boys were that their parents knew where they were going, but not how they were going to get there.

Another court appearance of today was that of William H. Nicholls, of St. Thomas, sentenced to seven days in jail for drunk driving, with an additional seven days if he fails to pay court costs. Charge was laid by Police Chief Michael MacNamara, of Port Stanley.

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"HOBOES TURN DOWN WINNIPEG FOR CONVENTION," Winnipeg Tribune. May 9, 1933. Page 4. ---- Hoboes of America will not meet in convention in Winnipeg this summer, Charlie Pearce, the "hobo king," announced Monday as he prepared to leave for the West. King Charles could not arouse any enthusiasm in Mayor R. H. Webb for the proposed gathering, and plans for the convention have been abandoned.

Through the devious channels of hobo communication word has gone out that the "riders of the rods" will not come to Central Canada. Their leader will make another effort to gather his subjects at some far western point.

"The mayor refused to sanction our gathering, and I want the hoboes to know that there will not be a convention in Winnipeg," Pearce said Monday night as he prepared to leave for the coast after a week's stay in Winnipeg.

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"SEARCH FREIGHT TRAINS," Montreal Gazette. July 21, 1933. Page 7. ---- "Side Door Pullman" Passengers Being Unloaded --- North Bay, Ont. July 20. - Making their headquarters at Yellek, six miles west of here, and where the two railway lines run parallel to each other, Canadian National and Canadian Pacific Railways police are stopping all freight trains and unloading "side door Pullman" passengers. T. Humbly, general superintendent of the C.P.R. Algoma District, is authority for the statement that as many as 60 to 70 men have been removed from a single train since the constables have been located at the spot for the past few days, but no arrests have been made as yet.

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“Twelve 'Drifters' Ordered to Leave,” Edmonton Journal, July 9, 1931. Page 14. ----   Arrested for Using C.N.R, Box Car as Sleeping Place ----  Twelve men, one of them with a name that nearly wrecked the police court typewriters and Sergt. John Leslie's vocal chords, were In city police court Thursday morning charged with sleeping in Canadian National Railways box-cars. They were remanded for one month and given 24 hours to dust their heels out of the city and stay out. 

The list led off with Joe Szczerkoksky, which Is pronounced like it Is spelled. The other eleven were Joe Huber, Stanley Banik, Vitchel Thinus, Pete Blaza, Mike Skorpadski, William Biby, Jack Biby, Jack Okonskl, John Uskorailes, Nick Kuskolio and Alex. Watinsky. Edward J. Lawrence received an adjournment to Tuesday on a non-support charge, and Edgar Hudson, charged with the same offence, had his case put over to Frlday. 

Mike Mitchell failed to appear to answer a non-support charge and a warrant for his arrest was Issued. 

Two men charged with Intoxication were fined $20 and costs each. Hans Olsen was fined $20 and costs on a charge of having illegal possession of liquor; and Edward A. Walberg was dismissed from a similar charge.

Pete Kabarchuk was sentenced to two months in jail on a vagrancy charge.

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“Ten Immigrants Fined,” Ottawa Journal. July 28, 1931. Page 3. ---- Ten immigrants, many of whom were unable to give a coherent account of themselves in either French or English, appeared in Hull Police Court this morning, charged with stealing rides on the Canadian Pacific Railway and were assessed $10 and $costs. The arrests were made by C.P.R. Constable George Kelly, who stated that he had arrested the men in the interest of safety.

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“Beating Their Way,” Cobalt Daily Nugget. June 28, 1911. Page 05. ---- The stealing of rides in the T. & N. O. railroads is getting to be so common that ‘bums’ are resorting to that means of transportation along the line. Several cases have come before the magistrates in different towns, but in nearly every instance the culprits have been dismissed with but a warning. That has been going on so long, and the traffic of this class of riders has been increasing to such an extent, that from now on steps will be taken to prosecute all person caught in this act.