|
Research Oral History |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||
|
Alta, California, San Francisco, May 1 and 3, 1869 April 28, 1869, Central Pacific Railroad: "Yesterday's failure has nerved every man to such exertion that no accident can possibly occur. Do you see that platform car, loaded with iron, coming up the track? It is wheeled along by a pair of horses, hitched in tandem, galloping at the side of the track in the manner of a two team hauling a canal boat. They are met by another car, returning after having left its burden of rails at the front. This car is bowling along the downward slope pushed by men on each side, using their feet like oars. Surely, there must be a contretemps, for vehicles cannot pass on a single track. But wait! The downhill car is stopped in an instant. The men lift it off the track and stand it on edge, and the loaded car slips past without delay. Arrived at the front, two men throw a wooden bar beneath the wheels to stop the car. The horses are detached and gallop to the rear. On either side of the car, four men seize hold of a rail with iron nippers, haul it forward off the flatcar, and lay it on the awaiting ties. The car moves forward. After it comes a gang of men who half way drive the spikes and screw on the fish bolts. At a short interval behind this group comes a squad of Chinamen to hammer home the spikes. Behind these is a second squad of Chinamen, two deep, on either side of the track. The outer line armed with picks, loosens the dry earth; the inner line, with shovels, scrapes up the soil and throws it around the ties. I timed the whole movement twice. First time 200 feet of rail laid in one minute and twenty seconds. Second time, 200 feet in one minute, fifteen seconds. This is about as fast as a leisurely walk--as fast, in other words, as the early ox teams used to travel across the plains. It may seem incredible, but it is nevertheless fact, that ten miles of rails are to be handled and laid down this day by these eight white men and these crews of Chinese laborers. But we have only taken in a portion of the scene. Along the line are overseers, galloping up and down, seeing that everything is properly done. In a carriage right at the front sits Mr. Charles Crocker, the general superintendent of construction for the Central Pacific Railroad, and Mr. J.H. Strobridge, his first officer... By 6:00 A.M. two miles of rail have been laid. A train containing two more miles of iron is pushed forward from the rear. As it steams up to the last rail, a squad of men rushes forward, and in exactly ten minutes the train has been completely unloaded: 200 tons of iron rails and ten tons of spikes. Then the small horse-drawn cars are loaded with iron and start ahead, on after another. Meanwhile, the ties are being hauled along a parallel route on the right, while water carts and wagons move forward on the left. By noon it begins to appear that the great feat will be successfully accomplished. In six hours and forty-two minutes, the Central Pacific has laid six miles of track. But here are 1200 to 1400 men to be fed...and they are six miles from the "house" they left at dawn. Far to the rear, one can behold a strange sight. It looks like a village in motion. It is the boarding-house train, composed of a number of plain, wooden house cars with peaked wooden roofs. Inside are the bunks of the workers, arranged in the manner of the steerage of a ship, and also the dining rooms, where these men are fed like fighting cocks. The bread and meat are of the very best. As soon as the boarding-house train is at hand, implements are thrown down and the white laborers retire to their dinner. The Chinamen bring their food with them to dine on the line of work..." The Union Pacific Railroad: "Far in front of the boarding train may be described the advance of the track-laying forces, a group of some twenty men, armed with picks, shovels, road-gauges, pounders, spike maul, etc. They work in sets of two, a man on each side of the track; who scientifically bed a tie every fourteen feet. These are called the "joint-tie men". Next come the "fillers" who bed the intervening ties. The "iron men" follow, ten in number, five stalwart fellows to each rail. With a load "away she goes" from the foreman, the two rails, each weighing 700 pounds, are drawn forward from the truck and at the word "down", dropped with a precision only acquired by their long practice, one at each side, in their place on the ties. Following the iron-men come the "head spikers" who gauge the width and drive six spikes into each rail. The "back spikers" and "screwers" come next, who finish spiking the rails and screw up the fishplates, heavy iron clamps on each side of the rail, thoroughly bolting the joint--a recent excellent invention, much superior to the old "chair" splice... The spikers are preceded by a set of "spike peddlers", on each side of the track... Next follow the "track liners" who, with crowbars, put the track in perfect line. In rear and directly in front of the huge outfit termed the 'boarding cars" are the "back-iron-men" who load the rails upon trucks from the side of the grade, where they are thrown from flat-cars upon which they are shipped from the East...water carriers...with pail and cup in hand, stand near to "cool the parched tongue" of the feverish tracklayer..." Major General Grenville M. Dodge (Chief Engineer Union Pacific Railroad during building of Transcontinental Railroad), How We Built The Union Pacific Railway, p. 31 "The track laying on the Union Pacific was a science. Mr. W. A. Bell, in an article on the Pacific Railroads, describes, after witnessing it, as follows: "...On they came. A light car, drawn by a single horse, gallops up to the front with its load of rails. Two men seize the end of a rail and start forward, the rest of the gang taking hold by twos, until it is clear of the car. They come forward at a run. At the word of command the rail is dropped in its place, right side up with care, while the same process goes on at the other side of the car. Less than thirty seconds to a rail for each gang, and so four rails go down to the minute. Quick work, you say, but the fellows on the Union Pacific are tremendously in earnest. The moment the car is empty it is tipped over on the side of the track to let the next loaded car pass it, and then it is tipped back again; and it is a sight to see it go flying back for another load, propelled by a horse at a full gallop at the end of 60 or 80 feet of ropes ridden by a young Jehu, who drives furiously. Close behind the first gang come the gaugers, spikers, and bolters, and a lively time they make of it. It is a grand "anvil chorus" that those sturdy sledges are playing across the plains. It is in a triple time, three strokes to the spike. There are 10 spikes to a rail, 400 rails to a mile, 1800 miles to San Francisco--21,000,000 times are those sledges to be swung; 21,000,000 times are they to come down with their sharp punctuation before the great work of modern America is complete." Evening Bulletin, San Francisco April 28, 1869, Central Pacific Railroad: "Each of the four front men ran thirty feet with one hundred and twenty-five tons. Each of the four men lifted and placed one hundred and twenty tons at their ends of the rails. The distance traveled was over ten miles, besides extra for walking...Those eight men would not consent to shift and are proud of their work. They, like all Central Pacific men, are water-drinkers. Immediately in front of the eight are three pioneers, who, with shovel and by hand, set the ties thrown by the front teams in position; while this is doing, another party are distributing spikes and fresh bolts at each end of the rail, while some of the party are regulating the gauge. These tracklayers are a splendid force, and have been settled and drilled until they move like machinery... Beside the tracklayers come the spike-starters, who place all the spikes needed in position; then come s a reverend looking old gentleman who packs the rails and uses the line, and, by motion on his hands, directs the track-straighteners. The next men to the spike-drivers are the bolt screwers, quite a large force. Behind them come the tampers, four hundred strong, with shovels and crow bars. They level the track by raising or lowering the ends of the ties, and shovel in enough ballast to hold them firm. When they leave it, the line is fit for trains running twenty-five miles an hour. When all the iron thrown on the track has been laid, the hand cars run to the extreme front, and the locomotive and iron train come as close to the front as possible; another two miles of iron is thrown off, and the process repeated. Alongside of the moving force are teams hauling tools, and water-wagons, and Chinamen, with pails strung over their shoulders, moving among the men with water and tea... The scene is a most animated one. From the first pioneer to the last tamper, perhaps two miles, there is a thin line of 1000 men advancing a mile an hour; the iron cars, with their living and iron freight, running up and down; mounted men galloping backwards and forward. Far in the rear are trains of material, with four or five locomotives, and their water tanks and cars...Keeping pace with the tracklayers was the telegraph construction party, hauling out, and hanging, and insulating wire, and when the train of offices and houses stood still, connection was made with the operators office, and business of the road transacted..." Alta, California, San Francisco, November 9, 1868. Central Pacific Railroad: "Long lines of horses, mules and wagons are standing in the open desert near the camp train. The stock is getting its breakfast of hay and barley. Trains are shunting in from the west with supplies and materials for the day's work. Foremen are galloping here and there on horseback giving or receiving orders. Swarms of laborers, Chinese, Europeans and American, are hurrying to their work. On one side of the track stands the moveable blacksmith shop where a score of smiths are repairing tools and shoeing horses and mules. Close by is a fully equipped harness shop where a large force is repairing collars, traces and other leather equipment. To the west are the rails and a line of telegraph poles stretching back as far as the eye could reach. The telegraph wire from the last pole is strung into the car that served as a telegraph office. To the eastward stretched the grade marked by a line of newly distributed earth. By the side of the grade smoked the camp fires of the blue-clad laborers who could be seen in groups waiting for the signal to start work. These are the Chinese, and the job of this particular contingent is to clear a level roadbed for the track. They are the vanguard of the construction forces. Miles back is the camp of the rear guard--the Chinese who follow the track gang, ballasting and finishing the roadbed. Systematic workers these Chinese--competent and wonderfully effective because tireless and unremitting in their industry. Order and industry then, as now, made for accomplishment. Divided into gangs of about 30 men each, they work under the direction of an American foreman. The Chinese board themselves. One of their number is selected in each gang to receive all wages and buy all provisions. They usually pay an American clerk--$1 a month apiece is usual--to see that each gets all he earned and is charged no more than his share of the living expenses. They are paid from $30 to $35 in gold a month, out of which they board themselves. They are credited with having saved about $20 a month. Their workday is from sunrise to sunset, six days in the week. They spend Sunday washing and mending, gambling and smoking, and frequently, old timers will testify, in shrill-toned quarreling. At sunrise, a signal to turn to is given from the camp train. What at first seemed confusion to the visitor soon resolved itself into orderly action. A train of about 30 cars loaded with materials and supplies had been spotted close behind the camp train. This supply train left the nearest supply station every morning early enough to reach the end of the track by sunrise. On it are ties, rails, spikes, bolts, telegraph poles, wire, etc. The rails, ties and other material are thrown off the train as near to the end of track as feasible, and then the empty train is drawn back out of the way. At this point, the rails are loaded on low flat cars, and hauled by horses to the end of the track. The ties are handled in the same way. Behind come the rail gang, who takes the rails from the flat cars and lay them on the ties. While they are doing this, a man on each side distributes spikes, two to each tie; another distributes splice bars; and a third the bolts and nuts by which the ends of the rails are spliced together. Then come the spikers, two on each side, to pin the rails to the ties. Two more men follow to adjust and bolt the splice bars. As fast as a flat car is unloaded it is turned on its side to allow the loaded cars to pass it. It is then returned to the rails and sent back for another load. All this time, wagons are distributing telegraph poles along the grade. Cross arms are nailed on to them. Another gang working under a foreman of telegraph construction digs the holes for the poles and a third gang erects the poles. It is the aim of this third gang to keep pace with the rail gang. At times, lack of wagons makes it impossible to keep themselves on never letting the track get ahead of them, utilize sage brush, barrels, ties--surreptitiously taken from the track--or anything else that would keep the wire off the ground until the supply of poles again equals the demand. Then comes a wagon bearing a reel wire which unrolls as the wagon goes ahead. As the wire uncoils, it is carried up on the poles and made fast to the insulators. Back of the track builders follow a gang with the seven or more ties necessary to complete the foundation for each rail. These are put into position and spiked by another gang, which also levels up the track and leaves it ready for the ballasters. Meanwhile on board the camp train, cooks are preparing dinner, clerks are busy with accounts and records, and the telegraph wire is tapping back the needs for tomorrow in the way of materials and supplies. Twice a day the camp train moves to the end of the track--at noon to give all hands the hot dinner that six hours of labor has earned and at night to give supper and sleeping accommodations. Immediately on reaching the end of track at night, a telegraph wire is but in from the last pole to the telegraph car and Sacramento is notified of the number of miles of track laid. |
|||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
