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Historic Research |
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By John Sutton, Park Technician (1978) The men who laid the iron on the Pacific Railway are an important part of the story. On the Union Pacific, labor was not much of a problem. The end of the Civil War freed many men from North and South. These men were veterans of both armies as well as freed slaves, immigrants from Europe and even Indians. The Irish Civil War veteran was one stereotyped character of the UP construction crews. The first laborers on the Central Pacific were white miners who were out of work. Most of them signed up just to get to the silver mines in Nevada. Labor, especially skilled men, drew premium pay. Carpenters received $4.00 a day; general laborers made $2.50 to $3.00 per day.1 The CP labor shortage was a problem until Leland Stanford suggested using Chinese workers. James Strowbridge, the superintendent, at first did not like the idea because of their small size (the average was only 4' 10" and weighed 120 pounds) 2 and because of racial problems between White and Chinese workers. After testing a crew, Strobridge agreed their methodic manner made up for their small frames. Relations between White and Oriental workers was one of friendly competition during work, and separation after. Chinese were imported in great quantities, mostly from the province of Canton. All together, 12,000 were employed with a typical number of 10,000 Oriental and 1,000 Whites working together. 3 On the UP, about the same number of workers were employed during its peak construction effort. When companies reached the Salt Lake vicinity, Stanford contracted with Brigham Young for Mormon labor. The UP did likewise. Some 3,000 were employed on the UP in Weber Canyon for grading alone. 4 Chinese laborers were used primarily as graders. Later, they were worked with the track crews to finish spiking and fill ballest. White workers, especially the younger ones, were put in more specialized positions such as teamsters, track layers, and overseers. The huskiest Irishmen were given the honor of being the "Iron Men". Older men were assigned to horse teams on the grading crews. All drivers were assigned to the same team and were personally responsible for its care. Any man who will fully destroyed company property paid for it out of his wages. At the railhead, men were housed in a boarding train. The train consited of several roofed boxcars to be used as living and working quarters. Inside were hammocks and places to keep personal gear. These cars were for whites only on the CP. Chinese camped in tents along side the tracks. Also on the train were cookhouses, a telegraph office, clerical office, and railroad official's quarters. The UP had a similar arrangement. Advanced crews, such as surveyors or graders lived in tents and camped near their work sites. Their supplies were brought by wagon. FOOD The Chinese had their own cooks, and ate their own foods. The "Celestials" ate "Exotic chow" brought in from San Francisco. This consisted of "dried oysters, cuttlefish and bamboo sprouts, chinese bacon, sweet rice crackers, salted cabbage, vermicille, dried abalone, tea, rice, pork and poultry." 5 The men of the UP had their diet supplemented with game. This was not the case on the CP, as game was scarce in the deserts of Nevada. Many men were hired by the railroads to hunt buffalo, elk, deer, antelope and foul. Water was available for quenching parched tongues. The CP Chinese drank tea rather than water during breaks. That habit might explian why the Chinese were exceedingly healthy, as the water for tea is boiled. CLOTHING The Chinese wore much the same clothing as their western counterparts. One observer wrote they were dressed in blue cotton clothing and big-sleeved shirts. 7 Chinese hats were quite distinguishing. They appear to be made of straw and are dome shaped with a smaller dome on top. One discription is as follows: "the Oriental wears a peaked woolen cap with ear flaps and his appearance being to mind an ancient crusader rather than a coolie laborer." 8 PAY Chinese workers were paid $35.00 per month. They paid for their own keep out of this wage. 11 White workers insisisted on being paid in gold or silver coin rather than paper notes. On the frontier, coin money was valued greater than note. In some places, paper money was devalued a certain percentage over gold. The Chinese were paid by "the gang". They generally turned most of their maney over to their crew boss for safe keeping, or kept it with the company paymaster. ENTERTAINMENT The Chinese generally kept to themselves. They had their own gambling games and pleasures, of which opium smoking was one. Much has been said about the distractions on the UP. Many gamblers, saloon keepers, confidence-men, and whores set up their "Hell on Wheels" towns and offered their services to the workmen. Sundays were "days off" on both lines. Bearded faces and dirty clothes evident in group photos indicated a distain for the razor. The Chinese, on the other hand bathed and put on fresh clothes every day. In some gangs, members had to clean up before eating. "They spent Sunday washing and mending, gambling and smoking, and frequently, as old timers will testify, in shrill toned quarreling." 12 INDIANS The Central Pacific was not threatened by Indians. The California natives had been removed by the time construction began. Across the desert, few warlike Indians bothered the crews by occasionally chiefs and warriors were given passes to satisfy them. Work on the railroad was tough. The day lasted from sunrise to sunset. The men of both the CP and UP earned their wages. 1. Miller, The Golden Spike, p. 56. 2. Howard, The Great Iron Rail, p. 225. 3. Mayer and Vose, Makin Tracks, p. 93. 4. Howard, op. cit., p. 301. 5. Ibid., p. 229. 6. Mayer and Vose, op. cit., p. 206-7 7. Howard, op. cit., p. 228. 8. Reinhardt, Workin' on the Railroad, p. 48. 9. Howard, op. cit. 10. Galloway, The First Transcontinental Railroad, p. 145. 11. Galloway, ibid., p. 144. 12. Fulton, Epic of the Overland, p.34. |
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