Struggles of the Central Pacific
"If there had been that number of whites in a strike, there would have been murder, drunkenness and disorder... But with the Chinese, it was just like Sunday... No violence was perpetrated along the whole line" |
Theodore Judah's path through the mountains would take 15 tunnels, and numerous bridges, making it extremely dangerous. The "Big Four" founders had no experience in railroads, but knew how to run a business. After hiring Charles Crocker for recruitment and James Strobridge for management, they were laying tracks by 1863. In 1865, they reluctantly hired Chinese workers. The Chinese worked harder and faster than their current employees. As many as 14,000 Chinese were employed by the Central Pacific.
Photos, Right to Left:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:CPRR_Chief_Engineer_Theodore_D._Judah.jpg hellenicaworld.com/Images/USAEconomy/en/LelandStanford i55.photobucket.com/albums/g128/jayboydog/CollisPHuntington.jpg en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Charles_C_Crocker_by_Stephen_W_Shaw.jpg upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1e/Mark_Hopkins_1813-1878.jpg "Did they not build the Chinese Wall, the biggest piece of masonry in the world?"
-Charles Crocker Crocker's famous justification for employing small, weak-looking Chinese.
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