The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1869-07-31
The China man ms n Railroad
Builder.

It is significant fact says the San Francisco
Times, that at the laying of the last rail on the
Pacific railroad, John Chinaman occupied q
prominent position. He it was who commenced,
and he it was Who finished the great work and
but for his skill and industry the Central Pacific
railroad might not now have been carried east.
ward of the Sierras The experience of this un.
admirable railroad builder. His labor is cheap,
his temper is good. his disposition is docile, his
industry is unaagging, his strength and endur-
ing are wonderful, and his mechanical skill is
remarkable. There are Cinnamon in the employ
of the Central Pacific Company who are more
clever in aligning than many white men who
have been educated to the business, and these
Mongols will strike a truer line with the unas-
sisted eye than most white men can with the aid
of Instruments A good deal of nonsense has
been talked about the Chinaman's want of STAN.
ina, and his infe-iority to tho white laborer in
point of strength and capacity for work. The
Central Railroad has pretty thoroughly settled
that point; for numerous experiments have been
made during its construction, with view to test
he respective capacities of the two races. On
one occasion party of Irishmen and party of
Cinnamon were pltted against each other in
blasting hard rack for tunnel. Bets were
freely made that the white men would come out
winners; but at the end of the day, when the
work of each party was measured, it was found
that John Chinaman had burrowed fur Their into
the rock than his antagonist, and was, moreover,
less fatigued.
The bands of Cinnamon now organized by the
Central Pacific Company are as fine railroad
builders as can be found anywhere. The off.
GERS of the Union Pacific road were amazed at
the work these fellows did, and it is by no means
improbable that our Eastern friends will endeav.
or to secure some of these trained gangs for the
next railroad enterprise in which they may en-
gage. Many of the Chinese bosses, or heads of
gangs on the Pacific Railroad, are very intelli-
gent men, and y few days since we were present
when one of these entered q car and engaged in
conversation then going on, speaking good
English, and sho wing extensive acquaintance
with railroad mattera It is we'll that we should
bear in mind the great assistance that the Chi
nese have afforded to the Pacific Railroad, and
that we should remember the difficulties which
their presence dissipated. The training they
have received on that road has given to Californ.
ia large body of men peculiarly adapted to this
description of work, and it has rendered compar-
atively easy the carrying out of other enterprise
es of the same character. They will probably
be largely employed in the construction of the
California aud Oregon Railroad, now about to be
entered upon; and, while they do not prevent
the engagement of white men, they will facili-
tate enterprises which might be impractible,
lacking their aid. The Chinaman is born rail-
road builder, and as such he ia destined to be
most useful to California, and, indeed, to the
whole Pacific slope.