Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1882-11-04
a Camp of chinese Laborers.

Camping and travelling in the forest
was a delightful experience. spite of
ram and fatigue; but no one OF our
party WAS sorry one morning to be met
on the rivers bank by an engineer, who
brought a package of letters, and the
information that the camps OF the Chi
nese graders on the railroad were just
across the river, that there was q wagon
road to the end of the track, and that
he had skiff and two rowers to set us
across the turbulent current. We had
traversed the whole distance (six hun
dred niles between the ends Of the rail-
road, which are advancing to meet next
year on the summit Of the Rocky Noun
tains. The news that we should see
locomotive that very day was received
| with enthusiasm. 1t meant beds, baths,
clean clothes, newspapers, kilograms,
napkins, silver forks, and a hundred
other things never noticed or appreci-
ated until out of reach. We rearranged
our luggage. bestowed our bedding
upon the half-breed Indian, the Ken
lucky negro, and the white lad, who
t jointly managed the pack-train, got over
the river, and were soon driving through
the camps of three thousand Chinese
t laborers. It was Sunday, and work on
the grade was suspended. The canvas
town swarmed with men. Some were
having their beads shaved, others were
combing and winding their pig-tails
others stripped to their waist. were en-
joying sponge bath. One man was
on his knees going through some reli-
gious ceremony over a chicken before
dissecting it for the pot. There were
Chinese stores, Chinese restaurants, and
Chinese gaming tents. For fifteen
miles the woods were literally full OF
Mongolians. Not feature OF theil
Asiatic life do they abandon, save that,
from the necessity OF working In mud
and dust, they wear American boots.
Their basket hats, blue blouses, and
loose trousers are supplied by Chinese
merchants, and large portion Ct then
food-their rice and dried fish, and al
their sweetmeats aud dainties-come:
across the Pacific. The road was lnet
with Cinnamon driving fat hogs to the
camps to be slaughtered for the Sundsy
dinner, or carrying bundles and boxes
and boards for tent-focring, suspended
to bamboo poles, balanced on the shoul
ders III the exact style OF the plcture
on the tea-chests.
The Chinese laborers on the rallroa'
} earn one dollar and sixteen cents day
} and are hired by gangs Of forty from
} agent. OF the Six Companies IL Sal
, Francisco The usual estimate OF th
effectiveness Of their labor Ia that tire
Cinnamon are equal to two white men
| but the superintendent Of construc.iol
on tie railroad asserts shat be prefer
, the Chinese man for man, 10 such whit
, labor as can he bad on the Pacific coast
: The railroad operations have caused :
grow up at Cabinet Landing, gre
I tesque and hideous town of tents al
shanties cllnslng to the hillside, anon
E;le pInes-a town subs,sung on Ia
wants and weaknesses OF the working
2 men, and haunting in their faces facii
: ties for all the coarser forms of vice
+ Across the river from this pandemoniuI
of frontier dirt, drunkenness and d.
e bauchezy, is another transient railroa
/ town, where the engineers and overseeI
1--we, with their wives aud children, /
, clean tents, prettlly enbowered wit
/ svergresns,