The weekly chronicle. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1883-1883, 1883-04-04
5000 cHINAMEN.
How They Are Controlled by
One Man.
From the Philadelphia Times.

SAlC X al.
From the Philadelphia Times
The Southern Pacific r. r. is the mar
| vel of modern railway construction. The
country which it traverses has peculiarly
lnfavorable physical aspects. The en-
gineers have overcome every obstacle.
They have treaded sandy deserts, tunnel
ed lofty mountains, leveled rocky ridges,
bridged great rivers and spanned deep
canyons. Against them nothing has
prevailed. Nature set up her strongest
citadels to bar their progress. They
melted before their skill like dew before
the summer sun. They brought ties and
bridge timber three thousand miles and
transported the connecting rails across a
great continent Savage tribes of Indi-
ans harassed and annoyed them. They
raised an army and subdued the barbara
ans They passed through country on
| which the white mans foot had never
been set. Civilization followed in their
wake and towns and cities sprang up like
magic. The country was non-productive
and forage for their stock and subsistence
for the a-nysacs workmen had to be
brought from distance.
| CHINESE CHEAP LABOR.
In some places water for all purposes
had to be carried hundred miles.
White men could not be worked to adj
vantage in this desert country and six
thousand Chinese coolies were imported
as navies. Armed with pick and shovel,
tamping bar and sledge hammer they
worked through the country mighty
host of progress, and track-laying advanc-
ed at the rate of three miles day. Even
along the Rio Grande, where canyons
were crossed thousand feet deep, noun
tains tunneled mile through the rocky
ridges miles in extent leveled and grad
ed, these Mongolions moved forward a
mile every twenty-four hours. I passed
along the line for the first time last sum
mer and it was a source of never-failing
wonder to note the rapidity and precision
with which the work was accomplished
A hill Of solid rock one hundred wards
long had to be cut down to the average
depth Of thirty feet. A thousand China
men would swoop down upon it with
drills and sledges. In six hours blast
would be ready. Tons of powder would
be poured into the innumerable holes
made in the rock by All Sin. Fuses
would be prepared, an electric battery
attached, the engineer would press the
little button, and by the time the smoke
from the explosion cleared away the
track-aying outfit would be hard at work
placing ties in position and spiking down
rails. 1t was necessary to lay the track
before any permanent bridges Or trestle-
work could be done.
CROSSING CANYON.
In crossing canyon false bridges were
made of cross-ties, and it was astonishing
how quick those pig-tai]ed heather ran
up the temporary piers. The construct
ion company contracted for these labor
ers in California at fixed price per
head and was under bond to return them
to the agent of the Six Companies when
the road was completed. All Sin kept
his ears open and was observant. It was
not long before he learned that one hun
| dred cents for twelve hours of hard work
was not the usual price paid railroad
laborers. A fumor reached him that
another great road was coming on to
meet the one he was building and that
navvies received So day thereon. He
was Justly indignant at the advantage
which the enterprising but soulless cor
poration had taken of his ignorance of
prices. He did not openly protest, nor
did he hold monster ndignation meet
ing with brass band accompaniment, and
strike for higher wages. These are a
part Of our peculiar civilization and All
Sin had come straight from the rice fields
and tea groves of the Celestial Kingdom,
| where such. assertions Of independence
and liberty usually cost the unfortunate
promoters, aiders and abettors their
lives. He revolted, however, in secret
and determined to better his condition.
He began to desert, and the country be-
tween Ell Paso and the Pesos river was
| soon full Of eastward moving pigtails.
The company sent after the recreants and
recaptured most of them. This did not
deter others from venturins, and the
company saw plainly that something
must be done. exactly what their
wisest heads could not decide.
PUTTING DOWN THE INsuRREcTIoN.
In this emergency man arose-they
always do under such circumstance
who boldly proclaimed his ability to nip
this Chinese rebellion in the bud. The
company granted him extraordinary
powers and he entered upon his labors.
in three months after his peculiar met
hods of subsection were inaugurated
nothing could tempt one of his Celestial
navvies to desert his post.
met this railroad Napoleon one day
and our acquaintance had ripened into
comparative intimacy before l learned
that in his presence the bravest rice
eater among these almond-eyed navvies
qlailed and trembled He is one of the
types of border standardization, six feet
four inches in height, with a frame like
a Hercules and face on which the lines
of firmness, decision and command are
sharply cut. He has very white aud
even teeth and shows them often, for he
smiles frequently. An admirer of his re-
marked to me: "When Martins nose
comes down to meet his lip, and his lip
goes up to meet his nose, and those teeth
of his glisten and shine, why look out.
He means business" 1 was waiting for
the accommodation train to leave the end
of the track when l formed his acquaint-
ance. He,is man of intelligence and
thoroughly informed on the subject of
| Chinese character peculiarities. He
speaks the language fuently and can
decipher the hieroglyphics on "washee-
washee" biii at sight.
| TEXAS pE,CENAKER.