Title: The great American railroad war
Description: The notorious Central Pacific Railroad riveted the attention of two great American writers: Ambrose Bierce and Frank Norris. Drabelle tells a classic story of corporate greed vs. the power of the pen. The Central Pacific Railroad accepted US Government loans; but, when the loans fell due, the last surviving founder of the railroad avoided repayment. Bierce, at the behest of his boss William Randolph Hearst, swung into action writing over sixty stinging articles that became a signal achievement in American journalism. Later, Norris focused the first volume of his trilogy, The Octopus, on the freight cars of a thinly disguised version of the Central Pacific.
Subjects: Press coverage, Political corruption, Criticism and interpretation, Railroads, Central Pacific Railroad Company, History, Bierce, ambrose, 1842-1914, Norris, frank, 1870-1902, Railroads, united states, history, American literature, history and criticism
Places: California
People: Frank Norris (1870-1902), Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914?)
Time periods: 19th century