[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 8002-8003]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       CHINESE-AMERICAN CONTRIBUTION TO TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILROAD

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JOHN T. DOOLITTLE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 29, 1999

  Mr. DOOLITTLE. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor the Chinese-
American community and pay tribute to its ancestors' contribution to 
the building of the American transcontinental railroad.

[[Page 8003]]

  On May 8th, the Colfax Area Historical Society in my Congressional 
District will place a monument along Highway 174 at Cape Horn, near 
Colfax, California to recognize the efforts of the Chinese in laying 
the tracks that linked the east and west coasts for the first time.
  With the California Gold Rush and the opening of the West came an 
increased interest in building a transcontinental railroad. To this 
end, the Central Pacific Railroad Company was established, and 
construction of the route East from Sacramento began in 1863. Although 
the beginning of the effort took place on relatively flat land, labor 
and financial problems were persistent, resulting in only 50 miles of 
track being laid in the first two years. Although the company needed 
over 5,000 workers, it only had 600 on the payroll by 1864.
  Chinese labor was suggested, as they had already helped build the 
California Central Railroad, the railroad from Sacramento to Marysville 
and the San Jose Railway. Originally thought to be too small to 
complete such a momentous task, Charles Crocker of Central Pacific 
pointed out, ``the Chinese made the Great Wall, didn't they?''
  The first Chinese were hired in 1865 at approximately $28 per month 
to do the very dangerous work of blasting and laying ties over the 
treacherous terrain of the high Sierras. They lived in simply dwellings 
and cooked their own meals, often consisting of fish, dried oysters and 
fruit, mushrooms and seaweed.
  Work in the beginning was slow and difficult. After the first 23 
miles, Central Pacific faced the daunting task of laying tracks over 
terrain that rose 7,000 feet in 100 miles. To conquer the many sheer 
embankments, the Chinese workers used techniques they had learned in 
China to complete similar tasks. They were lowered by ropes from the 
top of cliffs in baskets, and while suspended, they chipped away at the 
granite and planted explosives that were used to blast tunnels. Many 
workers risked their lives and perished in the harsh winters and 
dangerous conditions.
  By the summer of 1868, 4,000 workers, two thirds of which were 
Chinese, had built the transcontinental railroad over the Sierras and 
into the interior plains. On May 10, 1869, the two railroads were to 
meet at Promontory, Utah in front of a cheering crowd and a band. A 
Chinese crew was chosen to lay the final ten miles of track, and it was 
completed in only twelve hours.
  Without the efforts of the Chinese workers in the building of 
America's railroads, our development and progress as a nation would 
have been delayed by years. Their toil in severe weather, cruel working 
conditions and for meager wages cannot be under appreciated. My 
sentiments and thanks go out to the entire Chinese-American community 
for its ancestors' contribution to the building of this great Nation.

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