how many chinese died building the railroads

No one is sure how many Chinese workers died building the railroad because the Central Pacific

kept no such records. Estimates range from 50 and up to 1,200. But the remarkable contributions of Chinese migrants is now slowly being uncovered.

Full Answer

How many Chinese died building the transcontinental railroad?

Since records of worker deaths weren’t kept, Stanford scholars don’t know precisely how many Chinese died building the railroad. They estimate there were hundreds, possibly more than a thousand.

How many Chinese workers were used to build the railroad?

Chinese laborers at work on construction for the railroad built across the Sierra Nevada Mountains, circa 1870s. “In January 1865, convinced that Chinese workers were capable, the railroad hired 50 Chinese workers and then 50 more,” the Project notes.

What happened to the Chinese railroad workers in California?

Chinese railroad workers on a wood train in Bloomer Cut, a rail passage in California. Lawrence & Houseworth / Courtesy of the Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project at Stanford University It happened somewhere between mile 92 and 119.

How many Chinese workers were involved in building the tunnels?

Some 8,000 Chinese focused on building the tunnels while another 3,000 laid track. A letter from Leland Stanford, former governor of California and president Central Pacific, requesting additional labor to work on rail lines.

How many Chinese people died making the railroad?

Since records of worker deaths weren't kept, Stanford scholars don't know precisely how many Chinese died building the railroad. They estimate there were hundreds, possibly more than a thousand.

What happened to the Chinese who built the railroad?

At first railroad companies were reluctant to hire Chinese workers, but the immigrants soon proved to be vital. They toiled through back-breaking labor during both frigid winters and blazing summers. Hundreds died from explosions, landslides, accidents and disease.

How many died building railroads?

While canal projects did have the highest death totals, railway projects were probably the most dangerous recording over 100,000 deaths on just two projects — The Transcontinental Railroad with 1,200 deaths, although this number has never been verified, and the Burma-Siam Railway with 106,000 construction worker deaths ...

What happened to the Chinese immigrants when the railroads were finished?

Despite their hard work, the Chinese experienced discrimination for generations after the completion of the railroad. California laws prevented them from being admitted as witnesses in court, voting, and becoming naturalized citizens. Chinese schoolchildren were also subject to segregation.

How many Chinese died building the Canadian railroad?

Upward of 15,000 Chinese labourers helped to build the Canadian Pacific Railway. Working in harsh conditions for little pay, these workers suffered greatly and historians estimate that at least 600 died working on the railway.

How many Irish died building the transcontinental railroad?

57 IrishIn 1832, railroad contractor, Philip Duffy, hired 57 Irish immigrants to lay railroad tracks in West Chester, Pennsylvania. But, less than two months after their arrival, all 57 were dead. Did they all die – as was widely believed – due to a cholera pandemic?

Did the Chinese help build the railroad?

“The 150th anniversary is not just about completing a railroad, but the workers involved.” From 1863 and 1869, roughly 15,000 Chinese workers helped build the transcontinental railroad. They were paid less than American workers and lived in tents, while white workers were given accommodation in train cars.

How were the Chinese railroad workers treated in Canada?

As well as being paid less, Chinese workers were given the most dangerous tasks, such as handling the explosive nitroglycerin used to break up solid rock. Due to the harsh conditions they faced, hundreds of Chinese Canadians working on the railway died from accidents, winter cold, illness and malnutrition.

Why did Chinese build the railroad?

He told President Andrew Johnson that the Chinese were indispensable to building the railroad: They were “quiet, peaceable, patient, industrious and economical.” In a stockholder report, Stanford described construction as a “herculean task” and said it had been accomplished thanks to the Chinese, who made up 90% of the ...

What were Chinese railroad workers called?

sojournersThey were called sojourners (people who stayed as temporary residents) because they had no intention of remaining in the United States, though many did. Almost all Chinese immigrants were male because most Chinese did not believe women should act independently of their families.

How much did railroad workers get paid in the 1800's?

Initially, Chinese employees received wages of $27 and then $30 a month, minus the cost of food and board. In contrast, Irishmen were paid $35 per month, with board provided. Workers lived in canvas camps alongside the grade.

How were the lives of many Chinese immigrants affected by the transcontinental railroad?

How were the lives of many Chinese immigrants affected by the transcontinental railroad? They were given jobs to plan the transcontinental railroad, but they were underpaid. They were employed to build the railroad tracks, but they also suffered from discrimination.

How many people died in the Taiping Rebellion?

Rebel groups arose around the country, and in the Taiping Rebellion (1851–64), a violent conflict between the peasants and the Chinese rulers, an estimated twenty million to thirty million people were killed. For many Chinese the situation in their homeland was unbearable.

How many people were in China in 1850?

China's population had soared from about 150 million people in 1700 to 400 million in 1850. Over the same period of time China had experienced major floods and droughts (shortages of rain), and its farms were unable to feed the rapidly growing population.

What were the anti-Asian feelings in the 1870s?

Anti-Asian feelings increased in the 1870s. As the U.S. economy took a turn for the worse and many workers were out of jobs, politicians spoke out against what they called the "Yellow Peril," claiming that Asian workers were invading the country and taking work away from white men. In truth the number of Chinese workers remained relatively small. Nevertheless, mobs in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and other cities in the West attacked Chinese communities, often killing or severely beating the residents. In 1882 the federal government passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, which prevented Chinese workers from entering the country. It was the first time the nation had restricted immigration. The Chinese population of the country dropped significantly after that. Many of the Chinese workers who had been instrumental in building the transcontinental railroad went back to China. Those who opted to stay, perhaps hoping that they could make their fortune or that the 1882 immigration law would be overturned, lived out their lives in the bachelor societies of U.S. Chinatowns.

Why did Chinese people have to wear their hair in a queue?

In China at the time, all males were required to wear their hair in a long braid called a queue, in honor of Chinese tradition. For Chinese sojourners the queue was important because without it they could not go home . Because they were treated with suspicion and hostility in the new country, they tended to stick together, living in small Chinese communities and keeping to their own customs.

Why did the Chinese strike in 1867?

In 1867 two thousand Chinese workers in the Sierra Nevadas walked off their jobs, going on strike for better pay and shorter working hours. The strikers were peaceful, simply stating their demands and quietly awaiting a decision. Crocker cut off their pay and stopped supplies from reaching them, leaving them alone at the work site for one week. The Chinese had little choice but to agree to Crocker's conditions. The conditions did include a small raise, but no relief from the long workdays.

Why did Chinese companies start lending money to emigrants?

Soon Chinese companies were established for the sole purpose of lending money for passage to emigrants, which was to be paid back later with interest (a percentage of the sum borrowed). These companies became very powerful, and some forced the new arrivals in the United States into gang labor to pay their debt.

How many Chinese people were in California in 1850?

As soon as word of the California gold rush reached China, thousands of young men set off for the United States. By 1850 there were an estimated 4,000 Chinese people in the country, and ten years later there were nearly 35,000. In 1890 the census recorded more than 100,000 Chinese in America.

How many Chinese workers died building the railroad?

No one is sure how many Chinese workers died building the railroad because the Central Pacific kept no such records. Estimates range from 50 and up to 1,200. But the remarkable contributions of Chinese migrants is now slowly being uncovered. The Chinese Railroad Workers of North America Project, run by Stanford University, is putting together a more complete history for posterity. Its site includes photographs, archeology and even payroll records, and the project is working to find descendants of migrant laborers who can tell their families' histories.

Why was the case dismissed when an Irish railroad worker killed a Chinese man in Texas?

When an Irish railroad worker killed a Chinese man in Texas, his case was dismissed because the judge could find no law that prohibited the killing of Chinese people. According to state law, only killing whites, African Americans and Mexicans was illegal.

How many miles of track did the Chinese lay in a day?

Chinese workers were an integral part of the railroad's crowning achievement — laying 10 miles of track in a single day. Between 5 AM and 7 PM, eight Irish rail-handlers and 4,000 mostly Chinese workers laid over 3,500 rails with 25,800 ties, an accomplishment that has never been matched in any era.

What was the Chinese strike in 1867?

Working conditions were brutal and racism was rampant. In 1867, several thousand Chinese workers went on strike, demanding a pay raise from $35 to $40 a month and an eight-hour work day. The management starved the workers by cutting off food trains, and the strike ended unsuccessfully.

Where did the Chinese work?

In July 1865, the Central Pacific imported the first major group of Chinese workers from China. They were sent to the Sierra Nevadas, where they worked around-the-clock to build 13 tunnels through the mountains. By 1867, 8,000 men were building tunnels and another 3,000 were laying track.

When was the Transcontinental Railroad built?

1 of 48 Track work takes place in Nevada as Central Pacific forces build the western link of the first transcontinental railroad, now a part of the Southern Pacific system, on May 10, 1868. Rail layers shown in the foreground were followed by groups ...

What was the greatest engineering feat of the 19th century?

48 of 48. The greatest engineering feat of the 19th century began in 1863, when the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific railroads broke ground. Two years later, contractors began hiring large numbers of Chinese migrants, many from California, to help with the monumental construction project. In July 1865, the Central Pacific imported ...

How many Chinese workers were employed by the Central Pacific Railroad?

The Central Pacific Railroad, the company that built the western portion of the railroad, employed more than 10,000 Chinese laborers. Rose Wong / for NBC News. April 22, 2019, 8:26 AM PDT. By Chris Fuchs. They thought this was their chance.

When was the Transcontinental Railroad completed?

The First Transcontinental Railroad, completed May 10, 1869, linked the nation and significantly reduced cross-country travel time from months to less than a week.

How did the Transcontinental Railroad help the economy?

The first transcontinental railroad became a boon to the economy of a nation recovering from a civil war, shaving significant travel time across the continent from several months to about a week.

When was the first transcontinental railroad built?

The Central Pacific broke ground on the first transcontinental railroad Jan. 8, 1863, and built east from Sacramento. The Union Pacific Railroad pushed west from Council Bluffs, Iowa (bordering Omaha), where their rails joined existing eastern lines. Acts of Congress provided both companies with land grants and financing.

Why did the Chinese boil water for tea?

They know, for instance, that the Chinese boiled water for tea, which helped stave off dysentery and other waterborne illnesses. They also know the men set up camps along the worksites, didn’t imbibe too much alcohol, worked well together, and sent money back to their families in China.

Why did whites go to the silver mines?

Eventually, they headed to the Nevada silver mines for better wages and the prospect of striking it rich, Hilton Obenzinger, the project’s associate director, said.

Who was the president of the Chinese Historical Society of America?

Among the attendees were Philip P. Choy, president of the San Francisco-based Chinese Historical Society of America, and Thomas W. Chinn, one of its founders. Centennial officials had agreed to set aside five minutes of the ceremony for the society to pay homage to the Chinese workers who had helped build the railroad, ...

What happened after the railroad was completed?

After the railroad was complete, many of the immigrants who survived could not find new jobs. As a plaque on the memorial reads: “With no means of going back to China when their labour was no longer needed, thousands drifted in near destitution along the completed track.”.

Why was the Chinese Railroad Workers Memorial in Toronto erected?

The Chinese Railroad Workers Memorial in Toronto was erected to commemorate the contribution and sacrifice of these workers , who remained nameless in the history of Canada.

What was the first transcontinental railroad?

The Canadian Pacific Railway, built between 1880 and 1885, was the country’s first transcontinental railroad. Running from Lake Nipissing in Eastern Ontario westward through the Canadian Rockies to the coast of British Columbia, it helped unite the country and was crucial for the development of Western Canada.

How many people died in the Chinese railroad?

It’s Rail Safety Week and April 28 is the annual Workers Day of Mourning, and so it’s a particularly relevant time to look at the lives and deaths of the Chinese railroad labourers, who worked in dangerous conditions and died in large numbers. Estimates of how many Chinese workers died building the railroad vary widely. The grim saying, immortalized in an iconic Heritage Minute (below) is that one Chinese worker died for every mile of track laid. The Canadian Encyclopedia, published by Historica Canada, which also makes Heritage Minutes, uses the estimate “at least 600” dead in its articles. The memorial puts the number at over 4,000.

Who was the person who supervised the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway?

Records of the deaths of Chinese workers were poorly kept by railroad foremen, and the 600 figure seems to come from Andrew Onderdonk , who supervised construction on British Columbia sections of the railway and gave testimony at the Royal Commission on the Canadian Pacific Railway.

When did workers clear ice from the railroad tracks in the Don Valley?

Workers clear ice from the railroad tracks in the Don Valley around 1910 . Photo from the Toronto Archives Fonds 1244, Item 5029.

When did Chinese families picnic in Toronto?

A Chinese family picnics in Toronto in 1927. Photo from City of Toronto Archives, Globe and Mail fonds, Fonds 1266, Item 10752.

When did Harper apologize for the Chinese head tax?

On June 22, 2006 Prime Minster Stephen Harper gave a full apologyfor the Chinese head tax and for the ban on Chinese immigration from 1923–1947, calling them “malicious measures aimed solely at the Chinese.”

Who built the workers memorial?

The Workers Memorial, including the trestle arch and sandstone blocks carved to represent the Canadian Rockies, was built in 1989 and designed by prominent Toronto artist Eldon Garnet. The bronze figures were cast by Francis LeBouthillier.

Did the railroad workers return to China?

Even those who survived building the railroad often couldn’t afford to return to China or bring their families to Canada. They were left without jobs in hostile territory. The railroad workers memorial notes that it also memorializes these men, saying, “With no means of going back to China when their labour was no longer needed, thousands drifted in near destitution along the completed track. All of them remained nameless in the history of Canada.”

What railroad was built by Chinese immigrants?

From the 1860s to the 1880s, thousands of Chinese immigrants found work in railroad construction in the West, notably on the Central Pacific line of the First Transcontinental Railroad, which was built primarily by Chinese.

How many dynamite blasts went off?

Dynamite was used to blast a rock cave. Twenty charges were placed and ignited, but only eighteen blasts went off. However, the white foreman, thinking that all of the dynamite had gone off, ordered the Chinese workers to enter the cave to resume work. Just at that moment the remaining two charges suddenly exploded.

How many Chinese workers were there on the railroad?

Chinese workers made up most of the workforce between roughly 700 miles of train tracks between Sacramento, California, and Promontory, Utah. During the 19th century, more than 2.5 million Chinese citizens left their country and were hired in 1864 after a labor shortage threatened the railroad’s completion.

How many Chinese people worked on the Transcontinental Railroad?

From 1863 and 1869, roughly 15,000 Chinese workers helped build the transcontinental railroad. They were paid less than American workers and lived in tents, while white workers were given accommodation in train cars.

How many times did the railroad workers shovel?

The work was tiresome, as the railroad was built entirely by manual laborers who used to shovel 20 pounds of rock over 400 times a day. They had to face dangerous work conditions – accidental explosions, snow and rock avalanches, which killed hundreds of workers, not to mention frigid weather.

Why did the Chinese go on strike in 1867?

The Chinese workers were educated and organized; 3,000 laborers went on strike in 1867 to demand equal wages, as the white workers were paid double. “They were unsuccessful because they were out in the middle of nowhere,” said Liebhold. “The railroad stopped them from getting food. That’s one way it failed.”.

When was the tea carrier at the tunnel?

Tea carrier at tunnel, about 1867. Photograph: Courtesy of Library of Congress. Tea carrier at tunnel, about 1867. Photograph: Courtesy of Library of Congress. In a new exhibition, the overlooked contribution of Chinese workers is being brought to the light for the 150th anniversary of the railroad’s completion.

When were Chinese immigrants allowed to come to the US?

From the 1850s to 1882, they were tolerated in the US, but not accepted as peers. “Then, there was the Chinese Exclusion Act, which barred immigrants from coming into US, unless you were a diplomat or a businessperson,” said Liebhold. “You’re always welcome if you’re affluent, then you’re allowed to come in.”.

Who was left out of the 1869 railroad photo?

There is one photo from 1869 that shows how the company commemorated the last hammered spike to complete the railroad, however, only one Chinese worker is in the photo. Many of the actual workers were left out. This story could still be one which resonates with today’s America.

Where were the Chinese workers when the strike went down?

When the strike went down on June 25, 1867, some 5,000 Chinese were at work between the California towns of Cisco and Truckee, just west of the Nevada border. As far as job actions go, this one came with little drama. “They went to their camp and they sat,” Obenzinger said. “Crocker was amazed.

How much did Chinese workers make in 1867?

The Chinese had seen a pay increase from $31 to $35 per month by Spring 1867, but it fell short of the $40 monthly salaries whites were pulling in, Obenzinger said. They were also toiling longer hours, often under dangerous conditions, whipped or restrained if they left to seek employment elsewhere.

How many Chinese were in California in 1865?

But Strobridge yielded and the Central Pacific tested out 50 Chinese workers in 1865, Obenzinger said. They were among the 50,000 to 60,000 Chinese living in California that year, hailing from Sacramento, San Francisco, and the gold-mining towns of the Sierra Nevada, according to Obenzinger. The experiment a success, the railroad hired additional ...

What did Obenzinger say about the Chinese?

While the railroad made no concessions, Obenzinger said the action helped counter the image that the Chinese were docile and wouldn’t fight for their rights.

Why did the Chinese strike?

On June 25, 1867, thousands of Chinese railroad workers staged a strike to demand equal pay to white laborers, shorter workdays, and better conditions. Chinese railroad workers on a wood train in Bloomer Cut, a rail passage in California. Lawrence & Houseworth / Courtesy of the Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project at Stanford ...

What was the largest engineering project in the country at the time?

So they put them to their employer, the Central Pacific Railroad, and a strike was on. “This project, the railroad, going through the mountains was the largest engineering project in the country at the time,” Hilton Obenzinger, associate director of the Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project at Stanford University, told NBC News.

When did the Central Pacific train workers arrive in California?

So the Central Pacific arranged with labor contractors to bring workers directly from China, he said. They arrived by boat beginning in July 1865. Two years later, between 80 and 90 percent ...

What was the railway that made British Columbia easier to get to?

Building the Railway. Before 1885, when the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) made movement across the country cheap and convenient, British Columbia was difficult to access from other parts of Canada. It was easier, cheaper and faster to get to British Columbia from Hong Kong than from Halifax.

When was the CPR built?

With the beginning of the construction of the CPR in the 1880s, Chinese workers were crucial for building the difficult western sections of the railway. Chinese railway workers were brought by ship from both California and China to start building the CPR from the west coast at the same time that European labourers began building ...

How much did white workers get paid?

White workers were paid $1.50 to $2.50 per day and did not have to pay for provisions. As well as being paid less, Chinese workers were given the most dangerous tasks, such as handling the explosive nitroglycerin used to break up solid rock.