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had to be transported ·by oceanway from Sau 1Prane1scoJ ce4ar lumber was

to come from_O:regonp also b7 shipo Huge engines were sent in section~

and assembl.ed on lai:ui~ but ons o:t the greatest problems was ....... labor~

Where u,d how coul.d tho"~ands of laborers be recrtL\ted to dig 1~000 t•~t

ot ool1d I"ock t~ougb. a momrte.1.~_t And, '~f it were pos1ible to obtain

. these worke:r~i.i would they be able to -~1:thtJtruid the ~i6@l."S of' such an

ardoue undertakag in add1t1o~ to th~ unpredictable £~roes of Batur~f

OharleB Crocker had the answer - 0 Chiu@~~ laboreral W1th hie past•~•
pertenoe in hii:·JJ.lli th@ Cl'.hln8se to work 01J. the Oen·t~al Pacifio bilroa4,
., .. -..,...... ,.
built bf 1&711\S traoks across the . mountainous Siarr~ lenradaa, Crocker

, knew that these worke~wwere 4ependable, efficiente well-qual1!1e4, and

would cause 11ttle 1t ruiy, pro'bleuo
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And So tha Hera~erm proJect begu" · Bttrly 1n 1874, thoutJanda of Oh1neae

laborers were recruited~ some tQ start building th~ railroad from San

JT.ancisco aouthw2~~ others to gtart from Loe An..geleii and heading northo

In the m~_an.timel\l the mo~t .formidiAble obs.tacle loomed al:uuul, thcr $an ,~1• 112
nando tw:a..uel$~· A force ot Ohil.\ese workers arrived in the first months of
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U375 to an area that was :turt 0 dry, dasola·te, an4 mow,.ta1:o.ouo. !b.e1r work
wae cut out for themo fhe7 were to work in three S~hour ah1fts~ da.7 and

n.ight. •at a dollar a day() !a shorten the time req1dred to complete th1

pro3ecte the tW1nel wQu.ld be dug frora both end~ simulttAllcoual70

On March 22 1875ti the exc0.vat1011 of the San f@rna.ndo Tunnel was officially
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begun. with a b.uge ex_plosion of R4in:~cuiss blaet1:tag powder x.~ocking the
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motmta.in and surrounding areac From the V<U:'f beginn1ngt :there aeemet to

be one obstacls aft.er anothere Since air jack-hammers had not been 1n­

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ven.\:e4 in the 1870 s, digging had to be d~1u1 in a crude and laborious
~nne:r -• a heaVf wedge being held bf one me.n while another etruck it with

a ponderous hammer~ After a short period of digging and chopping, 1t was

d1soovered that the mou.ntain was saturated with oil and watero fh1s,

mixed with dirt and mucky clay. stuck to the shovels llls putt7. Deeper