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deioip6:ra:tel7 to b@ @. bl@ t@ .w~tch @. stalwart son grw to ~ood.j @~ i@ @J@®
a da1ntJ litt1e ·11r1~child take her first falte~ing etepso ?st all thtee
normal human· pleasure~ were dem.ed to thetu, Ob.1l.Uif9e labox-ers, du@ to a
number of Cl"Y-®!l ar.t4 'W.\3u.itt in.'lg:ration law~ paa'3ed ·by the us g:ov~l"D®lt.t 0
and !n.Uled tU.rectl7 at thsmi; In:spite of the harailijfflent and hard,~hipg th~
g:rueli~ rnoi•k .and· the d:nidgtey, the Chinese ·kept t.1gging qd choppi:ci ~~t~
the ttm.V.el~ ~l1n cm. July- 14 att~r a 7eax- @,4 a half ·-~f ccntinuo11.~
1
@xcavatin~". 1aucoees see1u®d t1lot1e at h.ande- fhe qu~~tic~ upp~5iost u . @'f'SJ:7""
ona's m:1Jcu1 Ylf&~: Wou.14 the two ~ections m~tttf Or ,would one onrshoot th®
· oth~rt As !t hap;~nedil both aeot1o:ae m@t o;. tare;it s.lld ther~ w~~ gx'ea.t
0
? .... • , . • . , ~ . .,. ' ... :.·
re301o1ng deep in~id® th~ tup.nel,, A miracle na,4·· 1:ru1~ed joined th~ ~orth 0
J
!he ceremonies to aelebrate this great eve~t wa~e held o~ Bepto 5~ 1-896-
at l,Qg Station~ fift0en mil@~ from the Su Fer-.aa~4o tw:mel0 fm~ke f@~
the entire_raUr~ad had al~eady be~n l&id b~ Chines~ labors~, exc@pt tor
the la~t 1,000 feet, whitlh bad been set a.s:14® tor~ th.it; ocoas:1011 t@ b@ la1ti
...
b plao® by Caucasian worne~0 thousand~ of wor4~-were spoken at tb1
coremo~Je but ».o-t o~~ word of mention about the Chines& laborers 111110. had
. worked so diligently to compl.1Ste the tunnel on f.!ohedule6t Inst*ad, the;y
wer@ comp~etelJ 1pored and ~htmt~d aa1~e by the inse~itiva and indift~~~
ent c1t13sttm of O~litom2~
.
And that'e the wa7 it wase a huudred years agou Kowover, on this Sept!) 5ti
· 1976:, theiste oou.rae.;eot.i~ ~en ·~ill not be forgottex,. """" th~;y 'lifj.ll be honored
in memo:ry w1 th gra:t1tu.d@ and respec·t by members and friends of th~ Chinese
Historical Society o:t Bou.them Oal1torn1ao . ~he SocietJ will. be dedicating
a plaque at Lang Statio~ to commemo:r~ate the contributions made by t.b.ese ·
thousands of Chinese laborers who, though considered slight of build at1d
suJ.l in stature,, px•ove4 that _they were actuall.;, "ten feet tall 90 bf vii-tu@
ot their exuiuranee, patien.o®g cour~ge, ·and 1ndom1tabl@ sp1r1te And it W$.!ll
this same spirit and persevera~ce that contributed so greatly to the
fulfillment of an fllmpossible dream~.