How much did Chinese railroad workers get paid?

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 many Chinese workers died working on the Transcontinental Railroad?

1,200 died
Between 1865-1869, 10,000 -12,000 Chinese were involved in the building of the western leg of the Central Pacific Railroad. The work was backbreaking and highly dangerous. Approximately 1,200 died while building the Transcontinental Railroad.

What was life like for the Chinese railroad workers?

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.

How much did the Chinese get paid CPR?

$1.00 a day
They were employed to build the B.C. segment of the railway through the most challenging and dangerous terrain. Chinese workers were paid $1.00 a day, and from this $1.00, they had to pay for their food and gear. White workers were paid $1.50 to $2.50 per day and did not have to pay for provisions.

Why did CPR bring in Chinese immigrant work?

Creating a better transportation system was essential to connect the new Confederation. 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.

How much were the Chinese labourers paid?

How many Chinese workers worked on the railroad?

Between Colfax and summit, the railroad employed 11,000 Chinese Workers: Almost the entire work of digging is done by Chinamen, and the Directors of the road say it would be impossible to build it at present without them. They are found to be equally as good as white men, and less inclined to quarrel and strikes.

When did the Chinamen resume work on the railroad?

“Charles Crocker, superintendent of the Central Pacific Railroad, who returned last night from the work at Summit and Truckee River, reports that with exception of one or two gangs, all the Chinamen have resumed work,” reads a July 3, 1867, article in the Daily Alta California.

Was Chinese railroad labor the best underground workers in the world?

Huntington remained unconvinced, and the judge emphasized the relative value of Chinese railroad labor two days later: We have had a chance to compass the merits of our Chinese laborers and Cornish miners, who are deemed the best underground workers in the world, and the Chinese beat them right straight all along, day in and day out.

Why did Crocker hire Chinese workers on the railroad?

Facing a labor shortage, Crocker suggested recruiting Chinese, a group that earlier had worked on the California Central Railroad and the San Jose Railroad, according to the Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project. They also had history as strike breakers when Irish masons walked off the job, Obenzinger added.