How did the men drill holes into the solid granite in which black powder was placed and how much were they paid?
They used hand drills which are like chisels which were hit with hammers to make the holes in the rock into which the explosive black powder was placed. It took three eight-hour shifts to drill and blast twelve inches of rock and steel drills had to be given new edges by blacksmiths every two hours. The Chinese were paid $30 to $35 a month in gold, while the other railroad laborers were paid about the same but didn’t have to pay for their own food.
