But they pulled their load. Though they moved smaller amounts of material at a time, they did not take time out for gossip breaks or to smoke. Plus they were experts in the use of gunpowder since it was a Chinese invention. They drank a cup of tea two or three times a day, then went right back to work. At the end of the day, their portion of track was longer and straighter than the white crews. They also worked for less money: They also provided their own cooks and kitchens as long as the railroad would provide the food. When Strobridge saw the results, he hired more of them.
Both companies laid track essentially the same way. They sent crews far ahead to do a preliminary survey, then location surveys. Then the graders would grade 100 miles of track at a time. In the mountains they did as much as 200 to 300 miles at a time since the actual building took so much longer. Bridge, culvert, and trestle crews worked five to 20 miles ahead. Then the tracklayers came in, grabbing rails out of horse-drawn carts. Then came the men to pound in the spikes. At the end of each line was a base camp that supplied material and food to the workers. Every 100 to 200 miles the base camp would move up.
The Central Pacific reached Cisco, only 94 miles from Sacramento on November 9, 1866. Here the Chinese had to blast the Summit Tunnel. The tunnel was 1,659 feet long. They finally finished the tunnel in August 1867. The first nitroglycerin factory was built near Donner Lake, which had become necessary in blasting the tunnel. The tunnel was completed in December.
