John Henry at Great Bend Tunnel
by Susan Rissi Tregoning
Title
John Henry at Great Bend Tunnel
Artist
Susan Rissi Tregoning
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
The John Henry Historical Park in Talcott, West Virginia, features the iconic Great Bend Tunnel and commemorates the Legend of John Henry.
In the early 1870s, the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway was built along the Greenbrier and New Rivers. This extensive project hired thousands of workers, including many African Americans who had moved to West Virginia for work. The railway construction jobs were hard, low-paid, long, and often dangerous. Workers used tools like shovels, wheelbarrows, mules, and black powder to move lots of rock and soil to build the railway bed. They also used axes and adzes to cut trees into ties, bridge timbers, and lumber for railcars. They worked through hot summers and cold winters to connect Tidewater, Virginia, with the Ohio River Valley.
The C&O Railway's westward expansion along the Greenbrier River in West Virginia led to the birth of the John Henry legend at Big Bend Mountain near Talcott. This tale, while mythical, made John Henry a symbol. He represented the many African Americans who worked hard to build and maintain the state's railroads. He also symbolized black workers who died in these dangerous jobs. John Henry's story, and that of all black railroad workers, continues to be told through songs and ballads.
In February 1870, workers started digging the Great Bend Tunnel, where the Greenbrier River loops around Big Bend Mountain. Over 800 men, many of whom worked on this project dug a tunnel that was 6,450 feet long through the mountain. The job was dangerous because they had to dig through red shale that would often crumble when it touched the air. This made the risk of rock falls high, and deaths were not uncommon. The Great Bend Tunnel, at almost one and a quarter miles long, is the longest on the C&O Railway.
The construction work in the 1870s was challenging, challenging, and time-consuming. Workers used handheld drills and hammers to make holes in rocks. They then filled these holes with explosive powder to stones rocks into small pieces for removal from the tunnel. One worker would hold the drill, turning it a little after each hit and shaking it to remove rock dust from the hole. Another worker would keep hitting the drill with a hammer.
The Legend tells us that John Henry was hired to drive steel for a railroad project. As the work went on, the railway company brought in steam drills. These drills were said to be faster than any person, which started an exciting contest pitting man against machine. John Henry, known for his strength and speed among the railway workers, was asked to race the steam drill in drilling through rock. Using two 10-pound hammers simultaneously, he hammered so fast and demanding that he made a 14-foot hole in the rock. The drill, on the other hand, only made it nine feet. John Henry won the competition, but he later died from exhaustion.
The Great Bend Tunnel was finished on September 12, 1872, and was in use until 1974. The tunnel and a man named John Henry are remembered through a song called The Ballad of John Henry. The song includes a quote from John Henry, saying that if he can't beat the drill, he'll die with a hammer in his hand.
Copyright 2023 Susan Rissi Tregoning
Uploaded
December 24th, 2023
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