Iron Rail to Golden Spike (revision3x, 4/11/2007)

《通往金道钉的铁轨》(2)
（2007年4月11日，第三次修改，未经允许，严禁转载）

By William F. Chew, author of “Nameless Builders of the Transcontinental Railroad”

原作者：赵耀贵（《美西大陆铁路的无名建筑者》作者）

Theodore Judah, a young Eastern civil engineer and surveyor, with proven expertise in railroad building, did a survey as early as 1854, but it was not accepted by the Senate and the House. In 1860, Daniel Strong of Dutch Flat pointed out an easier passage through the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Having received financing from seven men, four of whom represented the Central Pacific Railroad Company, Judah drew new plans and maps for a Pacific railroad, which were incorporated into the Pacific Railroad Act and signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln on July 1, 1862.

一位来自东部的、年轻且具有丰富铁路修建经验的城市工程师和检测师，西奥多-朱达，早在1854年就对修铁路进行了勘测，但他的设想没有被当时的参议院和国会所采纳。到了1860年，来自达奇弗赖特镇的丹尼尔-斯特朗提出了一个更简单的穿越内华达山脉的路线。这个计划得到了七位商人的财政支援，而这其中的四人后来成了中央太平洋铁路公司的“四巨头”。此时，朱达重新起草了太平洋铁路的计划书和地图，这份新的方案被列入了林肯总统于1862年7月1日签署的《太平洋铁路法案》。

The established and experienced Union Pacific Railroad Company would build the eastern route starting from Omaha, Nebraska. The upstart Central Pacific Railroad Company (CPRR), headed by the “Big Four”, Charles Crocker, Leland Stanford, Mark Hopkins, and Collis Huntington, would build the western route from Sacramento, both linking up in Utah.

太平洋铁路由两间公司分段承建。制度完善且经验丰富的联合太平洋铁路公司将从内布拉斯加州的奥马哈开始建造铁路东段；而由暴富的四大巨头，查理斯-克洛克，利兰-斯坦福，马克-霍普金斯以及考利斯-汉廷顿所带领的中央太平洋铁路公司负责以萨拉门托为起点的西段铁路建设，东西两段在犹他州会师。

On January 8, 1863, at 54 “K” Street, in front of the Huntington and Hopkins Hardware Store,

the official groundbreaking of the Central Pacific Railroad took place.

1863年1月8日，在K街54号，也就是汉廷顿和霍普金斯五金商店门前，中央太平洋铁路正式破土动工了。

A year later only 18 miles of tract had been laid. Lack of manpower was becoming critical. It was back breaking labor, too grueling to stay on.  Men would work a short time and move on to other, hopefully, more profitable and less arduous projects.

可是，一年过去，铁轨的铺设进展却只有18英里，人力资源的短缺是最致命的。那是一项极其费力的工作，没人能在那种严酷的劳动条件下持续长时间劳动，许多人都是做了几天就改换其它更赚钱、也更轻松工作去了。

Charles Crocker needed dependable workers. He had hired a small group of local Chinese miners to clear the Dutch-Flat-Donner Lake Wagon Road.

此时，查理斯-克洛克需要的是可靠的工人。于是，他雇用了一小批当地的中国矿工，来清理达奇弗赖特镇湖边的马车路。

Impressed by their discipline and efficiency, he proposed to Supt. James Strobridge to hire these Chinese workers. Strobridge, however, strongly objected because he believed that “the Chinese were too small and inexperienced”. He was soon silenced when Crocker supposedly rebutted: “They built the Great Wall didn’t they?”

这些工人的纪律性和高效率，给克洛克留下了非常深刻的印象。很快，他就向工程监督詹姆斯-斯特布罗奇建议正式雇用这些华工，但遭到了强烈的反对。斯特布罗奇的理由是，他认为“这些中国人太弱小，而且没有经验”。克洛克反驳说：“可正是他们建造了xx的万里长城，不是吗？” 斯特布罗奇顿时哑口无言。

To be continued （待续……）        绿萍译