This entry was posted on September 6, 2021 at 2:19 pm and is filed under Video. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
2 Comments on “John Henry, the Steel Driving Man: The Stanley Brothers”
I recently watched a program about John Henry on the History Channel. We never think today how much hard work it was to drill a hole in solid rock to place a stick of dynamite. John Henry was working on a crew to excavate a railroad tunnel through a mountain in Virginia. One man held the drill bit and the other hit the end of the steel bit with a sledge hammer. Then the holder turned the bit a quarter turn and the other man it over and over again until the hole was drilled in the rock. There were now power tools in the 19th century just human muscle.
It is unbelievable how they build the transcontinental railroad with only men (mostly Chinese) and their hand tools. John Henry was one of the first folk heroes I read about.
keepthecoffeecoming.blog 
September 6, 2021 at 3:35 pm
I recently watched a program about John Henry on the History Channel. We never think today how much hard work it was to drill a hole in solid rock to place a stick of dynamite. John Henry was working on a crew to excavate a railroad tunnel through a mountain in Virginia. One man held the drill bit and the other hit the end of the steel bit with a sledge hammer. Then the holder turned the bit a quarter turn and the other man it over and over again until the hole was drilled in the rock. There were now power tools in the 19th century just human muscle.
September 6, 2021 at 4:17 pm
It is unbelievable how they build the transcontinental railroad with only men (mostly Chinese) and their hand tools. John Henry was one of the first folk heroes I read about.