How many Chinese workers built the Canadian Pacific Railway?
15,000 Chinese labourers
Upward of 15,000 Chinese labourers helped to build the Canadian Pacific Railway. Working in harsh conditions for little pay, these workers suffered greatly and historians estimate that at least 600 died working on the railway.
Was the Canadian railway built by Chinese?
Chinese labour was used to build the railroad, and later to maintain it. Over 17,000 Chinese came to Canada from 1881 through 1884. Several thousand came from the coastal areas of the United States where they helped build the American transcontinental railroad, but the majority arrived directly from southern China.
Why did the Chinese work on the Canadian Pacific Railway?
Many Asians were brought to Canada to provide cheap labour. More than 15,000 Chinese came over in the early 1880s to build the most dangerous and difficult section of the Canadian Pacific Railway. “Canada would be strengthened by exclusion of the Chinese race,” the Reverend Leslie Clay reported to Commission.
Where did the Chinese railway workers come from?
Chinese railway workers were brought by ship from both California and China to start building the CPR from the west coast at the same time that European labourers began building the eastern section from the east coast.
What happened to the Chinese workers after the railroad was completed?
Progress came at great cost: Many Chinese laborers died along the Central Pacific route. The company kept no records of deaths. But soon after the line was completed, Chinese civic organizations retrieved an estimated 1,200 bodies along the route and sent them home to China for burial.
Who built the Canadian Pacific railroad?
In 1879, the federal government floated bonds in London and called for tenders to construct the 206 km (128 mi) section of the railway from Yale, British Columbia, to Savona’s Ferry, on Kamloops Lake. The contract was awarded to Andrew Onderdonk, whose men started work on 15 May 1880.
What happened to Chinese railroad workers?
They had to face dangerous work conditions – accidental explosions, snow and rock avalanches, which killed hundreds of workers, not to mention frigid weather.
Who built the Canadian Pacific Railway Chinese workers from hoisin?
Records of the deaths of Chinese workers were poorly kept by railroad foremen, and the 600 figure seems to come from Andrew Onderdonk, who supervised construction on British Columbia sections of the railway and gave testimony at the Royal Commission on the Canadian Pacific Railway.
What were Chinese railroad workers paid?
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Chinese workers experienced unequal treatment while working for the railroad. They completed six or seven backbreaking days of work each week, laboring from dawn to dusk, and were paid $31 to $35 per month — 30 to 50 percent less than white workers, who were demanding at least $2 a day.
How many people died building the Pacific railroad?
Between 1865-1869, 10,000 -12,000 Chinese were involved in the building of the western leg of the Central Pacific Railroad. The work was backbreaking and highly dangerous. Approximately 1,200 died while building the Transcontinental Railroad.