There Lies A Steel Drivin' Man

Born a slave in the mid-1800s, John Henry hammered his story into legend.

The emancipation of slaves after the Civil War sent thousands of men into the workforce during the Reconstruction period with most of the working conditions as poor as the pay.

Railroad construction, particularly during this time, was one of the occupations where one could expect to find some of the hardest work, under the worst conditions and get paid little for it.

Part of building railroads was drilling tunnels through mountains which were too large to go around or over. This work was performed by hand by a hammer man and his partner, known as a "shaker" or a "turner." The hammer man would pound a steel drill or spike into the rock, creating a hole which would be packed with explosives. The shaker's job was to hold the drill in place while it was being struck by the hammer man, and to give it a twist after each blow.

The work of the shaker was actually far more dangerous that that of the hammer man. Often the drill needed to be held at an awkward angle, and always in a restricted space, which meant the the shaker was usually crouched or otherwise inconveniently placed near the stiking surface. One bad swing by the hammer man, and, well, send in a new shaker.

John Henry was working for the C&O Railroad that was extending its line from Chesapeake Bay to the Ohio Valley when they encountered the mile-and-a-quarter thick Big Bend Mountain. It took 1,000 men three years to bore the tunnel through the rock. Smoke and dust from lanterns and blasting, which filled the tunnel, reduced visibility and made breathing difficult. Hundreds would die and be buried just outside the tunnel opening.

Legend has it that John Henry was the strongest, fastest and most powerful hammer man on the line. He stood at 6 feet tall and 200 pounds, which at the time was enormous. A typical hammer man would swing a Nine Pound Hammer, but some historians believe he used a 14-pound hammer, clearing 10 to 20 feet in a 12-hour day.

The legend continues that a salesman brought a steam-powered drill to the worksite with the claim that it could outdrill any man. John Henry accepted the challenge defiantly asserting "I'll die with my hammer in my hand."

The reports of the distances each contestant was able to achieve vary. According to Harry Belafonte's version, "John Henry drove his 15 feet, the steam drill only made 9." Whether John Henry bested the steam drill by 6 feet or only an inch, it was a remarkable feat.

John Henry died shortly afterwards either from exhaustion or a stroke.

Harry Belafonte, known as an actor and for bringing Calypso music into popularity, performed John Henry at Carnegie Hall in 1959 for this recording.