Read Online Woodcutter's Revival by Jerry Slauter - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jerry Slauter
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progressing well enough and we had a stand of trees on the place, so I was able to make some spending money by selling ties to the railroad. That was where I first learned the lesson â everything of value has a price, but not all things that are high priced have value.
âDuring construction, trestles had to be built over the river ways and connecting mountain passes. Tunnels had to be blasted through solid rock. The work was dangerous. Conditions were rugged and bleak. Several workers lost their lives. Most of them aged more than if they stayed in the comfort of their homes. Those who were on the road the longest were away from family and loved ones.
âSomeone got the idea to import Chinese workers as they were skilled in the use of black powder. The railroad people had to convince the workers that the benefits of life in America outweighed the sacrifice and risk. That is for the workers who were brought here on their own volition and legally. Nobody knows how many workers were kidnapped and forced into labor. It probably helped that the language barrier obscured these facts.
âWe do know that overall, there were an estimated one thousand-two hundred Chinese workers who lost their lives on the railroad construction. Some days, they blasted through the mountains and only gained eight inches of progress. Some days they tunneled through snow to continue working. I was told of an incident when the snow tunnel collapsed and buried the workers. The tunnel was cleared and the bodies that were not in the way of the track were not recovered until the snow began to melt in the spring. The workers would work extra hours, when they had them, recovering the bodies because the Chinese man wanted to be buried in his home soil.
âMost of the American workers who started on some phase of the project only saw a segment completed. Very few of the workers were able to go the whole distance. The progress of those who came later was built upon the efforts of the earlier workers.
âNow people can travel smoothly and effortlessly, at about six times the speed of a fast horse. As the horse and rider wear down quickly, the train moves on, seemingly, almost effortlessly. In fact, you can even get rested while riding on the train. Very few of the people who ride on those narrow ribbons of steel realize the sacrifice made by the individuals building the track. Now they carry cargo, medicine, supplies, books, teachers, judges, preachers, and everyone in search of a dream. The rails reunite families and have as many good purposes as you can imagine.
âThat is the way life is. We are each given only a short segment of the total continuum. Some have it better than others. Some put their time into better use. If we worry or fret about the section we didnât get, or grumble about the one we got, our short segments will be over and we will not have even realized it. That is the way my exile has been. Sure, I have missed a lot of things I would have experienced down there, but I would not trade the things I have gained. Besides, an experience is never wasted if you learn from it, and no lessons are free of cost.
âWe gain from others. I guess I am riding the tracks you built,â observed Stewart.
âThatâs the point I was making, not so much that you have ridden on my tracks as much as, we all benefit from the wisdom and the technological progress of others and have responsibility to pass on what we have learned.â
Stewart was amazed as he thought back to his original intentions in initiating the conversation. He only wondered how he would ever be able to continue Michaelâs track or fuel his own locomotive so others could ride it the furthest.
After a few moments of thought, Michael added, âOur lost years are only restored as we cause others to benefit from them. Have you ever read the prophet Joel?â
Stewart responded, âI have, but I really couldnât tell you what I learned
âDuring construction, trestles had to be built over the river ways and connecting mountain passes. Tunnels had to be blasted through solid rock. The work was dangerous. Conditions were rugged and bleak. Several workers lost their lives. Most of them aged more than if they stayed in the comfort of their homes. Those who were on the road the longest were away from family and loved ones.
âSomeone got the idea to import Chinese workers as they were skilled in the use of black powder. The railroad people had to convince the workers that the benefits of life in America outweighed the sacrifice and risk. That is for the workers who were brought here on their own volition and legally. Nobody knows how many workers were kidnapped and forced into labor. It probably helped that the language barrier obscured these facts.
âWe do know that overall, there were an estimated one thousand-two hundred Chinese workers who lost their lives on the railroad construction. Some days, they blasted through the mountains and only gained eight inches of progress. Some days they tunneled through snow to continue working. I was told of an incident when the snow tunnel collapsed and buried the workers. The tunnel was cleared and the bodies that were not in the way of the track were not recovered until the snow began to melt in the spring. The workers would work extra hours, when they had them, recovering the bodies because the Chinese man wanted to be buried in his home soil.
âMost of the American workers who started on some phase of the project only saw a segment completed. Very few of the workers were able to go the whole distance. The progress of those who came later was built upon the efforts of the earlier workers.
âNow people can travel smoothly and effortlessly, at about six times the speed of a fast horse. As the horse and rider wear down quickly, the train moves on, seemingly, almost effortlessly. In fact, you can even get rested while riding on the train. Very few of the people who ride on those narrow ribbons of steel realize the sacrifice made by the individuals building the track. Now they carry cargo, medicine, supplies, books, teachers, judges, preachers, and everyone in search of a dream. The rails reunite families and have as many good purposes as you can imagine.
âThat is the way life is. We are each given only a short segment of the total continuum. Some have it better than others. Some put their time into better use. If we worry or fret about the section we didnât get, or grumble about the one we got, our short segments will be over and we will not have even realized it. That is the way my exile has been. Sure, I have missed a lot of things I would have experienced down there, but I would not trade the things I have gained. Besides, an experience is never wasted if you learn from it, and no lessons are free of cost.
âWe gain from others. I guess I am riding the tracks you built,â observed Stewart.
âThatâs the point I was making, not so much that you have ridden on my tracks as much as, we all benefit from the wisdom and the technological progress of others and have responsibility to pass on what we have learned.â
Stewart was amazed as he thought back to his original intentions in initiating the conversation. He only wondered how he would ever be able to continue Michaelâs track or fuel his own locomotive so others could ride it the furthest.
After a few moments of thought, Michael added, âOur lost years are only restored as we cause others to benefit from them. Have you ever read the prophet Joel?â
Stewart responded, âI have, but I really couldnât tell you what I learned
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