Nothing Like It In the World: The Men Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad 1863-1869
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.43 (517 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0743203178 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 432 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2014-12-21 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Building a transcontinental railroad, writes the prolific historian Stephen Ambrose, was second only to the abolition of slavery on Lincoln's presidential agenda. In the end, Ambrose writes, Lincoln's dream transformed the nation, marking "the first great triumph over time and space" and inaugurating what has come to be known as the American Century. The real work of doing so, of course, was on the shoulders of immigrant men and women, mostly Chinese and Irish. David Haward Bain's Empire Express, which covers the same ground, is more substantial, but Ambrose provides an eminently readable study of a complex episode in American history. Abraham Lincoln, who had worked as a riverboat pilot before turning to politics, knew a thing or two about the problems of transporting goods and people from place to place. Through an ambitious program of land grants and low-interest government loans, he
In Ambrose's hands, this enterprise, with its huge expenditure of brainpower, muscle, and sweat, comes vibrantly to life.. government pitted two companies—the Union Pacific and the Central Pacific Railroads—against each other in a race for funding, encouraging speed over caution. Locomotives, rails, and spikes were shipped from the East through Panama or around South America to the West or lugged across the country to the Plains. It is the story of the men who built the transcontinental railroad—the investors who risked their businesses and money; the enlightened politicians who understood its importance; the engineers and surveyors who risked, and sometimes lost, their lives; and the Irish and Chinese immigrants, the defeated Confederate soldiers, and the other laborers who did the backbreaking and dangerous work on the tracks.The U.S. Nothing Like It in the World gives the account of an unprecedented feat of engineering, vision, and courage
"Good history" according to Matthew Hayden. The history of the Transcontinental Railroad has been bound up by various social mythologies for so long that it's tended to be viewed as an example of Manifest Destiny, and consequently the details have been glossed over by writers eager to emphasiz. Engineer Billy remarks I enjoyed the engineering aspects of the book. The financial aspects seemed to conflict at times and were a little confusing. I would have liked more story telling regarding g the workers and he'll on wheels.. Steven K. Szmutko said Fascinating Book - Needed Polishing. This was an engaging story of the building of the Transcontinental Railroad in the 1860's. The story is of epic proportions and the reader is immediately drawn into the political, social, and technical aspects of this magnificent engineering feat.Whi