http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Henry_%28folklore%29
"In a bid to save his job, and the jobs of his men, John Henry challenges the inventor to a contest: John Henry VS. the Steam-Hammer. John defeats the Steam-Hammer in driving spikes, but in the process he suffers a heart attack and dies a martyr. In modern depictions John Henry is usually portrayed as hammering down rail spikes, but older songs often instead refer to him driving blasting holes into rock, part of the process of excavating railroad tunnels." ~Maru On 5/6/05, Keith Henson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > At 11:50 AM 06/05/05 -0400, Maru wrote: > > snip > > >He was referring to the popular legends/tall tales (not sure which; > >both seem to apply) of Henry; not the historical facts. Every popular > >depiction, cartoons, videos, shows, childrens' books, etc I've seen, > >they all depict it as driving spikes into the ground to fasten down > >rails. > > Anyone who has ever paid the slightest attention when walking near a > railroad track knows that spikes are driven into the wooden ties rather > than into the ground. > > "Track laying machines" might exist today, but they certainly did not for a > *long* time after the early building of railroads. > > >Not, though the truth is otherwise, as making holes for > >explosives. Artistic license, anyone? > > Can you go on Google and point out a few places where John Henry is up > against a "track laying machine" or driving spikes to hold down the rails? > > I have *never* seen this, but your might be right. It has been a really > long time since I was a kid. > > Keith Henson > > _______________________________________________ > http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l > _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
