Confined Labor in the Tunnels

American Experience
Air Date: 02/18/14 | Rating: NR

Excavation for the Pennsylvania Railroad's tunnel project was done by hand labor, with workers typically using a spade or pneumatic hammer. Excavation workers, called “sandhogs,” faced many dangers working in a confined space. Equipment was constantly moving in and out along with muck carts full of tons of mud and rock—and there was nowhere to run if things went awry.

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