WAIT till the story of "JOHN HENRY", "The steel driving man"! IT relates to the GILLOOLY'S! of West Virginia.
Coming Soon!
JOHN HENRY
Moderator: efinn
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John Patrick Gillooly
- Posts: 51
- Joined: Wed Feb 15, 2006 8:20 am
- Location: Atlanta, Georgia - USA
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John Patrick Gillooly
- Posts: 51
- Joined: Wed Feb 15, 2006 8:20 am
- Location: Atlanta, Georgia - USA
Patrick Gillooly was the foreman of a work crew on the railroad building tunnels through West Virginia.
An explosive charge was set in one of the tunnels and it didn't explode. After a period of time John Henry and Patrick Gillooly went into the tunnel to investigate.
You guessed it! The charge went off, killing John Henry and blinding Patrick. For the remainder of his life Patrick lived with his brother John Gillooly and wife Catherine Mullooly owners and operators of a bar and hotel in Roanoke, West Virginia. It was called the "GILLOOLY MULLOOLY".
An explosive charge was set in one of the tunnels and it didn't explode. After a period of time John Henry and Patrick Gillooly went into the tunnel to investigate.
You guessed it! The charge went off, killing John Henry and blinding Patrick. For the remainder of his life Patrick lived with his brother John Gillooly and wife Catherine Mullooly owners and operators of a bar and hotel in Roanoke, West Virginia. It was called the "GILLOOLY MULLOOLY".
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John Patrick Gillooly
- Posts: 51
- Joined: Wed Feb 15, 2006 8:20 am
- Location: Atlanta, Georgia - USA
Though the story of John Henry sounds like the quintessential tall tale, it is
certainly based, at least in part, on historical circumstance. There are
disputes as to where the legend originates. Some place John Henry in West
Virginia, while recent research suggests Alabama. Still, all share a similar
back-story.
In order to construct the railroads, companies hired thousands of men to smooth
out terrain and cut through obstacles that stood in the way of the proposed
tracks. One such chore that figures heavily into some of the earliest John
Henry ballads is the blasting of the Big Bend Tunnel -- more than a mile
straight through a mountain in West Virginia.
Steel-drivin' men like John Henry used large hammers and stakes to pound holes
into the rock, which were then filled with explosives that would blast a cavity
deeper and deeper into the mountain. In the folk ballads, the central event
took place under such conditions. Eager to reduce costs and speed up progress,
some tunnel engineers were using steam drills to power their way into the rock.
According to some accounts, on hearing of the machine, John Henry challenged
the steam drill to a contest. He won, but died of exhaustion, his life cut
short by his own superhuman effort.
certainly based, at least in part, on historical circumstance. There are
disputes as to where the legend originates. Some place John Henry in West
Virginia, while recent research suggests Alabama. Still, all share a similar
back-story.
In order to construct the railroads, companies hired thousands of men to smooth
out terrain and cut through obstacles that stood in the way of the proposed
tracks. One such chore that figures heavily into some of the earliest John
Henry ballads is the blasting of the Big Bend Tunnel -- more than a mile
straight through a mountain in West Virginia.
Steel-drivin' men like John Henry used large hammers and stakes to pound holes
into the rock, which were then filled with explosives that would blast a cavity
deeper and deeper into the mountain. In the folk ballads, the central event
took place under such conditions. Eager to reduce costs and speed up progress,
some tunnel engineers were using steam drills to power their way into the rock.
According to some accounts, on hearing of the machine, John Henry challenged
the steam drill to a contest. He won, but died of exhaustion, his life cut
short by his own superhuman effort.