After that came the "romantics."

As the day has waned the effort to complete the seventeen miles of track has become more and more uncertain. Jack has driven his men furiously and they have responded loyally. The only men who have shown no signs of flagging are the eight stalwart Irishmen, Mike Shay, the foreman, Pat Joyce, Thomas Daly, Mike Kennedy, Fred McNamara, Ed Killeen, Mike Sullivan and George Wyatt. They not only work with ever renewed energy and zeal but encourage the others and sing:

Then drill, my Paddies, drill;
Drill, my heroes, drill;
Drill all day
No sugar in your tay,
Workin’ on the U. P. Railway.

These eight men have laid all the rails; others, placing ties, driving spikes, bolting fishplates, unable to stand the terrific strain, fall out exhausted and their places are filled by fresh recruits marshalled by Jack.

[Woodrow, W., Sessions, A.L., Building the Union, (New York: Brandt & Kirkpatrick, 1917, p.58)]




A thousand songs arose, crude and coarse and loud, but full of joy. Pay-day and vacation were at hand!

"Then drill, my Paddies, drill!
Drill, my heroes, drill!
Drill all day,
No sugar in your tay,
Workin' on the U. P. Railway."

[Grey, Z., The U.P. Trail, (New York: Harper, 1918, p.246-7)]




Halfway between Carter and Piedmont General Dodge took charge of the contracts, for the company. Relief for General Casement likewise was close at hand. On the long trail out from the Laramie Plains numerous of the sub-contractors had fallen under the pressure of their grading jobs. Time and again the Casement reserves had been hustled forward to fill the gaps. But now, replacing the plains and desert ditty:

Drill, my paddies, drill !
Drill, you tarriers, drill !
Oh, it's work all day,
No sugar in your tay—
Workin' on th' U. Pay Ra-ailway!

a new chantey was reverberating amidst the granite walls before:

At the head of great Echo the railway's begun,
The Mormons are cutting and grading like fun ;
They say they'll stick to it until it's complete—
When friends and relations they're hoping to meet.

Hurrah, hurrah, the railroad's begun,
Three cheers for the contractor; his name's Brigham Young.
Hurrah, hurrah, we're honest and true,
And if we stick to it, it's bound to go through.

Now there's Mr. Reed, he's a gentleman too–
He know very well what the Mormons can do.
He knows they will earn every cent of their pay,
And are just the right boys to construct a railway.


[Sabin, E.L., Building the Pacific Railway, (Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott, 1919, pp.179-180)




"Drill, my paddies, drill!
Drill, you tarriers, drill!
Oh, it's work all day,
No sugar in your tay—
        Wor-rkin' on th' U. Pay. Ra-a-ailway!”
                Song of the "U. Pay." Men

(On title page and throughout the text. Character Paddy Miles as: Boss of the track “Tarriers.” Chapter fourteen titled The “Tarriers” Make a Record.)

[Sabin, E.L., Opening the Iron Trail or Terry as a “U. Pay.” Man, (New York: Crowell, 1919)]