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The Great American Railroad War: How Ambrose Bierce and Frank Norris Took On the Notorious Central Pacific Railroad
How two of America's greatest authors took on the Central Railroad monopolyThe notorious Central Pacific Railroad riveted the attention of two great American Ambrose Bierce and Frank Norris. In The Great American Railroad War, Dennis Drabelle tells a classic story of corporate greed vs. the power of the pen. The Central Pacific Railroad accepted US Government loans; but, when the loans fell due, the last surviving founder of the railroad avoided repayment. Bierce, at the behest of his boss William Randolph Hearst, swung into action writing over sixty stinging articles that became a signal achievement in American journalism. Later, Norris focused the first volume of his trilogy, The Octopus, on the freight cars of a thinly disguised version of the Central Pacific. The Great American Railroad War is a lively chapter of US history pitting two of America's greatest writers against one of A merica's most powerful corporations.
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 21, 2012
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February 3, 2019
“We muckraked, not because we hated our world, but because we loved it. We were not hopeless, we were not cynical, we were not bitter." - Ray Stannard Baker-Journalist
Muckrakers were a group of writers, during the Progressive era who tried to expose the problems that existed in American society as a result of the rise of big business, urbanization, and immigration. This is a story of greedy railroads and angry journalists portrayed in the Gilded Age. Both of the writers: Ambrose Brose and Frank Norris are very well depicted in the book “The Great American Railroad War: How Ambrose Bierce and Frank Norris Took On the Notorious Central Railroad.”
In the late 1850s, Collis Potter Huntington and three other industrialists, wanted to pursue the idea of creating a rail line (Central) that would connect America's east and west. Huntington was a shrewd Washington insider and knew how to play the political games needed to get a loan. These wealthy men (called robber barons by the press) received a large and low-interest loan from Congress to build their railroad and then decided they didn't want to pay it back. The loan was amounting to $130 million.
The tough and sarcastic journalist Ambrose Brose was a Civil war veteran who was hired by Randolph Hearst (who hated Huntington) to investigate in January 1896. He sent Bierce to Washington, D.C. to investigate and write a series for the San Francisco Examiner attacking the railroad-friendly refinance bill. The American public was outraged when they read it and the bill was defeated eventually.
When the angered Huntington confronted Bierce on the steps of the Capitol and told Bierce to name his price, Bierce's answer ended up in newspapers nationwide: "My price is one hundred thirty million dollars. If, when you are ready to pay, I happen to be out of town, you may hand it over to my friend, the Treasurer of the United States."
Frank Norris was a novelist who wrote a novel called “The Octopus,” in which a railroad (thinly portrayed as Southern Pacific ) corrupts people. Norris proved that fiction, perhaps even more than fact-based journalism, can have real social effects. The book was inspired by the “Mussel Slough Tragedy” of 1880, a dispute over land titles between settlers and the Southern Pacific Railroad. Seven people were killed. This book was a classic tale of corporate greed vs. the American settlers.
I like reading about people who challenge the status quo, the “Muckrakers” exposed problems like political corruption, child labor, and safety issues with workers. Their work increased support for progressive politicians, which, in the long run, helped end child labor, get a shorter workweek, and improve the lives of the poor. Sounds like good old activism to this reader. I recommend this book and gave it four stars.
Muckrakers were a group of writers, during the Progressive era who tried to expose the problems that existed in American society as a result of the rise of big business, urbanization, and immigration. This is a story of greedy railroads and angry journalists portrayed in the Gilded Age. Both of the writers: Ambrose Brose and Frank Norris are very well depicted in the book “The Great American Railroad War: How Ambrose Bierce and Frank Norris Took On the Notorious Central Railroad.”
In the late 1850s, Collis Potter Huntington and three other industrialists, wanted to pursue the idea of creating a rail line (Central) that would connect America's east and west. Huntington was a shrewd Washington insider and knew how to play the political games needed to get a loan. These wealthy men (called robber barons by the press) received a large and low-interest loan from Congress to build their railroad and then decided they didn't want to pay it back. The loan was amounting to $130 million.
The tough and sarcastic journalist Ambrose Brose was a Civil war veteran who was hired by Randolph Hearst (who hated Huntington) to investigate in January 1896. He sent Bierce to Washington, D.C. to investigate and write a series for the San Francisco Examiner attacking the railroad-friendly refinance bill. The American public was outraged when they read it and the bill was defeated eventually.
When the angered Huntington confronted Bierce on the steps of the Capitol and told Bierce to name his price, Bierce's answer ended up in newspapers nationwide: "My price is one hundred thirty million dollars. If, when you are ready to pay, I happen to be out of town, you may hand it over to my friend, the Treasurer of the United States."
Frank Norris was a novelist who wrote a novel called “The Octopus,” in which a railroad (thinly portrayed as Southern Pacific ) corrupts people. Norris proved that fiction, perhaps even more than fact-based journalism, can have real social effects. The book was inspired by the “Mussel Slough Tragedy” of 1880, a dispute over land titles between settlers and the Southern Pacific Railroad. Seven people were killed. This book was a classic tale of corporate greed vs. the American settlers.
I like reading about people who challenge the status quo, the “Muckrakers” exposed problems like political corruption, child labor, and safety issues with workers. Their work increased support for progressive politicians, which, in the long run, helped end child labor, get a shorter workweek, and improve the lives of the poor. Sounds like good old activism to this reader. I recommend this book and gave it four stars.
September 1, 2012
The Great American Railroad War
Ambrose Pierce and Frank Norris wrote about a time period in American History that would rock the world of journalism and enlighten the world about the inner workings of the Railroad Industry. Before the advent of the railroad it was difficult if not near impossible to travel cross country and get anywhere except on horseback or stagecoach. With the Transcontinental Railroad completed in 1869 traveling from the East to the West coast would no longer take 6 months but only eight days. Imagine that and imagine the fare of seventy dollars as compared to today’s fare of 1200 dollars. Private money or capital usually goes into creating and funding public projects but you know the world of finance and corruption wreaked his awful head big time. The author of this outstanding book, Dennis Drabelle, decided to write about the advent of the railroad and the major contributions of two writers: Ambrose Bierce and Frank Norris as she learn more about the Central Railroad Monopoly, the notoriety caused by these two infamous writers and the attention focused on them during the time period known as the Great American Railroad War written by Dennis Drabelle. Nothing about this book is any different then today. Greed runs paramount in corporations and the power of the word or the pen can either make or break someone or an entire industry. Pierce and Noble wrote about a time period that was highly volatile. The big four were referred to as those that created and funded this industry. Huntington, Hopkins, Stanford and Crocker: The Big Four. Charles Crocker was powerful and his power increased but not in the legal sense of the word. Accepting subsidies and pretending to be self-made he forged ahead no different than the other three. Imagine owing 75 million dollars in loans and hoping the government would forgive them. Required to pay these notes or loans by the Railroad in 1896 Huntington was the only survivor and therefore responsible. But, Leland Stanford before he died thought the US government would not ask for the debt to be outright. Why? The outstanding and “stupendous contribution- Central Pacific which helped increase the common good. But, Stanford was gone when the loan came due and as I said only Huntington was left. Bierce wrote about this because of the public interest. Huntington was powerful and managed to not have to pay it outright. Bierce wrote over 60 articles published by Hearst on this subject. Every article filled with rude similes, analysis of the law hoping to enlighten the public and definitely creating interest in his articles and journalism.
The story begins with the history of the Transatlantic Railroad but let’s not forget Frank Norris who wrote the Octopus based on a political cartoon, which depicted the Railroad as a monster with many arms like the Octopus. How did the Railroad receive this sinister reputation?
This book pits two great writers against each other and brings to light many important facts and history most people never learned or knew about.
Building the railroad created a great frenzy during this time period. The destination was not so important as the fact the Northerners wanted a northern route form St. Louis to Omaha to somewhere on the West Coast. Of course the Southerners disagreed and wanted a Southern route. Both had their reasons and one was to foster and shape the future of slavery. Northerners wanted to run the route through places where slavery was not welcome where Southerners wanted the opposite.
Author Dennis Drabelle brings to life in his novel The Great American Railroad War how Frank Norris and Ambrose Bierce used the newspapers, their journalistic resources and the power of the pen to investigate, inform and find out about the Central Pacific Railroad. Corporate greed is not just germane to our time period it goes way back even further than what is revealed by this author in this book. Many check points and safeguards were not in place and much went unnoticed and not reported. Muckraking is not just in the present. Reporting the news and using his their abilities to inflame, destroy and tell it how it is, these two reporters managed to stir up quite a bit. Bierce published over 60 articles in the San Francisco Chronicle owned by William Randolph Hearst. Bierce was tough, straightforward as the author relates that Hearst had great respect for him and yet had a sensitive side as the author alludes to. Perceptive, astute, and relentless in his reporting, showing little or no mercy for htose he wrote about and definitely no sympathy for the Central Pacific Railroad the target of his writing. The author describes in chapter one through three the history of the transcontinental railroad, how the big four came into play, the history of the loans and the end result. Central Pacific accepts the loans from the government in order to pay for construction costs. They took bribes, and convinced members of Congress to forgo having to pay the loans by passing a bill that will state that. Imagine negating a 75 million dollar loan. But, not everything goes the way you want and using these methods backfired as Hearst decided to use Bierce to demean the big four. In 1896 as I stated the publisher sent a team to Washington to headed by his best reporter Kvetcher, to prevent the railroads from dissolving the debt. Did the Central Pacific Railroad deserve any help or sympathy? But, according to them they provided a service for the common good. After all they build the transcontinental railroad and the funds and benefits were huge. Accepting the loans and bribing members of the news paper men were relentless and as you read this novel the author will let you know that Bierce’s articles were comprised of more than just reporting. Public outrage and more and the Railroad was forced to paid its debts. Next, the author introduces Frank Norris another writer. Norris wrote the Octopus in 1901. In this book Norris discusses the crimes of the Central Pacific Railroad and the Southern Pacific. Remember the Northerners wanted a northern route and the Southerner a southern route to foster slavery. The Octopus is a novel that deals with corporate greed and much more.
The final chapters deal with the end result of what happens and the fact that both of their efforts came at the wrong time. The Great American Train War depicts a time when corporate greed reigned and authors like Frank Norris’s work showcased this time period. The author’s account is straightforward, to the point and highlights the outstanding writing of both men. At the end we learn that Norris and his wife went to Chicago to the home of the largest grain market to get the facts for writing his new novel The Pit. Much of what he learned he hoped would help him but his “neglect of mathematics would come back and bite him.” It took a lot of help and guidance for him to learn and understand the workings of futures trading and more. Norris work was in demand due to the success of the Octopus. The rest you need to read for yourself and the final outcomes too.
Bierce defeated the Southern Pacific, he returned to the West Coast and for many years lived in Los Gatos. In 1890 he moved back to Washington since Hearst revered him and did not want to lose him. Why he left and the send off he received from the Examiner you need to read for yourself. The final chapter focuses on the rest of the lives of these two authors, their families and Big Four, Southern Pacific and who you feel might have won the war of the Railroads. Just how the past comes into play in the present read the last chapter and find out. This is one book that you definitely want to read.
Fran Lewis: reviewer
Ambrose Pierce and Frank Norris wrote about a time period in American History that would rock the world of journalism and enlighten the world about the inner workings of the Railroad Industry. Before the advent of the railroad it was difficult if not near impossible to travel cross country and get anywhere except on horseback or stagecoach. With the Transcontinental Railroad completed in 1869 traveling from the East to the West coast would no longer take 6 months but only eight days. Imagine that and imagine the fare of seventy dollars as compared to today’s fare of 1200 dollars. Private money or capital usually goes into creating and funding public projects but you know the world of finance and corruption wreaked his awful head big time. The author of this outstanding book, Dennis Drabelle, decided to write about the advent of the railroad and the major contributions of two writers: Ambrose Bierce and Frank Norris as she learn more about the Central Railroad Monopoly, the notoriety caused by these two infamous writers and the attention focused on them during the time period known as the Great American Railroad War written by Dennis Drabelle. Nothing about this book is any different then today. Greed runs paramount in corporations and the power of the word or the pen can either make or break someone or an entire industry. Pierce and Noble wrote about a time period that was highly volatile. The big four were referred to as those that created and funded this industry. Huntington, Hopkins, Stanford and Crocker: The Big Four. Charles Crocker was powerful and his power increased but not in the legal sense of the word. Accepting subsidies and pretending to be self-made he forged ahead no different than the other three. Imagine owing 75 million dollars in loans and hoping the government would forgive them. Required to pay these notes or loans by the Railroad in 1896 Huntington was the only survivor and therefore responsible. But, Leland Stanford before he died thought the US government would not ask for the debt to be outright. Why? The outstanding and “stupendous contribution- Central Pacific which helped increase the common good. But, Stanford was gone when the loan came due and as I said only Huntington was left. Bierce wrote about this because of the public interest. Huntington was powerful and managed to not have to pay it outright. Bierce wrote over 60 articles published by Hearst on this subject. Every article filled with rude similes, analysis of the law hoping to enlighten the public and definitely creating interest in his articles and journalism.
The story begins with the history of the Transatlantic Railroad but let’s not forget Frank Norris who wrote the Octopus based on a political cartoon, which depicted the Railroad as a monster with many arms like the Octopus. How did the Railroad receive this sinister reputation?
This book pits two great writers against each other and brings to light many important facts and history most people never learned or knew about.
Building the railroad created a great frenzy during this time period. The destination was not so important as the fact the Northerners wanted a northern route form St. Louis to Omaha to somewhere on the West Coast. Of course the Southerners disagreed and wanted a Southern route. Both had their reasons and one was to foster and shape the future of slavery. Northerners wanted to run the route through places where slavery was not welcome where Southerners wanted the opposite.
Author Dennis Drabelle brings to life in his novel The Great American Railroad War how Frank Norris and Ambrose Bierce used the newspapers, their journalistic resources and the power of the pen to investigate, inform and find out about the Central Pacific Railroad. Corporate greed is not just germane to our time period it goes way back even further than what is revealed by this author in this book. Many check points and safeguards were not in place and much went unnoticed and not reported. Muckraking is not just in the present. Reporting the news and using his their abilities to inflame, destroy and tell it how it is, these two reporters managed to stir up quite a bit. Bierce published over 60 articles in the San Francisco Chronicle owned by William Randolph Hearst. Bierce was tough, straightforward as the author relates that Hearst had great respect for him and yet had a sensitive side as the author alludes to. Perceptive, astute, and relentless in his reporting, showing little or no mercy for htose he wrote about and definitely no sympathy for the Central Pacific Railroad the target of his writing. The author describes in chapter one through three the history of the transcontinental railroad, how the big four came into play, the history of the loans and the end result. Central Pacific accepts the loans from the government in order to pay for construction costs. They took bribes, and convinced members of Congress to forgo having to pay the loans by passing a bill that will state that. Imagine negating a 75 million dollar loan. But, not everything goes the way you want and using these methods backfired as Hearst decided to use Bierce to demean the big four. In 1896 as I stated the publisher sent a team to Washington to headed by his best reporter Kvetcher, to prevent the railroads from dissolving the debt. Did the Central Pacific Railroad deserve any help or sympathy? But, according to them they provided a service for the common good. After all they build the transcontinental railroad and the funds and benefits were huge. Accepting the loans and bribing members of the news paper men were relentless and as you read this novel the author will let you know that Bierce’s articles were comprised of more than just reporting. Public outrage and more and the Railroad was forced to paid its debts. Next, the author introduces Frank Norris another writer. Norris wrote the Octopus in 1901. In this book Norris discusses the crimes of the Central Pacific Railroad and the Southern Pacific. Remember the Northerners wanted a northern route and the Southerner a southern route to foster slavery. The Octopus is a novel that deals with corporate greed and much more.
The final chapters deal with the end result of what happens and the fact that both of their efforts came at the wrong time. The Great American Train War depicts a time when corporate greed reigned and authors like Frank Norris’s work showcased this time period. The author’s account is straightforward, to the point and highlights the outstanding writing of both men. At the end we learn that Norris and his wife went to Chicago to the home of the largest grain market to get the facts for writing his new novel The Pit. Much of what he learned he hoped would help him but his “neglect of mathematics would come back and bite him.” It took a lot of help and guidance for him to learn and understand the workings of futures trading and more. Norris work was in demand due to the success of the Octopus. The rest you need to read for yourself and the final outcomes too.
Bierce defeated the Southern Pacific, he returned to the West Coast and for many years lived in Los Gatos. In 1890 he moved back to Washington since Hearst revered him and did not want to lose him. Why he left and the send off he received from the Examiner you need to read for yourself. The final chapter focuses on the rest of the lives of these two authors, their families and Big Four, Southern Pacific and who you feel might have won the war of the Railroads. Just how the past comes into play in the present read the last chapter and find out. This is one book that you definitely want to read.
Fran Lewis: reviewer
December 3, 2017
A top notch examination of the history of the Central Pacific Railroad/Southern Pacific Railroad from construction to its crushing presence in the development of 19th century California. All the fascinating players in this saga are on display: the RR owners (The Big Four); the battling journalist (Ambrose Bierce); and the impassioned novelist (Frank Norris). Fascinating biographical sketches of everybody involved are presented in a orderly chronological fashion as the story unfolds. It's as though the best of several historical works concerning these people have been put together in one book. Dennis Drabelle is a masterful narrator!
September 23, 2012
Can't recommend the book. I love trains, loved studying and teaching about the Industrial Revolution. I didn't feel Drabelle fleshed out the writers, Bierce and Norris, who I thought would be the centerpieces of the book. I did enjoy learning more about how the tunnels through the western mountains were dug, and it felt as if Drabelle fleshed out that aspect of the railroads well. There have been good reviews, but I just can't second them.
March 27, 2013
I probably shouldn't review this as I didn't finish the book. The narrative of the building of the transcontinental railroad in the first couple of chapters is well done and a good precis for those who haven't read more detailed histories of this fascinating enterprise. The narrative style is brisk and easy to read. I got bogged down in the part following in which the financial and managerial intricacies of the railroad magnates began to be described. This is integral to the rest of the story - how muckraking journalists like Bierce and Norris exposed their chicanery - but I guess I just wasn't in the mood to read about that at this time. Probably too much of watching the news about similar activities now. I do plan to go back to this book in the future and finish it - so maybe it's presumptuous of me to mark it as "read."
November 7, 2012
The first part of the book, concerning the railroad, was compelling. Anbrose Bierce was a colorful character who coined a lot of clever sarcastic phrases and his fight with the railroad was interesting. By the time I got to Frank Norris, the book had lost its momentum and I did not see how some of the events of Norris' later life related to the topic. One enlightening aspect of the book concerned how journalism was practiced in this era. Many of the personal attacks Bierce wrote would probably be seen as libel or defamation today.
May 14, 2016
I enjoyed this book in general but loved parts of it and found other parts dragging a bit. I thought it got a little bogged down in the sections around Norris and Bierce where I didn't full understand why it was so important to get into such a level of detail on particular aspects of their writing - more Norris than Bierce. The discussion about the history of the Central Pacific and Bierce's campaign against them was well done. Given the complexity of the financial arrangements, I did think Drabelle did a good job of covering that in an appropriate level of detail while keeping it readable.
August 7, 2014
had to plow through this, after about page 120 i skimmed for fifty plus pages then read the rest.
just one thing i'll point out that annoyed me p.112 Ambrose Bierce was the most important writer to come out of the Civil War "the South's number one candidate, the poet Sidney Lanier, is all but forgotten today." how about Lew Wallace Ben Hur?
just one thing i'll point out that annoyed me p.112 Ambrose Bierce was the most important writer to come out of the Civil War "the South's number one candidate, the poet Sidney Lanier, is all but forgotten today." how about Lew Wallace Ben Hur?
May 5, 2014
The story of the early railroads is convoluted and confusing and this book doesn't do a lot to clarify. But the B and C stories that were essentially biographies of Bierce and Norris were much better presented and very interesting.
April 9, 2017
This started out interesting, a history of the building of the transcontinental railroad, focusing mostly on the West-East version run by three (rapacious robber-baron) Californians.
Then the book turns into LitCrit, which (to me) wasn’t so interesting. Best if you read the first half, then just put it down and pick up Bierce’s essays and “The Octopus.” That might make more sense.
I guess it wasn’t false advertising---the book says it will concentrate on Bierce’s and Norris’s “war” on the railroad. But… well, the two men were doing completely different things. Bierce was writing scathing news/opinion pieces. And Norris wrote a novel about ten years after the height of the action---half the main actors were dead by then.
Drabelle’s book just didn’t hold together right. When it was interesting, it was interesting, but as a whole: Eh.
Then the book turns into LitCrit, which (to me) wasn’t so interesting. Best if you read the first half, then just put it down and pick up Bierce’s essays and “The Octopus.” That might make more sense.
I guess it wasn’t false advertising---the book says it will concentrate on Bierce’s and Norris’s “war” on the railroad. But… well, the two men were doing completely different things. Bierce was writing scathing news/opinion pieces. And Norris wrote a novel about ten years after the height of the action---half the main actors were dead by then.
Drabelle’s book just didn’t hold together right. When it was interesting, it was interesting, but as a whole: Eh.
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