I'll start at the beginning, the day that John Henry was born.  They say that on the night John Henry was born there was a terrible storm.  He was born on the banks of the Black River weighing nearly forty-four pounds.  Everyone couldn’t believe their eyes when they saw that baby.  They say that he had the bass voice of a preacher and the strongest shoulders they’d seen.  That John Henry was a natural man.  His mama once told me that on that day he was born, John told her he was ready for some supper and told her he wanted turnip greens, cornbread, ham bones, cabbages, hog jowls, and a jug of molasses.  Imagine a baby wanting all that food on the day they were born.  Well this should give you boys a pretty good idea of what my pal John Henry was like.

Now let me tell you boys about the greatest contest of all time.  It was when I was working on the C. & O. with John Henry.  There was another company that had a real steam drill.  It was decided that we should have a meeting, so we all met at the Big Bend Tunnel.  They claimed that the steam drill was one of the greatest inventions of all time.  Why, John Henry stood right up and said that he could sink more steel than any drill could.  Before we knew it a real contest was set up, man against machine, John Henry against the steam drill.  The prize for old John was $100 if he won.  Now, I know that’s not much money now, but back then that was a heap of cash.  Well, our foreman bought John Henry two brand new twenty pound hammers just for the race.  That loud whistle blew and they were off.  They were each to drill for 35 minutes.  At the end of the contest the steam drill had drilled one hole nine feet deep.  But old John Henry he had drilled two holes seven feet deep each.  He did it, my pal John Henry had won that race and beat the machine.  All of us boys were so proud of him.  We all cheered and sang for the great John Henry.

I wish I could tell you boys that was the end of the story and everything worked out great for John Henry, but I can’t.  After that race, John Henry went home to his house where his wife had fixed him supper.  Later she told me that he had a funny feeling in his head.  He went to bed right after that supper, and when Mrs. Henry went to wake him in the morning she found that he had passed away.  The doctors said that he had a burst blood vessel in his head.  That John Henry was quite a man, he was so strong.  He was a good worker and a good friend.  All of us at the C. & O. figured that John Henry died a happy man having beaten that machine.