Hell on Wheels

Gotta get to work.

What happen?

Long story.

But that's all over now.

It's dangerous to be doing this.

I know.

I gave you boys damn near a month to finish this thing.

Well, looky here, just when I was starting to get lonesome.

Jim.

- Heard you found your family. - I did.

Thought you were gone.

I ain't.

Since I got back, alone, from Salt Lake City,

we've had three shifts working 24 hours on all four faces of this tunnel.

And still, every single day we fall further and further behind Durant,

thanks to your disobedience.

So unless you have thoughts on some way out of this morass,

you can pack your things, get the hell off my mountain.

Got more than thoughts.

- Fong. Get these boxes up to the summit. Hm.

Unload these boxes and get them to the tunnel.

Nitroglycerin?

Got to speed up the work, Jim.

Not this way. Shit's dangerous as hell.

- Put that down! - Mr. Strobridge...

God... I said put that down right now, Bohannon.

It's leaking.

See?

You ordered all these chemicals.

You don't have the Goddamnedest idea how to use 'em.

I thought that's what I had you for.

You know I'm not a chemist.

I know you experimented with nitro in '65.

Experimented and discontinued its use.

It's too dangerous for my tunnel.

Well, it's my tunnel now.

Mr. Bohannon.

Glad you're back.

Go!

Jim, will you slow the hell down?

It ain't safe.

Workin' on the railroad ain't safe.

I just need you to mix the first batch.

And I need the Chinamen trained.

Nitroglycerin is by nature unstable.

That's why its components are shipped in separate crates.

And how many Jakes are you willing to sacrifice

until you find the one with the finesse to handle it?

We'll train in off-shifts,

we'll find the most skilled.

- We'll ease it over in the next few days. - Christ, Bohannon.

You're gonna have a bloodbath on your hands.

Not with your help, I won't.

Just one batch, Jim.

That's all I'm askin'.

The man who taught me this

was Scottish, if you believe it.

Worked for a blasting company in San Francisco.

Made gallons of the stuff down there.

But the Sierras are high, over 6,000 feet.

The air's thinner up here.

What's the temperature?

- Fifty five. -Up here, you've to stay below 60.

One degree more, you start a chain reaction you can't stop. What's it now?

Fifty seven.

Here.

At sea level, you can let it get all the way to 65.

That's what the bagpiper was used to.

He made a dozen batches before he realized his mistake.

He disappeared into a red mist.

That's the last thing my left eye ever saw.

Hm?

Fifty nine.

Yeah.

Every breath you take with this in your hand, is a challenge to God.

You take the canister

out of the box,

keeping the fuse up

and the blasting cap out of the nitroglycerin.

Then you're gonna slide it down into the hole.

And then, you lower the blasting cap into the nitroglycerin.

And then, gently, bend it over the side of the rock.

And then fill it with wet sand.

And now, you attach the fuse.

Get yourself a little slack.

A lot of guys only twist three times.

But I like to twist four.

Why did we wait so long to do this?

Because I'm a gentleman, I would never presume.

- You're such a bastard in business, New York. -Huh.

Fast-talking and ruthless. Ugh.

Pardon the expression, but you're the one who's gotten into bed with me.

How could I help myself?

You could charm the skin off a snake.

Besides, there's somethin' about you when we're alone.

It's something good.

Marry me.

Oh, don't talk foolish.

Railroad's leaving Wyoming, soon you with it.

Besides, now that Cheyenne is the official hub,

I have to get back to my hotel.

Hire a girl, and marry me.

There is no man livin' I would rather marry, New York.

But it's a racket. I've tried it.

Besides, I would rather hang on to my hard-fought assets.

- Thank you very much. -I don't want your hotel, I want you.

I had promised myself I'd never walk down the aisle again.

But I will hire a girl and accompany you to the end of the line,

if you make me one promise.

Name it.

No more schemes.

Mmm-mmm.

Cheatin' people, it leaves a bad taste.

It is in the nature of the lion to eat the zebra.

- Come back to bed. - Promise me.

All right, I promise.

Thomas,

promise me.

I promise.

What the hell is that?

A herd of zebra.

Gentlemen!

What is the meaning of this?

Frontier's justice, Mr. City Slicker.

You may have got a slippery tongue, but that don't make you bullet-proof.

What exactly is it that you want?

We want the money you stole from us. Right now.

In you go, slick.

Open it.

- Gentlemen... -No more of your slippery bullshit.

$50,000. Now.

- I've got it. - Maggie.

Told you to shut the hell up.

Ah!

The Railroad never keeps cash on hand.

A defense against thieves.

We ain't leaving here without restitution, of one sort or another.

Just give him some time, Jack.

You will get your money, you have my word.

Your word's mud to me, Maggie.

I need a couple of days.

You got two.

And then it gets bloody.

Where's the money, New York?

I needed the funds

to cover a lumber deal in Maine.

Maine?

That lumber deal is financing a steel mill in Chicago,

which is supporting a cotton operation in Virginia,

which is supporting a coal mine in Kentucky...

Jesus. You're broke.

I am between transactions.

This house was built long before you came in, Maggie.

You knew what you were getting when you waltzed through the door.

What I know is those ranchers are dangerous when they are cornered.

We need to find a way to pay them or we will be hip deep in blood.

And ain't no scheme in the world gonna save us.

Go away.

Ju-Long, let her pass.

Forgive him.

It's not often someone like you frequents our establishment.

Be more frequent y'all was friendlier.

Hmm.

What can I do for you?

I figure, whoever lost this, they pay a little to get it back.

I'll see it gets returned.

Pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Chang.

- Anything else? - Tell me,

where can I find a dress like that?

Holy shit.

Nothin' holy in there.

Clear that rock.

Inside! Clear the rock!

Damn!

These chunks is twice as big as the ones we get with black powder.

One charge didn't explode.

- Hoi find one charge, no boom. - Hey, don't touch that!

You hurt?

Are you hurt?

You hurt?

Air bubbles in the cartridge sometimes blow the charge at the wrong time.

No way to predict, no way to prevent.

How often do the fuses fail?

As often as they damn well please.

We'll sweep first next time. It won't happen again.

You're not seriously planning to continue this farce.

We pulled five inches of rock off that wall with one blast.

- And killed three Chinamen. - I was there.

I'll check for misfires myself.

You can't work 'round the clock.

No. But we can.

No.

I ain't asking, Jim.

You're ordering me, Bohannon?

I am.

I respectfully refuse.

Mr. Bohannon, tell me, do you plan to stay with the Central Pacific

until the end of this race?

I'll pound the last spike myself.

Then Mr. Strobridge has just made himself a very expensive redundancy.