The project required about one thousand workers and lasted three years. Pay was low and the work was hard. The workers had to breathe thick black smoke and dust. Hundreds of men became sick. Many died. John Henry was the strongest and fastest man on the project. He used a hammer that weighed more than six kilograms. Some people say he was able to cut a path of three to six meters a day. That July was the hottest month ever in West Virginia. Many workers became tired and weak in the heat. John Henry was worried his friends might lose their jobs. So he picked up their hammers and began doing their work. One week, he did his own work and that of several other steel-drivers. He worked day and night, rarely stopping to eat. The men thanked John Henry for his help. He just smiled and said, «A man is nothing but a man. He has just got to do his best.»