 In the early 1850s, Cannon became a subcontractor for the building of the Danbury & Norwalk Railroad through Pimpewaug.From March to December 1851 he employed between 51 and 86 Irishmen (and only Irishmen) each month in constructing roadbeds and laying tracks.One working man, Timothy Sullivan, was paid 75 cents per day, working six days per week throughout March, for a total of $14.44.