Quality of Life in Coal Mine Communities By Curtis Calder and Allie Aroesty

Facts About Coal The most plentiful energy resource in the U.S. is coal Two-thirds of underground coal extraction is performed by machines One half of the nation’s electricity is produced by burning coal Every day 42,000 miners go underground to produce an average of six tons of coal an hour

Public Fascination with Coal Mining Incidents “The public has a grisly fascination with miners’ deaths when they occur underground. Such deaths speak to our most primal fears of being buried alive hundreds of feet under the earth. But in truth most miners’ deaths are caused by the heavy machinery they use in the mine’s confined spaces.” – Pat Jordan

Injury Trends in Mining Deadliest Year – 1907 3,242 mining deaths occurred Deadliest Disaster - 1907 362 miners died in Monongah, West Virginia

Welsh Coal Mine Community Workplace Safety Welsh Coal Mine Community Deep Mine 26 Entered mine by free-falling in a cage Detected methane levels by safety lamp Firemen tested for gas every morning Bell System Sprinkler system that was inadequate Breathing Apparatus required (faulty) Two way ventilation fans (faulty) Ponies pulled coal drams Drams had no brakes and caused numerous deaths Emergency ladders Entered mine on conveyor belt inside of a mantrip Methanometer to sense methane levels Wore hard hats, glow-in-the-dark overalls, and steel toe boots Self rescuer container Fans sucked dirty air out and blew clean air into the mines Medical stations inside of the mine Foreman passed out copies of Title 30 of the Code of Federal Regulations Inspectors regulated mines Machinery Bell system to indicate when they could go down into the mines -bell rang indicated that the banksman had closed the gate Miner could get from the mine to hospital in an emergency in 45 minutes

Welsh Coal Mine Safety Accident Explosion Cage wasn’t working for transportation (winding mechanism broke) Miner had to call to tell the mining clerk what to do for the explosion Breathing apparatuses were not in lockers Fire dram was basically useless Sprinkler system was inadequate Pit ventilation was not reversible No set responder to answer for the emergency No formal steps in place for how to respond to an explosion

Welsh Coal Mine Community Work Culture Welsh Coal Mine Community Deep Mine 26 Initiated new miners by giving them a lamp low on fuel to leave them alone in the dark Used shovels Physically demanding labor Tension between managers and union member miners Optional Sunday shifts due to religion Specialization – Miners worked in 10 man crews, each with different roles Machines could mine coal at a rate of 38 tons per minute Typically operating machines “I was proud to follow my daddy’s footsteps, and his daddys.” – miner Older miners took younger miners under their wing “If I screwed up, I screwed up for everyone.” – young miner “Mike Quillen called the whole time I was laid up. He’s a good person.” – injured miner

Welsh Coal Mine Community Union vs Nonunion Welsh Coal Mine Community Deep Mine 26 Union was main form of miner protection Companies were always threatened by potential strikes Union members would hold town meetings if there were problems Unions were essential for miners since the company did not care about the miners at all “This is our coal mine… and we won’t be told what to do with it by anyone else” – manager response to evicting 8 widows after husbands die in mining explosion Nonunion guys sacrifice some benefits for $1 or $2 more an hour At a union mine, a rep is on-site to deal with problems immediately At a nonunion mine, you have to call a federal hotline for problems which can take days Unions are no longer essential like they were in the past 8 widows were being evicted from their homes after

Welsh Coal Mine Community Home Life Welsh Coal Mine Community Deep Mine 26 Mining company owned the houses, shops, and entire town Bathroom was a low brick hut halfway down the row with a deep hole in the earth No running water Boys taught mining in their last year of school, girls taught sewing/cooking Miners made $17 to $22 an hour ($5.15 an hour for retail workers) Miners could earn between $40,000 - $80,000 Spent time together outside of work “Miners are the only ones with enough money to buy a Harley. Make us a prize catch for women.”

References Follett, Ken. Fall of Giants. New York: New American Library, 2012. Print. Jordan, Pat. "Inside Deep Mine 26." Playboy Magazine. 01 Sep 2006: n. page. Print. United States. Department of Labor. Injury Trends in Mining. Print. <http://www.msha.gov/MSHAINFO/FactSheets/MSHAFCT2.HTM