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

2. 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

3. 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

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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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.”

10. References
Follett, Ken. Fall of Giants. New York: New American Library, 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. <