A Coal Miner's Collection of Items

A Coal Miner's
Collection

The blackness of this page can't compare to the blackness inside a coal mine. Sometimes a mile or more underground, a miner had no source of light other than the lamp he wore on his head. A few of a miner's basic necessities were mentioned on the "Coal Miner's Daughter" page and thanks to the generosity of Rita Williams MaCabe, we're able to have a better look at a few of the things a coal miner used daily. I hope it gives you a better understanding of what life inside a coal mine is all about.

This image shows two styles of miners' lunch pails, two miners' hats, a "bug light" and a more modern headlamp worn by miners today. EVERY image on this page is linked to a larger version of the picture where you'll see more detail. Be sure to check them all.

I mentioned before how difficult it was to identify a coal miner when he came out of the mine. The first time I picked up my husband after working the afternoon shift at Big Run Mine I had no idea who the man was who stepped over to the driver's window of our car. It wasn't until he smiled and I saw his lunch bucket I knew who he was. He was so covered with coal dirt the only features visible on his face that night were the whites of his eyes and his teeth when he smiled. Even his teeth were darkened from the mixture of tobacco and coal dirt he'd had in his mouth most of the day. Many miners chewed tobacco to help keep their mouth moist and filter out some of the coal dust they inhaled with each breath underground.

These pictures show two of the typical styles of lunch buckets miners carry at work. The bottom portion holds their daily ration of water. The middle section holds their lunch and the lid fits securely to keep mine rats from pilfering their food.

You can see in these pictures a trick most of the miners used to prolong the life of their lunch bucket. A lid from an old bucket was attached to the bottom of a new one to help prevent dents and dings that eventually caused the bucket to leak. Losing your water in the mine wasn't something any miner wanted to face.

You can see how men decorated their buckets with decals. Some even painted scenes on them. Each was individual yet often shared common characteristics. That STP sticker was probably on nearly every miner's bucket at one time or another. I know my husband had one on his.

It was also a habit for many miners to pack an extra sandwich in their pail. Always in the back of their mind was the unpleasant thought of being trapped in the mine with nothing left to eat. An extra sandwich or piece of fruit might mean survival, at any rate it gave some a little extra comfort knowing it was there...just in case. I used to love to get anything my dad brought home in his bucket. It always seemed to taste better after it had been in there.

This brings up another interesting thing about a miner's lunch. Most of them spoke of a difference between what they could eat or liked to eat underground. Many men couldn't tolerate bananas when working. Others had difficulty with cold cuts. Most men loved oranges and tomatoes in their lunch and said they tasted far better at work than they did at home. My dad carried the same lunch every day for as long as I can remember: 2 pork chops cooked well done, a slice of bread, a cinnamon roll from Nickel's Bakery, a pint of milk in a fruit jar and a candy bar. He also carried a roll of Tums for the frequent heartburn he got from eating underground.

These two hats are examples of what miners wore. The one on the left is an old hat made of leather. The one on the right is a more modern version. Both hats are equipped with carbide lamps.

Before the advent of battery-powered headlamps, a miner got his light from a gas produced when carbide was mixed with water. The carbide was placed in the bottom of the lamp and water added to the top. A small, adjustable valve allowed the water to drip onto the carbide and form the gas that was forced through a jet in the center of the circular reflector. Flint was used to light the gas and it would burn for several hours before needing a refill. (Thanks for helping me out with this, Dad. My memory isn't as good as yours.) No miner went underground without checking his supply of carbide and making sure his lamp was in good working order. These carbide lamps are collectors items now and much sought-after by collectors and cave explorers.

Modern miners use a headlamp similar to the one shown here. The actual one attaches to a bracket on his hat and the cord leads to a battery pack he wears fastened to his belt. The batteries are charged between shifts to keep them burning brightly. It's an incredibly frightening feeling when a light goes out in the mine and many miners have superstitions about the what it means.

There's always a danger of an explosion in the mines and this gadget, called a "Bug Light" by most miners, is a safety lamp used to detect methane gas in the mines. The section foremen carries one to check all the faces of the working areas and the old workings (no longer used areas) for any sign of this deadly gas. Another man, called a Fire Boss, patrols the entire mine searching for pockets of methane. A log is kept to show he's checked each area. The Federal Mine Inspectors also make checks on gas and other safety issues when they make their visits. The frequency of their visits is based on the safety record of the mine. If many violations were found they came daily until safety standards are met.

Rita's Collection

A special "Thank You" to Rita Williams McCabe of Hampton, Virginia for sharing her photos with us. Please do not use her photos without her permission.
And to all you coal miners out there, past and present:
We think you are the greatest!!! May God bless you all and keep you safe.

P.S. See the special Memorial Page dedicated to the 66 men who were lost in the Powhatan Mine Fire of 1944.

A Coal Miner's Son - Here's another interesting site where you can learn more about what it's like to be a coal miner.

Coal Miner's Son by John G. Mattone - Selections from John Mattone's book.

Written by a coal miner's daughter
B. Lasko
Copyright©2000

Some links to other sites about mining
Links have been updated to the new UMWA site.

United Mine Workers of America

The United Mine Workers Journal

West Virginia Coal History Unit - Coal and Mining?

Welcome To The Kentucky Coal Mining Museum

Mining History Network homepage

COAL WWW VIRTUAL LIBRARY

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