Coal Miner Jargon
Page by Bob Leathers
Pick Miner
Pick Miner working in a room. About 1900. (Library of Congress)
A
Acetylene and Carbide Lamps
1. Simple lamps that produce and burn acetylene (C2H2), which is created by the reaction of calcium carbide (CaC2) with water. Acetylene gas lamps were used in the coal mines to illuminate the inside of the mine. Portable carbide lamps were worn on the hat, and some were carried by hand. They were widely used in the early twentieth century.
2. In the early years, the use of carbide lamps in places containing black damp was condemned by the mine inspectors because it was an illuminant that would continue to burn even if black damp, an explosive gas, was present. The miners would not know they were working in a deadly gas. The traditional oil lamp would go out if black damp were present, alerting the miner to the danger.
After Damp or Afterdamp
1. Sometimes called choking gas or choking damp, it is rich in carbon monoxide. It is the gas left in the coal mine after an explosion.
2. After Damp is the toxic mixture of gases left in a mine following an explosion caused by firedamp, which itself can initiate a much larger explosion of coal dust. It is the high content of carbon monoxide which kills miners by depriving them of oxygen.
Air
1. It is the invisible gaseous substance surrounding the earth, a mixture mainly of oxygen and nitrogen.
2. The current of air circulating through the workings of a coal mine.
3. To ventilate any portion of the workings in a mine.
Air Course
An underground passageway used for the purpose of ventilation.
Air Shaft
A straight, typically vertical passage admitting air into the coal mine or tunnel.
Airway
A ventilation passage in a coal mine along which air currents move. Some tunnels or passages are driven solely for movement of good air.
Anthracite
Coal of a hard variety that contains relatively pure carbon and burns with little flame and smoke. Also called hard coal of the highest metamorphic rank, in which the fixed carbon content is between 92 percent and 98 percent. It is hard, black, and has a semi-metallic luster and semi-conchoidal fracture. It ignites with difficulty and burns with a short blue flame without smoke.
Auger Mining
Auger mining is associated with strip-mining. It is the process of recovering coal for a limited depth beyond the point where stripping becomes uneconomical because the seam of coal lies so far beneath the surface by auguring into the exposed coal face. It is one of the lowest-cost techniques of coal mining.
1. Simple lamps that produce and burn acetylene (C2H2), which is created by the reaction of calcium carbide (CaC2) with water. Acetylene gas lamps were used in the coal mines to illuminate the inside of the mine. Portable carbide lamps were worn on the hat, and some were carried by hand. They were widely used in the early twentieth century.
2. In the early years, the use of carbide lamps in places containing black damp was condemned by the mine inspectors because it was an illuminant that would continue to burn even if black damp, an explosive gas, was present. The miners would not know they were working in a deadly gas. The traditional oil lamp would go out if black damp were present, alerting the miner to the danger.
After Damp or Afterdamp
1. Sometimes called choking gas or choking damp, it is rich in carbon monoxide. It is the gas left in the coal mine after an explosion.
2. After Damp is the toxic mixture of gases left in a mine following an explosion caused by firedamp, which itself can initiate a much larger explosion of coal dust. It is the high content of carbon monoxide which kills miners by depriving them of oxygen.
Air
1. It is the invisible gaseous substance surrounding the earth, a mixture mainly of oxygen and nitrogen.
2. The current of air circulating through the workings of a coal mine.
3. To ventilate any portion of the workings in a mine.
Air Course
An underground passageway used for the purpose of ventilation.
Air Shaft
A straight, typically vertical passage admitting air into the coal mine or tunnel.
Airway
A ventilation passage in a coal mine along which air currents move. Some tunnels or passages are driven solely for movement of good air.
Anthracite
Coal of a hard variety that contains relatively pure carbon and burns with little flame and smoke. Also called hard coal of the highest metamorphic rank, in which the fixed carbon content is between 92 percent and 98 percent. It is hard, black, and has a semi-metallic luster and semi-conchoidal fracture. It ignites with difficulty and burns with a short blue flame without smoke.
Auger Mining
Auger mining is associated with strip-mining. It is the process of recovering coal for a limited depth beyond the point where stripping becomes uneconomical because the seam of coal lies so far beneath the surface by auguring into the exposed coal face. It is one of the lowest-cost techniques of coal mining.
B
Back
The underground end of a coal mine where the mining work is going forward or has been stopped.
Basin of Coal
A coalfield having some resemblance in form to that of a wash basin. The Hanna coal field is a basin.
Bit
A piece of steel placed at the end of the drill used for cutting into the coal.
Bituminous Coal
Black coal having a relatively high volatile content. It burns with a characteristically bright smoky flame. It is a clear and free-burning variety of coal.
Black Damp or Blackdamp
Found in a coal mine, usually after an explosion when the available oxygen content of air in the coal mine is at a level incapable of sustaining human or animal life. It is not a single gas, but a mixture of lethal gases left after oxygen has been removed from the air. It typically consists of nitrogen, carbon dioxide and water vapor. It will not support combustion but is very deadly. Sometimes known as choke damp.
Black Powder
The first explosive used in coal mining and the only one known until the mid-1800s. Also known as gunpowder.
Blower
Gas discharged under pressure from a seam of coal.
Black Diamonds
A term frequently used to signify coal.
Blacksmith
A person who forged and shaped iron for use in the coal mine.
Blast
1. The sudden rush of fire, gas, and dust of an explosion through the underground workings and roadways of a coal mine. 2. To cut or bring down coal, rocks, and dirt by the explosion of black powder, dynamite, and permissible powders.
Bleed
A coal seam is said to bleed when it gives off water or gas.
Blown-Out-Shot or Windy Shot
This occurs in blasting coal in a mine when the coal bears the strain of the ignited explosive and forces the explosion to primarily exit the bore hole belching fire from the explosive. This happens most often when the coal is not undercut. The undercutting allows the force of the explosion to fracture the coal and fall to the floor of the mine.
Note: A blown-out-shot or windy shot was extremely dangerous in a gaseous mine and could have been one of the primary causes of the 1903 explosion of the Hanna No. 1 mine. It happened more often when black powder was in use because of the flames it produced.
Boiler House
A building which housed boilers to provide steam pressure to run mining equipment. Coal was burned in the boilers to heat the water to make steam.
Bore Hole
A hole drilled into the face of the coal for the miner to place his explosive.
Box
A mine car or wagon into which coal was loaded.
Brakemen, Trip Riders, Trailers
They operate or throw switches in the coal mine; couple and uncouple cars; assist the motormen in the transportation of loaded coal cars from switches or sidings in the mines to the shaft, and empty cars from the shaft to the switches or sidings.
Brattice
1. A division or partition in a coal mine shaft for providing and directing ventilation. It divides the mine into several parts permitting air to move in and out of the mine. A brattice may be constructed of wood, brick, or stone, but most of the time it was made of coarse cloth nailed to timbers.
2. Brattice is sackcloth made of jute that has been waxed or tarred; thus, impregnable to air flow. It was movable and used as a barrier to direct the air where it was required.
3. Used as stoppings between crosscuts to ensure the flow of fresh air from the fans to the coal face. When barriers were made permanent, the brattice was removed, and wooden stoppings were put in with doors.
Brattice man
Responsible for erecting and adjusting the brattice to allow for proper air flow into and around the mine.
Breaker Boy, Bone Picker, Picker
Removes pieces of slate and rock, bone, slate, and other rubbish from the coal. These were usually boys or old men not able to go back into the mine.
Brusher
A person that keeps the roof, ribs and bottom of a coal passage clear of rubbish and in good repair.
Brushing
Digging up the bottom or taking down the top of the mine to give more headroom in roadways or tunnels in the mine.
Bucker
A person responsible for seeing that the coal ran freely from the coal face, where the miner's dug the coal, to the bottom of the chute and into the waiting coal car.
Bump
1. A very sudden breaking of the coal, usually accompanied by a loud crushing sound or bumping noise heard in the mine. 2. A violent dislocation of the mine workings, which is attributed to severe stresses in the rock surrounding the workings.
Butty or Buddy
A coal miner's working partner.
The underground end of a coal mine where the mining work is going forward or has been stopped.
Basin of Coal
A coalfield having some resemblance in form to that of a wash basin. The Hanna coal field is a basin.
Bit
A piece of steel placed at the end of the drill used for cutting into the coal.
Bituminous Coal
Black coal having a relatively high volatile content. It burns with a characteristically bright smoky flame. It is a clear and free-burning variety of coal.
Black Damp or Blackdamp
Found in a coal mine, usually after an explosion when the available oxygen content of air in the coal mine is at a level incapable of sustaining human or animal life. It is not a single gas, but a mixture of lethal gases left after oxygen has been removed from the air. It typically consists of nitrogen, carbon dioxide and water vapor. It will not support combustion but is very deadly. Sometimes known as choke damp.
Black Powder
The first explosive used in coal mining and the only one known until the mid-1800s. Also known as gunpowder.
Blower
Gas discharged under pressure from a seam of coal.
Black Diamonds
A term frequently used to signify coal.
Blacksmith
A person who forged and shaped iron for use in the coal mine.
Blast
1. The sudden rush of fire, gas, and dust of an explosion through the underground workings and roadways of a coal mine. 2. To cut or bring down coal, rocks, and dirt by the explosion of black powder, dynamite, and permissible powders.
Bleed
A coal seam is said to bleed when it gives off water or gas.
Blown-Out-Shot or Windy Shot
This occurs in blasting coal in a mine when the coal bears the strain of the ignited explosive and forces the explosion to primarily exit the bore hole belching fire from the explosive. This happens most often when the coal is not undercut. The undercutting allows the force of the explosion to fracture the coal and fall to the floor of the mine.
Note: A blown-out-shot or windy shot was extremely dangerous in a gaseous mine and could have been one of the primary causes of the 1903 explosion of the Hanna No. 1 mine. It happened more often when black powder was in use because of the flames it produced.
Boiler House
A building which housed boilers to provide steam pressure to run mining equipment. Coal was burned in the boilers to heat the water to make steam.
Bore Hole
A hole drilled into the face of the coal for the miner to place his explosive.
Box
A mine car or wagon into which coal was loaded.
Brakemen, Trip Riders, Trailers
They operate or throw switches in the coal mine; couple and uncouple cars; assist the motormen in the transportation of loaded coal cars from switches or sidings in the mines to the shaft, and empty cars from the shaft to the switches or sidings.
Brattice
1. A division or partition in a coal mine shaft for providing and directing ventilation. It divides the mine into several parts permitting air to move in and out of the mine. A brattice may be constructed of wood, brick, or stone, but most of the time it was made of coarse cloth nailed to timbers.
2. Brattice is sackcloth made of jute that has been waxed or tarred; thus, impregnable to air flow. It was movable and used as a barrier to direct the air where it was required.
3. Used as stoppings between crosscuts to ensure the flow of fresh air from the fans to the coal face. When barriers were made permanent, the brattice was removed, and wooden stoppings were put in with doors.
Brattice man
Responsible for erecting and adjusting the brattice to allow for proper air flow into and around the mine.
Breaker Boy, Bone Picker, Picker
Removes pieces of slate and rock, bone, slate, and other rubbish from the coal. These were usually boys or old men not able to go back into the mine.
Brusher
A person that keeps the roof, ribs and bottom of a coal passage clear of rubbish and in good repair.
Brushing
Digging up the bottom or taking down the top of the mine to give more headroom in roadways or tunnels in the mine.
Bucker
A person responsible for seeing that the coal ran freely from the coal face, where the miner's dug the coal, to the bottom of the chute and into the waiting coal car.
Bump
1. A very sudden breaking of the coal, usually accompanied by a loud crushing sound or bumping noise heard in the mine. 2. A violent dislocation of the mine workings, which is attributed to severe stresses in the rock surrounding the workings.
Butty or Buddy
A coal miner's working partner.
C
Car Dump
The mechanism at the tipple for unloading a loaded coal car.
Carpenter
The mine carpenter was usually an outside worker who was responsible for any required carpentry work to support the coal mine in or out of the mine.
Chain Pillar
The pillar of coal left to protect the gangway or entry and the parallel airways of the coal mine.
Chamber or Room
The location in the coal mine from which the coal is mined or taken, it is also known also as a room.
Checkweighman or Check Weighman
The coal miner's representative, chosen by ballot, who checks the weight of coal mined during the day.
Choke Damp or Chokedamp
A loosely used term for carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide.
Coal
A black solid, usually brittle, combustible rock-like material formed by decomposition of plant vegetation.
Coal Analysis
The chemical process to determine the various components of coal.
Coal Bank
The exposed seam of coal found at the surface.
Coal Dust
Very finely powdered dust suspended in the air-currents in coal mines. It can extend and/or aggravate an explosion of firedamp. When mixed with even less than 1 percent of this gas, an explosive mixture is obtained under certain conditions.
Coal face
The wall of coal being mined.
Coal Field
The coal deposit or coal bed in each geographic area.
Collier
An English name for an underground workman in a coal mine.
Colliery
The English name for a coal mine.
Company Man
1. A miner employed by the owner of the coal mine.
2. An official at a coal mine.
3. The term used to differentiate company men from independent workers or union workers.
Concrete
1. A composite material composed of coarse granular material, the aggregate or filler, embedded in a hard matrix of material, the cement or binder, which fills the space among the aggregate particles and glues them together.
2. Concrete replaced the use of board, blocks, and other flammable materials in the making of stoppings in the mine.
Creep
When pillars of coal are forced down into the floor, or up into the roof of a coal mine.
Crop Coal
Coal located at the outcrop of the coal seam. It is coal exposed to oxidation and usually not particularly good coal for commercial use.
Crosscut
1. A passageway, between the entries of the coal mine and its parallel air course, for ventilation purposes.
2. A tunnel driven from one seam of coal to another, sometimes called a crosscut tunnel, or breakthrough.
Crossheading
A narrow opening for ventilation driven through coal or rock separating two passages or tunnels.
Cutter
1. The man who operates power driven cutting machines in the coal mine.
2. A worker engaged in cutting coal from the face of the coal.
Cutting Machine
1. A machine that took the place of the man responsible for undercutting the coal in the early years.
2. An electric cutting machine that cut an 8-to-15-foot slot under the coal near the floor of the mine. The slot or undercutting allowed the coal to expand or fracture when blasted and fall in chunks.
The mechanism at the tipple for unloading a loaded coal car.
Carpenter
The mine carpenter was usually an outside worker who was responsible for any required carpentry work to support the coal mine in or out of the mine.
Chain Pillar
The pillar of coal left to protect the gangway or entry and the parallel airways of the coal mine.
Chamber or Room
The location in the coal mine from which the coal is mined or taken, it is also known also as a room.
Checkweighman or Check Weighman
The coal miner's representative, chosen by ballot, who checks the weight of coal mined during the day.
Choke Damp or Chokedamp
A loosely used term for carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide.
Coal
A black solid, usually brittle, combustible rock-like material formed by decomposition of plant vegetation.
Coal Analysis
The chemical process to determine the various components of coal.
Coal Bank
The exposed seam of coal found at the surface.
Coal Dust
Very finely powdered dust suspended in the air-currents in coal mines. It can extend and/or aggravate an explosion of firedamp. When mixed with even less than 1 percent of this gas, an explosive mixture is obtained under certain conditions.
Coal face
The wall of coal being mined.
Coal Field
The coal deposit or coal bed in each geographic area.
Collier
An English name for an underground workman in a coal mine.
Colliery
The English name for a coal mine.
Company Man
1. A miner employed by the owner of the coal mine.
2. An official at a coal mine.
3. The term used to differentiate company men from independent workers or union workers.
Concrete
1. A composite material composed of coarse granular material, the aggregate or filler, embedded in a hard matrix of material, the cement or binder, which fills the space among the aggregate particles and glues them together.
2. Concrete replaced the use of board, blocks, and other flammable materials in the making of stoppings in the mine.
Creep
When pillars of coal are forced down into the floor, or up into the roof of a coal mine.
Crop Coal
Coal located at the outcrop of the coal seam. It is coal exposed to oxidation and usually not particularly good coal for commercial use.
Crosscut
1. A passageway, between the entries of the coal mine and its parallel air course, for ventilation purposes.
2. A tunnel driven from one seam of coal to another, sometimes called a crosscut tunnel, or breakthrough.
Crossheading
A narrow opening for ventilation driven through coal or rock separating two passages or tunnels.
Cutter
1. The man who operates power driven cutting machines in the coal mine.
2. A worker engaged in cutting coal from the face of the coal.
Cutting Machine
1. A machine that took the place of the man responsible for undercutting the coal in the early years.
2. An electric cutting machine that cut an 8-to-15-foot slot under the coal near the floor of the mine. The slot or undercutting allowed the coal to expand or fracture when blasted and fall in chunks.
D
Deadwork
Work the coal miner was expected to do but work for which he was not paid.
Digger
Another name for a coal miner.
Dip
1. The slope the coal mine made downward from the surface.
2. Often used to describe the coal seam downward path or to follow the dip.
Dock Boss
A worker in charge of checking the coal cars leaving the mine for slate, rock and other impurities and rubbish.
Door Boy or Door Tender
A boy who opened and closed the ventilation doors for horses and mules to come and go in the coal mine. The same job was later applied to electric locomotives or motors coming and going in the mine.
Downcast
Air that is forced downward into the coal mine.
Drift
The passage through which air is drawn into the mine.
Drift Coal Mine
A drift coal mine is an underground mine in which the entry or access is above the water level and generally on the slope of a hill, driven horizontally into the coal seam.
Drive
To excavate or dig a passage.
Driven
To move or dig a tunnel forward.
Driver
1. A workman, usually a boy, who drove an underground work horse or mule in a coal mine.
2. Drove mules into and out of rooms in which coal was mined. Hauled loaded coal cars from the rooms to switches or sidings to be transported to the tipple.
Driver Boss
1. The person in charge of all Drivers, Chute Loaders, Spraggers, Trappers, and other such boys and men engaged in the hauling of coal.
Dummy
A paper bag about a foot long filled with sand, clay, etc., used for packing a hole after it has been drilled and filled with explosives. The dummy forced the explosion to fracture the coal and not allow the force of the blast to come out the drilled hole causing a windy shot.
Dumpers
A tipple man who dumps the loaded coal cars taken from inside the mine.
Work the coal miner was expected to do but work for which he was not paid.
Digger
Another name for a coal miner.
Dip
1. The slope the coal mine made downward from the surface.
2. Often used to describe the coal seam downward path or to follow the dip.
Dock Boss
A worker in charge of checking the coal cars leaving the mine for slate, rock and other impurities and rubbish.
Door Boy or Door Tender
A boy who opened and closed the ventilation doors for horses and mules to come and go in the coal mine. The same job was later applied to electric locomotives or motors coming and going in the mine.
Downcast
Air that is forced downward into the coal mine.
Drift
The passage through which air is drawn into the mine.
Drift Coal Mine
A drift coal mine is an underground mine in which the entry or access is above the water level and generally on the slope of a hill, driven horizontally into the coal seam.
Drive
To excavate or dig a passage.
Driven
To move or dig a tunnel forward.
Driver
1. A workman, usually a boy, who drove an underground work horse or mule in a coal mine.
2. Drove mules into and out of rooms in which coal was mined. Hauled loaded coal cars from the rooms to switches or sidings to be transported to the tipple.
Driver Boss
1. The person in charge of all Drivers, Chute Loaders, Spraggers, Trappers, and other such boys and men engaged in the hauling of coal.
Dummy
A paper bag about a foot long filled with sand, clay, etc., used for packing a hole after it has been drilled and filled with explosives. The dummy forced the explosion to fracture the coal and not allow the force of the blast to come out the drilled hole causing a windy shot.
Dumpers
A tipple man who dumps the loaded coal cars taken from inside the mine.
E
Engineer
The person in charge of coal mine machinery.
English Miner
A miner who was born in England and came to America to mine coal.
Entry
The main entrance and the traveling passages of the coal mine.
Entry Stumps
1. Pillars of coal left at the mouth of the rooms to support the roof.
2. Supports to maintain the roof above the mine entry.
The person in charge of coal mine machinery.
English Miner
A miner who was born in England and came to America to mine coal.
Entry
The main entrance and the traveling passages of the coal mine.
Entry Stumps
1. Pillars of coal left at the mouth of the rooms to support the roof.
2. Supports to maintain the roof above the mine entry.
F
Fan
A machine used to force ventilation through a mine. It may be a blow or suction fan, usually located on the surface near the entrance of the mine.
Fault
1. Planar rock fractures which show evidence of relative movement.
2. A displacement of strata in which the coal on one side of the fault is pushed above, or below, or aside from the corresponding coal on the other side.
Fire Boss or Fireboss
1. A mine official, usually a company man, who patrols the coal mine to examine the mine for accumulation of gas and other hazards.
2. A person designated to examine the mine for gas and other dangers.
3. A mine safety inspector for things that could cause fire and explosions in coal mines. He also looked for bad roofs and loose ribs of coal.
4. Usually the fire boss was the first person to enter the mine to verify its safety, before a shift crew enters.
Fire Damp
Methane or any explosive gas underground.
Fire Stink
A smell, indicating spontaneous combustion in the mine.
Fireman
A worker who keeps fires burning in boilers to produce steam. He shovels coal into the firebox as needed and keeps the firebox clear of ashes and clinkers.
Firing Point
The point at which fire damp mixed with outside air ignites and explodes.
Fissure
A separation of rock or coal across a coal seam.
Floor
The bottom of a coal mine.
A machine used to force ventilation through a mine. It may be a blow or suction fan, usually located on the surface near the entrance of the mine.
Fault
1. Planar rock fractures which show evidence of relative movement.
2. A displacement of strata in which the coal on one side of the fault is pushed above, or below, or aside from the corresponding coal on the other side.
Fire Boss or Fireboss
1. A mine official, usually a company man, who patrols the coal mine to examine the mine for accumulation of gas and other hazards.
2. A person designated to examine the mine for gas and other dangers.
3. A mine safety inspector for things that could cause fire and explosions in coal mines. He also looked for bad roofs and loose ribs of coal.
4. Usually the fire boss was the first person to enter the mine to verify its safety, before a shift crew enters.
Fire Damp
Methane or any explosive gas underground.
Fire Stink
A smell, indicating spontaneous combustion in the mine.
Fireman
A worker who keeps fires burning in boilers to produce steam. He shovels coal into the firebox as needed and keeps the firebox clear of ashes and clinkers.
Firing Point
The point at which fire damp mixed with outside air ignites and explodes.
Fissure
A separation of rock or coal across a coal seam.
Floor
The bottom of a coal mine.
G
Gaseous Mine
A mine that has an abundance of explosive gas, chiefly methane, which occurs naturally in coal mines from the decomposition of coal.
A mine that has an abundance of explosive gas, chiefly methane, which occurs naturally in coal mines from the decomposition of coal.
H
Haulageway or Haul Way
The gangway, entry or tunnel through which loaded or empty coal cars are hauled by mules or horses in the early years and electrically powered motors in later years.
Headlamp or Cap Lamp
An illuminating device that provided light for the miner and was worn on the front side of the miner's hat.
Headroom
The height between the floor and the roof of the coal mine. In the early years, anything above 6 feet was considered good headroom.
Hoist
An engine with a winding drum of cable or rope which hauled or hoisted a trip of coal from the mine to the surface.
The gangway, entry or tunnel through which loaded or empty coal cars are hauled by mules or horses in the early years and electrically powered motors in later years.
Headlamp or Cap Lamp
An illuminating device that provided light for the miner and was worn on the front side of the miner's hat.
Headroom
The height between the floor and the roof of the coal mine. In the early years, anything above 6 feet was considered good headroom.
Hoist
An engine with a winding drum of cable or rope which hauled or hoisted a trip of coal from the mine to the surface.
I
Intake
A level carrying air to the coal face. The intake for one coal face may be the return for another.
A level carrying air to the coal face. The intake for one coal face may be the return for another.
L
Laborers
All unskilled workers who do routine work inside and outside the mine. They push carts, assist trackmen and timbermen, shovel dirt and handle material, and do other necessary unskilled work about the mines.
Lamp
The apparatus carried by all personnel underground to give light.
Level
A passageway driven in the coal, establishing a tunnel or base from which other workings begin. A colliery level does not mean a passageway excavated on a horizontal plane. A level is excavated in one or more slight inclines.
Lift
All the workings driven upwards from one level in a steep pitching seam.
Lignite Coal
A soft blackish brown combustible sedimentary rock that is formed from naturally compressed peat. It is considered the lowest rank of coal due to its low heat content.
Loader
A miner's assistant who loads coal into coal cars and assists the miner at the face.
Loading Machine
Any device for transferring excavated coal into the haulage equipment.
Longwall Mining
1. A system of mining coal that allows the mine face to be worked all at the same time, usually with large mining machines. The entire seam is mined, and no pillars are left in place.
2. Mining of or involving a single long face of coal worked, usually mechanically, along its full length of the coal wall.
All unskilled workers who do routine work inside and outside the mine. They push carts, assist trackmen and timbermen, shovel dirt and handle material, and do other necessary unskilled work about the mines.
Lamp
The apparatus carried by all personnel underground to give light.
Level
A passageway driven in the coal, establishing a tunnel or base from which other workings begin. A colliery level does not mean a passageway excavated on a horizontal plane. A level is excavated in one or more slight inclines.
Lift
All the workings driven upwards from one level in a steep pitching seam.
Lignite Coal
A soft blackish brown combustible sedimentary rock that is formed from naturally compressed peat. It is considered the lowest rank of coal due to its low heat content.
Loader
A miner's assistant who loads coal into coal cars and assists the miner at the face.
Loading Machine
Any device for transferring excavated coal into the haulage equipment.
Longwall Mining
1. A system of mining coal that allows the mine face to be worked all at the same time, usually with large mining machines. The entire seam is mined, and no pillars are left in place.
2. Mining of or involving a single long face of coal worked, usually mechanically, along its full length of the coal wall.
M
Machinist
A tradesman who worked on mining equipment.
Manager
The official in charge of a surface or underground mine.
Manway
A passageway used as a foot path for the miner to travel up or down the mine to his place of work.
Man Trip
A carrier of the mine personnel, by rail or rubber tire, to and from the miner’s work area.
Mason
He constructs the necessary air bridges and walls inside the mine to conduct or force air into all parts of the mine.
Methane
A potentially explosive gas formed naturally from the decay of coal. It is frequently encountered in underground coal mining operations and is kept within safe limits using extensive mine ventilation systems.
Miner
A person engaged in extracting coal in a coal mine but used to describe anyone who works in a coal mine.
Miner Boy
1. A miner under the age of sixteen who works inside the mine, usually assisting an adult miner in the mining of coal.
2. An apprentice miner.
Motorman
The operator of the electric "motor" that hauls or pulls coal cars on tracks in the mine. The motorman's helpers who stop, connect, and disconnect cars were called Spraggers, Trip Riders, or the Brakeman.
Mouth
The opening at the surface of any passage into a mine.
Mule Boss
Supervises or looks after the mule drivers who were usually young men or boys, in addition to being a mule driver.
Mule Driver or Driver
Works the mules that pull cars of coal in the mine. He takes care of the mules in their underground or outside barn. This person was usually a young man or even a boy.
A tradesman who worked on mining equipment.
Manager
The official in charge of a surface or underground mine.
Manway
A passageway used as a foot path for the miner to travel up or down the mine to his place of work.
Man Trip
A carrier of the mine personnel, by rail or rubber tire, to and from the miner’s work area.
Mason
He constructs the necessary air bridges and walls inside the mine to conduct or force air into all parts of the mine.
Methane
A potentially explosive gas formed naturally from the decay of coal. It is frequently encountered in underground coal mining operations and is kept within safe limits using extensive mine ventilation systems.
Miner
A person engaged in extracting coal in a coal mine but used to describe anyone who works in a coal mine.
Miner Boy
1. A miner under the age of sixteen who works inside the mine, usually assisting an adult miner in the mining of coal.
2. An apprentice miner.
Motorman
The operator of the electric "motor" that hauls or pulls coal cars on tracks in the mine. The motorman's helpers who stop, connect, and disconnect cars were called Spraggers, Trip Riders, or the Brakeman.
Mouth
The opening at the surface of any passage into a mine.
Mule Boss
Supervises or looks after the mule drivers who were usually young men or boys, in addition to being a mule driver.
Mule Driver or Driver
Works the mules that pull cars of coal in the mine. He takes care of the mules in their underground or outside barn. This person was usually a young man or even a boy.
N
Needle
A sharp pointed copper or brass rod with which a small hole is made through the stemming to the cartridge in blasting operations.
A sharp pointed copper or brass rod with which a small hole is made through the stemming to the cartridge in blasting operations.
Nipper, Trapper, Doorboy
Nippers - also called trappers or Doorboy - job in the coal mine was to open and close the wooden door that sealed the mine and directed the air current in the mine. This was usually a boy's first job inside the mine itself and it was a difficult and dangerous one. The mine door normally had to remain tightly closed, except when coal cars came in and out in order to control the flow of air in the mine.
Nippers - also called trappers or Doorboy - job in the coal mine was to open and close the wooden door that sealed the mine and directed the air current in the mine. This was usually a boy's first job inside the mine itself and it was a difficult and dangerous one. The mine door normally had to remain tightly closed, except when coal cars came in and out in order to control the flow of air in the mine.
O
Oilers
A man or boy responsible to oil and clean machines and engines.
Oil Lamp or Wick Cap Lamp
Oil wick cap lamps were shaped like small kettles and sat on the miner's hat. It had a small front that contained an oil-fueled wick that was stuffed into the spout. The oil-wick cap lamp issued a bare flame, giving off enough light for miners to see what was in front of their face, but not much further. The oil-fueled flame was exceedingly smoky and could easily ignite flammable gasses (methane) found in coal mines. These lamps were worn on soft caps that offered little in the way of protection and were worn for the convenience of having a light source in front of the miner's face.
Opening
Any excavation into a mine.
Operator
1. The person, company, corporation working a mine.
2. The individual at the controls of a machine.
Outcrop
The location where a coal seam of coal reaches the surface of the ground.
A man or boy responsible to oil and clean machines and engines.
Oil Lamp or Wick Cap Lamp
Oil wick cap lamps were shaped like small kettles and sat on the miner's hat. It had a small front that contained an oil-fueled wick that was stuffed into the spout. The oil-wick cap lamp issued a bare flame, giving off enough light for miners to see what was in front of their face, but not much further. The oil-fueled flame was exceedingly smoky and could easily ignite flammable gasses (methane) found in coal mines. These lamps were worn on soft caps that offered little in the way of protection and were worn for the convenience of having a light source in front of the miner's face.
Opening
Any excavation into a mine.
Operator
1. The person, company, corporation working a mine.
2. The individual at the controls of a machine.
Outcrop
The location where a coal seam of coal reaches the surface of the ground.
P
Panel System
A method of mining coal. The coal seam was divided up into large blocks or pillars of coal and worked at one time, usually by large mining machines.
Parting
A layer of slate or stony coal that separates two benches of a coal seam.
2. A small joint in the coal or rock.
3. A layer of rock located in a coal seam.
4. A sidetrack or turnout in a haulage road.
Permissible Explosives
1. Explosives that yield a much shorter and quicker flames than black blasting powder or dynamite, making them less dangerous to use in gaseous or dusty coal mines.
Pick
A miner's hand tool made with a wooden handle and a steel head. The head tapers to two steel points. The pick is used by the coal miner for multiple jobs such as undercutting coal at the face, breaking large chunks coal for loading, and digging of any kind.
Pick Miner
A coal miner who loosens coal with picks, drills, and explosives, then loads it into coal cars. Paid by the carload or ton of coal. A "coalminer" is usually pictured as a pick miner.
Pickers or Slaters
Usually, young boys or old men. They pick slate from the coal as it passes over conveyors or down the coal chutes.
Pillar
A column or body of coal left unmined to support the roof of the coal mine.
Pit
Another name for a coal mine.
Pitch
The slope of the mine downward (dip) or the rise of the coal seam upward.
Plane
The main road in a coal mine, either level or inclined, on which a track is laid to lower or hoist coal.
Platemen
A worker who removes large stones from the coal before it enters the shakers or conveyors.
Powder
Explosive used at the coal face to blast.
Powder Jacks
The name for a safety container the miner used to take his powder into the mine. The powder jack held from 6 to 10 pounds of powder. It replaced the practice of a miner taking a whole keg of powder into the mine.
Practical Miner
1. A practical miner is concerned with the actual doing or use of something rather than with theory and ideas. He has become an experienced miner through job experiences with positive results. A practical coal miner extracts coal from underground mines.
2. The miner uses hand or power tools and explosives to expose the coal, then secures the area by installing supportive wall and roof structures. The practical miner also makes it possible to accommodate equipment by laying mining tracks.
Prop
A wooden upright post to help support the roof of a coal mine.
Pumpman
1. A workman who maintains and supervises a pump's operation.
2. Operates, repairs and looks after pumps used in pumping water from the coal mines.
Punch Mine
A type of drift mine used to recover coal from an abandoned strip mine, haul ways, or from small, uneconomical deposits of coal.
A method of mining coal. The coal seam was divided up into large blocks or pillars of coal and worked at one time, usually by large mining machines.
Parting
A layer of slate or stony coal that separates two benches of a coal seam.
2. A small joint in the coal or rock.
3. A layer of rock located in a coal seam.
4. A sidetrack or turnout in a haulage road.
Permissible Explosives
1. Explosives that yield a much shorter and quicker flames than black blasting powder or dynamite, making them less dangerous to use in gaseous or dusty coal mines.
Pick
A miner's hand tool made with a wooden handle and a steel head. The head tapers to two steel points. The pick is used by the coal miner for multiple jobs such as undercutting coal at the face, breaking large chunks coal for loading, and digging of any kind.
Pick Miner
A coal miner who loosens coal with picks, drills, and explosives, then loads it into coal cars. Paid by the carload or ton of coal. A "coalminer" is usually pictured as a pick miner.
Pickers or Slaters
Usually, young boys or old men. They pick slate from the coal as it passes over conveyors or down the coal chutes.
Pillar
A column or body of coal left unmined to support the roof of the coal mine.
Pit
Another name for a coal mine.
Pitch
The slope of the mine downward (dip) or the rise of the coal seam upward.
Plane
The main road in a coal mine, either level or inclined, on which a track is laid to lower or hoist coal.
Platemen
A worker who removes large stones from the coal before it enters the shakers or conveyors.
Powder
Explosive used at the coal face to blast.
Powder Jacks
The name for a safety container the miner used to take his powder into the mine. The powder jack held from 6 to 10 pounds of powder. It replaced the practice of a miner taking a whole keg of powder into the mine.
Practical Miner
1. A practical miner is concerned with the actual doing or use of something rather than with theory and ideas. He has become an experienced miner through job experiences with positive results. A practical coal miner extracts coal from underground mines.
2. The miner uses hand or power tools and explosives to expose the coal, then secures the area by installing supportive wall and roof structures. The practical miner also makes it possible to accommodate equipment by laying mining tracks.
Prop
A wooden upright post to help support the roof of a coal mine.
Pumpman
1. A workman who maintains and supervises a pump's operation.
2. Operates, repairs and looks after pumps used in pumping water from the coal mines.
Punch Mine
A type of drift mine used to recover coal from an abandoned strip mine, haul ways, or from small, uneconomical deposits of coal.
Q
Quill
Early black powder fuse, manufactured from goose feather quills.
Early black powder fuse, manufactured from goose feather quills.
R
Return Air
The air or ventilation that has passed through the coal mine workings and is headed back to the surface via the upcast shaft.
Rib
1. The solid wall of coal on the side of the coal mine.
2. A narrow strip or block of solid coal.
Riding the Chains or Riding the Ropes
When a driver or other such mine worker, usually a boy driver, rides on the coal cars to properly connect and disconnect the cars as they go, the person riding on or between the cars is said to be riding the chains.
Rob
To mine coal from pillars.
Rockman
1. A worker who blasts then removes rock and coal to reach the coal underground.
2. He makes an entrance to the coal mine.
Rollerman
A workman who lubricates and maintains the rollers, pulleys, and haulage cables in the coal mine.
Room Neck
The short passage from the entry into a room.
Rope Rider
A coal mine employee whose duty it was to see that coal cars were coupled properly, and to inspect ropes, chains, links, and all coupling equipment. He rode on the cars of coal as they moved inside and outside the mine.
Roof
Strata immediately over a coal seam; rock or coal overhead in any excavation.
Roof Inspectors
1. In the early years, a Roof Inspector was an experienced miner who checked the roof of the mine for loose rock and coal. He also inspected for other dangerous conditions that might be found in the mine. He was required to visit all the working places in the mine and see that they were kept safe. If the inspector found a dangerous condition, he called it to the attention of the workmen in the area then moved on to further inspect the mine. The responsibility to correct the problem fell upon the workmen who may or may not do the necessary work to correct the problem.
2. In later years, the roof inspector's responsibility was not only to find the dangerous conditions in the mine and call it to the attention of the miners in the area, but to stay at that spot until the dangerous condition was made safe by the workmen.
Room and Pillar
A system of mining. The coal is mined in rooms separated by narrow ribs or pillars. The coal in the pillars may be mined by subsequent workings. The rooms are driven parallel with one another, and the room faces may be extended at right angles or at an angle to the dip. This method is applicable to flat deposits, such as coal, which occur in bedded deposits.
Rubbish
The waste or unsaleable material left in the coal mine or discarded at the tipple.
The air or ventilation that has passed through the coal mine workings and is headed back to the surface via the upcast shaft.
Rib
1. The solid wall of coal on the side of the coal mine.
2. A narrow strip or block of solid coal.
Riding the Chains or Riding the Ropes
When a driver or other such mine worker, usually a boy driver, rides on the coal cars to properly connect and disconnect the cars as they go, the person riding on or between the cars is said to be riding the chains.
Rob
To mine coal from pillars.
Rockman
1. A worker who blasts then removes rock and coal to reach the coal underground.
2. He makes an entrance to the coal mine.
Rollerman
A workman who lubricates and maintains the rollers, pulleys, and haulage cables in the coal mine.
Room Neck
The short passage from the entry into a room.
Rope Rider
A coal mine employee whose duty it was to see that coal cars were coupled properly, and to inspect ropes, chains, links, and all coupling equipment. He rode on the cars of coal as they moved inside and outside the mine.
Roof
Strata immediately over a coal seam; rock or coal overhead in any excavation.
Roof Inspectors
1. In the early years, a Roof Inspector was an experienced miner who checked the roof of the mine for loose rock and coal. He also inspected for other dangerous conditions that might be found in the mine. He was required to visit all the working places in the mine and see that they were kept safe. If the inspector found a dangerous condition, he called it to the attention of the workmen in the area then moved on to further inspect the mine. The responsibility to correct the problem fell upon the workmen who may or may not do the necessary work to correct the problem.
2. In later years, the roof inspector's responsibility was not only to find the dangerous conditions in the mine and call it to the attention of the miners in the area, but to stay at that spot until the dangerous condition was made safe by the workmen.
Room and Pillar
A system of mining. The coal is mined in rooms separated by narrow ribs or pillars. The coal in the pillars may be mined by subsequent workings. The rooms are driven parallel with one another, and the room faces may be extended at right angles or at an angle to the dip. This method is applicable to flat deposits, such as coal, which occur in bedded deposits.
Rubbish
The waste or unsaleable material left in the coal mine or discarded at the tipple.
S
Safety Lamp
1. A miner's lamp which reveals the presence of fire damp.
2. A coal miner's portable lamp with a flame that is protected, typically by wire gauze, to reduce the risk of explosion from ignited methane (firedamp).
Seam
A stratum of coal, also called a vein.
Shift
The time during which workmen work.
Shooting
Blasting in a mine.
Shot
The explosive charge in the coal face to fracture and bring down the coal.
Shot Firer or Shotfirer
1. In the early days, a miner drilled holes in the coal, packed them with black powder, then exploded it to loosen coal.
2. Later, it was the name given to the mine official who, prior to detonating an explosive charge to blast coal, examined the area for gas, examined the preparations made for the blasting and, when assured that all safety regulations have been complied with, detonated the shot.
Sinking
The process by which a slope or entry is driven or moved forward.
Slag Pile, Spoil Pile or Slack Pile
The unwanted materials, such as dirt, rock, shale, bone, slate, and coal slack, which were taken out of the mine and dumped into a pile. The tall black hill near Jap Town was a slag pile.
Slope
An entrance to a mine driven down through an inclined coal seam. An inside slope in a mine is a passage in the mine driven from one system of workings down through a seam, to bring up coal from a lower system of workings.
Slope Mine
An underground mine with an opening that slopes upward or downward to the coal seam.
Slopeman
A workman who patrols and keeps in repair the mine's main and back slopes.
Spragger, Trip Rider, Brakeman
A Spragger was a Motorman's helper who stoped, connected, and disconnected the coal cars. In the early days before mine cars were equipped with brakes, the brakemen carried "sprags," short pieces of wood about 18" long and 2" thick, which were jammed in through the spokes of the wheels. The spragger also had to jump off the motor, disconnect the empty cars and put the coal cars near the rooms for the Miners to load. It was also the duty of the Spragger to run ahead of the motor and open the ventilation doors for the Motorman.
Squib
An explosive used in coal mining to break coal away from rock or fracture the coal for loading. The squib was inserted into the black powder to cause the powder to explode. A squib consisted of a small tube filled with an explosive substance, with a detonator running through the length of its core, like a stick of dynamite. Also, like dynamite, the detonator can be a slow-burning fuse, or a wire connected to a remote electronic detonator.
Stableman
A workman who cares for the horses or mules and maintains the stable on the surface or underground. On off working days, the stableman is still responsible for feeding and watering the horses or mules.
Stoppings or Stoping
A wall built inside the coal mine to seal off abandoned or dangerous areas of the coal mine.
Strip Mining or Surface Mining
A method of coal mining used when coal is located near the surface of the ground. It requires removing the topsoil then drilling and blasting the earth and rock covering the coal with high-powered explosives. The earth and rock are then removed with heavy earth-moving equipment, such as draglines, power shovels, excavators, and loaders. When the coal seam is exposed, the coal seam is drilled and blasted to fracture the coal. The coal is then removed from the mine with huge trucks or conveyor belts to a load out facility.
Slaters or Pickers
They are usually young boys or old men. They pick material that will not burn from the coal as it passes over conveyor belts.
Sump
A basin or collection place in a mine which water runs to be pumped to the surface.
1. A miner's lamp which reveals the presence of fire damp.
2. A coal miner's portable lamp with a flame that is protected, typically by wire gauze, to reduce the risk of explosion from ignited methane (firedamp).
Seam
A stratum of coal, also called a vein.
Shift
The time during which workmen work.
Shooting
Blasting in a mine.
Shot
The explosive charge in the coal face to fracture and bring down the coal.
Shot Firer or Shotfirer
1. In the early days, a miner drilled holes in the coal, packed them with black powder, then exploded it to loosen coal.
2. Later, it was the name given to the mine official who, prior to detonating an explosive charge to blast coal, examined the area for gas, examined the preparations made for the blasting and, when assured that all safety regulations have been complied with, detonated the shot.
Sinking
The process by which a slope or entry is driven or moved forward.
Slag Pile, Spoil Pile or Slack Pile
The unwanted materials, such as dirt, rock, shale, bone, slate, and coal slack, which were taken out of the mine and dumped into a pile. The tall black hill near Jap Town was a slag pile.
Slope
An entrance to a mine driven down through an inclined coal seam. An inside slope in a mine is a passage in the mine driven from one system of workings down through a seam, to bring up coal from a lower system of workings.
Slope Mine
An underground mine with an opening that slopes upward or downward to the coal seam.
Slopeman
A workman who patrols and keeps in repair the mine's main and back slopes.
Spragger, Trip Rider, Brakeman
A Spragger was a Motorman's helper who stoped, connected, and disconnected the coal cars. In the early days before mine cars were equipped with brakes, the brakemen carried "sprags," short pieces of wood about 18" long and 2" thick, which were jammed in through the spokes of the wheels. The spragger also had to jump off the motor, disconnect the empty cars and put the coal cars near the rooms for the Miners to load. It was also the duty of the Spragger to run ahead of the motor and open the ventilation doors for the Motorman.
Squib
An explosive used in coal mining to break coal away from rock or fracture the coal for loading. The squib was inserted into the black powder to cause the powder to explode. A squib consisted of a small tube filled with an explosive substance, with a detonator running through the length of its core, like a stick of dynamite. Also, like dynamite, the detonator can be a slow-burning fuse, or a wire connected to a remote electronic detonator.
Stableman
A workman who cares for the horses or mules and maintains the stable on the surface or underground. On off working days, the stableman is still responsible for feeding and watering the horses or mules.
Stoppings or Stoping
A wall built inside the coal mine to seal off abandoned or dangerous areas of the coal mine.
Strip Mining or Surface Mining
A method of coal mining used when coal is located near the surface of the ground. It requires removing the topsoil then drilling and blasting the earth and rock covering the coal with high-powered explosives. The earth and rock are then removed with heavy earth-moving equipment, such as draglines, power shovels, excavators, and loaders. When the coal seam is exposed, the coal seam is drilled and blasted to fracture the coal. The coal is then removed from the mine with huge trucks or conveyor belts to a load out facility.
Slaters or Pickers
They are usually young boys or old men. They pick material that will not burn from the coal as it passes over conveyor belts.
Sump
A basin or collection place in a mine which water runs to be pumped to the surface.
T
Timber
A collective term for underground wooden supports.
Timberman
Cuts and sets timbers or supports in mines to prevent falls of slate, stone and dirt from the roof or rib of the mine.
Tipple or Dump
Originally the place where the mine cars were tipped and emptied of their coal, and still used in that same sense, although now more generally applied to the surface structures of a mine, including the preparation plant, and loading tracks.
Tipple Workers
The men who work in the tipple. A tipple is a building outside the mine where the cars are unloaded by tipping them over onto a conveyor belt. Workers who cleaned the coal, then loaded the coal into railroad coal cars for transportation away from the mine.
Trackman
A person employed in laying and maintaining railroad track in the coal mine.
Trapper Boy, Trappers or Doorboys
A boy stationed at an underground door, to open and close the door when mine cars passed through. The underground doors were necessary to control the air current in the mine.
Traveling Way
A passageway for men and horses in and out of the mine.
Trip
A train of mine cars.
Tunnel
The passageway between two mines or systems of working, driven horizontally across the measures.
A collective term for underground wooden supports.
Timberman
Cuts and sets timbers or supports in mines to prevent falls of slate, stone and dirt from the roof or rib of the mine.
Tipple or Dump
Originally the place where the mine cars were tipped and emptied of their coal, and still used in that same sense, although now more generally applied to the surface structures of a mine, including the preparation plant, and loading tracks.
Tipple Workers
The men who work in the tipple. A tipple is a building outside the mine where the cars are unloaded by tipping them over onto a conveyor belt. Workers who cleaned the coal, then loaded the coal into railroad coal cars for transportation away from the mine.
Trackman
A person employed in laying and maintaining railroad track in the coal mine.
Trapper Boy, Trappers or Doorboys
A boy stationed at an underground door, to open and close the door when mine cars passed through. The underground doors were necessary to control the air current in the mine.
Traveling Way
A passageway for men and horses in and out of the mine.
Trip
A train of mine cars.
Tunnel
The passageway between two mines or systems of working, driven horizontally across the measures.
U
Undercut
To cut below or undercut the coal face by chipping away the coal by pick or mining machine. The terms "undermine" or "underhole" are sometimes used.
Underground Stables
A place inside the coal mine where the mules and horses were kept. The animals were housed, fed, and cared for in this area of the mine. They were a constant danger to the coal mine because they contained a large quantity of flammable material such as wooden stalls, hay and grain for feed, and piles of manure.
Upcast
The movement of air out of the coal mine.
To cut below or undercut the coal face by chipping away the coal by pick or mining machine. The terms "undermine" or "underhole" are sometimes used.
Underground Stables
A place inside the coal mine where the mules and horses were kept. The animals were housed, fed, and cared for in this area of the mine. They were a constant danger to the coal mine because they contained a large quantity of flammable material such as wooden stalls, hay and grain for feed, and piles of manure.
Upcast
The movement of air out of the coal mine.
W
Wagon Mines
Small coal mines. Mines that were not large enough to come under the supervision the State of Wyoming Mine inspectors nor come under the demands of the State of Wyoming Coal Mine Mining Laws.
Waste
That rock, slate, bone, and other such rubbish, which has no economic value, which must be removed from the coal mine to keep the mining operations safe.
Weighman or Weigh Boss
Person who weighs the miners' coal at the tipple.
Wireman
1. Installs, maintains, and repairs the electric trolley cables that power electric mining machines and motors.
2. An electrician.
Whitedamp or White Damp
1. A noxious mixture of gases formed by the combustion of coal, usually in an enclosed environment such as a coal mine. The most toxic constituents are carbon monoxide and hydrogen sulfide.
2. A gas found in coal mines. It is flammable and will explode. It will quickly kill when inhaled.
Worked Out
When all the coal has been removed from the mine.
Working
When a coal seam is being squeezed by pressure from the roof and floor, it emits creaking noises and is said to be "working." This sound often serves as a warning to the miners that additional support is needed to keep the roof up.
Working Face
Any place in a mine where the coal is mined and then transported out of the mine to the surface.
Workings
The entire system of openings in a coal mine.
Workmen's Compensation Act
Program passed in 1914 through which employers bear some of the cost of their employees' work-related injuries and occupational illnesses or disabilities. It resulted from a movement to secure the right of injured workers to compensation and to improve working conditions through court decisions, employer liability statutes, and safety codes.
Small coal mines. Mines that were not large enough to come under the supervision the State of Wyoming Mine inspectors nor come under the demands of the State of Wyoming Coal Mine Mining Laws.
Waste
That rock, slate, bone, and other such rubbish, which has no economic value, which must be removed from the coal mine to keep the mining operations safe.
Weighman or Weigh Boss
Person who weighs the miners' coal at the tipple.
Wireman
1. Installs, maintains, and repairs the electric trolley cables that power electric mining machines and motors.
2. An electrician.
Whitedamp or White Damp
1. A noxious mixture of gases formed by the combustion of coal, usually in an enclosed environment such as a coal mine. The most toxic constituents are carbon monoxide and hydrogen sulfide.
2. A gas found in coal mines. It is flammable and will explode. It will quickly kill when inhaled.
Worked Out
When all the coal has been removed from the mine.
Working
When a coal seam is being squeezed by pressure from the roof and floor, it emits creaking noises and is said to be "working." This sound often serves as a warning to the miners that additional support is needed to keep the roof up.
Working Face
Any place in a mine where the coal is mined and then transported out of the mine to the surface.
Workings
The entire system of openings in a coal mine.
Workmen's Compensation Act
Program passed in 1914 through which employers bear some of the cost of their employees' work-related injuries and occupational illnesses or disabilities. It resulted from a movement to secure the right of injured workers to compensation and to improve working conditions through court decisions, employer liability statutes, and safety codes.
V
Vein
A seam of coal.
Ventilation
1. The outside air circulated in a coal mine.
2. The practice of regulating a constant current of outside air to all levels of the coal mine.
A seam of coal.
Ventilation
1. The outside air circulated in a coal mine.
2. The practice of regulating a constant current of outside air to all levels of the coal mine.
Union Pacific Coal Company's No. 1 Mine in Hanna (University of Wyoming - Heritage Center)
Website Guidelines
Thank you to all the individuals and families around the world that have contributed amazing information and images to this website. Their generous contributions have greatly enhanced our understanding of the people and events that occurred in the Hanna Basin.
- Our goal is to honor the history of the Hanna Basin by providing detailed and accurate information.
- We welcome comments and documented corrections to the content on this website.
- We also welcome any pictures, documents or information from our readers that might be helpful in our telling the Hanna Basin story.
- Sources all over the world send information, documents and images to the Hanna Basin Museum Website for its use. If you are the copyright owner and believe our website has not properly attributed your work to you or has used it without permission, please contact us. We welcome the reporting of any possible copyright infringements. Every effort will be made to correct all copyright conflicts that may arise.
- Individuals wishing to use documents or images from this website must first receive permission from the Hanna Basin Museum Website. Please contact us at [email protected] (Attention: Bob)