Kids in the Hanna Coal Mines - Breaker Boys - Trapper Boys - Mule Drivers
Page by Bob Leathers
Kids in the Hanna Coal Mines
The first Hanna School was built in 1890. Thirty years later, May 28, 1920, Hanna celebrated its first 12th grade graduation. Over that 30-year period between 1890 and 1920, Hanna experienced only eighth grade graduations. Why? Primarily because after eighth grade, usually age 16, the boys were considered old enough to work in the coal mine and their education was secondary to work. In 1938, the age to work in an underground coal mine was raised from age 14 to 18.
The pictures and video included on this page do not contain Hanna children miners. Pictures of children miners in Old Carbon and Hanna have not been found. If pictures did exist, it is thought the children would have appeared very much like those on this page.
In the early days, children worked in the Old Carbon and Hanna coal mines. T. H. Butler wrote that he entered the Carbon coal mines before he was 14 years old. James While Jr. - who was killed in the Hanna No. 1 mine at age 18, went to work with his father in the Hanna No. 1 mine at age 14. The boys, like T. H. Butler and James While, usually started working in the coal mines as Breaker Boys - also called Slate Pickers or just Pickers.
A Breaker Boy's job was to separate the good coal from the bad. As coal came down the conveyor belt, or was dumped directly into the tipple, the boys would break or separate the coal into same size pieces and at the same time throw out things like slate and rock. Breaker Boys were usually between the ages of 8 and 14, but in the east they were reported as young as 5 or 6. The breaker boys would work 10 hours a day, 6 days a week. They worked their way up from Breaker Boys to Trapper Boys, to Mule Drivers then up to a Miner.
Youngsters working in the coal mine was one thing. Youngsters dying in the coal mine was another. Mothers didn't take it kindly when their young boys were killed in the mine.
Eleven documented boys, ages 14 to 18, were killed in the Hanna coal mines. All eleven were killed in the Union Pacific Coal Company mines at Hanna. No child deaths were found in the Old Carbon mines. Eight of the eleven boys were killed in the June 30, 1903 explosion of the Union Pacific Coal Company's No. 1 Mine in Hanna. One was killed in 1909, one in 1912 and the last one in 1950. The Union Pacific Coal Company mines at Hanna were abandoned in 1954.
1903
Matti Lundberg - Age 14. Miner. Died in Union Pacific Coal Company's No. 1 Mine. June 30, 1903 Explosion.
Matti Longi - Age 15. Miner. Died in Union Pacific Coal Company's No. 1 Mine. June 30, 1903 Explosion.
Gust Malburg - Age 16. Miner. Died in Union Pacific Coal Company's No. 1 Mine. June 30, 1903 Explosion.
David Jones - Age 17. Mule Driver. Died in Union Pacific Coal Company's No. 1 Mine. June 30, 1903 Explosion.
Ed Brown - Age 18. Miner. Died in Union Pacific Coal Company's No. 1 Mine. June 30, 1903 Explosion.
Alfred Holm - Age 18. Miner. Died in Union Pacific Coal Company's No. 1 Mine. June 30, 1903 Explosion.
A. E. Newsome - Age 18. Miner. Died in the Union Pacific Coal Company's No. 1 Mine. June 30, 1903 Explosion.
James While - Age 18. Mule Driver. Died in the Union Pacific Coal Company's No. 1 Mine. June 30, 1903 Explosion.
1909
Gus Matson - Age 17. Miner. Died in 1909. Union Pacific Coal Company's No. 3 Mine in Hanna.
1912
Talyseine "Tally" Evans - Age 18. Mule Driver. Died in 1912. Union Pacific Coal Company's No. 4 Mine in Hanna.
1950
Edward Burnham - Age 18. Motorman. Died in 1950. Union Pacific Coal Company's No. 4A Mine in Hanna.
In the early days, children worked in the Old Carbon and Hanna coal mines. T. H. Butler wrote that he entered the Carbon coal mines before he was 14 years old. James While Jr. - who was killed in the Hanna No. 1 mine at age 18, went to work with his father in the Hanna No. 1 mine at age 14. The boys, like T. H. Butler and James While, usually started working in the coal mines as Breaker Boys - also called Slate Pickers or just Pickers.
A Breaker Boy's job was to separate the good coal from the bad. As coal came down the conveyor belt, or was dumped directly into the tipple, the boys would break or separate the coal into same size pieces and at the same time throw out things like slate and rock. Breaker Boys were usually between the ages of 8 and 14, but in the east they were reported as young as 5 or 6. The breaker boys would work 10 hours a day, 6 days a week. They worked their way up from Breaker Boys to Trapper Boys, to Mule Drivers then up to a Miner.
Youngsters working in the coal mine was one thing. Youngsters dying in the coal mine was another. Mothers didn't take it kindly when their young boys were killed in the mine.
Eleven documented boys, ages 14 to 18, were killed in the Hanna coal mines. All eleven were killed in the Union Pacific Coal Company mines at Hanna. No child deaths were found in the Old Carbon mines. Eight of the eleven boys were killed in the June 30, 1903 explosion of the Union Pacific Coal Company's No. 1 Mine in Hanna. One was killed in 1909, one in 1912 and the last one in 1950. The Union Pacific Coal Company mines at Hanna were abandoned in 1954.
1903
Matti Lundberg - Age 14. Miner. Died in Union Pacific Coal Company's No. 1 Mine. June 30, 1903 Explosion.
Matti Longi - Age 15. Miner. Died in Union Pacific Coal Company's No. 1 Mine. June 30, 1903 Explosion.
Gust Malburg - Age 16. Miner. Died in Union Pacific Coal Company's No. 1 Mine. June 30, 1903 Explosion.
David Jones - Age 17. Mule Driver. Died in Union Pacific Coal Company's No. 1 Mine. June 30, 1903 Explosion.
Ed Brown - Age 18. Miner. Died in Union Pacific Coal Company's No. 1 Mine. June 30, 1903 Explosion.
Alfred Holm - Age 18. Miner. Died in Union Pacific Coal Company's No. 1 Mine. June 30, 1903 Explosion.
A. E. Newsome - Age 18. Miner. Died in the Union Pacific Coal Company's No. 1 Mine. June 30, 1903 Explosion.
James While - Age 18. Mule Driver. Died in the Union Pacific Coal Company's No. 1 Mine. June 30, 1903 Explosion.
1909
Gus Matson - Age 17. Miner. Died in 1909. Union Pacific Coal Company's No. 3 Mine in Hanna.
1912
Talyseine "Tally" Evans - Age 18. Mule Driver. Died in 1912. Union Pacific Coal Company's No. 4 Mine in Hanna.
1950
Edward Burnham - Age 18. Motorman. Died in 1950. Union Pacific Coal Company's No. 4A Mine in Hanna.
View the Photos by Lewis Hine That Helped End Child Labor in the United States Coal Mines:
Lewis Hine sometimes went undercover to capture images of kids at work.
More at: Photographs by Lewis Hine - Text by Mark Murrmann October 3, 2018
Lewis Hine sometimes went undercover to capture images of kids at work.
More at: Photographs by Lewis Hine - Text by Mark Murrmann October 3, 2018
Images from the Library of Congress - No Known Restrictions on Publication
The images below were taken in West Virginia and obtained courtesy of the Library of Congress. The pictures provide an excellent illustration of what a Mule Driver and Trapper Boy would have looked like in the mine.
Coal is drilled, blasted, and dug from underground tunnels. In the early 1900s thousands of boys under the age of fourteen were employed in coal mines in the United States. The risks of injury and death from cave-ins, fire, explosions, and gas poisoning were high. Other hazards included floods, dust-filled air, and machinery accidents. Boys younger than ten worked as “breaker boys,” picking slate out of the harvested coal. Hard-working boys could be promoted to the job of “door boy” or “mule boy.” Many boys took pride in this tougher work, proud to light a gas lantern on their cap and descend deep into the mine tunnels to work with the older miners. Door boys helped to control the ventilation and access to tunnels and mule boys were responsible for moving the coal cart out to the breakers. The next promotion was to laborer, and then the top job of miner.
By the late 1800s, states and territories had passes many laws regulating work conditions for children. But these laws were often ignored, particularly in poor communities or for immigrant families. In 1904 the National Child Labor Committee was organized by socially concerned citizens, and from 1908 to 1912 Lewis Hine photographed children working in several industries. As a result of his work, tougher laws were passed. In 1938 Congress passed the Fair Labor Standards Act, better known as the Federal Wage and Hour Law. This law established a minimum wage and a 40-hour workweek and banned children under eighteen from working in hazardous jobs, such as underground coal mining. (wam.umn.edu/education/artful-writing/artwork/lewis-hine-young-boy-coal-miner-1909-13/)
Mule Driver
Child Coal Miners with Mules in Gry, West Virginia. Working Conditions were brutal for coal miners and unionization was violently suppressed (Library of Congress. No Known Restrictions on Publication)
Breaker Boys or Slate Pickers
Noon hour in the Ewen Breaker, Pennsylvania Coal Co. Location/ South Pittston, Pennsylvania. (Library of Congress. No Known Restriction on Publication)
Breaker Boys or Slate Pickers
Boys picking slate in a great coal breaker, anthracite mines, Pa. (Library of Congress. No known restrictions on publication)
Breaker Boys or Slate Pickers
Breaker Boys. Pennsylvania Coal Company. South Pittson, Pennsylvania (Library of Congress. No Known Restrictions on Publication)
Trapper Boy
Trapper Boy. 15 years old. West Virginia. 1908. (Library of Congress. No Known Restrictions on Publication)
Vance, a Trapper Boy, 15 years old. Has trapped for several years in a West Va. Coal mine. $.75 a day for 10 hours work. All he does is to open and shut this door: most of the time he sits here idle, waiting for the cars to come. On account of the intense darkness in the mine, the hieroglyphics on the door were not visible until plate was developed. Location: West Virginia. (Library of Congress. No Known Restrictions on Publication)
Tipple Boy
A Tipple Boy working at Turkey Knob Mine in MacDonald, West Virgina. (Library of Congress. No Known Restrictions on Publication)
Breaker Boys
Shared from YouTube
Woodward Coal Mine, Kingston, Pennsylvania About 1900 - Library of Congress
Breaker Boys
Woodward Coal Mine, Kingston, Pennsylvania. About 1900. (Library of Congress. No Known Restrictions on Publication)
Woodward coal breakers, Kingston, PA. About 1900. (Library of Congress. No Known Restrictions on Publication)
Breaker boys, Woodward Coal Mines, Kingston, PA.. About 1900. (Library of Congress. No Known Restrictions on Publication)
Breaker boy, Woodward Coal Mines, Kingston, PA. About 1900. (Library of Congress. No Known Restrictions on Publication)
Breaker boys, Woodward Coal Mines, Kingston, PA. About 1900. (Library of Congress. No Known Restrictions on Publication)
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