Figure 1.-- Coal fueled the industrial revolution which began in America during the early 19th century. It was used as the fuel for the steam engenies in factories, train locomotives, and ships. It also became the fuel for heating homes. It was no longer possible with the growth of cities to supply adeuate quantities of wood. In addition the smoke created from wood fires was a problem. Demand for coal declined after World War I as oil began to replace coal in industry. The Depression further reduced demand. Mine owners sought to prevent miners from organizing. Violent tactics were used against the miners who in many cases resorted to violence themselves. The New Deal aided unions attempting to organize. John L. Lewis led the United Mine Workers (UMW) nsuceeded in organizing the miners (1930s). He succeeded in gaining high wages and improving working conditions. This further reduced employment as mine owners mechanized the minining process.

Coal fueled the industrial revolution which began in America during the early 19th century. It was used as the fuel for the steam engenies in factories, train locomotives, and ships. It also became the fuel for heating homes. It was no longer possible with the growth of cities to supply adeuate quantities of wood. In addition the smoke created from wood fires was a problem. Demand for coal declined after World War I as oil began to replace coal in industry. The Depression further reduced demand. Mine owners sought to prevent miners from organizing. Violent tactics were used against the miners whonin many cases resorted to violence themselves. The New Deal aided unions attempting to organize. John L. Lewis led the United Mine Workers (UMW) nsuceeded in organizing the miners (1930s). He succeeded in gaining high wages and improving working conditions. This further reduced employmentv as mine owners mechanized the minining process.

Types

There are two types of coal. Anthracite is referred to as hard coal. It is a relative clean buring coal, producng relatively small quantities of smoke. This was what city people wanted to heat their homes. Bituminous coal is called soft coal. It was less expensive, but did not burn as cleanly. It was widely used for industrial purposes. It was also used to make coke for steel production.

Resources

Bituminous coal fields opened in Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, as well as West Virginia, Kentucky and Alabama.

Coal Production

As America industrialized, demand for coal rose exponebtially. American miners doubled coal production about every decade. Production increased from 8.4 million short/non-metric tons (st) in 1850 to 40 million st in 1870, 270 million st in 1900, and peaked at 680 million st in 1918. Even before World war I, oil was beginning bto replace coal. One of the first such steps was the world navies and merchant marines shifting from coal to oil. This meantbthey could be refueld faster amd did not leave smole trails. This trend contibued after the War in the 1920s as rail roads and facyories made the change. Demand for coal declined during further during the the Depression (1930s). This reduced demand to only about 360 million st (1932).

Child Labor

We do not have much information about child labor used un mines in general, but the photographic record shows that large numbers of boys were employed in coal mines as late as the ealy 20th century. We note boys working in anthracite coal minds in Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and West Virginia. The younger boys by the early 20th century were often employed as breaker boys or tippler boys. By this time it was increasingly being seen as child abuse. Congressioinal investigations were conducted during the Theodore Roosevely administration. Social photographers documented the use of boys. Only boys woked in mines. The images produced had a powerful impact on the American public. Coal mining was especially dangerous work. And even the jobs assigned to the boys, such as the breaker boys, could cause serious injuries. Coal minds in the 19th and early 20th century were underground and thus could not be seen from the surface. The structure at the mine mine or "pit head" that could be seen was the "tipple" and at a few mines, the "head frame." These surface mine structures were normally constructed along side a railway siding to facilitte the loading of the coal on rail hopper cars. The head frame was a a destinctive vertical structure which could be quite tall. There were large wheels at the top through which cables from a large winch were run into the mine. The cables inside the mind ran the "cage" or elevator which transport the miners down into the mine and lifted the mined coal from the workings to the surface. The mines varied in depth. Some coal seems ran at an angle toward the surface and thus did not need the large head frame structure and elevators required by deeper minds. The coal and waste rock was carried the surface in mine cars. The coal mind tipple was the large building that usually included a rotary dumper for emptying the mine cars for processing and the waste rock into skag piles. The coal was moved on conveyors to screens where it could be sorted, both by size and quality. Waist rock was removed by hand on a picking table. This process was normally done by boys, older men, and injured miners no longer capable of doing actual mine work.

Employment

Coal mines provided employment in many communities in mining states. Decling demand for coal after World War I meant that many miners lost their jobs. This enable mine owners to reduce wages. There were an estimated 180,000 anthracite miners (1914). Here the Depression was a factor, but as the miners suceeeded in organizing, the United Mine Workers (UMW) suceeded in chieved higher wages and benedits. This encouraged the mine owners to mechanize operations. There wre only about 6,000 anthracite miners (1970). Employment in bituminous coal mines was larger than in the anthrcite mines. This peaked at 705,000 men (1923). Employment declined because industrial consumers (factories, railways, and ships) after World War I began replacing coal with oil. The Depression further reduced demand. Coal continued to be used to generate electrucity. Employment fell to only 140,000 men (1970) and 70,000 (2003). UAW membership likewise fell. Therecwere about 160,000 members (1980), but only 16,000 (2005). Here a major factor was the mechanization of operations. Many new mines were opened with mon-union labor.

Labor Organizing

Mine owners sought to prevent miners from organizing. Violent tactics were used against the miners whonin many cases resorted to violence themselves. The New Deal aided unions attempting to organize. John L. Lewis led the United Mine Workers (UMW) nsuceeded in organizing the miners (1930s). He succeeded in gaining high wages and improving working conditions.

Created: June 28, 2003
Last updated: 2:47 PM 8/1/2009