Lackawanna Coal Mine & Child Labor
The Lackawanna Coal mine is an old Anthracite mine that was closed in November 1966. It was abandoned for a few years before it was stabilized and reopened for tours around the 1980s. This place is full of history and until you actually go on the tour, you would not be able to imagine the misery that these miners suffered.
What was especially hard to process was the fact that children as young as 7 years old worked in these mines for 10 hours or more a day, 6 days a week. The only time these boys would be able to go outside and enjoy a day, or even see sunlight was on their one day off. Most of these kids did not know how to write or read since they did not go to school.
There were a lot of children employed in this mine starting from the late 1800s, and during the labor strike in 1902 there were roughly 20,000 children working here. If you want more in depth information here are some annual reports from Penn State University.
Jobs Boys Did During This Time
Breaker Boys are boys as young as 7 years old who sit and sort out impurities in the coal on conveyor belts for about 10 hours a day. This happened in the nineteenth and early 20th century and did not end until the 1920s despite having over 40 years of public disapproval. This was a dangerous, noisy and dirty job that only paid the kids about .11 cents an hour. To make this job slightly more bearable, the boys would wear scarves around their faces to help filter the air.
Trapper Boys were boys that had to sit in the dark for 12 hours a day for 6 days a week. Their job was to listen for the coal tub outside the door to let them in as fast as possible and close the door right behind them.
Nipper Boys stayed in 30 foot long ventilation shafts by the doors waiting to be told when to open them to help direct air flow where needed. Air flow was directed by giant steam fans.
Mule Boys are children whose job it is to take care of mules who live and work in mines in Mule Stables where some never saw daylight. An additional duty that these kids have is to stop any runaway coal carts by putting a stopper/peg behind a back wheel.
The Museum
When I had entered the museum with my family, my hair was standing on end. Why? Because I was seeing the impact of poverty on the lives of families who had 1 or more members working in the mine. This place really affected me because there were kids in the pictures on the wall who were the same age as my own!
Going through this museum and seeing all of this, it really makes me appreciate how lucky we are that our kids will never have to do this. It breaks my heart to think of all the dangers these kids were exposed to on a daily basis and the lasting effects it would have on them until they died. Not just the kids, but all of the miners.
Into the Mine
When you go down into the mine, you do it by riding the yellow coal cab that can be seen from the parking lot. Going down was intense because there was a point in time where you can see and feel yourself at a sharp angle.
The tour begins with a safety briefing and brief description of the mines history in front of the picture of the Lackawanna Coal Basin. The tour guide we had was a very good story teller! He gave a lot of great information. During the tour he showed us tools, shafts, and gave brief stories of things that happened here.
As an adult I can say that I am pretty comfortable in the dark…in my home or even outside. I cannot IMAGINE myself staying and working underground like all these miners did. Especially the kids armed with light equivalent to a small candle that they can use only when absolutely needed!
My kids were very intent on listening and seeing everything they could.
Keating-Owens Act of 1916
Child labor has been happening for a long time but it got even worse during the industrial revolution. Children were often working hard, and dangerous jobs, sometimes for longer than their adult counterparts and for a lot less pay.
There were some improvements that were brought on during the strike in 1902 led by John Mitchell. This strike lasted for 6 months and had about 147,000 strikers. The things they requested were for the United Mine Workers Union to be recognized, 20% increase in wages, and 8-hour work days.
This became known as the Great Anthracite Coal Strike of 1902, and didn’t start to get resolved until President Roosevelt got involved. In the end the Union did not get recognized, workers got a 10% wage increase and 9 hour workdays.
No actual child labor law was passed until the Keating-Owens Child Labor Act of 1916. In this Child Labor Act, no child under the age of 14 was able to work in factories, while none under the age of 16 could work in mines. Both had 8 hour workdays, with restrictions on 16 year olds working overnight. For more information read this.
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Here are some additional resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal_strike_of_1902
https://www.dol.gov/general/aboutdol/history/coalstrike
https://ehistory.osu.edu/exhibitions/gildedage/content/breakerboys
