Down in the Coal Mine

Saturday, October 21, 2006
9:59 p.m.

Hey Everyone!

Whew, I’m finally caught up!! Sorry I haven’t posted. It’s been kinda hectic.

We arrived at the coal mine early today, we decided to take the tour today since we missed it yesterday. It was really interesting. We took a cart 300 ft. down into the mine. We couldn’t go any further down because it had flooded in the 1900’s after it was closed. Here’s some facts:
• If you were a boy, you started working in the mine as young as five years old. You got paid 6 cents and hour.
• If a man was injured in the mine, the workers took him outside, carried him to his house, opened the door and laid him on the kitchen table. If he died, they dropped him on the front doorstep. That was the health benefit.
• If the husband died, the boss of the mine arrived at the house the next day to remind the widow that the mine owned the house and that she needed to find a new home withing three days. If she wasn’t moved by day four she would be thrown out with her belongings unless she had a child that could work in the mine.
• The most you got paid for working was $2.50 a day. You had to supply your own lanterns, dynamite, carts, picks and shovels. The company only provided the mine to work in. You provided everything else.

Harsh huh? It was interesting to go through the mine even though it was cold. I mean freezing cold! Oh, and my grandma didn’t go, she doesn’t like mines, she went shopping.
We picked up my grandmother and headed home. We have about and hour to go.
See ya’ll Tuesday,
Morgan