Two miners test for gas in mine. Hamilton Wright Organization Inc. 80 Rockefeller Plaza, New York City, 'Newspaper Feature News' This photograph released to you GRATIS for editorial use only. Do not use for advertising purpose without written permission.
'All White Oak mines are electrically equipped and of course this mining machine is operated by electricity. The machine is mounted and transported on a specially designed truck and moves under its own power from one working place to another. It is taken from the truck by the machine operator and his helper and moved to the place of the coal and place in cutting position as you see it in this picture. The machine consists of an endless chain with 'bits' inserted, which act as cutters. The machine cuts a 'kerf' or hole along the bottom of the coal about 4 inches high and extending back six feet under the coal. The fine coal made by this machine is what is commonly known as 'bug dust.' Cutting machines are operated at night and each machine is capable of cutting twenty places on each shift. These machines are operated on tonnage basis and these operators earn high wages.'
'An Electric Locomotive: Good dependable motive power is just as necessary in a coal mine as on a railroad. This picture shows on of White Oak's ten ton electric locomotives used to haul loads and distrubute empties in our mines. A crew consists of a motorman and brakeman, or trip rider, who pull loads from the working places to convenient sidings where they are picked up by main line locomotives, who haul to the tipple or shaft bottom. A large producing mine uses fifteen and twenty locomotives and five hundred mine cars in maintaining production.'
'Coarse Lumpy Coal: This very coarse lumpy mine run coal is the result of proper shooting. The miner is paid on a tonnage basis for loading this coal into mine cars. He is required to watch his coal carefully as he loads it and she that no impurities become mixed with the coal.'
'All White Oak mines are electrically equipped and of course this mining machine is operated by electricity. The machine is mounted and transported on a specially designed truck and moves under its own power from one working place to another. It is taken from the truck by the machine operator and his helper and moved to the place of the coal and placed in cutting position as you see in this picture. The machine consists of an endless chain with bits inserted, which act as cutters. The machine cuts a kerf or hole along the bottom of the coal about 4 feet and extending back six feet under the coal. The fine coal made by this machine is what is commonly known as bug dust. Cutting machines are operated at night and each machine is capable of cutting twenty places on each shift. These machines are operated on tonnage basis and these operators earn high wages.'
'Shuttle Cars: Here are pictured loaded and empty shuttle cars sometimes called buggies. Note the noveyor on the bottom of the empty car for unloading the coal at a central loading station, into the mine cars. This equipment is propelled by huge batteries or electric cable and of course requires no track. Track-mounted mechanical loaders load directly into the mine car.'
'This very coarse lumpy mine run coal is the result of proper shooting. The miner is paid on a tonnage basis for loading this coal into mine cars. He is required to watch his coal carefully as he loads it and see that no impurities become mixed with the coal.'
Group portrait of miners and horses inside a mine. 'Dr. Parkinson said a copy of this picture appeared in Natural Geographic's Pictorical Study of Appalachia.'
Two miners operate a cutting machine. 'Credit must be given to Willaim Vandivert, 21 East Tenth St., New York 3, N.Y., Not to be reproduced without written liscense.'
