Historic Coal Mining

1. Historic Coal Mining The Importance and Legacy of Coal Lessons Prepared by Trout Unlimited With Funds from Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection

2. Dirt Dead Plants Dirt & Rocks Coal Water covered the swamp and pressed on the dead plants Plants grew in a swamp 300 million years ago Heat and pressure turned the dead plants into coal. Plants died and were covered with dirt. What is Coal? • Black rock that occurs as layers in the earth (coal seams or coal beds) • Formed from compressed and heated remains of plant material • Composed of Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen, and Sulfur • Fossil Fuel; Combustible

3. Four Types of Coal Map provided by US Energy Information Administration (1997) http://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.cfm?page=coal_reserves Map provided by USGS http://pa.water.usgs.gov/projects/energy/amd/ • Anthracite  • 86+% Carbon • Bituminous • 45-86% Carbon • Sub Bituminous • 35-45% Carbon • Lignite  • 25-35% Carbon

4. 1700 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 Important Time Periods of Coal Coal was first found in US 1700 World War I 1914-1918 World War II 1939-1945 Industrial Revolution 1700-1900 Great Depression 1929-1940 Federal Regulation Passed 1977

5. Current picture of Richmond VA. Provided by Aerial Archives http://www.aerialarchives.com/Aerial-Photographs-of-Richmond.htm Map of Virginia. Made using National Atlas http://www.nationalatlas.gov/mapmaker Current photo of Mt Washington. Provided by Project for Public Spaces http://www.pps.org/great_public_spaces/one?public_place_id=552 Mt Washington Incline Provided by City of Pittsburgh http://www.city.pittsburgh.pa.us/district2/html/mount_washington.html Coal Discovery in the US and PA • Coal was first found in PA in the early 1760’s • Coal was first mined at “Coal Hill” which is now called Mt. Washington • This coal was moved by canoe to Fort Pitt • Coal was first found in the United States in 1701. • Coal was found in Richmond, Virginia

6. The Industrial Revolution Coal’s role in development and culture

7. Industrial Revolution • Took place in the 18th to 19th centuries • Marked a shift from predominantly rural societies to industrial and urban societies. • Early manufacturing was done using hand tools or basic machines. Industry now began using powered, special-purpose machinery, factories and mass production.

8. Coal’s Use in the Revolution • Coal was used in industries where high temperatures were needed. • Iron • Steel • Glass • Many industries were founded in PA due to the availability of coal. Steel being produced. Provided by American Steel and Iron Institute http://www.steel.org/ Modern glass production. Provided by Fives Stein Group http://www.fivesgroup.com/FivesStein/EN/Expertise/Glass/Products/PatternedGlass/Pages/PatternedGlass.aspx Molten Iron. Provided by Penn State University http://www.personal.psu.edu/cms5480/blogs/saracco/project-4.html

9. Railroads of PA. Map made using National Atlas http://www.nationalatlas.gov/ Steam engine which was used to transport coal. Coal’s Use in the Revolution • The demand to transport coal spurred the development of an extensive railroad system. • Coal was also used to build the rail system • Building materials for railroads (Iron rails, bridges, etc..) • Powering engines • Many of the railroads used today were originally built to transport coal Railroad construction. Photo provided by Clemson University http://www.clemson.edu/caah/history/FacultyPages/PamMack/lec122/amtran.htm Coal fired steam engine. Provided by Golden Rail http://www.goldenrailvideo.com/RT.html

10. Machine shop at a mine. Photo Provided by Coal and Coke Heritage Center http://www.coalcampusa.com/westpa/klondike/buffington/buffington.htm Coal miner sit at the breaker house waiting for their shift. Photo provided by PA Coal Mining History. http://coalmininghistorypa.org/ Cultural Impact • The mining of coal required many workers • Workers were also needed in the other industries coal supported. • Many immigrants came to the coal region to work in the mines This chart shows the nationalities of miners in the Bituminous region in 1907. Adapted from Reports of the Immigration Commission Bituminous Coal Mining http://books.google.com/ebooks/reader?id=julZAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&output=reader Machine shop at a mine. Photo Provided by Coal and Coke Heritage Center http://polishpierogi.com/ http://www.northsidekitchen.com/

11. Orthodox Church started by Slovacian’s in McKees Rocks PA. Photo provided by St. Nicholas Center www.stnicholascenter.org/galleries/gaetteer/400/ Roman Catholic Church started by Italian’s in Coal Hollow. Photo provided by Coal Campus www.coalcampusa.com/westpa/shawmut/coal_hollow/coal_hollow.htm Haluski is a popular polish dish that was brought to the area by immigrants. Photo provided by Northside Kitchen. www.northsidekitchen.com/ Pierogies have become a common dish but were originally brought to the area from Polish immigrants. Photo provided by Polish Foods.com. polishpierogi.com/ Pizza rolls were common in the lunches of Italian miners. Photo provided by Bukisa. ww.bukisa.com/articles/153550_homemade-pepperoni-rolls-delicious Byzantine Catholic Church started by Hugarian’s in Brownsville PA. Photo provided by St. Nicholas Center www.stnicholascenter.org/galleries/gazetteer/419/ Cultural Impact • This immigration changed the culture of PA. • Many foods we eat today came from these immigrant cultures • Religions moved to the area with miners • Many PA dialects are from this cultural movement.

12. The town of Marianna was almost entirely built by the coal company. Photo provided by Coal Campus www.coalcampusa.com/westpa/klondike/marianna/marianna.htm Pay stubs like this show how little miners were paid and how much they owed. Photo provided buy Perry Polis www.perryopolis.com/sjpayday95.shtml Cultural Impacts • These workers lived in towns often times called: Coal Towns, Patch Towns, or Company Towns • Everything was built and owned by the coal company • Miners were under paid, and the companies over charged for supplies • Miners also faced dangers in the mines • Mine collapses and explosions were common • Many miners died in the mines or of health issues related to mining

13. World War I PA Coal’s Role in the Fight and the Implications

14. World War I • World War I lasted from 1914- 1918 • The fighting was mainly limited to Europe • US involvement was in support of our Allies • US also provided many of the supplies needed in Europe • Arms and artillery • Fuel • Supplies to rebuild bombed areas

15. Coal Use in World War I • Coal was in HIGH demand during these years • 1918 saw the most coal removed from PA • 330,000 miners removed 277 million tons of coal • "It is almost inconceivable that the USA and the allies could have prevailed in either world war were it not for the dominant contribution of the Pennsylvania coal mining industries." Historic Summary of Coal Production in Pennsylvania (Foreman, 2009) Posters like this one show that miners were seen as supporting the war. Photo provided by Autentic History www.authentichistory.com/1914-1920/2-homefront/2-posters/index.html

16. Cultural Impacts of World War I • Young men left to fight the war, which changed the age of coal miners • Most miners were older or very young • Despite the acceptance of women in other industries, in many mines women were not permitted • This highlighted the Women’s Rights movement

17. The jobless stand in line for free food hand outs. Photo Provided by Centre County History. libcom.org/history/1930-1939-unemployed-workers-movement After the War • Directly after the War coal was used to make iron and steel for rebuilding • As Europe rebuilt the use of US coal decreased • Coal production started to slow • New technologies also made coal mining more efficient and fewer miners were needed • By 1930 the Great Depression had claimed many jobs and coal demand was low • Mining companies either cut back drastically or went bankrupt. Towns like this one were left in shambles and needed rebuilt after WWI. Photo provided by BBC www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11698287

18. Cultural Impacts in Coal Region • When a coal company went bankrupt the town that was supported was left with no industry • With the loss of jobs many immigrants relocated • Many had no money to move so they were forced to stay in “dying” towns • Mining was very limited during the Depression • A significant amount of coal was mined by men to their heat homes

19. World War II PA Coal’s Use in the fight

20. World War II • World War II took place from 1939-1945 • US became involved in 1941 after the bombing of Pearl Harbor • Truly a World War, fighting took place across the globe • New technology allowed for more advanced fighting, yet coal was still the dominate fuel to be used for the fight

21. World War II and Coal • Coal mining again increased as demand for arms and fuel increased • Many coal mines that had been shut down were reopened • Coal mined in PA saw a second surge • 209 Million tons were mined in PA during 1944 Posters like this encouraged mining to support the war efforts. Photo provided by Lattimer Massacre Project lattimermassacre.wordpress.com/

22. Cultural and Economic Impacts • World War II helped to pull the country out of the Great Depression • After the war a decrease in mining occurred again. • The advent of cheaper refining processes and more readily available oil decrease the need for coal • By 1961 coal production in PA slumped to 80 million tons, the lowest it had been since 1888

23. 300 1918 250 1944 200 150 1932 1977 100 50 1840 1850 1860 1870 1880 1890 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 0 Coal Production Coal removed from PA (Million Tons) Year

24. Mining Practices How Mining practices changed with time

25. Coal Formations Rock (Generally Shale) Called Overburden Coal

26. Drift Mining

27. Drift Mining 1760-… • Early form of mining allowed coal to be removed without large equipment • Mine was located at the same level as the coal seam • The side of a hill or mountain was cut vertically to reveal coal • Miners could remove coal with out removing all of the overburden • Mines were unstable and inefficient

28. Deep mining Diagram showing how coal is formed in layers and the rock in between

29. Deep Mining • Replaced drift mining but required more equipment • Miners dug down to the coal and removed it using underground rail systems • Often times mined in what was termed “Room and Pillar” • Coal removed from large “rooms” with thick “pillars” supporting the roof • Often times when done with the mining workers removed the pillars to access the coal • Lead to many collapses

30. Deep Mining • Early Deep mining required explosives to blast coal out • Labor intensive requires drilling, cutting, blasting, and loading • Later technology allowed for continuous mining • Machines which cut coal using a wheel • Combines all the above steps into one • Still leaves pillars of coal • It was not till much later that “bolting” or strengthening the roof was employed

31. Deep Mining • Longwall mining was later developed which allowed even more coal to be removed with less work • This machine removes all the coal from a large area • As the machine moves through the mine the roof is allowed to collapse behind it • This can lead to significant surface disturbance

32. Room and Pillar Mining

33. Surface Mining Diagram showing how coal is formed in layers and the rock in between

34. Surface Mining • Removes the overburden from above the coal allowing access to the coal • First surface mines were not efficient • As technology evolved it became very effective at removing large portions of coal without as much labor • Safer for miners • To be efficient requires large machinery • Sometimes called “Strip Mining”

35. Mining practices overview • Drift mining (1700’s-1850’s) Removes 10-25% of available coal • Deep Mining (1830-present day) Removes 30-50% of available coal • Longwall (1950’s- present day) removes 85% of coal of available coal • Large scale commercial Surface Mining (1930’s- present day) removes +85% of available coal

36. Effects of Coal Mining • Coal mining was not well regulated until 1977 • Mines were often left open and surface mines were not filled in • Rock and unusable coal was left piled near the mine • Called Gob piles (Garbage of Bituminous), Refuse Piles, Boney Piles, or Culm Banks • Water contamination from the exposed mines and refuse polluted nearby streams and rivers

37. Regulation of Coal Mining • In 1977 the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMACRA) was passed • This federal law regulated coal mining and decreased its environmental impact • Coal companies are now required to undergo extensive permitting • Clean-up plans must be made prior to mining occurring • Companies pay large bonds to the state to ensure they will follow through with clean up

38. SMACRA • SMACRA has many regulatory roles • Formed the Office of Surface Mining- Enforces the regulations set forth in the act • Established a fund to clean up previously abandoned mine sites • Aims to have minimal environmental impacts due to coal mining

39. Current Mining • For the rest of these lessons mining prior to 1977 will be referred to as “historic coal mining” • Current coal mining will not be discussed in future lessons • All pollution discussed is a lingering result of historic mining practices