The Face Of Decline Of The Coal Mining Industry

When asked to think of coal mining, what comes to mind? A mountain with a hole cut into the side of it with a set of railroad tracks disappearing into it? Maybe an old mine car or two full of some rocks or coal, with a pickaxe and shovel leaning against it. A few guys with hard hats covered in a black powder coming walking out of the mine pushing a car or two full of coal. The technology has advanced but the process is basically still the same as well as the outcome. Coal is retrieved from underground and taken to factories to be burnt to create electricity or to fuel the steel mills.

Coal became the fuel that fired the furnaces of the nation, transforming the Appalachian region socially and economically. Unfortunately mountain people didn't realize the implications of their mineral wealth. Many sold their land and mineral rights for pennies an acre to outlanders. Appalachians became laborers rather than entrepreneurs. Coal became a major industry which was extremely sensitive to outside fluctuations in the economy, leading to boom and bust cycles. The industry was controlled by interests outside the region, so that little of the profit remained or was reinvested.

The working conditions in factories were so bad during this time that it often led to sickness, injuries and death. People who worked in mines had to face many dangerous disadvantages every day. The working conditions in mines were very unsafe,

Describe the typical pattern of development and decline in the mining regions. What was life like for men and women in the mining camps and towns?

these sources is to tell readers of the difficult situations that miners had to face during that time where they

Reforms were made during industrialization to help improve the poor working conditions present in mines and factories that had been created by the rapidly expanding workforce. Workers often worked in conditions that had detrimental effects on their long term health and had many hazards. Miners were exposed to heavy falling rocks, excessive smoke, poisonous gas and bad air. They often got what is known as miners’ asthma and many died from it (Doc 1). Factory workers worked in cramped, unclean buildings that had many fire hazards and safety issues.

Coal discovery dates to the 1300s with the Hopi Natives. This would prove significant some five hundred years later when coal became the predominant source of power in the mid to late 1800s. This would prove even more significant when the Government started surveying the landscape for the best route for the Transcontinental Railroad in 1853. Upon completion of the research, one thing the scouts made clear was the presence of coal in Wyoming and some of the western states. To run supplies from the eastern states to the west they needed the presence of coal to be close and readily available for the coal fueled trains. This played a major role in the industrial revolution the United States was about the experience.

little after 10 A.M. that morning the two mines exploded causing the ground to shake violently as far as eight miles away. The explosion shattered buildings and pavements, hurled people and horses violently to the ground, and knocked streetcars off of their rails. Willing volunteers rushed to the mines to help rescue as many miners as possible. Black coal filled the mines and the atmosphere outside. The explosion derstroyed a ventilation fan which was installed to circulate the clean air. The volunteers at to make its way through the fallen timbers, wrecked cars, mining equipment, coal dust and other rubble. As the rescue parties made there way deeper in the mine they used canvas curtains to restore ventilation. Many volunteers found the conditions

The west was swept by enormous change after the civil war. There was a lot of mining that was started because gold and silver was discovered and when people heard about it, many people poured into an area that was ill prepared for their arrival.

Mine owners and coal miners made Pennsylvania the nation's leading coal producer. Virtually all of the country's anthracite and bituminous coal came from Pennsylvania, and anthracite production dominated the Commonwealth's coal production for most of the nineteenth century. In 1897 western Pennsylvania's bituminous mines surpassed anthracite production. The Keystone state led the nation in mining bituminous coal until around the

In the book, “The face of Decline: The Pennsylvania Anthracite Region in the Twentieth Century”, (2005), discusses different elements towards the economic crisis of the capital and labor, local businesses, redevelopment of agencies, and state and federal governments. Dublin and Licht pounder upon the remarkable range of sources including oral histories, documentary photographs, records of coal companies, and community newspapers. The authors observe the effect of the economic decline across a wide region but mainly focuses on a small group of mining communities in specific regions. Also, the authors place the anthracite region within a broader framework,

The discovery of anthracite coal in Pennsylvania in the late 1700s led to the development of a robust coal industry in the eastern part of Pennsylvania that grew rapidly and contributed greatly to the history and the economy of Pennsylvania. The book The Face of Decline written by Thomas Dublin, Walter Licht, provides a well written historical and personal account of the discovery, growth, and finally the collapse of the anthracite coal industry in Pennsylvania in a chronological format. Half way through the book one starts to notice some changes in the authors format to cause and effect. The change occurs in order to discuss the cause and resulting effect of events in the region and the solutions. The story is one of great growth and opportunity in the early years which are highlighted by the documented economic growth experienced and supported through testimony within the eastern Pennsylvania coal region. After a period of economic prosperity and community growth from 1900 through 1940 challenges began to erode and occur that created problems for the community and the economy that the coal industry provided. Finally the region’s economy suffered horrendous losses as described by interviews of local residents and families who lived and experienced the rise of the region’s economy. Many of the scars are still evident by the blight and decaying scenes one would experience by traveling through the region’s communities that once fueled the American economy with the energy

Throughout the century British coal had become increasingly costly and difficult to mine. Nationalization in 1948 had not altered this. Indeed, there was a case for saying that lack of government investment since that date had added to the problem. For some time Britain had been importing coal from abroad. With the exception of few pits producing particular types of coal, British mines by the 1970s were running at loss.

Pike River Mine tragedy took place on the 19th November, 2010 and resulted in deaths of 29 workers. Many factors led to this tragedy especially poor decisions made by PRCM and Department Of Labour. In this Report, many aspects of the tragedy will be discussed.

Yancoal is one of Australia’s most innovative coal exploration companies and was formed in 2004 with the intention of acquiring and further developing Australian coal assets and to introduce its underground mining technique, Longwall Top Coal Caving(LTCC).