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'This miner has just completed loading a mine car of weighing net about two and one-half tons, and is waiting for a locomotive to come along and take it out and give him another empty car. An industrious miner will load about six and sometimes eight of these cars in one day. This is a wooden mine car that is now being rapidly replaced by steel mine car equipment. The number of post shown in this picture indicate again the immense amount of timber required to conduct operations in a safe manner.'

1. Loaded Mine Car

IDNO:
002653
Title:
Loaded Mine Car
Description:
'This miner has just completed loading a mine car of weighing net about two and one-half tons, and is waiting for a locomotive to come along and take it out and give him another empty car. An industrious miner will load about six and sometimes eight of these cars in one day. This is a wooden mine car that is now being rapidly replaced by steel mine car equipment. The number of post shown in this picture indicate again the immense amount of timber required to conduct operations in a safe manner.'
'White Oak preparation begins when the machine leaves and the miner is ready to shoot down his coal. The shooting inspector on the left has not only located the hole for the miner to drill, but instructed him as to what angle he must bore his hole to contain the necessary explosive used in dislodging the coal from the seam. The "kerf" made by cutting machine is plainly visible in this picture and you will note the cutting or "bug dust" have been removed before the coal is shot. The length of the auger used by the miner and the width of the bit which determines the size of the hole bored, is also carefully regulated.'

2. Miners Preparing to Shoot Down Coal

IDNO:
002655
Title:
Miners Preparing to Shoot Down Coal
Description:
'White Oak preparation begins when the machine leaves and the miner is ready to shoot down his coal. The shooting inspector on the left has not only located the hole for the miner to drill, but instructed him as to what angle he must bore his hole to contain the necessary explosive used in dislodging the coal from the seam. The "kerf" made by cutting machine is plainly visible in this picture and you will note the cutting or "bug dust" have been removed before the coal is shot. The length of the auger used by the miner and the width of the bit which determines the size of the hole bored, is also carefully regulated.'
Crowds gather to watch miners participate in Safety Day exercises.

3. Safety Day Is Important

IDNO:
002768
Title:
Safety Day Is Important
Date:
ca. 1920-1940
Description:
Crowds gather to watch miners participate in Safety Day exercises.
Miner sitting in between posts that hold the roof of the mine up. 'Safety First is stressed in every possible way at White Oak mines. Note the posts to protect this man at his labor. He is waiting for another mine car so he can clean up his working place and make it ready for the mining machine crew who will cut it during the night, ready for him to work tomorrow.'

4. Safety Posts

IDNO:
002808
Title:
Safety Posts
Date:
undated
Description:
Miner sitting in between posts that hold the roof of the mine up. 'Safety First is stressed in every possible way at White Oak mines. Note the posts to protect this man at his labor. He is waiting for another mine car so he can clean up his working place and make it ready for the mining machine crew who will cut it during the night, ready for him to work tomorrow.'
Group of people with instruments. 'Many NRC towns had own orchestras.'

5. New River Coal Company Employee Orchestra

IDNO:
002839
Title:
New River Coal Company Employee Orchestra
Date:
ca. 1930-1940
Description:
Group of people with instruments. 'Many NRC towns had own orchestras.'
Group portrait of the New River Coal Company band in uniform standing on steps.

6. New River Coal Company Band

IDNO:
002844
Title:
New River Coal Company Band
Date:
ca. 1930
Description:
Group portrait of the New River Coal Company band in uniform standing on steps.
Men riding in coal cars along snow covered tracks to the Skelton mine during winter time. Miner's homes and wood piles visible.

7. Man Trip to Skelton Mine in Winter

IDNO:
002867
Title:
Man Trip to Skelton Mine in Winter
Date:
1951/01/15
Description:
Men riding in coal cars along snow covered tracks to the Skelton mine during winter time. Miner's homes and wood piles visible.
'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.'

8. Mining Operating a Cutting Machine

IDNO:
002991
Title:
Mining Operating a Cutting Machine
Description:
'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.'
Miners on an electric locomotive used in hauling mine cars.

9. Electric Locomotive Used in Hauling Mine Cars

IDNO:
002993
Title:
Electric Locomotive Used in Hauling Mine Cars
Description:
Miners on an electric locomotive used in hauling mine cars.
'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.'

10. Miner Operating an Electric Locomotive

IDNO:
002996
Title:
Miner Operating an Electric Locomotive
Description:
'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.'
Miner operating a loading machine outside of a mine.

11. Loading Machine at MacAlpin Coal Company

IDNO:
003008
Title:
Loading Machine at MacAlpin Coal Company
Date:
ca. 1920-1930
Description:
Miner operating a loading machine outside of a mine.
'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.'

12. Miner Loading Coarse Lumpy Coal

IDNO:
003041
Title:
Miner Loading Coarse Lumpy Coal
Description:
'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.'