Child Labor Supported the Coal Industry
In this image, “Breaker Boys” process coal at the Pennsylvania Coal Company. The company mined anthracite coal, a metamorphic coal comprise of almost pure carbon. Their job was to remove impurities (slate and other unwanted materials) from the coal before shipping it to the next destination. The boys sat in these confined spaces for hours, picking through the coal as it rolled out on conveyor belts from the breaker.
Hine says, “The dust was so dense at times as to obscure the view.” Finding conditions unbearable, he pondered how the dust must be penetrating into the deep recesses of the boys’ lungs. He also condemned the line overseer, calling him a “kind of slave-driver” who stood over the boys, prodding them with a stick or kicking them into obedience.
