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The first image is of a Breaker - used to clean and size the
coal from the pits. This one isn't a real one, but a film prop built
in 1968 for the film 'The Molly Maguires' at the Eckley Miners' Village,
the film was based
on miner/owner disputes in the late 19th century in this
region. Eckley is interesting as it is a complete Mining
village, with many examples of houses from the period, some restored
and some still lived in as part of a real-life and living community
The second image is from a town called Centralia, well and ex-town of that name. Some time ago, the residents started a land fill dump o n the site of an open cast or strip mine. As often happens the rubbish heated up and combusted - however this time it set the coal seam alight. twenty or so years later and the coal seam is still alight, as this smoke just rising from the ground shows. they have tried to put it out - but have had no success. Most of the town has been bought out by the government, when they manage to acquire the rest of the town, they will dig the seam up and put it out that way .... The three lower pictures are all form the Pioneer mine site. The first is actually inside the Pioneer Tunnel mine while the second shows what is left after the mammoth Stripping mine was abandoned. The third is a 'Bootleg Coal Hole' again from about the end of the 19th century. Miners were laid off and needed to make an income somehow, so they dug these illegal mines and worked them with a 2-3 man team. It is just about big enough to crawl into . ... |
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