Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Precious metals and coal

Mining became a major industry in California, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, West Virginia and elsewhere. Some jobs were....

Stamper: worked with an ore crushing stamp mill
Smelter: worked the smelter, which melted down ores
Pitman: coal miner
Miner: worked in a mine or
Prospector: searched for precious metals in streams, rocks, etc.
Jagger: hauled ore from mines to smelters by pack trains [mules, horses, etc.]
Hewer: miner who cut coal
Cracker boy: cleaned and sorted slate and other impurities from coal crushed by crackers [machines that crushed anthracite coal]
Balancer: operated the balance [machine with a pulley at the top where empty tubs pulled tubs filled with coal up a slope]
Collier: coal miner or merchant

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