I talked to coal miners in the bars and club around Logan, WVA, and finally got an invitation to visit a coal mine. This picture and the ones following were all taken at the Chapin Company mine in Man, WVA, over several days. The miners I met there were hilarious, gracious and hard working. Unlike "gallery" mines in which miners can stand up to work, the Chapin mines were low-ceilinged "drift" mines worked with specialized equipement like the "buggy" which carried the miners in to the mine "face" and brought the coal out. I rode the 'buggy' into one of the mines and when we came back out I was really, really happy to see the light of day again.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Chapin Coal Co., miners ending a shift, near Logan, WVA, March 1974
I talked to coal miners in the bars and club around Logan, WVA, and finally got an invitation to visit a coal mine. This picture and the ones following were all taken at the Chapin Company mine in Man, WVA, over several days. The miners I met there were hilarious, gracious and hard working. Unlike "gallery" mines in which miners can stand up to work, the Chapin mines were low-ceilinged "drift" mines worked with specialized equipement like the "buggy" which carried the miners in to the mine "face" and brought the coal out. I rode the 'buggy' into one of the mines and when we came back out I was really, really happy to see the light of day again.
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