ATOMIC TIMEKEEPING WATCHES

Photo By: Lewis Hine Collection, Library of Congress. "Growing Up in Coal Country" By: Bartoletti, Susan Campbell


This is a photograph of a group of children and men who have just finished (or should I say survived) a day in the mines. Every miner had their own butty, who would help them with the work. Everyday miners and buttys had to watch out for poisonous gases such as carbon monoxide, and they had to make sure the ceilings were stable. After miners would blast the coal, they would use timber wood to make supportive roofs. Most miners would work with another miner and his butty, making them a team of four. This would make the work move faster and would give them better efficiency. “Some of the teams did not even speak the same language. Many bosses thought the workers worked harder if they couldn’t communicate. As they worked, many mine workers would teach the immigrants English, and others would teach them profanity. The immigrants would then try there English out on their bosses, which they didn’t great results” (Bartoletti, Susan Campbell). Men were not the only ones working with coal. Even though the mineworkers and their families received coal, from the companies, with a discount, women and children would go to the culm banks and try to find any scraps of coal that were accidentally thrown out. Although it was against the law, some families were too desperate to wait to receive coal from the companies and would risk their luck at the culm banks. Since it was considered stealing, company’s sent out police to guard the culm banks. A little girl describes her experience at the banks and tells of there danger: “One day, we were waiting for a neighbor woman to come home, and she never did. We found out she went to high on the culm bank, and there was a cave in and it swallowed her” (Bartoletti, Susan Campbell). Life in the early 1900’s was very hard, not just for immigrants, but for the “working- class” in general.







Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. 1996. Growing Up in Coal Country. New York: Houghton Mifflin Companie.




For more information about working in mines please visit:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mining

I apologize for my photos being so awful this past week guys! I've been so so busy with this new job I haven't had time to be creative.


Seriously this was my past week:


Friday: Orientation for 2 hours/ filling out paperwork/ moving really heavy boxes out of the truck for 4 hours.

Monday: Folding clothes for 7 hours straight....... (I swear if you mess up my clothes that I folded and don't buy anything I will be so angry with you!)

Tuesday: Hanging jeans for 2 hours. Setting up display case shelves for 4 hours. (so heavy!)

Wednesday: MORE FOLDINGGGGGGGG! Ahhhhhhhh!!!! Then we watched a boring training video for an hour.........

Thursday: Learning the Cash Register. We had a test after. We had 90 seconds to greet the customer, take and scan 10 items, then bag them. Not only this, but we had to discount them all manually in the computer one by one remembering which ones were are on sale and which price went with which item...... You only had 3 tries to achieve it. Well, I failed.....DOH!........ I would have aced it, but the scanner never worked for me..... O well. Maybe tomorrow I will pass, but until then, no cashiering for me. Looks like I will be a greeter and dressing rooms guy.


We open tomorrow morning! All the hard work is done. I am happy. YAY! Bring on the customers!