"In underground mining, a nipper is an entry-level role responsible for various tasks to support the mining crew and maintain the underground environment. Being a Nipper means staying organised, keeping track of everything going on around the mine, and always staying one step ahead.
Their primary role is to work alongside the Underground Drillers but also partake in ad hoc tasks such as delivery, pick up and transport of mining equipment and personnel within the underground mine."
"A lonely job. Waiting all alone in the dark for a trip to come through. It was so damp that Willie said he had to go to the doctor for his cough. A short distance from here, the gas was pouring into the mine so rapidly that it made a great torch when the foreman lit it. Lives at 164 Center St., Pittston, Pa. This is Willie Bryden, a nipper. Been working there 4 mos. 500 ft. from the shaft, and a quarter of a mile underground from there. Shaft #6 Pa. Coal Co. Walls have been whiteewashed to make it lighter. Jan 16 I found Willie at home sick, His mother admitted he is only 13 yrs old; will be 14 next July. She said 4 months after the mine boss told the father to take Willie to work, and they obtained a certificate from Squire Barrett. The only thing the squire could do was to make Willie out to be 16 yrs. Willie's father & brother are miners and the home is that of a frugal German family. Location: Pittston, Pennsylvania." Photographed by Lewis Hine, January 1911."
2 Comments
jim_v@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 17d
https://www.miningdoc.tech/question/what-does-a-nipper-do-in-underground-mining-2/
"In underground mining, a nipper is an entry-level role responsible for various tasks to support the mining crew and maintain the underground environment. Being a Nipper means staying organised, keeping track of everything going on around the mine, and always staying one step ahead.
Their primary role is to work alongside the Underground Drillers but also partake in ad hoc tasks such as delivery, pick up and transport of mining equipment and personnel within the underground mine."
https://www.sciencesource.com/1805218-pennsylvania-coal-mining-nipper-1911-stock-image-rights-managed.html
"A lonely job. Waiting all alone in the dark for a trip to come through. It was so damp that Willie said he had to go to the doctor for his cough. A short distance from here, the gas was pouring into the mine so rapidly that it made a great torch when the foreman lit it. Lives at 164 Center St., Pittston, Pa. This is Willie Bryden, a nipper. Been working there 4 mos. 500 ft. from the shaft, and a quarter of a mile underground from there. Shaft #6 Pa. Coal Co. Walls have been whiteewashed to make it lighter. Jan 16 I found Willie at home sick, His mother admitted he is only 13 yrs old; will be 14 next July. She said 4 months after the mine boss told the father to take Willie to work, and they obtained a certificate from Squire Barrett. The only thing the squire could do was to make Willie out to be 16 yrs. Willie's father & brother are miners and the home is that of a frugal German family. Location: Pittston, Pennsylvania." Photographed by Lewis Hine, January 1911."
BilSabab@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 16d
that's grim