Emergency Coal Mines (Apr, 1933)

Emergency Coal Mines

Use Old Automobiles to Furnish Power

Out of work and unwilling to remain idle, men in Pennsylvania have formed small groups and are working coal mines on their own, selling the output in neighboring towns. To supply the necessary power, they have rigged up old automobiles. The one at the right, geared to a shaker, is used to sort coal.

Not only is the auto, left, a power plant by means of which the loaded coal car is dragged out of the mine, but when the drum on the rear wheel is removed, it carries the miners home. At right, a general view of breaker and plane with a loaded coal car at the top.

With this home made screen, the boy is screening the finer sizes of coal. The screen is made of cheese boxes bound together with two hoops from an old barrel. The crank, with which it is turned, is from an abandoned auto. Left, a loaded coal car at the top of the incline ready to be dumped into the shakers which separate the coal into various sizes. Note, mine car is made from an old oil drum with top and side cut away.