No dramatic stories; just "coal cracker" stock from northeastern Pa. My grandad saw the men w/black lung & supposedly very quickly resolved to become a carpenter instead of a minor & went on to become a construction supervisor & travelled all over the eastern & central coal mining areas of the U.S. building the "breakers" which were used as part of processing the coal. He had a job during the depression, while many others didn't & considered himself quite lucky. 'Course he had asthma & tobacco addiction & died a [somewhat] early respiratory/cardiac death anyway.

We used to see the unending fires around the Kingston, Pa. area in what were apparently tailing dumps from the mines. Some of them were still burning when I was an adult.

Cheers, BK