Occupations

Key Workers

When the mines were working steady, there were three 8-hour shifts with the two day shifts being for production and the night shift for maintenance. Night shift was a smaller crew who did such jobs as repairs, pumping, timber supplies and track laying. Others did nothing but rock dusting by hand which could take the full shift. Dusting calcium chloride (limestone) was necessary to keep the coal dust down to prevent explosions. Later dusting was done mechanically.

Bratticeman

Underground worker. Controls the ventilation direction.
Salary in 1914: $3.30 per 8 hours

Bucker

Underground worker. Made sure chutes were pulled (clear) of coal daily; had to have legs like cast iron; used a bucking stick – a hockey stick worked well or jumped into the cute and pushed with legs; if it would not run, he worked very hard to get it to run; miners would train any water they came across into their chute as it made the coal slide easier but the bucker often got soaked.
Salary not known.

Bucker Boss

Underground worker. Co-ordinates buckers and coal car loading and which chutes to take the trains to keep a good flow of coal and keep the miner’s chutes empty.
Salary not known.

Carpenter

See also Mine Carpenter Outside worker. Did general required carpentry work.
Salary in 1916: $3.85 for 10 hour day.

Company Man

Not a “union” man. Worked for the company.
Salary varies with the job, unknown amount. It would appear this was a short time job, occupation varied.

Driver

Underground or outside worker. Operated horse teams to haul coal.
Salary in 1910: $3.03 per 8 hours.

Driver Boss

Underground worker. Has charge of all drivers, chutes loaders, spraggers, trappers, and others engaged in hauling coal.
Salary not known.

Electrician

Qualifications for a mine electrician:

• Must be at least 21 years of age
• Must have at least 2 years electrical experience in a mine
• Or must have at least 4 years practical electrical experience, at other electrical work together with 6 months electrical experience in a mine;
• Or is a holder of a degree or diploma from a recognized electrical school approved by the Board and 2 years practical experience, 6 months of which has been in a mine.
  

Knowledge of the following subjects:

• Coal Mines Regulations Act
• Theory
• Practical Work
  

Examiner

An examiner was a company man like the pitboss and fireboss. The examiner was not necessarily a specific position but part of someone’s job.
An examiner was a “holder of a first, second of third class certificate, appointed to inspect the working places in the mine and the roadways and approaches, and other accessible parts of the mine and to see that such are safe before a shift is allowed to enter such working places or other parts of the mine; shall make inspections and carry out duties as to the presence of gas, ventilation, state of roof and sides and general safety and such other duties as are required by Act and Regulations made hereunder; when making his inspections before work commences, chalk his initials and date of inspection at the face of every working place in the district under his charge and shall see that all entrances of any place which may be found unsafe are fenced off.”

Fan Man

Also Fan Boy
Outside worker. Kept ventilation fan operating.
Salary not known.

Fire Boss

Originally the fireboss was considered a safely person but the job was gradually expanded.
A fireboss was the representative of the miners to the company, sort of a foreman underground. He was like a section foreman in charge of production and safety, looked after his own designated section of the mine with his own crew. The terms, fireboss, overman and examiner were interchangeable.
A fireboss was a company employee who required a third class certificate in order to qualify for that position. Qualifications for holder of Third Class Certification of Competency:

• Must be a least 23 years of age;
• Must be a holder of a Mine Rescue Certificate; a certificate from a medical practitioner showing that candidate has taken a course in first aid and ambulance work.
• Must have a least 3 years practical experience in a coal mine, and is the holder of a miner’s certificate;
• Or holder of a diploma or degree in scientific and mining training granted by an educational institution approved by the Board and at least 2 years experience working in underground coal mining , 1 year of which has been at the working face or work equivalent thereto.
• Knowledge of:
  • 1. The Coal Mines Regulation Act
  • 2. Ventilation
  • 3. Practical work
  • 4. Safety Lamps

The fireboss’ responsibility included doing all the safety checks before the men went into the mine. He had to go to the face of the working areas using a specially designed miner’s safety lamp to check for gas and other problems. At the end of his shift, he would post his report on the “board” indicating any concerns/problems in the mine for the next shift.

Inspector

Includes Chief Inspector, Assistant Chief Inspector, Assistant District Inspector & Electrical Inspector. Inspectors shall visit every mine in his district as often as his duties permit and the exigencies of the case require.
Salary not known.

Machinest

Outside worker. Qualified tradesman.
Salary in 1916: $3.40 to $3.85 for a 10 hour day.

Manager

Originally the head man at a mine was called the superintendent or, at times, an overman. Later he was called general manager or manager. He was a company employee who hired, fired and negotiated with the union, but his main task was the planning and over-seeing the development and exploitation of the coal seams. He was assisted by the pitboss and other senior officials.
The qualifications required to acquire a first class certificate to become a mine manager were:

• Must be at least 25 years of age;
  
• Must be a holder of a Mine Rescue Certificate of Competency; have a certificate from a medical practitioner showing candidate has taken a course in first aid and ambulance work.
  
• Must have at least 5 years experience in underground mining of which at least one year of work at the working face or in work elsewhere in a mine of such kind which in the opinion of the Board is sufficient to give him a practical knowledge of coal mining;
  
• Or 4 years underground as noted above and, in addition, at least 1 year in a machine shop or engineering shop or electric engineering shop;
  
• Or holder of a diploma or degree in scientific and mining training granted by an educational institution approved by the Board and at least 3 years underground coal mining experience and worked in coal mining in Canada for at least 2 years of that period, and not less than 1 year engaged in work at the working face or in work elsewhere in a mine of such kind which in the opinion of the Board is sufficient to give him practical knowledge of coal mining.
  
• Must posses knowledge of:
  
  • 1. Coal and Mines Act Regulations Act
    
  • 2. Gases, shot-firing and Safety Lamps
    
  • 3. Theory and Practice of Ventilation
    
  • 4. Practical work, First Aid and Mine Rescue Work
    
  • 5. Machinery
    
  • 6. Surveying, Leveling Geology
    

Mine Carpenter

Underground worker. Accompanied coal trips to mail haulage tunnel.
Salary not known.

Miner

Employed underground at the working face in a mine to cut, shear, or loosen coal or rock from the solid, either by hand or machinery, and possessed of a certificate of competency as such, and includes a loader and any other workman employed at the working face, but does not include a person employed or about any operations incidental to the extraction of coal by removing the strata.
Salary in 1914: $3.30 per 8 hours.

Miner - Contract

Underground worker. Mined coal and was paid by the ton.
Salary in 1914: $3.50 to $6.00 for 8 hours.

Miner - Wet places

Underground worker.
Salary in 1914: Received an extra $.50 a day while working in wet areas.

Overman

Person in daily charge of the underground workings of any mine or any portion of a mine, next in authority to the manager or assistant manager.
Salary not known.

Pit Boss or Pitboss

A big mine had several pit bosses, who were company employees, responsible to the mine manager. The pitboss was responsible for the general running of the mine underground workings and personnel.
Qualifications for a pit boss were:

• Must be at least 25 years of age;
• Must be a holder of a Mine Rescue Certificate of Competency; have a certificate from a medical practitioner showing candidate has taken a course in first aid and ambulance work.
• Must have at least 5 years experience in underground mining of which at least one year of work at the working face or in work elsewhere in a mine of such kind which in the opinion of the Board is sufficient to give him a practical knowledge of coal mining;
• Or 4 years underground as noted above and, in addition, at least one year in a machine shop or engineering shop or electric engineering shop;
• Or holder of a diploma or degree in scientific and mining training granted by an educational institution approved by the Board and at least three years underground coal mining experience and worked in coal mining in Canada for at least two years of that period, and not less than one year engaged in work at the working face or in work elsewhere in a mine of such kind which in the opinion of the Board is sufficient to give him practical knowledge of coal mining.
• Knowlege of:
  • 1. The Coal Mines Regulation Act
  • 2. Gases, shot-firing, and Safety Lamps and Ventilation
  • 3. Practical Work, First Aid and Mine Rescue Work
  • 4. Machinery
  • 5. Surveying, Levelling and Geology

Pumpman

Underground worker. Operated and installed underground pumping systems.
Salary not known.

Rope Rider

Rope riders were employed at the top and bottom of slopes to couple and uncouple the cars from the hoist cable. They were usually young and agile as agility and fast reflexes were imperative!
The rope rider positioned coal cars whenever they had to be stopped, under the coal chute at the base of the miner’s room or wherever cars were being connected and disconnected. As the cars had no brakes, they were stopped by a process called spragging.
A sprag is a piece of wood about three feet long (91 cm) and several inches (5 cm) in diameter and pointed at each end. The rope rider would place the sprag between the spokes of a wheel, using several if necessary, to slow/stop the car when it was being uncoupled or coupled to the hoist. He never encircled the sprag between his thumb and fingers, for it invited a badly sprained, dislocated or even dismembered thumb. He kept his thumb snuggled against his forefinger as he very quickly placed the sprag.
To stop the train, he would walk quickly or lope beside it, then follow along the moving wheel with his sprag, and with astute timing, shove it between the spokes of the wheel to slow or stop the car.
The trip of cars was pulled up the slope to the level by means of a hoist. It was the rope rider’s job to disconnect them from the hoist and connect them to the dinky which would pull them along the level. The haulage level was actually sloped slightly so that water would drain out of the mine. As the cars came up over the knuckle or hump they would start to roll slowly down the level. When signalled, the Hoistman would give some slack in the hoist cable and the rope rider would push the cable down to give additional stack then pull the pin to disconnect the cars from the hoist. Since the cars were then free to roll down the level, he would sprag the first few cars to stop them. They were then connected to a dinky which pulled the load to the outside where each car was weighed then turned over and the coal dumped onto the conveyor belt headed for the tipple. Each car had a check number that identified the miners’ who dug it. The car was weighed by both a union man and company man to ensure each set of miners received proper compensation for their load.
If there was a dispute as to the weight, the weigh scales had to be readjusted and/or realigned to ensure correctness by both parties.
Empties from a previous load would be waiting at the top of the slope and the process was reversed in order to get the cars back into the mine for reloading.

Timberman

Underground worker. Person employed underground in a mine in charge of timbering operations at the working face or on any roadway or in any other place and possessed of a certificate of competency.
Salary in 1914: $3.30 per 8 hours.

Timber Packer

Underground worker. Took timbers to the miner’s rooms.
Salary in 1914: $3.03 per 8 hours.

Time Keeper

The time keeper's job was to check each miner in and out of the mine, keeping track of their hours so they were properly paid. He would also help the lampman by handing the miners their lamps and/or numbered tag depending on the mine and putting their check numbers on the board. The check board was necessary to keep track of workers in the mine. If, for example a check was still left on the board after shift change, a search would immediately be started to locate the missing worker. This was a most valuable safety feature to ensure no miner was left in the mine. It was valuable during mine incidents such as coal or rock falls, bumps, explosions, etc. as it allowed mine officials to know who might still be in the mine at the time of the incident.

Track Layer

Underground worker. Advances or removes train track.
Salary in 1914: $3.30 for 8 hours. His helper would receive $2.75 for 8 hours.

Boys would receive full salary at the age of 18.