As shown here, young boys between nine and twelve years old known as “breaker boys” would stand along the conveyor belts bringing coal and slate out of the mines and separate out the worthless rock as well as divide up the different-sized pieces of coal for sale purposes. Also illustrated is an early coke operation. Coke was shipped out of the southern coalfields as early as 1883 to Roanoke, and later to Norfolk, for the booming mid-west steel industry.
Ellen Elmes
PO Box SVCC
Richlands, VA 24641-1101
email: ellen.elmes@sw.edu
phone: 276.964.7205
fax: 276.964.7720