Breaker Boys: 1911

Here is a link to a picture of boys working in Ewen Breaker of Pennsylvania Coal Co., South Pittston. January 1911.

http://shorpy.com/node/81

I wonder if the kids made the same wage as an adult at the breaker or did the adults work in the mine and leave just the kids work at the breaker.

They are pretty clean, must be on the way to work!

gambler wrote:I wonder if the kids made the same wage as an adult at the breaker or did the adults work in the mine and leave just the kids work at the breaker.

Not even close, the kids were used for picking rock.

http://home.epix.net/~captclint/brkboys.jpg

More here on Google image search: http://images.google.com/images?svnum=1 ... eaker+boys

Holy *censored*!! I never knew that. Those poor kids had it tough!!

Hey Everyone, I was told that my great grandfather worked as a pennsylvania coal miner in the early 1900's before returning to his home land of the Ukraine to start and raise his family. My grandmother only told her stories of war and poverty, but never mentioned anything about my great grandfathers work. It was a totally different world back then...Im glad I wasnt working in those mines, but i bet any one of those kids in that picture said "yes maam"," No maam", Please and thank you. I cant even goto the gas station without seeing some kid with no manners budging in line or nearly running someone over to get to the candybars. Maybe a little hard work isnt so bad? Jim

My first post to this list I guess . I grew up about a 1/2mile from that breaker . My grandfather worked there . I used to play in it . I wish I had the sense to grab some of the memorbilia that was left behind before it was all gone . It was a really neat area growing up . The images fade from my memory but some still there . Dave

My grandfather picked slate at a breaker in Dunmore starting in 1910 at the tender age of 8 years and for the princely sum of 7 cents an hour. His father had been killed in the mine and he and his brothers went to work to support the family.