"I started to High School and completed one year. It began to dawn on me that not only the handicap of being poor but the fact that my mother and father were divorced did not rate me very high among the more well to do families in the community. I couldn’t boast of the horses, cattle, hogs, land, etc. that Dad had. But I imagine the idea of wearing patched clothing to High School was more than I could take. About this time, hard times had the effect that we didn’t have any cows. So Mother bought a cow from the alimony money I had received. It was to the point that we were merely existing. I worked occasionally when a farmer could use me. I would earn a few dollars during the thrashing season, hay harvesting & corn cutting time. Then a streak of good fortune came my way when I got a job in a coal mine. It was mainly a fall & winter job in what they called a wagon mine which supplied the local domestic trade. This was hard work – The coal seam was from 32 to 34 inches high and we had a lot of water to contend with. The cars held about a ton of coal and we had to push them quite a distance from the face of the coal to the place where they hoisted it out. Two of us worked a room together and we got a dollar a car. Seldom did we get over eight cars a day and there was blasting powder & fuse to buy. Boots didn’t last long nor did working clothes but I did learn how to mine coal by the hand method known as pick-work – We had no cutting machines or loaders. For a light we used a lamp on our cap, filled with hard like grease called Lard Oil. A wick gave a dingy, yellow smoky light. But the carbide lamp was introduced about that time and we used them as soon as they were available. They made a much better light and were not nearly so heavy. There was a lot of safety measures to learn. Luckily, this vein of coal did not have gas in it, but in a small mine the ventilation was very poor. The first thing was to be sure the roof or top was solid. We would tap the roof with the flat side of a pick and if a ringing sound was made the top was safe but if a hollow or drum like sound, it indicated loose slate. Then you had to make soundings until you found a solid place. You had to determine how much slate was loose and if you could support it with timbers or props or cross bars or if it would have to be wedged down and make sure that you were always under solid top. While you were testing the roof you also usually had your lamp in your hand testing for “Damps” Now damps was caused by a lax of oxygen in the air – There was Black Damps which you would find on top or near the roof. To detect this you find the flame of your lamp extending far out in long and flickering flame that seemed to be reaching for something. White damps were heavy and they would be next to the bottom or floor. They were far more dangerous since they had no oxygen and would soon suffocate a person. If you happened to be working and accidentally got in Black Damps you would soon get a terrific headache that would last for quite a while. Fresh air was no immediate cure for it and you would suffer several hours. You usually went to an entry when this happened for there always was more air there and you would not run the hazard of sitting down in White Damps. That would be fatal unless someone found you quickly. I also learned how to set timbers or props to support the roof, learned how to cut coal by hand, how to gauge a block of coal to be shot or blasted, set up drilling machine, make water proof cartridges for blasting powder, make “dummies” for tamping purposes and insert fuse in cartridge. I also learned how to lay track and switches. There is even an art to using a jack to put a wrecked or derailed car back on the tracks."
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| Inside page of Alfred Moehlmann's 9th grade Botany Book |
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| Page from Alfred Moehlmann's Botany Workbook c. 1911 |
I have a couple of Alfred's school books. This is his high school botany book. It includes page after page of plant descriptions that Alfred wrote and each has an sample of the plant taped on the opposite page. Considering they are over 100 years old, it amazing what great shape the pages are in.
Much as Alfred did with farming, he has again provided a detailed explanation of the procedures involved mining. The first coal mine in Linton was in operation in 1859. But it was the railroad that allowed the mining industry to grow. In 1900 Linton had a population of just over 3000, but that quadrupled by 1910 with 16 mines within a three mile radius of Linton employing 2500 men. So Alfred has entered the mining industry at a time of great growth.
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| Example of early coal mining in Greene County From http://www.mononmines.com/mines1.html |
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