Type of Resource

Type of Resource	Number of pieces	x value of each piece	Total in $$$	Total amount made in one day, times six days. This is your pay for one week.
Whole pieces of coal
Broken pieces of coal
Nut pieces
Total
List what you will buy for one week to feed and clothe your family of three children, mother and father. Can you save any money?

*Whole pieces of coal =20 cents

**Broken pieces of coal = 10 cents

***Nuts = 5 cents

Background Notes:

Life was extremely difficult for the miners and their families. They had many complaints about their occupation. The underground work was dangerous, dirty, and often damp. Miners working in the underground tunnels could not stand straight, ceilings in the tunnels being too low. They picked and shoveled the coal for ten hours a day, loaded it on small cars, and pushed them to an area where mules would pull them to the cage to be hauled to the surface.

Miners breathed stale dusty air, and many developed a breathing ailment known today as "Black Lung." Miners used lumber to prop up the roof where they worked, but often huge rocks would fall, thus trapping, injuring, or killing them. Miners complained that the coal companies did not supply them with adequate rails, cars, lumber, or fresh air. Explosive gas was present in some mines and many miners were injured or killed by blasts. In February, 1883, seventy-four miners were killed in the "Diamond Mine Disaster," when water from melting snow on the surface suddenly poured into the mine, drowning the men working below. It was the worst mining disaster in Illinois history up to that time.

The most common complaint of the miners, however, concerned their pay, and the total control which the companies had over their financial well-being. Most mining towns were "company towns." The coal company owned the land. They built, rented, or sold the houses to their workers. If the miners quit work or went on strike, the company could evict them from t he homes. They often forced workers to buy at "company stores," where credit might be more readily available, but prices were higher. Companies sometimes paid in "scrip," which was taken in trade only at the company store. At times, men who refused to buy from the company store were dismissed. Miners were usually paid monthly in the early days, with the company holding two weeks' back pay. Thus, miners who quit often lost two weeks' pay. Miners also had the expense of getting their tools sharpened, and they had to buy oil for their lamps which provided the only light underground. Workers were usually paid in cash. However, sometimes the miners were paid with scrip. Scrip was paper currency issued by mining and other companies instead of cash. It was generally spent in the company store. In the early 1900’s miners made an average of $1.43 per day or $8.58 per week.

Bacon 1 lb $.14

Loaf Bread $.11

Cookies, 1 box $.10

Cereal, 1 box $.10

Butter, 1 lb $.28

Eggs, 1 dozen $.22

Milk, ½ gallon $.14 Potatoes, 10 lbs $.17 Pork Chops, 1 lb $.12

Round Steak, 1 lb $.12

Turkey, 1 lb $.10

Crackers, 1 box $.19

Can Soup $.07

Shoes $2

Pair of socks $.14

Child’s

school outfit $5