Source: BLS Monthly Labor Review, Dec 1920 Source: You may download a pdf version of the 1928, Hotel rates are shown in the advertisements in. Every three or four hundred feet, passageways were cut, creating narrower, corridor-like rooms that led to a coal face where each miner and his buddy worked in their own room. The colliers left large pillars of coal standing as they cut the face forward and sideways through breakthroughs that led to parallel rooms. Source: BLS Bulletin no. Shows the average daily wages Greek workers were receiving in metal mines, lignite mines, smelting and refining plants, and quarries. Manufacturing wages -- SEE box further below. Postal Service. Source: BLS Monthly Labor Review, March 1932, The "Service Industries" chapter in this source breaks out wages paid to workers in hospitals, hotels, bowling alleys, theaters, parks, churches, country clubs, athletic clubs and yacht clubs, advertising agencies, banks, laundries, schools/colleges, and restaurants (making no distinction between waiters, cooks or bus boys). Purchasing power is represented in its equivalence in horses, wheat, the yearly wages of a skilled tradesperson, and others. Every workingman was supposed to have his turn when it came to getting an empty coal car, because each collier deserved an equal opportunity to get his load to the weigh station. Discussion puts wage data in context with price levels which were definitely affected by the wars. Source: BLS, Shows the average retail prices of foodstuffs in Madrid and Barcelona. Bulletin of the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, No. Discusses household expenditures for electricity, and estimates the number of homes that had various electrical appliances (radios, refrigerators, irons, etc.) Corn visited coal mines and mountain communities from Virginia to Tennessee, photographing the working and domestic lives of miner families and their struggles with low wages, unsafe working conditions, and black lung disease. Source: Shows lawyers' incomes instates and regions, by size of community served, by the age of the lawyer, number of years in practice, etc. Source: BLS, Shows the average wage rates for 19 different occupations in Hamburg, Germany. Source: Includes district-specific information and the average output of coal per person per shift. In some cases, when a shot backfired out of the hole, it ignited coal dust or gas in the miners room and sent fire bursting into the main tunnel, where it could burn or suffocate the mules and their drivers passing through. In West Virginias colliers, miners were paid 49 cents per ton of clean coal, compared with 76 cents in the unionized mines of Ohio. It was usually undertaken by women, and sometimes children. Shows average wages alongside a cost of living index for Germany between 1929-1942. "The fees and cost of books, instruments, board, room, laundry and incidentals will hardly be less than $400 per session of thirty-two weeks." From, Average monthly wages by state,with and without board. ), athletic gear, boxing, baseball, & tennis supplies, Prices of articles bought by farmers, 1909-1924, Prices paid by farmers for household items, 1910-1960, Clothing prices paid by farmers, 1910-1960, Women's clothing catalog - B. Altman & Co., Summer 1920. Shows family expenditures by category. Shows the wages of Japanese mining workers by gender and age. Table shows average 1929 and 1931 weekly wages of full-time store employees, managers, and supervisors by kind and size of chain and location. Coal loaders at the face depended on mule drivers and motor men to honor the old tradition of a square turna custom through which colliers sought to control output and equalize earning opportunities by ensuring that each miner would receive the same number of cars during a workday, in the words of a mine industry historian. Source: Shows the weekly wages of various occupations in Vienna. Most of their houses had images of union president John L. Lewis, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and Jesus. Bonus. The survey covered 114 different cotton mills in 12 different state, and generally divides tables by occupation, sex, and year or occupation, sex, and state. As the men removed one pillar after another, the wooden posts used to support the mine top would be strained as the roof started getting heavy. The wood would then creak and groan and then splinter as the miners heard the roof working above their heads and planned their retreat accordingly. Wages shows in 1930 US dollars. Wages are shown in Mexican pesos. Taken from the 1921 U.S. Department of Agriculture Yearbook, starting on page 804. Report published in 1923 tells wages by race and by industry. During the early 1900s, roof falls in the bituminous coal mines killed an average of 886 workers every year, as compared with the 274 deaths per year caused by explosions and fires. Shows average dollar amount spent annually in categories such as food, clothing, maintenance of health, personal goods, furniture and more. Other enslaved African Americans escaped from the salt works to Ohio, a free state only 60 miles away. in FOREIGN COUNTRIES, FOOD View object record Steam whistle With industrialization, workers lost control of when to start, eat, and end their day. Source: American Druggist, January 1923 issue. Workers, Kohinoor mine, Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, 1884, Managers, Kohinoor mine, Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, 1884. Source: BLS. Wages are shown in Czech krone. 365-372. Source: Covers elementary schools and junior high schools in American cities with populations of 2,500 or more. Bulletin of the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, No. But the chorus of foreign languages confirmed managements fears that companies were slipping out of control. Cottage and bungalow home designs with illustrations and floor plans in the "Wardway homes" catalog. Report published in 1923 gives wages for Arkansas women by occupation and race. Wages shown in 1930 US dollars. Wages are shown in contemporary U.S. dollars. The deal, brokered by. Bulletin of the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, No. Source: 1934 Statistical Abstract of the United States. For easier browsing, the information is. Wages are shown in Brazilian milreis. Miscellaneous: Shows compensation for individualjudgeson the U.S. Supreme Court, circuit courts and district courts. Source: Shows the daily or monthly wages of 13 occupations in the treaty port. Source: BLS, Shows the retail prices of various foodstuffs in 10 large German cities. See answers (2) Best Answer. Managers concentrated on business decisions, such as arranging transportation and selling their product. Source: BLS, Shows the retail prices of food and commodities in various cities throughout south Manchuria. This Farmers' Bulletin, Cost of Using Horses on Corn-Belt Farms, goes into great detail about the costs of keeping work horses, including a. But on some weeks, a miner might work only two or three days because the railroad failed to supply enough coal cars, or because the mine needed repairs. Shows the average weekly wages for a variety of occupations and industries in New Zealand. Shows monthly wages based on the ocean routes traveled: San Francisco to points west, and New York City to points south and east. Shows starting salary and increases granted based on marital status and number of children. Another statute required employers to hire pit bosses to examine every working place in the mine, but only as often as practicable. A third rule required the managers to water the coal dust, but only when they detected a dangerous level of gas. Describes the labor policy of Mexico in the 1920's and throughout the rest of the early 20th century. But to those who suffered alone in silence, the chorus offered hope and strength: Union miners, stand together! Inside workers are further classified as (1) miners and laborers who cut and load coal onto conveyors or into mine cars, and (2) all other employees whose occupations relate to transportation, timbering, pumping, ventilation, and other general underground work. Dining room: Shows by county the price of undeveloped land, plow land and farm land. Tip: use the search tool to look for words like cents or rate. By 2003 that number had dipped to just 70,000. Knickerbockers, shirts, high school boy's suits, boy's fine suits, overcoats, winter coats, jackets, pajamas, rain coats, caps and hats, shoes. Most trapper boys learned how to overcome their fears by watching and listening to the colliers who went underground with them. By law, judges earned 1,500 per year. Green miners like Frank Keeney also learned that surviving underground required men to depend upon each other and to honor the wisdom of the most experienced men. The carpenters, mechanics, mule skinners, and other mine employees, who enjoyed no such latitude, were known by pit-face miners as company men. By contrast, the pit-face miners saw themselves as autonomous workmen who labored for themselves as well as for the company. Management's steam whistle now set the times. Shows the hourly, daily, and biannual earnings of different occupations in the Missouri coal industry between 1890-1922. His pictures also reflect a variegated experience in Appalachia, countering stereotypes by depicting middle-class miners, racial diversity, and community pride. Lengthy article reports how much educators earned in Illinois' high schools in 1920-1921. Shows the standard wages for different shift at ports in Antwerp, Belgium. Shows the daily wages of various common and low-skill occupations like building laborers, canners, and rice mill workers throughout the state. Source: BLS, Shows the earnings over different times for both government employees and manual workers in Hamburg. Source: BLS. Data gathered by the National Industrial Conference Board (a group of industry associations) which used European government publications for information. Links to government documents and primary sources listing retail prices for products and services, as well as wages for common occupations. Source: Lists prices of typical food items, housing expenses, clothing, fuel, light and more. Wages are shown in Spanish pesetas. College professor salaries, 1928 (Source: AAUP report). A standard tune in miners lore began with lyric, Youve been docked and docked again, boys / Youve been loading two for one, and asked what the miner had to show for working so hard. Indicates prices per kilowatt-hour by areas and cities. Wiki User. Dresses, skirts, blouses, suits, patterns for sewing frocks,, dress gloves, shawls, sweaters, silk undergarments, pajamas, union suits, corsets, gowns, stockings, hats, winter coats, fur coats, winter gloves and mittens, shoes, purses and bags, diamond rings, necklaces and jewelry, brooches, perfume, wigs. A Latvian immigrant and devout member of the Russian Orthodox Church of the Old Believers, Michael Simon wore this cross as he labored in Pennsylvania coal mines. Work clothes, work shirts, dress shirts, dress pants, trousers, vests, suits, dress gloves, overcoats, winter coats, fur caps and collars, neck ties, belts and suspenders, caps and hats, nightwear, socks, shoes, boots, pocket knives, pocket watches, toupes, razors, smoking pipes. The union was very important to miners. Source: BLS, Shows the average daily wages for workers in different occupations in French coal mines. Source: BLS. Typewriters, school supplies, office supplies, fountain pens, more fountain pens, books, drawing sets, home office furniture. For hours on end, a trapper boys ears would take in the strange sounds made by creaking timbers, rattling coal cars, clopping mules, and thudding blasts of explosions deep in the mine, while his eyes would behold surreal sights, like the white bones of ancient fish skeletons and the remains of tropical plants when they were illuminated by the miners lamps. Board a ship to cross the wave; Wages are shown in Spanish pesetas. Miners would lie on their backs and use a pick to undercut the coal. $32k - $76k. Wages of pattern makers, molders, drill press operators, lathe hands, machinists and more. Rompers, night gowns, baby shoes, accessories (diapers, baby bottles, etc. This article reprinted from a January 1923 edition of, This source quotes medians (the mid-point, with 50% falling below the line), first quartiles (25% falling below) and third quartiles (75% falling below). During the first three decades of the 20th century, African Americans comprised about 25 percent of all southern West Virginia miners. Wages are shown in both Italian lire and contemporary U.S. dollars. Shows average annual expenditure for food, rent, clothing, and medical care per family member. In 1927, "$30 per month was taken as the average minimum expenditure for rent in Boston for the [working class] family of four living on the American standard.". Source: BLS. Tables are broken down by type of job, gender of employee, and geography. Source: BLS, Shows the daily wages and hours of workers in 4 different industries in Madrid. Table 26 shows wages for laborers with board for every year from 1780-1937; the, In the 1920s, people could sell their blood to hospitals for$35-50 perquart. Wages are shown in German marks. 514. He also absorbed the habits and traditions that gave pick and shovel miners a remarkable degree of freedom. There was little prospect then that coal would be in demand as it is today or that the daily wage of miners would be multiplied 8 to 10 times by 1974. Shows pay tables based on years of service,for Army and Navygenerals, admirals, colonels, lieutenants, captains, ensigns, etc. Fearful of the danger, frightened by the blackest darkness he could imagine, and repelled by the coal dust that clung to him like a layer of skin, Washington vowed to get an education and rise out of the coal pits, just as he had risen up from slavery.. The correct use of explosives depended on the miners skill and knowledge of how to drill, how much powder to use, and how to damp a charge properly. Shows the hourly and weekly wages for 12 principal industries throughout Germany. Shows the "living wage" per week for different metropolitan areas of Australia. In West Virginia, where mineswere cut near the mountaintops, the overburden was looser and more prone to collapse than in the deeper shaft mines of the North. Source: Monthly price list for Ralph's Grocery Company, which sold only in the Los Angeles area. Miners waiting to start their shift at the Virginia-Pochahontas Coal Company mine near Richland, Virginia, in 1974. Source: BLS, Shows the annual earnings of manual and nonmanual workers in Sweden. All of these mines included a main entry, or portal, and a second tunnel, or monkey drift, which provided workers with ventilationa barely adequate suction through a surface grate created by a coal fire that burned all day. Prices on pp. (Jack Corn/EPA) A ppalachian coal production has been on shaky ground almost since the industry's inception in the mid 19th century. 1920, Wages by occupation - Manchuria, 1920-1921, Daily and monthly wage earnings - Soviet Union, 1926-1927, Average yearly wages in the Soviet Union, 1929-1932, salaries paid school teachers throughout Russia, seldom exceed 12 rubles per month in late 1923, Agricultural wages - Switzerland in 1914, 1921, 1930, Earnings and prices - Switzerland, 1920-1921, Wages in Great Britain, France and Germany (with addendum for Switzerland), Minimum wage legislation in various countries, Comparative wage rates in the U.S. and in foreign countries, 1927, Wages paid on steamships by country and occupation, 1922, wages paid to Chinese and Lascar (Indian or southeast Asian) employees, Farm family incomes in Wake County, North Carolina - 1926, Foods - Average retail prices over time, 1923-36, Foods - Average retail prices across 39 cities, 1920-1928, corn meal, rice, potatoes, granulated sugar, coffee and tea, onions, navy beans, prunes, raisins, canned salmon, evaporated milk, margarine, lard, oats, corn flakes, wheat cereal, macaroni, canned baked beans, canned corn, canned peas, canned tomatoes, bananas, oranges, Food price averages for each year from 1890-1970, Cigarette, cigar and rolling papers - Los Angeles, 1921, Farm houses in Iowa - Value and size, 1923, Sears homes with costs to build, 1908-1939, Cost of materials to build a Sears home, ca. Source: BLS, Shows the average daily wages for various occupations in 6 different industries in Japan. Created by Grove Atlantic and Electric Literature, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window), A Novel of Putin's Russia That Got Its Writer Beaten Up, What Should You Read Next? Shows the average daily wages paid to masons, electricians, bricklayers, bakers, blacksmiths and more. Source: Lists minimum and maximum daily wages for male and female workers. Shows salaries for officers, managers, clerks, operators, etc. Under these terms, a hard worker could earn $2.00 for ten to twelve hours of labor, if the work was steady. Source: Describes the labor policy of Australia in the 1920's and throughout the rest of the early 20th century. Shows the weekly earnings for 9 occupations in Amsterdam, Haarlem, the Hague, and Rotterdam. Source: BLS Bulletins. Source: Women's Bureau Bulletin #85. Shows the average daily wages of Japanese and Chinese workers in various occupations for the South Manchuria Railway Co. Wages are shown in both contemporary yen and US dollars. A trapper like Frank had to pay close attention to his duties, opening and closing the doors regularly to keep the air moving and to allow coal cars to pass back and forth. Typical compensation for directors, camera men, editors and more in, Shows typical earnings for reporters, feature writers, sports editors and others, in. The industry has been in slow decline ever since, compounded along the way by the rise of steam engines, mechanized extraction methods, and competition from oil and natural gas, and now renewable energy. Describes the labor policy of South Africa in the 1920's and throughout the rest of the early 20th century. Expressed in pounds, shillings, and pence. A strong, skilled coal loader might fill five or more cars in a day. Source: BLS, Shows the average daily wage in both yen and US dollars. Before the 1930s, many boys worked in mines. You are viewing the article: how much did coal miners get paid in the 1950s at Cheraghdaily.org. ), carriages, cribs, high chairs, etc. Its an era of company town labor we are not likely to see return as automation and renewable energy continue to render these kinds of occupations obsolete. This website does a good job of organizing a complex topic. Shows the average daily wages of workers in various industries in Riga as well as other parts of Latvia. Issues of Telephone engineer & management detail rates for telephone service in many states. 8836. Then, with their lamps casting a dim yellow light on the dark hillside, the men and boys disappeared one by one into the hole, like ants entering a colony. Compensationby job titlefor New York City, Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, San Francisco and more cities. by RACE Others opened large wooden doors just before speeding cars passed through. Men's: Fixtures, chamberpots, bathroom soaps, towels, toilet paper. Source: AAUP report. Source: Lists costs of running a farm, including costs of power, labor, insurance, interest on loans, etc. It provided a $1.20-a- day wage increase effective Jan, and an increase of 80 cents a day beginning April 1, 1959. At dawn, the workers reported to the payroll clerk in the company office, where they were handed numbered brass checks to attach to each coal car they loaded. by STATE Prices are shown in Latvian rubles. over the years. Source: BLS, Shows the average wages for an 8 hour work day in Riga within various industry groups. Shows pay for those involved in "1st class New York City productions" including actors of various levels (from chorus to leads) as well as directors, designers, scene painters, stage hands, etc. $20.00 per week. Data gathered by the National Industrial Conference Board using foreign government sources. Shows wages and prices in kronen, along with the exchange rate to translate into U.S. dollars. Scroll forward and back to see the various cities for which average food prices are available. Describes the labor policy of New Zealand in the 1920's and throughout the rest of the early 20th century. Source: BLS. Shows firemen salaries for 25 American cities including New York City, Chicago, New Orleans, Indianapolis, Buffalo, Boston, Detroit, Cleveland, St. Louis, Kansas City and more. Shows forty pages of incomedata with numerous breakouts. Source: U.S. Bureau of Education. Link navigates to a record containing multiple years worth of this publication. Mine foremen attempted various forms of industrial discipline to maximize productivity, but in the early 1900s, coal miners experienced little of the supervision foremen and factory managers imposed on workers; in fact, veteran colliers often became surly when a mine foreman came by their place on his little scooter to check on them. Shows the average weekly wages of NY factory workers every month over a 14 year period. FromTHE DEVIL HERE IN THESE HILLS(Atlantic Monthly Press), now out in paperback. When a miner and his helper approached the entry to their room, danger lurked in almost every move they made. To view an issue of interest, select it from the list and click View. Women's and children's clothing - Newcomb, Endicott, and Co. Retail prices for imported merchandise, 1922, Rates charges for hospital services, 1928, Health care costs and expenditures, 1923-1925, Average charges by type of medical complaint, 1929-1930, Public colleges - Tuition by institution, 1921-1922, Private colleges - Tuition by institution, 1921-1922, Howard University School of Medicine - Tuition & expenses, 1920-21, The Undertaker's Trade - Services and Prices, Average funeral cost by state and city, 1927, Cost to mail a letter or postcard, 1863-present, Vacation to Yellowstone National Park - Prices in 1920, Consumption expenditures per capita, 1901-1956, Cost of living increase in U.S. large cities, 1913-1941, Income needed for "minimum subsistence" in cities, 1929, Minimum income needed to live in Washington DC, 1920, Cost of living among wage earners, Detroit, 1921, Lynchburg, VA - Cost of living and expenditures, 1928-1929, Ability to pay and standard of living among farmers, 1926, Farm family expenditures in selected states, 1922-1924, Average annual costs of keeping work horses, 1921, Virginia - Cost of living and expenditures, 1928-1929, Calculator: Present-day purchasing power of a historic dollar amount, Consumer Price Index Inflation Calculator, Canada - Food and rents by province and city, 1923, Canada - Prices of staple foods, fuel and rent in 1913, 1920-1927, Retail Prices in Czechoslovakia, 1914-1921, Clothing prices - Great Britain, 1914-1921, New Zealand - Food and cigarette retail prices by city, 1921. equal opportunity/access/affirmative action/pro-disabled and veteran employer. First, the men had topush an empty coal car up wooden rails that they had installed on their own time. More passenger air fares from other sources: Household items: Data is broken out byoccupation, sex and district. Living room: This source lists actual salaries paid to administrators in various lines of business. He also learned not to scare the miners beloved pigeons or to be afraid of mine rats, because these creatures could sense danger coming before it struck. Following legal tradition, companies usually placed blame and responsibility for injuries on the workers. Mule drivers and trapper boys like Frank Keeney set out at six oclock every morning with the adult miners, who each carried a pick and auger, a can of black blasting powder, fuses, and a tamping rod. Shows prices by month and year. Source: This short article about wages in Nanking, China reports barbers' earnings in US dollars. Miners would lie on their backs and use a pick to undercut the coal. Wages are expressed in both foreign currency and dollars. These deposits could produce firedamp, which contained methane and sometimes carbon dioxide that seeped out of the coal seams. Shows the daily wages for 11 different occupations in Parahyba, Brazil. Details the price of various building materials on pp. And your eye upon the scale! Source: BLS, Shows wages of various industrial and agricultural gender, in both Romanian leu and contemporary U.S. dollars. The lawmakers apparently agreed with West Virginias Republican governor, G. W. Atkinson, who said in 1901: It is but the natural course of mining events that men should be injured and killed by accidents.. Chart shows median wages of women employed in Philadelphia households as chambermaids, cleaners, cooks, waitresses, laundress, seamstress, and children's nurses (nannies.) Prices are shown in Hungarian crowns. 664. Boys learned the mining craft from their fathers and later passed this knowledge on to their own sons. An open flame provided the only light, and the cloth cap barely kept lamp soot away. After the top fell, they returned to break and load the fallen coal before another layer of the top came crashing down with a tremendous roar. Telephones, radios, cameras, kitchen ranges, home electric appliances, record players, music records, sewing machines, fabrics, clothes washers, laundry supplies, vacuum sweepers. Source: BLS, Shows the hourly wages for men and women in Finnish unions. 467. Compares 1927 and 1913 earnings. HOUSING, FARMS and UTILITIES Shows the average weekly hours and hourly wages for workers in the boot and shoe industry. Wages are shown in 1930 US dollars. Few words meant more to mine workers than manliness, a quality that connoted dignity, respectability, defiant egalitarianism, and patriarchal male supremacy, in the words of historian David Montgomery. Wages are shown in French francs. View object record Miner's hat, about 1930 Full chapter extends from pp. By 1850, approximately half of Kanawha Countys slaves worked in the salt industrymany mined coal to fuel the furnaces. After the Civil War, industrialization meant a nearly limitless demand for anthracite and bituminous coal, and hundreds of thousands of new jobs . Source: Source: Canada Department of Labor report. Click for more info about the kind of home a family earning less than $2,500 annually could buy in 1928. Bicycles, binoculars, footballs & basketball supplies, ice skates, athletic gear, boxing, baseball, & tennis supplies, fishing tackle, camping gear, guns. Source: Table shows 52 years of time-series prices on individual foods, such as. Engineers working for Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron Co. used this model to visualize the coal seams and design their mines. Religious organizations -Salaries, 1929in. Source: BLS, Shows the average daily wages and hours of a variety of occupations in Madrid. The strongest, most efficient men earned the most money at the end of the day. Boys frequently were assigned the most-dangerous jobs. Describes the labor policy of Great Britain in the 1920's and throughout the rest of the early 20th century. Wages are shown in French francs. See p. 193 of this. Since money wage rates of foreign countries have little meaning for economists in America, only the real wage rates are given.", Shows the average hourly and weekly wages of various occupations for both skilled and unskilled laborers. Source: U.S. BLS Bulletin #682, chapter 9: "Monthly earnings of professional engineers," pp. Study showed how much a family of five would need to live in Washington DC in 1920. This bibliography lists reports that show income, budgets, consumer expenditures, etc. Acquiring a sense of humor helped mask a workers dread of the mine, but joking was no substitute for learning how to be careful. The regions first coal miners primarily were African Americans, both enslaved and free. 8836. Read more Employment in coal mining industry in the United Kingdom (UK) 1920-2021 . Cabinets and cookware. Phone (573) 882-0748. 59-71. Coal mining is a dangerous job requiring skill and judgment. Wages for workers engaged in the manufacture of iron and steel goods, machinery, railway rolling stock, boilers, vehicles, aircraft, electrical apparatus, scientific instruments and more. Shows prices for articles of clothing sold in 35 retailer shops in twelve cities. Covers New York City, New Jersey towns, Fall River MA, Cleveland, Chicago, Dallas, San Francisco and Portland OR. As a rule he is paid so much per car, and a definite number of cars constitute a day's workthe number varying in different minesaveraging from five to seven, equaling from twelve to fifteen tons of coal. Shows average value per acre for all real estate with buildings, and the value of land alone, by county, for six states: MA, CT, RI , ME, VT and NH. Discusses doctor and hospital fees as well as related expenses such as home nursing care. 25-38. Meal time was cold, cramped, and wet. Photographer + writer. Source: BLS. by OCCUPATION Shows data for Washington DC, Los Angeles, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroitand otheradditional cities on pages5-9. Source: Missouri State Dept of Agriculture. The craftiness and deftness of the best colliers was most evident when they performed the riskiest task of all. 407. Some occupations covered include telephone operators, waitresses, hotel maids, chambermaids, elevator girls, laundry workers, retail clerks, and factory workers in the wood working industry. Article compares the cost of renting versus buying a home in 1928. Stealing another mans coal was considered a terrible crime. A thief could commit this offense easily, simply by removing one miners brass check from his coal car and replacing it with his own; but the miners often detected this kind of trickery and banded together to demand the thiefs termination.