Two Miners Holding Shovel and Lunch Buckets

This photo taken in either the late 1920s or early 1930s shows two McIntyre miners holding their lunch pails while one also holds a shovel. Before mechanization, this was an important tool in the mines.

Although they are smiling for the camera, mining was an arduous and dangerous occupation. A State Workmen's Compensation Board, created through legislation passed in 1915, enabled miners to collect insurance compensation from their employer.  From its creation and implementation through 1921, in Indiana County alone $60,970 was paid for the loss of 40 eyes, $13,092 was paid for the loss of 6 arms, $35,499 was paid for the loss of 20 hands, $6,450 was paid for the loss of 3 legs, and $18,766 was paid for the loss of 11 feet. For 3,024 cases of disability a total of $186,353 was paid. During this same 6 year period, 222 miners died in Indiana County coal mines. Each family was compensated an average of $2844.18 for a single miner's death.