Coal Mining: Hard Work and Low Pay

By Dale Welch

Coal mines in the Crawford, Davidson, Twinton and Wilder areas of Overton and Fentress Counties, in the late 1920’s and early 1930’s were filled with men and boys from nine-years old to old men. It would make an old man out of you if it didn’t kill you first. Safety? They had a state safety inspector, but bought out by the companies, things were let go, miners said.

   Just before the 1932 mining strikes, miners were paid mostly in script. Script was mostly paper money issued by the mining company and could only be spent in company stores. If miners needed groceries, feed for their livestock, shoes for their children, they’d have to go to the office and tell them they wanted a dollar or two or so in script. Miners better not ask for more than they had, or they’d be refused. Even if they were paid, the company would have to take out their fees on everything from rent in a company house, electric bill from the company power plant, medical charges from the company doctor and funeral expenses.

   Many miners never had any real money. They were just paid script. When the strike happened in 1932, miners pay had already been cut three times by 20-percent, in just a few weeks. They were only making 1917 wages of $3.20 per day if they met their quota. That was a result of a 1924 strike. The company shut down and would not open back up until they got their way. To go back to work, miners had to sign a “yellow dog” contract, stating that they would no unionize again. The company’s reasoning for such a pay cut was that the economic depression was cutting into their profits.

   Even when miners got groceries, they’d have to get them home. Not many had cars. Most people walked the railroad because the roads were muddy and rutted to even walk in. One miner’s family recalled that their father, after working all day, would carry a 50 lbs. bag of feed on his back from the company store at Wilder (Fentress County) 15 miles back to his Cliff Springs (Overton County) home. 

   After all the long and hard hours, it was true what the old Country songs said: “another day older and deeper in debt. I owe my soul to the company store.”