A story of a little-known position in the anthracite coal mines, often held by a young man in the middle to late teens, A brief, illustrated history of the “coal mine runner” was given as part of “Pennsylvania Profiles,” a weekly series produced for the Sunbury Daily Item, with the above number published on November 14, 1987.
Panel 1 -In the old anthracite mines, the coal cars were pulled up inclines by mule teams, when the cars reached the top of a grade…
Panel 2 – …the team was unhitched “on the fly” (without stopping) and turned quickly into a crosscut so the cars could roll downhill on their own momentum.
Panel 3 – Controlling the downhill speed of these cars was one of the most dangerous jobs in the mine. it was performed by a small, agile teenager called “The Runner.” As the cars rolled by him, the runner shoved a “sprag”, or piece of wood, into each wheel to slow it down. If he missed too many wheels, the cars could run out of control and crash.
Panel 4 – Often the runner had to chase after the last car, dodging low ceilings, jumping over debris, and splashing through water, as he tried to throw a sprag into a wheel.
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An explanation of the series “Pennsylvania Profiles” appeared in the Sunbury Daily Item, May 10 1985:
For the stories behind… forgotten but fascinating facts, you’ll want to read “Pennsylvania Profiles,” a weekly feature with vivid illustrations… in this newspaper…. Pennsylvania Profiles delves into the nooks and crannies of the Keystone State’s hectic heritage. [It] is researched, written and illustrated by Patrick M. Reynolds of Willow Street, a town in southern Lancaster County. He is a graduate of Pratt institute, Brooklyn, New York, and Syracuse University, New York. His features are available in books. Reynolds is a Vietnam War veteran and an Army reserve Infantry officer.
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Obtained through Newspapers.com.
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