Since there were no washing facilities for the dust covered miners, the thick crust around the edge of the pasty served as a handle which could be thrown away once the tasty interior was devoured. The following reference is from the Mine Safety site listed above, but refers to a different area of the site which proves much more user-friendly for children. It's fun to go swimming on a hot day, but it is also important to use your head. Water temperature could be extremely cold and there could also be sharp rocks near the surface. Children and adults have drowned in accumulated water, fallen to their death from the top of a pit, or been fatally struck by falling rock when playing or exploring inside a pit.
Mines are interesting places, but they can be dangerous too.
There are over 800 underground mines in Michigan alone with more than 2300 shafts, or other openings to the surface and many open pits and quarries. Even though the mine sites may be inspected by the county mine inspector, some old mines are still unknown and unmarked and even when old mine sites are inspected, there is no guarantee that a new cave-in may not occur the next day. This site contains important words of advice to keep you safe. Whether you're interested in shovels, loaders, dozers, graders or trucks, Kumatsu has it all. This site has some great photographs of some interesting machinery.