Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1895-09-02
FOUR FEMALE MINERS.
WOMEN HELP TO MINE COAL IN
THE MAHANOY VALLEY.
Katie, Mary, Annie and Lizzie Mans As
sist Their Father to Operate Little
Colliery in SchuyIkilI-They Have Full
Charge and Work Like Men.

| y
sist Their Father to Operate Little
Colliery in schuylkilI-They Have Full
Charge and Work Like Men.
The Associated Press correspondent
at Shamoltin has sent out an Interesting
report of coliery whore the principal
work is done by women. This unusual
spectacle of American girls assisting in
the mining and preparation of anthra-
cite coal can be seen in the Mahanov
valley, a few miles southwest of Sh IN D
kin, where four young women find daily
employment and perform the work as
signed them in such manner as would
cause many of their expert mine brethren
to look upon their strength and expert
ness with envy. Joseph Mans, the owner
and operator of the mine, does not hesi-
tate to pronounce them the best and
| most satisfactory employees he has ever
| had, and even the much maligned mine
| mule understands that these girls are
not to be trilled with, even though they
have not adopted boomers or any of the
fads of the new woman.
These girl mine workers are Katie.
Mary, Lizzie and Annie Mans, aged res
pectively, 20, 10, IS, and 16 years.
They are daughters of the mine owner,
and are magnificent specimens of woman
hood, as they are straight as arrows, six
feet in height, and each tips the scale in
the neighborhood of 200 pounds. Tight
lacing is unknown to them, but their
figures are attractive, and they have
never known days sickness. They
work hard six days every week, but seem
contented with their lot as do also their
seven younger brothers and sisters who
range in age from to IL years.
Katie, the oldest of the sisters, is
known as chcif engineer or outside fore
man of the mine, and is fully capable of
performing the duties that thus fall to
her lot. She directs and assists in the
breaking and preparation of the coal |
while Mary drives the mule that hoists |
the coal from the slope by means of an
old-fashioned gin. Annie is also an ex-
pert mechanic in her way and runs the |
pump that keeps the mine free of water.
as well as the steam engine that operates
the breaker machinery. Lizzie acts as
breaker boss and assists her little |
brothers and sisters to pick the slate and |
rock from the coal as it passes down the |
Schutes to the storage pockets. When |
working at the mine the girls are attir-
ed in petticoats and skirts that do not
reach their ankles by several inches,
and their feet are encased in stout
brogans.
This primitive collicry that is operated
largely by female labor, is located on
the southern side of the mountain that !
marks the extremity of the Shamokn
coal basin and is owned and has been
operated by Joseph Mans, an industrious
native OF Germany, during the past |
twelve years. He cannot speak too
highly of the valuable services his four
daughters have rendered in the working
OF his mine, and says that he would
have been compelled to 90 out of the
business several years ago had it not
been that they stood by him. Conse-
1ucntly he and his wife have gotten
over the disappointment that they felt
when their first four children proved
girls instead of boys. OF the seven
children born since these girls, four are
boys, so that Mr.. Mans will soon have
four young miners to help him cut duskv
diamonds in the bowels of the earth.
While he and his athletic daughters are
working the mine, his wife runs their
farm, which according to his story is the
better paying investment of the two.
The product of their mine finds ready
sale among the farmers of the Mahanoy
and Mahantongo valleys.
The only other instance known of
women working in or about coal mine
in the lower anthracite region, occurred
eight years ago, when Mrs. Daniel Gras-
sens attired herself in mems clothing
and found employment as an inside
loader at the Gimlet colIiery. She work
ed on the same shift as her husband and
her sex was not discovered for "A period
OF two months. Then the boss admitted
that she did mans work well, but he
discharged her because she was a
woman. She and her husband are now
tillers of the soil in the
valley.
There is more catarrh in this section
OF the country than all other diseases
put together, and until the last few