Description: This photograph depicts a mold conveyor made by the Jeffrey Manufacturing Company of Columbus, Ohio, in use at the Pennsylvania Railroad Factory of Altoona, Pennsylvania, in 1931. The Jeffrey Manufacturing Company, also known as the Jeffrey Mining Corporate Center, was established in 1876 as the Lechner Mining Machine Company in Columbus, Ohio, by Joseph Jeffrey and Francis Lechner. The company was the number one manufacturer of coal mining machinery worldwide until the mid-twentieth century. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL01534
Subjects: Conveying machinery; Coal mines and mining--United States; Inventions; Coal-mining machinery; Manufacturing industries--Ohio; Inventors -- Ohio; Ohio Economy--Economy--Labor
Places: Altoona (Pennsylvania); Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: This photograph depicts an eight-man work crew, including two young boys, posing with their two horses. The men are likely miners, judging by their tools which include pickaxes and shovels. This photograph was taken by traveling photographer Albert J. Ewing, ca. 1896-1912. Like most of Ewing's work, it was likely taken in southeastern Ohio or central West Virginia. Born in 1870 in Washington County, Ohio, near Marietta, Ewing most likely began his photography career in the 1890s. The 1910 US Census and a 1912-1913 directory list him as a photographer. A negative signed “Ewing Brothers” and a picture with his younger brother, Frank, indicate that Frank may have joined the business. After 1916, directories list Albert as a salesman. He died in 1934. The Ewing Collection consists of 5,055 glass plate negatives, each individually housed and numbered. Additionally, the collection includes approximately 450 modern contact prints made from the glass plate negatives. Subjects include infants and young children, elderly people, families, school and religious groups, animals and rural scenes. In 1982, the Ohio Historical Society received the collection, still housed in the original dry plate negative boxes purchased by Albert J. Ewing. A selection of the original glass plate negatives were exhibited for the first time in 2013 at the Ohio Historical Center. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06365
Subjects: Ewing, Albert J. (1870-1934); Children--Employment; Portrait photography--United States--History; Horses; Coal mines and mining--Appalachian Region--History; Laborers
Places: Ohio; West Virginia
 

Description: This photograph depicts portable elevator built by the Jeffrey Manufacturing Company of Columbus, Ohio. The elevator raised sand and gravel to the top of the machine where it was dumped onto vibrating screens that separated sand from gravel and loaded it on to horse-drawn wagons. The Jeffrey Manufacturing Company, also known as the Jeffrey Mining Corporate Center, was established in 1876 as the Lechner Mining Machine Company in Columbus, Ohio by Joseph Jeffrey and Francis Lechner. The company was the number one manufacturer of coal mining machinery worldwide until the mid-twentieth century. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL01644
Subjects: Conveying machinery; Coal mining; Coal mines and mining--Ohio; Coal mines and mining--United States; Inventions; Coal-mining machinery; Manufacturing industries--Ohio; Inventors--Ohio; Ohio Economy--Economy--Labor
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)
 

Description: Reverse reads: "Mine fire, New Straitsville, Ohio. Hazelton Hill between Shawnee and New Straitsville. Perry County." This photograph shows smoke wafting from the New Straitsville Mine Fire in Perry County. The mine fires are said to have started November 13, 1884, when striking miners pushed burning cars into a mine, during a strike over wages between the New Straitsville Mining Company's management and mine workers. A small group of union members decided to sabotage the mines. Cars filled with oil-soaked timber were set on fire and were pushed into a mine owned by the New Straitsville Mining Company. The fire quickly spread to the coal seam underground. Reportedly, the coal seam was fourteen feet across and extended an undetermined distance into the Earth. It took several days for the fire to be discovered. By that point, it was too late to stop the fire's spread. As a result of the fire, the mine closed. The New Straitsville mine fire has raged ever since 1884. In 1936, the WPA began work to stop the spread of the fire by building barriers across burning veins of coal. In 1938, nearly 350 men were employed on the project. Under the direction of James R. Cavanaugh, a veteran mine fire fighter, tunnels were driven through veins in the path of the fire, and were filled with a clay-water mixture or similar non-burning material. The mine fires effected coal deposits in Hocking and Perry Counties in southeastern Ohio. It was estimated that by 1938 the coal destroyed, more than two hundred square miles, was worth fifty million dollars. In 2003, smoke began to emerge from the soil of the Wayne National Forest, 119 years after the fire began. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B07F12_028_1
Subjects: New Straitsville (Ohio)--Photographs; Coal mines and mining; United States. Works Progress Administration (U.S.)
Places: New Straitsville (Ohio); Perry County (Ohio)
 

Description: Reverse reads: "These three homes on Plummer Hill are being undermined by the 54-year-old New Straitsville Mine Fire. The barrier built by the WPA wokers runs under the road in the foreground. The house at the left is occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Willard Andrews and their son, Clyde. The middle house was recently vacated by Mrs. Elizabeth Green when poisonous gases from the fire threatened her life. The house at the right is occupied by Mr. and Mrs. David Rush and their son and daughter-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Rush. This scene is about one mile southwest of New Straitsville." The mine fires are said to have started November 13, 1884, when striking miners pushed burning cars into a mine, during a strike over wages between the New Straitsville Mining Company's management and mine workers. A small group of union members decided to sabotage the mines. Cars filled with oil-soaked timber were set on fire and were pushed into a mine owned by the New Straitsville Mining Company. The fire quickly spread to the coal seam underground. Reportedly, the coal seam was fourteen feet across and extended an undetermined distance into the Earth. It took several days for the fire to be discovered. By that point, it was too late to stop the fire's spread. As a result of the fire, the mine closed. The New Straitsville mine fire has raged ever since 1884. In 1936, the WPA began work to stop the spread of the fire by building barriers across burning veins of coal. In 1938, nearly 350 men were employed on the project, which then was estimated to cost less than $1, 000, 000. Under the direction of James R. Cavanaugh, a veteran mine fire fighter, tunnels were driven through veins in the path of the fire, and were filled with a clay-water mixture or similar non-burning material. The mine fire effected coal deposits in Hocking and Perry Counties in southeastern Ohio. It was estimated that by 1938 the coal destroyed, more than two hundred square miles, was worth fifty million dollars. In 2003, smoke began to emerge from the soil of the Wayne National Forest, 119 years after the fire began. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B07F12_029_1
Subjects: New Straitsville (Ohio)--Photographs; Mine fires--Ohio; Coal mines and mining--Ohio; United States. Works Progress Administration
Places: New Straitsville (Ohio); Perry County (Ohio)
 

Description: A group photograph of men and boys. They all have digging implements, giving the impression they may be miners. This photograph was taken by traveling photographer Albert J. Ewing, ca. 1896-1912. Like most of Ewing's work, it was likely taken in southeastern Ohio or central West Virginia. Born in 1870 in Washington County, Ohio, near Marietta, Ewing most likely began his photography career in the 1890s. The 1910 US Census and a 1912-1913 directory list him as a photographer. A negative signed “Ewing Brothers” and a picture with his younger brother, Frank, indicate that Frank may have joined the business. After 1916, directories list Albert as a salesman. He died in 1934. The Ewing Collection consists of 5,055 glass plate negatives, each individually housed and numbered. Additionally, the collection includes approximately 450 modern contact prints made from the glass plate negatives. Subjects include infants and young children, elderly people, families, school and religious groups, animals and rural scenes. In 1982, the Ohio Historical Society received the collection, still housed in the original dry plate negative boxes purchased by Albert J. Ewing. A selection of the original glass plate negatives were exhibited for the first time in 2013 at the Ohio Historical Center. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AV71_b05_f299
Subjects: Ewing, Albert J. (1870-1934); Portrait photography--United States--History; Laborers; Coal mines and mining--Appalachian Region--History
Places: Ohio; West Virginia
 

Description: This line of molding machine hoppers operating at Forest City Foundries in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1955, was produced by the Jeffrey Manufacturing Company of Columbus, Ohio. The overhead hoppers were filled with sand which was released by opening a clam shell valve. The sand was poured into a mold used to cast metal machine parts and recycled to make many other castings. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL00983
Subjects: Coal mining; Coal mines and mining--Ohio; Coal mines and mining--United States; Inventions; Coal-mining machinery; Manufacturing industries--Ohio; Inventors--Ohio; Ohio Economy--Economy--Labor
Places: Cleveland (Ohio)
 

Description: A photograph of an employee of the Jeffrey Manufacturing Company in Columbus, Ohio, posing beside a mine ventilation fan manufactured by the company. The Jeffrey Manufacturing Company, also known as the Jeffrey Mining Corporate Center, was established in 1876 as the Lechner Mining Machine Company in Columbus, Ohio by Joseph Jeffrey and Francis Lechner. The company was the number one manufacturer of coal mining machinery worldwide until the mid-twentieth century. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL00927
Subjects: Mining machinery; Coal mining; Coal mines and mining--Ohio; Coal mines and mining--United States; Inventions; Coal-mining machinery; Manufacturing industries--Ohio; Inventors--Ohio; Ohio Economy--Economy--Labor
Places: Columbus (Ohio)
 

Description: Reverse reads: "Dangerous gases threaten, water steams in the cistern, vegetables roast in the garden, huge craters suddenly appear, smoke billows over their head --- but life goes on for the Rush family living on top the New Straitville Mine Fire in the Plummer Hill area. Mrs. Kenneth Rush is shown here about her daily task of feeding the chickens. The smoke can be seen in the background. Her husband and his parents, Mr. and Mrs. David Rush also live there. They have had to flee from home several times when the "black damp" gas became unusually bad but they've always come back. Mr. and Mrs. David Rush have lived there for 22 years. Up to a few years ago, they had a flourishing garden and a few acres of corn, but they have been destroyed by the fire." The New Straitsville mine fires are believed to have started November 13, 1884, when striking miners pushed burning cars into a mine during a strike over wages between the New Straitsville Mining Company management and mine workers. A small group of union members decided to sabotage the mines. Cars filled with oil-soaked timber were set on fire and pushed into a mine owned by the New Straitsville Mining Company. The fire quickly spread to the coal seam underground. Reportedly, the coal seam was fourteen feet across and extended an undetermined distance into the Earth. It took several days for the fire to be discovered, and by that point, it was too late to stop the fire's spread. As a result of the fire, the mine closed. The New Straitsville mine fire has raged ever since 1884. In 1936, the WPA began work to stop the spread of the fire by building barriers across burning veins of coal. In 1938, nearly 350 men were employed on the project, which then was estimated to cost less than $1,000,000. Under the direction of James R. Cavanaugh, a veteran mine fire fighter, tunnels were driven through veins in the path of the fire, and were filled with a clay-water mixture or similar non-burning material. The mines fires affected coal deposits in Hocking and Perry Counties in southeastern Ohio. It was estimated that by 1938, the coal destroyed (more than two hundred square miles) was worth fifty million dollars. In 2003, smoke began to emerge from the soil of the Wayne National Forest, 119 years after the fire began. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B10F07_018_001
Subjects: Mine fires--Ohio; New Straitsville (Ohio)--Photographs; Coal mines and mining; United States. Works Progress Administration
Places: Ohio
 

Description: Photograph of a man, possible Works Progress Administration (WPA) employee, standing by and reading the "Caution Mine Fire" sign on the side of the road. This photo is from the small collection 5676, coal mine fire, New Straitsville, Ohio. Photographs from the small collection 5676 document smoke rising from the underground fires, men who were possibly employees of the WPA working to stop the spread of the fire, a map of the territory affected by the mine fires and a street scene in New Straitsville, Ohio. The photos were taken March 7 and 8, 1938 by Walter E. Burton. The mine fires are said to have started November 13, 1884, when striking miners pushed burning cars into a mine, during a strike over wages between the New Straitsville Mining Company's management and mine workers. A small group of union members decided to sabotage the mines. Cars filled with oil-soaked timber were set on fire and were pushed into a mine owned by the New Straitsville Mining Company. The fire quickly spread to the coal seam underground. Reportedly, the coal seam was fourteen feet across and extended an undetermined distance into the Earth. It took several days for the fire to be discovered. By that point, it was too late to stop the fire's spread. As a result of the fire, the mine closed. The New Straitsville mine fire has raged ever since 1884. In 1936, the WPA began work to stop the spread of the fire by building barriers across burning veins of coal. In 1938, nearly 350 men were employed on the project, which then was estimated to cost less than $1,000,000. Under the direction of James R. Cavanaugh, a veteran mine fire fighter, tunnels were driven through veins in the path of the fire, and were filled with a clay-water mixture or similar non-burning material. The mines fires affected coal deposits in Hocking and Perry Counties in southeastern Ohio. It was estimated that by 1938 the coal destroyed, more than two hundred square miles, was worth fifty million dollars. In 2003, smoke began to emerge from the soil of the Wayne National Forest, 119 years after the fire began. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: sc5676_01
Subjects: New Straitsville (Ohio)--Photographs; Coal mines and mining; United States. Works Progress Administration
Places: New Straitsville (Ohio); Perry County (Ohio)
 

Description: Photograph of a man, possible Works Progress Administration (WPA) employee, viewing the smoke rising from the underground from a distance. This photo is from the small collection 5676, coal mine fire, New Straitsville, Ohio. Photographs from the small collection 5676 document smoke rising from the underground fires, men who were possibly employees of the WPA working to stop the spread of the fire, a map of the territory affected by the mine fires and a street scene in New Straitsville, Ohio. The photos were taken March 7 and 8, 1938 by Walter E. Burton. The mine fires are said to have started November 13, 1884, when striking miners pushed burning cars into a mine, during a strike over wages between the New Straitsville Mining Company's management and mine workers. A small group of union members decided to sabotage the mines. Cars filled with oil-soaked timber were set on fire and were pushed into a mine owned by the New Straitsville Mining Company. The fire quickly spread to the coal seam underground. Reportedly, the coal seam was fourteen feet across and extended an undetermined distance into the Earth. It took several days for the fire to be discovered. By that point, it was too late to stop the fire's spread. As a result of the fire, the mine closed. The New Straitsville mine fire has raged ever since 1884. In 1936, the WPA began work to stop the spread of the fire by building barriers across burning veins of coal. In 1938, nearly 350 men were employed on the project, which then was estimated to cost less than $1,000,000. Under the direction of James R. Cavanaugh, a veteran mine fire fighter, tunnels were driven through veins in the path of the fire, and were filled with a clay-water mixture or similar non-burning material. The mines fires affected coal deposits in Hocking and Perry Counties in southeastern Ohio. It was estimated that by 1938 the coal destroyed, more than two hundred square miles, was worth fifty million dollars. In 2003, smoke began to emerge from the soil of the Wayne National Forest, 119 years after the fire began. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: sc5676_02
Subjects: New Straitsville (Ohio)--Photographs; Coal mines and mining; United States. Works Progress Administration
Places: New Straitsville (Ohio); Perry County (Ohio)
 

Description: Photograph of a man, possible a Works Progress Administration (WPA) employee, standing near smoke rising from underground. This photo is from SC 5676. Photographs from this small picture collection document smoke rising from the underground fires, men who were possibly employees of the WPA working to stop the spread of the fire, a map of the territory affected by the mine fires and a street scene in New Straitsville, Ohio. The photos were taken March 7 and 8, 1938, by Walter E. Burton. The New Straitsville mine fires are believed to have started November 13, 1884, when striking miners pushed burning cars into a mine during a strike over wages between the New Straitsville Mining Company management and mine workers. A small group of union members decided to sabotage the mines. Cars filled with oil-soaked timber were set on fire and pushed into a mine owned by the New Straitsville Mining Company. The fire quickly spread to the coal seam underground. Reportedly, the coal seam was fourteen feet across and extended an undetermined distance into the Earth. It took several days for the fire to be discovered, and by that point, it was too late to stop the fire's spread. As a result of the fire, the mine closed. The New Straitsville mine fire has raged ever since 1884. In 1936, the WPA began work to stop the spread of the fire by building barriers across burning veins of coal. In 1938, nearly 350 men were employed on the project, which then was estimated to cost less than $1,000,000. Under the direction of James R. Cavanaugh, a veteran mine fire fighter, tunnels were driven through veins in the path of the fire, and were filled with a clay-water mixture or similar non-burning material. The mines fires affected coal deposits in Hocking and Perry Counties in southeastern Ohio. It was estimated that by 1938, the coal destroyed (more than two hundred square miles) was worth fifty million dollars. In 2003, smoke began to emerge from the soil of the Wayne National Forest, 119 years after the fire began. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: sc5676_03
Subjects: New Straitsville (Ohio)--Photographs; Coal mines and mining; United States. Works Progress Administration
Places: New Straitsville (Ohio); Perry County (Ohio)