Interviewer 00:00
Interviewing Mr. Cook and--in McRoberts on May 10th. And you were saying, it was 1932?
Cook 00:31
1932.
Interviewer 00:38
What was your--what was your first job? What did you do in the mine to start with?
Cook 00:46
Well, in that mine, at that particular place, that's in Alabama in Tuscaloosa.
We didn't know anything about shooting coal. We didn't know anything about cutting coal. You had to dig coal, and we dug it. Coal has got a mining seam in it, and we put that mining seam under that, and then we take it and cut it down and load it in a pan and pull it to them track[s]. See, they called it the track. You have a roadway that goes in the mine, and then you pull it to this track, that's where you're loading. And I come [came] here, and when I come [came] here and went to loading coal here, I loaded in number seven, in eleven east in number seven. And we loaded coal out, until we--they transferred me and then from number seven to number four, the number Four mine. I loaded coal there until--in '41 of---February of '41. I come [came] to McRoberts. And I loaded coal until February, and then I started breaking in '42, and I broke and run a cutting machine. And anything the boss told me to do, after I got on this break in, that's a company job. When you get on a company job, then you do what the boss tell[s] you to do, anything he told me to do. As long as it don't take my brother's job, if I'm in the mine now, and if he tells me to do something, if it don't take your job, I do that. And so, that's why it keeps me with a job at all times. I ain't [have not] got no one [anyone] on me, as long as he don't cut my pay, I'm there.Interviewer 02:55
Can you----tell us what--what--the kids have never been in mines. They probably
never will get the opportunity or chance. And first you--you loaded coal with a--with a shovel.Cook 03:15
--Shovel and a pick, you know. See, that's what you had was a shovel and a pick.
And then after you loaded this coal like that, then they had a push boy, as they called it. We didn't have no motormens (??) no track. I mean a muse (??) and things like that in these mines--is we call it a wagon mine. And we loaded this coal, and you'd push it out on a wood track. You pushed that out on a wood track, and then pushing it out on the wood track why, then that's what you would come up with. And so, when I come here, then they had these motormans (??) these motors and things like that. They had them here. And I had never seen nothing like this, this was---amazed to me to see this.Cook 03:15
Oh, let's stop for a moment, you've got some company.
Interviewer 04:11
You got your work as a brakeman, what did you do?
Cook 04:15
That's a--coupling cars. Maybe you ain't [have not] never seen a car that you
couple, that's coupling cars, you understand. It's got a link, and you take that link, and you drop that link and pick that pen and just let it come together and drop that pin in that--tie that car together. And so that's what you do for a brakeman. Now, a motorman, he gets up--of course, I has my papers for a motorman, but I don't guess we won't put that on now, I'll tell you about that. You'll remind me, when I'll tell you about reading, I don't like no motor. And we didn't---I never would run a motor, I could get around it, I wouldn't run a motor, but anything else you told me to do why, then I'll try to do it.Interviewer 05:08
How does a cutting machine work? Can you describe that?
Cook 05:11
A cutting machine? Well, it's got three levers on it, and you control, you know,
you start your machine---start your machine, and you got a label that you owns it up. You know, start your bits, and your tram and lever and all of them. It's got all of them. And the tram and lever like see, you wanted to go forward, you start it forwards and it'll go forward, so you can start, you know, pull it---push it up, and it'll come backwards. And you pull it down and it'd go forwards. That's the way your cutting machine go.Interviewer 05:52
Is it a very high machine, or is it?
Cook 05:54
Yes, it sits on wheels. And then we have some that sits on the ground. They sit
flat on the ground, and you can just--you have a cable that you push this cable, like you said, if you wanted to bring one in this house, you'd hook that cable and stick it up here in that top (??) and it'll come up to that cable. We called it--we don't call it a cable; we call it a (??). That's what you come up in here on. It'll come up that thing, it'd drag, it slides. You couldn't just say, come up in this---on this--up them, step with it, but it'll slide right on up there. That's where you bring it through there. Like say if you was going grocery and you want to go over there. You just taking--your buddy would carry your cable with--and you know what I mean. He'd come up to the end of your cable, and when he'd get up to the end of that, then you'd take him, knock it out of gear, and he'd pull it back out to the end of it. And then he'd take it and slide it, hook it up there again to top, slides right on over to that. Well, that's the way you carry them, and then some, it runs on track with some of them.Interviewer 06:59
How many ton[s] of coal a day would--would a miner get out?
Cook 07:06
Well, it's---depends on you couldn't hardly get up with that--of course, now it
depends on---you get all you can get. And if you can stand--of course, now, like I said, it rakes and you don't get your empty, send out the tram wreck, that can conflict with everybody. And then if the tram don't wreck, or if you wreck why, then you don't---all your men. Say, you got twelve and thirteen men, and that makes five and six cars per man, you understanding that? And so, when you had to give you five and six trips to a section or more, and that runs you around anywhere from eighteen to twenty ton, twenty tons or more. This depends on where you at--on this (??) here runs you around eighteen to twenty tons per man, if he can clean up. Now that's if you can clean up but then you have to--so many things happen to you that you don't clean up. And--but, since it's been so long, I can't hardly tell you that, because now, like I said, all this equipment now, they got a shuttle car and a joy. You go in there with a joy, and you cut--the machine cuts the coal, and the man goes in there and he shoots the coal. And when he shoot[s] the coal, and the next man goes in there then, and with the joy, and he cleans it up. And then the next man come along, then he come along and lay your track up, and they cut it again. But now they done, got down to now--where that they got miner, they got a miner. Now, from experienced of you---like you, is with that machine. Now I can watch you and I can work that machine. I don't say I can work it as good as you can, but I can watch you and I can work that machine. But now my regular job is, now--now is running a bolt machine.Interviewer 09:36
Running a bolt machine.
Cook 09:37
Boat machine.
Interviewer 09:38
Oh, for the ceiling bolt.
Cook 09:39
Yes, when you seal your top.
09:42
No one's really told us about how you run that kind of machine --- [tape cuts off].
Cook 09:47
You come along in a reasonable turn right now. You take it, she can run most of
that equipment. You take it in buggies. You're understanding? Shuttle car, there ain't [is] no[t] [a] buggy, it's a shuttle car. And then they got a scoop, and now it's a thing that you cleans up with, you understand that? That miner goes in there, he goes in there, and he cuts his coal. Them buggies hauls it out of there. And when they goes up, you don't go over twenty feet. At least you don't [are not] supposed to, I say, you don't go but twenty feet. Don't ask me how much more you go, I said, you don't go over twenty feet. And when you go there twenty feet, you go up this side here, twenty feet. That's five feet wide, because five feet wide goes up this side twenty feet. You go over that side over there, and you get five feet, at least two foot [feet] for a middle, center. But as you gets bouncing again, that hard coal, to keep that knocked down at all times, you understand me? And that makes you around twelve, fifteen feet wide. And you put those boats on a four-foot sentence, and five and a half and six feet wide, that's going to the face. That's why you put those bolts on---lessen you (??). You go in a place, the first thing you do, you check your top. First thing, you check your top, and then as you check your top, and if you find a drumming place in it. I me myself, I can go in there, and I can get there and take my hand, just my naked hand, [makes knocking sound]. Do you know what that is.Interviewer 10:25
No.
Cook 10:33
Listen again [makes knocking sound]
Cook 11:28
It sounds hollow.
Cook 11:53
That's right, that's hollow. Now you'd have to bring that bolt up. Now, you
understand me. You have to bring that bolt up when it sounds like that. That's what you call drumming, that's drumming. When you take that top like that of course, now, they requires you with a hammer. I don't take no chance on that hammer. I put my foot on it. [makes knocking sound] You understand me, I don't take no chance on that. I can go up there, used to get my glove,--pull my gloves off. [makes knocking sound]. I ain't [am not] scared of it. Now, if it was possible, I'd go up there and go sleep, if I put that on there. But now I won't take no chance on that hammer.Interviewer 12:42
How many--how many people were employed in that--are employed today, or were
employed when you were working in the mine?Cook 12:49
Well, I couldn't hardly tell you--of course I---you know what I mean. You don't
keep up with them, but now, if you go to a section, they had, oh, four---four sections, and let's see, and you got a mine a man, you got a miner helper, you got a timber man, you got a timber helper, and you got two boogie men and a scoop man and a (??) inside. So, how many did I say? That’s like about eight of them, don't it? And you take it now--them as regular workers. What I mean by regular workers, you---they got to have them to run the mine, as they called it. In other words, all sections got them eight mens [men] there. You understand me, excusing the foremen.Unknown 13:46
Did you have any women working in the mines when you were there.
Cook 13:50
Oh, yeah, it's just started here recently that womens [women are] in the mine.
But I think it's the lady right over there. She just--maybe you go into Dunham over there, it's Dunham, where you go down this hill, going into Jenkins over there. You may know where that at, but they got a lady that lives--and she don't, I don't know where she at now, but she lived up there. She used to work with me, and there ain't [is] no need of you saying--of course, you [are] saying you're a bolt. You come up there and you tell me---that you want--I mean, you tell her you want her down there. Now, he just might as well tell me, of course she ain't [is not] without I [me] telling her to go, and she won't go nowhere. As I said, you--I don't know who you is [are] and I don't mean no harm in it. But now right now, I take you and you would mind me better than these men be (??) right here.Unknown 14:47
Yeah, that's probably true.
Cook 14:50
That's right, yeah, you better cut that off, you don't want to hear that on
there. [laughter] but that's true, I mean, you understand me?Interviewer 14:59
You think that--that---you're saying you think that they'll be more and more
women in the mines working.Cook 15:04
Well, yes, it will be more women, but I'm still saying--this is the thing about
it. Women's will learn, of course, you take it now, if a woman can take her ease (??) from a man, she can learn how to run this equipment. Now, you understand me. Of course, you take it right now, the hardest thing you got in now is a boogie. Hardest thing you got in there now is a buggy, now you understand me? That's the hardest thing you got, and it's just like that thing right there. You see that thing there? I bet you right now, I've known that boogie better than I can that thing right there. You hear me? Now, that's just a weird thing. Yeah. Now that miner—you [are] sitting down just like you're sitting with me (??). Where that button is right there. If you want to go forwards, you push that button, reach over there, and get that lever and pull it down. Do it just like that. I don't know whether you got any children or not, but if you is [do], or you ain't [do not] got [have] a child, bet they can run that thing.Interviewer 16:24
This is, this is interesting. We've said that it takes more and more skill, and
in a way, it does, but it seems like it's, it's, it's a type of skill that can---fairly easily be learned.Cook 16:36
Well, that's why I say you have to learn--and a woman or a woman into doing. You
won't never find a woman wanting to obey (??) a man. Anytime, anywhere, she'll obey a man. If she really saying she'll obey a man, now you understand me? You can take one of the exact girl[s] in there. That big girl that come in the door behind you, take her--I can take her in there, you could take her in there. Now, you understand me. Put on their mind, sit there, and show her where them things, that it's got the name on it. What does it do, on that button? You let them push that button, that button there. It's like, I'm talking in that thing. I'm reading this way; I'm talking it in there. You push that right down; you ask them what it'll do. It's just like my voice going in that thing, that now, you understanding me? And then you take it, they push this one right over here, it'll do that same thing. Whatever he'd say, it'll do, it'll do that. One of them button--if you push one of them button, if he'd say he'll go up that wall. If he said he'll (??) he'll go right up that wall. As long as the hose don't bust, it'll go up that wall. Again, and as long as the holes on bus (??), it'll do just what it said. You've got that lever right there, you just wake (??) that lever. That's how come, I said, and things don't make a better change, the women's gonna take the mine. The women's out of a job (??). Of course, the equipment they got now, they say for one thing about it, if something break down, if some of that equipment is too heavy for a woman, now you understand me? And then they got a machine in there they called the scoop. And you understanding that? Him and (??) picked that mine up. You understanding now? They'd go there and run that scoop up under that thing. I had scooper on that thing there. One of them cut her head, so when them things, take a fake---just take and run that scoop up on that pick that cutter head up and carry it on to the mine. You can turn it around and put it in there. That's the way things is going these days.Interviewer 19:01
How many---what's normal hours in the mine did you work? What time did you go
and what time do you finish up?Interviewer 19:09
Well--there works three shifts, eight hours a day.
Interviewer 19:16
Always eight hours from the time you started, or did it change?
Interviewer 19:19
Okay.
Cook 19:19
No--no, it's eight hours. You understand me, don't get me wrong now. If you go
in there and the man, tell you he want you to stay in there, that's something else. But I say, I'm trying to give you an answer to what you said.Cook 19:20
eight hours, you understand me?
Interviewer 19:24
Yes.
Cook 19:38
That's from the drift (??) mouth, that whistle blew at eight. It blowed [blew]
at night at 12 o'clock. One minute after 12, that whistle will blow. And when that whistle blowed [blew], then you load up, you understand me? Then you go in the mine, and when that whistle blow, at eight o'clock in the morning, if you ain't [are not] right there, they gonna have you--- (??) gonna have you there. Of course, now it goes into time and a half after ten minutes, and you've got ten minutes to be back out there.Interviewer 20:14
and you were always part of the UMW [United Mine Workers] then. You're a member
of the mining union.Cook 20:20
Yes, yes. All this--they got one mine over here, southeast, I guess you hear
them talking about that. That's going out on the other side of Rockhouse, between the Rockhouse and Deane down there, and they got a mine in there, it's southeast. And they got one over yonder on the mountain where that big mine explosion was over there, they got one over there. Now, you understanding me? They got several of these little mines, but I'm talking about mines, where they got two or three miles of mines, but now they got these little wagon mines. As we called them wagon mines, there ain't [is no] no wagon mine. Of course, there ain't [are] no[t] [any] wagon[s] there.Cook 21:06
What do you mean they have, what are you referring?
Cook 21:11
Talking ignorant to you, you understand? [laughter]
21:14
Yeah, I just--I wasn't understanding the (??) mines? [laughs]
Cook 21:19
Yeah. But no, like I said, now they got to this, this mine here, they putting
[put] four foot and five foot bolts in there. And that mine over there where I was working at, out you're putting thirty-six-inch bolts in there. And sometimes they put in eighteens, but usually---they put some four-foot bolts in there--I mean, a three-foot bolt.Interviewer 21:55
Does everyone in--in McRoberts here work for mines, or a lot of people are
retired, like yourself or?Cook 22:03
Well, this way (??), several of us here are retired. That second house up there
is not retired. This house right here, over these houses, this next one here and there's another one on this side, they's [they are] not retired. And now, that next house down there, they's [they are] retired. Next house down there, he's retired. Hmm, well, there's some that is --working for the state and things like that. Southeast got one man down there, but that's all he got in here.Unknown 22:46
Does the company still own the housing, or do most people own their own homes now?
Cook 22:47
No new--the company don't own anything now, nothing but the mineral rights. You
have to buy--if you get a home now, you buy. And like I say now, myself, if I was to maybe get old and the children would take me away men (??) and you rent or sell. That's what they're doing, all this--but the companies--the companies don't own any property.Interviewer 23:25
When did they start selling it out to them?
Cook 23:27
That's '48, I believe, you know, '49--'48 or '49, they started to [out] selling,
and they sold all the houses out.Unknown 23:39
How old were you when you started mining?
Cook 23:43
Twenty--I was twenty--I was going on twenty-two, when I started in the mines.
Unknown 23:49
Did you ever want to be anything other than a miner? Do you--did you like
working in mines?Cook 23:55
Well, back at '32 why, you just work with what you could get. You understanding
me? Now, I worked in the mine--when I started in the mine, they'd work in the mine in the wintertime. You understanding now? And then the first to--along--by the middle of March, the mine is over.Interviewer 24:23
Didn't mine in the summertime?
Cook 24:25
No, no.
Interviewer 24:26
It's that seasonal type mining, the old type, what it is.
Cook 24:29
Yes, you take it to--in Alabama now, they got some big mines down there. The
bottom seam, but if you worked in the top seam up there, they just sold coal to the--home, you understanding me? And when I first started to mine, I used to haul cool in the daytime, and you understanding? Work in the mine at night, and what I'm working in the mine from-- working in the mine for learning. I ain’t [am not] working in the mine for a job, I'm working in the mine for learning. I have my peoples is up in here, and they [are] asking, like they used to this day, they ain't [are not] with it. They [are] asking for it until this date. You learn and you can get a job, you understand me? But now, you take it like say, now you all—you’ll all have a hard time unless somebody vouch for you hard, you understand?Interviewer 25:30
Right.
Cook 25:31
But now, if you got your mind in learning, you understand me? If somebody
recommend you, you can be about--near about get a job. Of course, it's--they fool you understand me. They got a certain time, but they fool--they fool men. But I'm still saying it's just like going to school. If you go to school and you want a job beyond the big school, I mean--you won't go to the big school. You can't go to that big school you go--you listen here. That's the new school, you understanding me? You got to come up to it. That's the way thing going, tell them that day up until this one, you've got to come up to this learning. If you got your learning, you can [could] get something. But now you take it--like I said, we had to learn all this and all this here learning and things like that. Of course, they got something going now that I never had heard of.Interviewer 26:28
What's that?
Cook 26:29
You've got to learn now, they let you go for you--. [tape cuts off]
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