my grandpa did it for 15 years or more back in the 30s and 40s. my mom once told me that he used to blast just cuz it paid over 100 bucks a week! Miners nowadays get well over $1000/week in most mines.
Did your grandpa deal with the breathing issues? Just wondering, I've seen so much on this on the television. $1000/week isn't enough for that hazardous of a job, in my opinion. Its truely sad to think of what they go through when this happens, let alone the family waiting to find out if they are alive or not.
Actually, he did. I'm not certain if "Black Lung" was the reason for his emphysema, or if it was the years and years of smoking Lucky Strikes. Either way, it wasn't healthy for him and as a result my only memories of him are how he would just sit in his recliner because he would get too short of breath just walking to the bathroom. I also vividly remember him getting his breathing treatments from this bizarre machine in his and grandma's bedroom. I was only 9 years old when he died just about 23 years ago to the day.
Yeah, probably a combination of both. My grandpa died when I was 7 or so of emphysema, but his was strictly from smoking. I have the same memories of him as you have of yours. I just always felt that the miners had it much worse than grandpa probably did though.
I have a bother in law that worked in the coal mines for 30 years. He retired at a decent age, but as soon as he started enjoying retirement all those years in the mine caught up with him. He has all kinds of health problems now. He's only like 63 now, and he can't hardly get around.
