1

Pony driver Bobby McNeil with pony and coal car
20th Century
Unknown

Credits:
Atlas Coal Mine Historical Society

2

A miner's personal equipment is his lifeline. That is true today, and it was true for the early miners. This equipment is his only connection to the outside world once he hits the blackness of the pit. The tools have changed little over the years: cap, lamp, brass tag, boots, pick, shovel, lunchpail, and water. What did an early miner in Drumheller carry into the black?

3

Teapot lamp and cloth cap
6 October 1921

Credits:
Atlas Coal Mine Historical Society

4

In the early days, caps were soft canvas. Their main function was to hold the lamp. Later on, hard hats became the norm. The most common lamp used in Drumheller was the carbide lamp. Most Drumheller Valley mines were "open flame." The methane gas that makes coal mines dangerous is naturally low in Drumheller, due to the local geology. This allowed miners to use open flame sources of light such as candles, oil lamps, or carbide lamps.

5

Oil lamp or teapot lamp

Credits:
Dinosaur Valley Heritage Society

6

Candle Holder

Credits:
Atlas Coal Mine Historical Society

7

Carbide cap lamp

Credits:
Atlas Coal Mine Historical Society

8

Carbide cap lamps with canister

Credits:
Atlas Coal Mine Historical Society

9

How to Light a Carbide Lamp with Bob Moffat
Summer 2006
East Coulee, Alberta

Credits:
Atlas Coal Mine Historical Society

10

MSA Bakelite Comfo Cap and carbide cap lamp belonged to John Hort
6 October 1921
East Coulee, Alberta

Credits:
Atlas Coal Mine Historical Society

11

Union carbide canister

Credits:
Atlas Coal Mine Historical Society

12

Carbide canister

Credits:
Atlas Coal Mine Historical Society

13

Harold Lincoln Thorley, motorman/mechanic, in the Midland Mine lamphouse. Wolf Safety lamps on wall.
Drumheller, Alberta

Credits:
Garry Crittall

14

Brass tags (sometimes called checks or chits) were carried for safety. Each tag had the miner's identification number on it. Each numbered check corresponded to a numbered nail on a large wooden board. If the miner did not return his check at the end of the day, a rescue team was sent in to find him. In the event of an emergency, the boss could look at the tag board and know who was still underground.