Bootleg mining

They were frequently dug by coal miners off official tunnels in order to procure additional, free coal for themselves, a practice that causes additional ramifications when fighting mine fires.

The practice has died away in the United States; an American with simple equipment cannot dig enough coal in a day to reach a living wage.

Shortly before the Great Depression, Pennsylvania's anthracite industry collapsed, shutting down collieries and throwing tens of thousands of miners out of work.

[3] Bootleg mines were most frequently created in Upper Silesia during the economic crisis of 1929–1933, and were often the only source of income for entire families.

Due to the non-compliance with health and safety regulations and work performed by unqualified people, it is a very dangerous activity resulting in numerous accidents, including fatalities.

A bootleg mine shaft near Ashland, Pennsylvania . Here, one man would get into the cart and two other men would crank him down into the shaft. The man in the shaft would fill up the cart with coal and the two men at the top of the shaft would pull the cart up.