Drifter drill

[4] Mark Twain, who worked unsuccessfully as a silver miner in the early 1860s before taking up journalism, described the process: "One of us held the iron drill in its place and another would strike with an eight-pound sledge--it was like driving nails on a large scale.

[6] Powered rock drills eventually replaced the manual use of a chisel to bore holes by the turn of the 20th century.

The dramatic differences between the hand steel and power drills was the basis for the legend of American folk hero John Henry, who according to folklore undertook a competition pitting his hand steel against a steam power drill, only to collapse dead when victorious.

[8] Steam drills found greater use in surface quarries than in underground mines, as there they could be much closer to the requisite boilers.

[9] All rock drills produce dust which is hazardous to inhale, causing widespread silicosis among ancient miners.

Modern rock drills flood the borehole with water to capture the dust and improve the air quality in the mine.

This tool is used in quarrying to produce a straight row of holes, such as for use with the plug and feather to split the stone along the given line.