Thank god those days are over.
:eek::eek:
[QUOTE=Another Poster;8126721]
:eek::eek:[/QUOTE]
This.
^^^
ditto!!
WOW!
At a mine local to me, Empire Mine (a hard rock gold mine), they used mules. They have some interesting signage with similar photos. Once the mules went down, they never came back up. It does say that the miners would share lunch with them, including apples and tobacco! One mule lived to be 30-years-old. That just makes me so sad, all those years in the dark.
Horrific picture. And sad about the mules that never came up into the light again.
In Britain, the regulations regarding care and management of the “pit ponies” were very clear and enforced- feeding, farrier work, vet care, holidays “on top” etc. They were probably treated better than the miners!
And of course, ponies began to be used in the mines mainly after child labour was banned- ponies cost more than paying kids and women. Look at the awful pictures of women and children hauling tubs in coal mines in the early 19th century.
Horrible!!!
If you visit the page, you can see a number of other pictures that show the horses and ponies in good weight & health, with roomy stabling areas. I don’t know the history of the mines well enough to be certain, but I believe that in most mines they did come back up.
https://www.facebook.com/558640580939299/photos/a.558657477604276.1073741826.558640580939299/596344327168924/?type=1&theater
Interesting how carefully the horse was packaged.
I completely adore that photo of the miner sharing his food with the horse. What a sweet photo.
As much as we may be “horrified” with our modern sensibilities, our current civilization is built on the backs of those who had to go through this and far worse. Humans, dogs, and horses alike.
I think that most were treated better than we think but that it was still a sad state.
