Bootleg mining
From Free net encyclopedia
Bootleg mining is illegal coal mining. The term originated around the 1920s, though the practice probably predates that. Generally, a bootleg mine (sometimes called a Bootleg Pit) is a small mine dug by a handful of men. They were frequently dug by coal miners off official tunnels in order to procure additional, free coal for themselves. Sometimes small pits are hidden under houses or outbuildings. Usually, the mine is not large enough to turn around in.
The practice has died away in the United States; an American with simple equipment cannot dig enough coal in a day to reach a U.S. standard of living. Bootleg mines in China are very common, as are the fatalities resulting from unregulated mining.
The pits are known for being unsafe, and often causing collapse. Bootleg mines cause additional ramifications when fighting mine fires.