In the Mining District

Lubin summary: Scene 1 - The picture opens showing the coal miner's family at home. Father and son leave for their work. They kiss their dear ones good-bye, not knowing if they ever may return from the dangerous work in the mines. Scene 2 - Men and horses are carried down to the mines, and in a short time we see them all at their dangerous and hard work. The little coal cars are seen bringing the coal to the air-shafts, from where they are hoisted up to the surface. Scene 3 - Suddenly a terrible explosion is heard. The lights are extinguished. Darkness is throughout. The water rushes into the mines, flooding everything before the workmen have time to save themselves. Soldiers, firemen and other willing hands come to the rescue, risking their lives to bring up the ones who may still be alive. Scene 4 - Among the victims of the mine explosion is the son whom we have seen parting in the morning. The mother rushes frantically to the side of her dead son, and the most dramatic incident closes this beautiful film. LMP07: Early in the morning we see the whole family of the miner at their simple breakfast. For the first time the eldest son is to follow the steps of his father and forefathers and is to go down into the pits of the coal mine. The good-by from mother and sisters is hearty, as everybody knows how dangerous is the work he is going to do, and one never knows if the miner will return from the dark mines. On the way to the mine we see the pretty village, and every inhabitant of it seems to be interested in the work of producing the coal. Children are separating the good from the bad, and women assist the men in carrying the heavy load to the railroad tracks. A great crowd of miners is seen at the entrance of the mine, where the inspectors welcome them and foremen take their names. Tiny oil lamps are handed to them, as that will be the only light for the workingmen down in the dark shafts. Fifteen hundred feet the lift will take them down the pit. We see them working in the gallery, and little cars, which are pulled by blind horses, are filled with coal and brought to the surface. We assist the miners' lunch time. They are not jolly people who work down here; their faces are set and always on the watch for danger. After lunch we follow the young man, who is instructed by the proud father; but while cutting the hard stones with the axe a terrible explosion occurs, which extinguishes every light, and we see the flooding of the mine. The poor men, who have been working all their life in the shafts, are helpless, and darkness is around them and the water drowns many. Soldiers and firemen come to the rescue of the unfortunate miners, but with great difficulty the bodies of the suffocated and dead ones are brought to the surface. Among the victims is the young man, and the heartbroken father kneels down at his son's side, forgetting over his loss his own escape from death. This film is made at a great expense, but we can assure our customers that it is a success. It shows in beautiful pictures the life and the work of the miserable man who brings forth to earth the coal. We follow the miner from his home to his death, and we feel confident that this picture will find great success in any cinematographic performance.