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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



SLATE PICKERS AT WORK IN 



Photograph by J. Horgan, Jr. 

 A SCRANTON BREAKER 



The coal burned in the household grate had to "shoot the chutes" of a breaker before it 

 was ready for use. After the mechanical slate pickers have finished their work, the coal is 

 distributed to various chutes according to size and then hand picking takes out the slate that 

 still remains with the coal. 



But having seen the coal mined, brought 

 to the surface, and put through breaker 

 or tipple, it will be well to follow that 

 coal to the market, and for that purpose 

 we will watch the Jersey Central gather- 

 ing the loaded cars from the Lehigh & 

 Wilkes-Barre collieries, which it owns 

 through stock control, and moving them 

 to market. 



A number of engines are busy all day 



long collecting the cars from the several 

 collieries. These they move up to Ashley, 

 at the foot of the Wilkes-Barre Moun- 

 tain. From this point they are dragged 

 to the summit by a series of three in- 

 clined planes and cableways. 



Safely at the top, twelve miles from 

 Ashley by rail, but only a few thousand 

 feet by incline, the cars are released and 

 roll by gravity down to Penobscot yards, 



