In September 1908, a 15 year old boy is pictured at work as a trapper in a West Virginia coal mine. The trapper was responsible for opening and closing the ventilation door of a mine. When the motorman would approach, he would blink his lights, signaling the trapper to open the door so he could pass through. The trapper would then close the door and wait until the next train came, which was generally every hour. Probably the most difficult part of this young man's job was the long periods of loneliness, darkness and waiting.
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A young trapper eventually invented a automatically opening door. The mine owner helped the kid patent it, paid him royalties, and paid for the kids education. When the mine owner pulled the kids out of the mine, it was to attend a school, paid for by the increased profits from the mine.
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