Tipple Boy: 1908

This picture makes me incredibly sad! I want to give him a big hug. He looks old beyond his time. He reminds me of Shorpy! These boys reslly never had a childhood. What a waste! Hopefully they grew strong and had a happier life later~

The lamp is a carbide lamp. One used solid carbide in the lamp body and added water to it and lit the carbide gas that it produced.

I'm not sure what you mean by genetic sameness. Inter-breeding? Let's break out the 'ole genetic charts from WWII Germany and compare notes. I believe all the Jews during that time were also subjects of genetic sameness. Re: the mobility theory. Why do the indigenous Peruvians resemble the Indians on the islands of San Blas? I would think mobility would be a bigger issue for these two groups but they must be inter-breeding because they have the same features. I think the people from NYC are inter-bred because they sound alike. What a silly conclusion. The miners of Central Appalachia came from many ethnic backgrounds during this time.

[It's a typo. He meant "generic," not genetic. - Dave]

Tipple refers to the superstructure above ground that housed the draw works (hoist engine, cable drum, gear head etc) and the conveyor that took the ore away when the ore cart was tipped when it reached the surface.

Close-fitting clothing was very important for a job like that.

From the photos, they must also have worn goggles at work.

[No goggles. - Dave]

What is on his head?

[A miner's headlamp (examples below). More information here. - Dave]

He resembles our Shorpy...there is a genetic sameness to a lot of these boys in Appalachia from this era...my father said in WW II it was easy to pick out guys from central Appalachia...they all looked very much the same, in a time when people were not as mobile as now.

What is a Tipple boy? I tried looking it up on line, but all definitions of tipple I could find had to do with alcohol.

[It's a boy who works in the tipple. - Dave]