Most sons of miners, who were almost exclusively Irish, went to school only until they became 8 years old, at which time they went to work in the breaker, sorting rock from coal, inhaling at least as much dust as their fathers working in the mine.
Their shift ran for as much as 12 hours, for which they received even more meager pay than their fathers.
If the master found a boy "slacking off", or allowing too much rock to pass by him, he would receive a whack across his back with a stick, to get him to be more attentive.
When these breaker boys became physically large and strong enough, perhaps 13 or 14 years of age, they would be offered jobs down in the mine.
Sons of the bosses, or mine foremen, who were typically English or Welsh, attended school at least until completing the eighth grade. Children of the bosses rarely took jobs inside the mine, rather, their higher education allowed them to get other jobs around the town, such as store clerks or jobs with the railroad.
It is not too difficult to see why an "old" miner in those days, was one who lived past 35 years of age. Many succumbed to accidents, while others were disabled at an early age by "miners' asthma", and if they were still able to work at all, they may have been given jobs "on top."
The WBA, or Workers' Benevolent Association, was formed by the miners to aid in the support of disabled miners and their families, or the support of a killed miner's wife and children. Dues were collected each week, and small stipends were made to these affected families. Widows often took in sewing work, or did laundry, or took in boarders in order to survive.
The WBA was one of the first "unionizing" activities in the Anthracite coal fields prior to 1900.