Presented by RKO Pictures, this newsreel film from 1954 is titled “Black Power” sheds light on the American coal industry and the advantages of Bituminous coal “the mightiest source of power on earth.” The film, which was directed and photographed by William Deeke and narrated by Peter Roberts, begins by discussing the process of finding a mine followed by the extraction process. Later the film looks at the social impacts of the coal industry and the unique cyclical economy of mining towns.
Opening credits (0:11). Scene from valley in the Appalachian Mountains (0:32). Bituminous coal in rock beds of West Virginia and Pennsylvania (0:41). Prospecting for “black power” — how to find a coal mine – Coring/ Diamond Drilling process (0:58). Minors showing up for work (1:25). Extraction of coal – miner lays explosives (2:32). Mechanized mining (3:01). Mining town of 10000 people (3:28). Role of the women in a mining town, doing laundry, taking care of a garden and raising a “crop” of babies (3:48). Education for children provided in mining towns (4:04). Abandoned mining towns – people who squat in the homes of previous minors (4:31). Small business coal mine (4:58). Strip mining (5:39). Coal powered train (6:25). Role of lake carriers and the Great Lakes in the coal industry – trade between the central states and Canadian ports (6:36). Coal at various stages of production and export (7:11). Chesapeake and Ohio gondola railroad cars filled with different types of coal (7:24). Steel mills and their use of coal (8:09).
RKO Radio Pictures, Inc. or RKO was an American film production and distribution company that was one of the “Big Five” major film studios of Hollywood’s Golden Age.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
