Bootleg mining

From Freepedia

Bootleg mining is illegal coal mining. The term originated around the 1920s, though the practice probably predates that. Generally, a bootleg mine is a small mine dug by a handful of men. They were frequently dug by coal miners off of official tunnels in order to procure additional, free coal for themselves. Usually, the mine is not large enough to turn around in.

The practice has died away in the United States; an American with simple equipment cannot dig enough coal in a day to reach a U.S. standard of living. Bootleg mines in China are very common, as are the fatalities resulting from unregulated mining.

Bootleg mines cause additional ramifications when fighting mine fires