113). One of the most common places of work was the coal mine. Boys were known as "breaker boys". Their bodies, including the face, were covered on soot. These workers sat on wood boards straddling the coal chutes and picked out stones from the flowing coal beneath them (Innocence 108). A former child laborer stated that he left school at the age of eight to work in the mines. He was out of bed at five-thirty every morning and had to walk in the snow to work. He was then carried into the dangerous mill with a fellow worker (Bartoletti 11).
             The conditions in most factories were extremely unhealthy and dangerous in many ways. Most were not ventilated or drained well, dirty, and there was no place to clean up or wash hands. The dust and cotton fibers floating in the air caused many illnesses (Child Labor). Accidents were very common as well due to the unguarded machinery. Frighteningly, one of the most common injuries was the loss of limbs, including fingers and toes (Child Labor). One twelve year old "doffer" fell in to a spinning machine, losing two of his fingers (Innocence 113). Factory owners were responsible for supplying
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