The Quincy Mining Company, one of the commercially successful mines in the region, housed the worlds largest steam hoist at the No. 2 Mine shaft. The contraption in this photo was the only communication used to the other building where the mine cars were pulled up. An operator, usually someone trained in a generational capacity (Father, Son, etc), would use a series of dials and lights to know when to stop the hoist and when to start it. This operator was one of only a few positions that only worked eight hours a day, with the rest of the miners working twelve hour shifts.
