The Jackleg
Credit: Musée minéralogique de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue
Industrialization
The jackleg is one of the tools that allowed miners to increase their productivity in an unprecedented. It was developped during the Industrial Revolution. The tool is used to drill holes in order to insert dynamite into the rock face. Finally, a powerful explosion allows the ore to be extracted and to expand the underground galleries.
The part named the leg is used to adjust the height of the drill and provide pressure against the rock face. Technologically advanced versions of the jackleg are still in use today.