Sandminers at Work

Workers pose for group photo at Phoenix Sand and Gravel Company, Port Washington, N.Y., 1910
Photo courtesy of Port Washington Public Library

Steam shovel, Phoenix Sand and Gravel Company, Port Washington, N.Y., 1910
Photo courtesy of Christian Christiansen

An early sandminer, Peter Fasano, early 1900's
Photo courtesy of Fasano Family

Engineer Bill Bedell runs a 'dinkey engine' for
Goodwin and Gallagher Sand Company, 1930
Photo courtesy Ernie Simon Collection, Port Washington Public Library

Strike at GK and JB King Sand Company, 1908
Photo courtesy of The Bryant Library Local History Collection, Roslyn, N.Y.

Men deputized by JB King Sand Company to break up sandminers' strike, Roslyn, N.Y., 1908
Photo courtesy of The Bryant Library Local History Collection, Roslyn, N.Y.

Men hired to break up sandminers' strike, Roslyn, N.Y., 1908
Photo courtesy of The Bryant Library Local History Collection, Roslyn, N.Y.

Advertisement card from one of the employment
bureaus that specialized in importing laborers, c. 1900
Photo courtesy of Port Washington Public Library

Antonio Carta (front) and steam shovel crew
at Colonial's Garden City plant, N.Y., 1930
Photo courtesy of Port Washington Public Library

Building the Northport conveyor belt, N.Y., 1940's
Photo courtesy of Port Washington Public Library

Strike against McCormack Sand Company, Port Washington, N.Y., 1938
Photo courtesy of Port Washington Public Library

Children's picket line, strike against McCormack Sand Company, Port Washington, N.Y., 1938
Photo courtesy of Port Washington Public Library

Dominick Nocco lays base for a conveyor belt in the sandbanks, 1940's
Photo courtesy of Port Washington Public library

Building loading dock for McCormack, Port Washington, N.Y., c. 1940
Photo courtesy of Port Washington Public Library

Building McCormack plant, Port Washington, N.Y., c. 1940's
Photo courtesy of Port Washington Public Library

Elwood Hults, coal carrier, on dinkey train,
Goodwin and Gallagher, c. 1920's
Photo courtesy of Port Washington Public library

Sandminer poses in front of trestle, 1979
Photo courtesy of Dorothea Hahn

Al Marino on the ropes, 1979
Photo courtesy of Dorothea Hahn

Waiting for action, 1979
Photo courtesy of Dorothea Hahn

Santo Bassi pulls barge closer to dock, 1979
Photo courtesy of Dorothea Hahn

Bastian Madeddu carrying ropes, 1979
Photo courtesy of Dorothea Hahn

Al Marino surveys the scene, 1979
Photo courtesy of Dorothea Hahn

Mike Contino at strike against McCormack, 1983
Photo courtesy of Dorothea Hahn

Strike against McCormack Sand Company, 1983
Photo courtesy of Dorothea Hahn

Strike against McCormack Sand Company, 1983
Photo courtesy of Dorothea Hahn

Al Salerno at sandbank, 1983
Photo courtesy of Dorothea Hahn

A Day at the McCormack Loading Dock, 1979:

(Click on image to view entire gallery)
24 Images in gallery

Port Washington photographer Dorothea Hahn prepared this photo essay to document the environment around the sandbanks in 1979, as part of a class project at Hofstra University.