Don't know if this is of any help- from a glossary I prepared some years
ago - two different useages for "rag" - one from Coal Measures, one from
Cornwall -
Rag Flagstone - closely bedded fine grained sandstone
Rag-frame Equipment used in final stage of ore processing to
recover ore from slimes (Cornwall)
Kind Regards
Keith
Keith Nicholls BSc MSc CEng FIMMM MICE MIQ
Principal Engineer
Geotechnics Ltd
Unit 1B Borders Industrial Park
River Lane, Saltney
CHESTER
CH4 8RJ
-----Original Message-----
From: mining-history [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
Peter Bell
Sent: 28 September 2011 01:22 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: "Shake Rag Street"
I've been through my mining glossaries, but can't find any meanings of
the words "shake" or "rag" that suggest they might be combined in that
way.
Besides, the name seems to be fairly widespread. A search of US
placenames turns up the name Shake Rag in Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri,
North Carolina and Tennessee, besides Wisconsin. On the face of it,
none of those other places has much connection with mining, and several
of them are African-American communities. I think something else is
going on, although a quick search doesn't turn up any convincing
explanations for the name's origin.
Peter Bell
On 28/09/2011, at 2:53 AM, scarlett wrote:
> Dear List,
>
> I write for advice on a curious tradition. I have already searched
the Mining-History email list archive to be sure this has not been
discussed.
>
> Mineral Point, Wisconsin, in the United States, is part of an area
that became a famous lead mining region in the 1820s-1850s. The mining,
milling, and smelting were all small scale during this period and the
mines were dominated by Cornish immigrants, along with Germanic and
other ethnic groups. Later in the 20th century, zinc mining became
equally important in the region.
>
> The town of Mineral Point has a street called "Shake Rag Street." The
street was originally named Hoard Street, and the name was changed
sometime in the 1930s, supposedly formally adopting the local nickname
"Shake Rag." Local folklore holds that the name Shake Rag came from the
practice of women waiving rags to signal to men working the windlasses
on the ridge east of town, telling them that their meals were ready.
Indeed, I have read a claim that the entire town was once nicknamed
"Shake Rag Under the Hill."
>
> I have always been pretty skeptical of this claim, which sounds to me
like an invention of the 1930s heritage interests.
>
> Most list members can anticipate my reservations. My skepticism stems
from the fact that a "ragging table" (and ragging by hammer more
generally, and "rag" as a term for a rough and hard stone) is a common
variant of "racking table," the common method for concentrating tin ore
in Cornwall. In Mineral Point, ragging could have been commonly work
for women and men, presumably somewhere near to both the shaft and a
water source.
>
> As the table technology evolved, shaking tables became common, making
the job much easier. I don't know if the terms "ragging" and "shake
table" were ever combined, however.
>
> I write to the list to learn if anyone has ever heard the term "shake
rag" used to describe a shaking table for concentrating ore, in galena
or lead mining or simply in general usage. Pardon my error if I have
miss interpreted a technical term in my request.
>
> Thanks very much,
> Timothy Scarlett
>
>
>
http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/dictionary/index.asp?action=view&term_id
=4028&term_type_id=2&term_type_text=places&letter=S
______________
Dr Peter Bell
PO Box 574, Goodwood SA 5034
Australia
Phone (08) 8373 1900
Mobile 0407 793 652
<[log in to unmask]>
This email has been scanned for viruses by Netshield MXSweep.
Geotechnics Limited, Registered in England No. 1757790 at The Geotechnical Centre, 203 Torrington Avenue, Tile Hill, Coventry CV4 9AP www.geotechnics.co.uk
|