DOING THE DIRTY WORK A 1928 Federal Government report on the nation's prisons reprimanded Brushy for its treatment of prisoners mining coal. While they were afforded showers in a 60-stall bath house, they were never provided towels. The government felt this was cruel, particularly for miners who were constantly covered in dirt and coal. Even without towels, it was no small task cleaning hundreds of uniforms from two 12+ hour coal mining shifts. Several 2501b capacity industrial-sized washers and dryers cleaned jeans, shirts, and whites separately. Other machines were used to press and stitch worn clothes, and each were operated by inmates, making 17 cents an hour. One prisoner even managed to devise a clever coding system to identify inmate clothing, facilitating its return to each individual.