Considering its current definition (see below) and the wish to be politically correct, I wonder whether the word has come to acquire any racist overtone.
What is a coal miner hewer-Ask.com. Coal miner hewer is a person who hews or cuts the coal from its natural situation. The hewer is the actual coal-digger removing it from the coal face.
An auger is a drilling device, or drill bit, that usually includes a rotating helical screw blade called a  flighting  to act as a screw conveyor to remove the drilled out material. The rotation of the blade causes the material to move out of the hole being drilled.