Coal trucks would elevate up, and the coal would be pushed down chutes into the basement coal bins, usually under the front porches of the row houses. Several times a day coal would need to be shoveled into the boiler or furnace.
Many of those boilers and furnaces were converted to gas and oil. The coal bins were used as storage rooms. Over the years the heating units were replaced with more modern ones, designed for the fuel now being used. Coal is now a memory restricted to aging historical bloggers.
My grandparents had a coal heater in the 1950s and 60s at their home on Liberty. I also recall the coal man stopping at their house and delivering so many "dogs" of coal, that term probaly meaning "tons".
ReplyDeleteThis tme of year, during heating season, going down to the basement and putting coal on the fire was one of the first things to be done in the morning, then several times a day as well to heat the house. It was an old home, built in the 1800s, and then extended over the years. It had hot air heating, as a "register" that came directly from the heater in the basement heated the first floor, and then vents in the cieling heated the 2nd floor bedrooms.
Another chore was to take out the ashes and in the back of the yard were the metal ash cans, that the ash man would pick up and empty once a week or so.
About 1970, the coal heater was removed and updated to a more modern oil heater, however it was still a hot air system, just the heating souce was replaced by an oil burner from the coal, with oil tanks replacing the coal pile in the corner of the basement.
"Coal is now a memory restricted to aging historical bloggers."
ReplyDelete...and misbehaving children during the holidays!!
I have a friend that heats with coal up in Shenandoah... it's almost 500 dollars a ton... I remember 35/ton, but then I must be old and ready for my dirt nap...
ReplyDelete