Free coalFrom Old Lehigh

Back in the early 1960s at 2 pm every day a Small steam lokie would push 2 self dumping cars from no.8 breaker to a waste area .Each car contained some rock slate an some Good Large Lumps of coal .As the coal slid down the bank Men an some Women waited to gather the coal .Wagons Wheelbarrels were used to haul the coal to there cellars .Note summer the miners were working only 2 days a week .I remember a Walrus Mustached old man who from the coal bank pit his lumps in a potato bag Rated at 100 p[ounds .I followed him one time from water street the coal bank up 5th strret then to Ruddle st honestly A Quarter mile .The old fellow would gather lumps all week and Saturday cracked the coal to nut size .I found it fascinating .See my post Fe7 2020 Crack House By Jack .In the brealer were Picking Tables fed by a Conveyor where the men separated rock an s into Pockets To Go To The Dump .Good coal would be Conveyed along To The CrushersAnd cleaned sized etc .IPre 1940 Lehigh LC N had a police forceof there own .Dressed like State Police .Winchester 44 40s an pistols i .If they caugut picking coalthey would slash your bag of coal on the ground or dump your wagon .By jack

yrs ago dated a woman that lived over near Gowen city and her mom and aunt and neighbors told me all about them picking the culm banks for useable coal when they were kids.

Jack,You Coal Country Slovak Wildman!! You've Done It Again!! Your Stories,And Witnessed Histories Really Make My Day!! It's Truly Amazing To Hear About "Hard Times,Harder People"!! Thank You,Mister!!

Good thing we have a place for ol’ Jack to share his stories. Otherwise one of these days he’ll be taking it all with him.

I love the stories by old timers. Been fascinated with the older generations since I was a kid. I spent more time with them as a kid than I did my school mates and I don’t regret it at all. My son has followed in those same foot steps and I am so glad.

I do miss those old folks along with their old ways…the overhauls and Fedora hats, filterless Camels and Pall Malls, nicotine stained fingers, leathery dark skin, the tipping of the hats to the women folk, removing of the hats when they go inside, the wearing of long sleeves in the summer heat working the gardens and fields and mines, calling of the hounds, walking the railroad tracks to the grocery store, glass bottled Mountain Dew with real sugar, front porch sitting under the tin roof in the pouring rain, thunder rattling through the mountains, spittoons and chewing tobacco…men and women…LOL…and that sweet smell of fine pipe tobacco, and we can’t forget the shaking of the old Warm Morning stove along about 4:30-5am and the smell of bacon frying soon after the rooster crows, and along about breakfast time my great uncle sneaking into our room to wake us for breakfast by rolling back the covers and gumming the kids toes to death…kids waking up to ticklish laughter, Sunday morning and evening church watching my great uncle leave the church house while stuffing his jaw with Red Man or wintergreen Beechnut “baccer”. Listening to those old timers talk about working mules both in the mines and the hillsides of eastern KY.

Yep…I really do appreciate Jack sharing his stories of PA mining. I’d love to meet Jack sometime. If I ever go visit my friend over in Delta, PA I might just take a side trip and go visit Jack too. I bet he has a lot more stories to share. I’d love to hear them.

Hambden Bob wrote: ↑

Fri. Aug. 19, 2022 9:42 pm

Jack,You Coal Country Slovak Wildman!! You've Done It Again!! Your Stories,And Witnessed Histories Really Make My Day!! It's Truly Amazing To Hear About "Hard Times,Harder People"!! Thank You,Mister!!

I could not agree with your more HB.

Sometimes I get to missing those old timers so bad that I once knew, miss their stories and hearing their laughter, that I just have to cry a little, laugh a little, and cry some more. They helped make the best memories of my childhood and life.

I wish more older forum members (hint to FF and others) would share their stories and I certainly love reading Jacks. Brings back some good memories for me.

Hoyt,"You Hit It,Right On Da' Head"!!

Another great story Jack! Thank you for giving us a little insight into the way it was back then.

-Don

Great stories Jack and Hoyt!

When was the last time you saw an ice house? A must in every community. The ice man had a burlap bag to cushion his shoulder while carrying a block of ice,
Burlap has also disappeared. Potatoes and coal came in burlap bags.
Coal trucks had a special wheelbarrow with pipe handles instead of wood.
It was not uncommon to see cleft palate, or green teeth, or old women with hunched back.
People saved up to get an operation.
A lot less money and a lot less crime.

Every day Richard---lotsa Amish around here.

freetown fred wrote: ↑

Sat. Aug. 20, 2022 10:04 am

Every day Richard---lotsa Amish around here.

Ain't that the truth Fred, and it amazes me how many I see running manure spreaders etc. in bare feet... I guess feet are cheaper than a good pair of work boots

B, them Amish learn common sense a lot earlier then most english!!!!! BUT, good point!!

Den034071 wrote: ↑

Fri. Aug. 19, 2022 6:15 pm

Back in the early 1960s at 2 pm every day a Small steam lokie would push 2 self dumping cars from no.8 breaker to a waste area .Each car contained some rock slate an some Good Large Lumps of coal .As the coal slid down the bank Men an some Women waited to gather the coal .Wagons Wheelbarrels were used to haul the coal to there cellars .Note summer the miners were working only 2 days a week .I remember a Walrus Mustached old man who from the coal bank pit his lumps in a potato bag Rated at 100 p[ounds .I followed him one time from water street the coal bank up 5th strret then to Ruddle st honestly A Quarter mile .The old fellow would gather lumps all week and Saturday cracked the coal to nut size .I found it fascinating .See my post Fe7 2020 Crack House By Jack .In the brealer were Picking Tables fed by a Conveyor where the men separated rock an s into Pockets To Go To The Dump .Good coal would be Conveyed along To The CrushersAnd cleaned sized etc .IPre 1940 Lehigh LC N had a police forceof there own .Dressed like State Police .Winchester 44 40s an pistols i .If they caugut picking coalthey would slash your bag of coal on the ground or dump your wagon .By jack

That's great firsthand history there Jack! Thanks for sharing it. My dad had told me of picking off of culm piles when he was a kid. I still remember seeing some people doing that on trips to that area in the 50's. Dad and his brothers also had some sort of shallow shaft bootleg hole that they worked. All with pick and shovel. They hauled it back to town in my aunt's early V12 Lincoln. What they didn't burn in a cookstove they peddled door to door for 5 or 10 cents a hod. I also recall my dad saying that he worked at the Superior breaker in the Hegin's valley while in high school. That would have been late 30's, maybe very early 40's.

lincolnmania wrote: ↑

Fri. Aug. 19, 2022 9:23 pm

yrs ago dated a woman that lived over near Gowen city and her mom and aunt and neighbors told me all about them picking the culm banks for useable coal when they were kids.

I know where that is! It's been a while since I went up 125. You crossed 2 mountains to get there? One way!

I just recently heard of a small mine a bit west of there. Can't recall the name at the moment. Supposedly no phone or website.

hank2 wrote: ↑

Mon. Aug. 22, 2022 12:41 am

I know where that is! It's been a while since I went up 125. You crossed 2 mountains to get there? One way!

I just recently heard of a small mine a bit west of there. Can't recall the name at the moment. Supposedly no phone or website.

I usually took 901 to lavelle and made a left at the turkey hill. a few more miles but you can go quicker and not have to go over those two mountains. There are a lot of small family run coal breakers over in that valley. Been a long time since I was over there.