Basement mining

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hank2
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Post by hank2 » Tue. Jun. 04, 2019 12:37 am

No, not removing unwanted coal bin coal, but an actual basement shaft.

I once had some friends who had lived in Middleport, Schuylkill county ( or was it New Philadelphia?) , back in the 80's. Like everyone there, they heated with coal. In their case, an old large hand fired basement radiant heater with floor registers. They were so good at it, that they could set up a bank and leave home for 2 days or more. They claimed that they were the only people in the town that they knew of that paid to have coal delivered. As I recall, they said that they knew of neighbors that had actual shafts sunk in their basement and mined an accessible seam. I'm sure there was some small bootleg shafts in the general area, but it seemed too good to be true. Or maybe not so good for your foundation or the neighbors.

Do any of you who live or used to live in the southern field coal towns ever know of folks doing that? Or the other fields for that matter?

 
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CoalJockey
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Post by CoalJockey » Tue. Jun. 04, 2019 5:22 am

It wouldn’t surprise me one bit.

When I bought the 2nd EFM boiler in the series that we are using now throughout the family, I purchased a refurb unit from Jack Ryan. His plumbing and heating business was located in Mahanoy City, just up the road from Blaschak.

I had a lot of fun conversations with him during two separate visits and he told me that some of the mine shafts and tunnels were so close to the basements in many of the old homes there, that when the old lady’s were in the basement doing laundry, they could hear the sounds of picks and shovels working down below them.

I do believe he is passed on now but he was a great man and a wealth of knowledge on the days of yore in the anthracite fields.

 
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Post by CoaLen » Tue. Jun. 04, 2019 6:12 am


 
hank2
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Post by hank2 » Tue. Jun. 04, 2019 3:26 pm

Thanks for the replies, fellows. CoaLen, thanks for that link. That proves that there was some of that going on in places.


 
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11ultra103
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Post by 11ultra103 » Sat. Feb. 15, 2020 9:56 pm

CoalJockey wrote:
Tue. Jun. 04, 2019 5:22 am
It wouldn’t surprise me one bit.

When I bought the 2nd EFM boiler in the series that we are using now throughout the family, I purchased a refurb unit from Jack Ryan. His plumbing and heating business was located in Mahanoy City, just up the road from Blaschak.

I had a lot of fun conversations with him during two separate visits and he told me that some of the mine shafts and tunnels were so close to the basements in many of the old homes there, that when the old lady’s were in the basement doing laundry, they could hear the sounds of picks and shovels working down below them.

I do believe he is passed on now but he was a great man and a wealth of knowledge on the days of yore in the anthracite fields.
Thats awesome! Id like to see some pics of old basement mines. Probably part of the centrallia issue, basements too close to the mine. I remember reading the carbon monoxide in basements was crazy high after the mine fire started so this makes sense!

 
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Post by NoSmoke » Sun. Feb. 16, 2020 4:21 am

I do not have coal on my land here, but I would mine my own coal if I had it.

I am a HUGE believer in doing as much for myself as I can.

In terms of "mining", I do have slate on my land, and bulldozed some up, split it by hand into 2 inch thick slabs and used it in the entry area of my house.

 
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Post by NoSmoke » Sun. Feb. 16, 2020 4:24 am

An interesting thing though, is how mineral rights for landowner's change depending where a person lives. In Maine, our Mineral Rights extend to the center of the earth.

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