Centralia, PA

I was in Centralia on Sunday January /24 /2010 and there is someone living in a home near the one graveyard.

Cars parked at the home and electricity was on as it looked like lights were on in the house.

Steam still riseing from a storm grate as you enter the graveyard near the home, and more steam drifting up from the ground behind the old pipe vents where people are dumping junk.

I'm burning bagged coal that was labeled Deep Mined Quality Anthracite from Centralia. Go figure!

Rich

On the up side if you can survive breathing for an extended peroid of time think of to extremely low heating costs. Winter there & head north for the summer.

Unseen Danger: A Tragedy of People, Government, and the Centralia Mine Fire

A whole book about it, a very interesting read. Several attempts were made to put the fire out.

lincolnmania wrote:i've been told that mines under shamokin have been burning for years

there was a mine fire right near here in the 70's....culm fire got into an exposed vein just outside of branchdale

That was the one in forestville Pa if I remember correctly

I've got a strange fascination with Centralia. Been there twice. Got the book "Fire Underground" at the Pioneer Tunnel gift shop in Ashland. Very informative, tells the entire story.

Just wondered if it would be possible to harvest some of that heat to run steam generators?

I wonder why they don't just auction off the mining rights to the surrounding area and let private industry strip out the coal seams. The state wound get some revenue, the coal companies would get some coal, and it would be an effective "fire break".

This Centralia based outfit says its America's leading supplier of anthracite. Seems like a bold statement. Is it true?

http://www.centraliacoal.com/

Has anyone got recommendations (good or bad) about the Centralia Coal Sales Companies coal? Is this a mine, or do they just sell coal from other mines?

lsayre wrote:This Centralia based outfit says its America's leading supplier of anthracite. Seems like a bold statement. Is it true?

http://www.centraliacoal.com/

Has anyone got recommendations (good or bad) about the Centralia Coal Sales Companies coal? Is this a mine, or do they just sell coal from other mines?

That place is from Wilkes-Barre and is only a "sales agent" who gets coal from different mines. That company has nothing to do with the borough of Centralia and is just trying to capitalize on the name. There are 9 residents still living in Centralia. The borough council is still active and the local newspaper reported on it the other day. http://republicanherald.com/news/regula ... -1.1104416

markviii wrote:I wonder why they don't just auction off the mining rights to the surrounding area and let private industry strip out the coal seams. The state wound get some revenue, the coal companies would get some coal, and it would be an effective "fire break".

I suspect it's a complicated legal issue. It's likely when many of the coal mines were shut down by owners because there was no demand for coal there were unpaid bills and taxes. Those liens would have to be satisfied or forgiven. Without clear title no private investor would invest his money. The owner of the land and the owner of the underlining minerals could be different. I'm sure governments at all levels that have outstanding tax liens would love to have someone paying again. Only when the price for coal rises sufficiently will we see private industry mining coal again.