Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1891-10-10
BY THE. GLOWING CRATE.
yIsisss Of a Few Yeass Ago When Csal
Was Almost A. Unheard u Luxsry.

NeceMisies are somesines pleasures nd
DE glowing coal Ere 10 one Of thsse nov
that the ssnormal heat Of Tie Lest asss q
September and frst days Of October srs
pest ssd there 10 chill In the air, and
boufs Ct dsfkness out Of doom bsfore even
The mes: Conservative citizen deems Il
proper to ss.k his couch
How many people ia the cities alors ths
Ksnnsbec viii this vinNr pass the long
evenings within the warmth Of wood dsss.
Few. Very few.
Wood may rot give out the poisonous
Gases that are supposed to escape from coal
even under the best Of conditions, but II r..
q1.rss 20 much room for storage, Il keeps .
Gre sueh little while vi,host rsplsnishing
veil Is has, ia brief, passed out Of fash-
lon. though it will continue to be used -
fasl in csfs.in quanti.iss. - IoEg - II
grows.
Nearly all the summer long coal schooa-
e., are seen passing up and down the Ken
nebec ard unloading st the whafvss along
IL banks. II has become such Q common
SIGH. that few ever think Of it twice. In
every city snd village IL one or more arms
thu. deal in coal In Auguxa there has till
recently been two with more or lees coal
b,ough, up from Hsllovsli. Nov there 10
bu. one Augusta firm. Stone White.
They have enlarged their business and viii
handle this season over 5000 tons Of coal,
mos. Of which has already sfYived and has
Afforded the hard working stevsdose an
ouoor,unisy to earn IN honest d,ilsY that
shall 70 In part to place in the home stove
,oms OF these ssme black diamonds that
have been reflected in his face thI oush the
no, summer days when be sas en-
g.ysd in handling them. Already . good
amour, Of there toos have been placed In
the bin, Of consumers, fer during all the
ho. weather. Of the past month every body
hid the faith that Maine winter would not
fail to get 10 its lusiy work before The MAY
e,vsrs bloomed again. Seven and eight
team. belon ging to this Arm have been kept
busy snd now that the evening Ere in the
,.,,ug loom 10 demanded and the furnace
Ere has been lighted for the winter they are
rushed With The numerous b. lated demands
And yet ali this business 10 coal has been
Of comparatively recent growth. There
are many business men in Augusta. Hsllo-
vel! and Gardiner who well remt m Der
vb,n their cellars were Allied every season
With ", Of for the winter fires. Qaite .
number Of them remember when the first
hard coal came up the Kennebsc. when
moved into town" said 3 gentleman yes
,srdsy, ii. VS. about 1887, some OF the
bisck.miths were using soft coal that came
dom from Nova Scotia ia little cosstins
vessels and was peddled out along the river
Many Of the biAeksmi,hs thought this con-
tanned 90 m ach sulphur that it was impos.
.ble to DO the best Of work with it, and
would have nothing to do with it,
yes, said another gentleman standing
by. "an1 now the soft coal in many Of the
mills. etc. is displscing the hard coal. but
10 vastly better than The old variety and
comes from the Cumberland mountains.
think ii vas about the year 1910, that A.
II. Howard and Thomas Leigh Of Hailow-
ell bad Captain HAYES bring up river =
schooner load Of bard coal, 200 tons think
there we're, ard psddle it out in Gardiner,
HAlo~sll And Augusta. About that time
lived on farm gu, few miles and re-
member Of my father saying The wood 10
being cut q 80 fast that it Won't be many
years when cordxood will bring ten dollars
. cord We must save the woodland.
Now cordxood is selling for less than it
did twenty years ago. Why. IS late as lSt7
there was scarcely any coal burned in this
city Now look at it Why, WAS down
asc)sl yard this m 7rning and they were
sending eight tons on. to Rents Hill and
several farmers teams were there to take
small loads cut to their homes to be used In
he ping one fire going night and day during
the sinter."