Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1891-05-05
ANTHRACITE COAL
~ rln.I nl,LN nn.toN

Your reader. NAV he Interested In thc
brief story ~ the hrst anthracite coal
flr, made Ia IIaston. as " ~. related io
me rrvrnilv hy w. Enorh Pratt, the
bcnrhcrni founder II the Pratt Library
In baltimore. llc Whs giving some rem
lnl.ccncr. ~ hls early lie. lle hal gone
to Bo.inn to ..-k hi. fortune, ani ss
lad wAs apprrniic-d a. Mr. Willism
Frr~man. an OIL mrp,htut 20 that tlme.
li,r,I in hi. family ani worked ln hl.
store. n va. ahpui the var 1921. An-
ihracii. hal b-rn discovered ani Nas bc-
Ing mlnei IN . small Vay in the wilder
me-. ~ Tcnn.ylyanit, was htulci sixty
mile. by ~ teams to tile water, ani il'c
ton. wrrc shipped ~ Boston for trial.
\ ample ~ u was .hovn w tho lnsut-
ance OH v. un state street With gsli
deal ~ uur.,lonlng ani doubt as a. IT.
value by folks Who stN ". Mr, fu'-
man, With more rouhlenv- ani suirf-
price than soinc ~ hi. as.ocl,tes. Offered
to try a.: ani generous gusntily sss
sent Ia hls uillce on Market Ros for 10"
great cNreriment. llc called az the lAd
aud .ai, "My little mlu, ihis y. elui
they call anthracite coal; can YOU huild
dr. 20 ~" The bay .iii II lctnirV,
slr: never ~, saw the thing ! colld
not do" inl 90 the mtson Was called
Ia a. .ei IA. gate. II ~. ~ Nruushi
lunn aui on the same principle that thrN
arr TO-DAY. sui was hrmly s"t into the
brick chimney, the tr.t - " kiui ever
bullt In l,a.tou. The priui"l directions
for the flrc Nrrr ntilr.i up hy the .iic 81
40. chimney. They relulr'i thtt q due
amnunt of pitch pine Nnlliug' should
dr., b. pat on. fpllpW~i hy . larger
ma. ~ char oAi, O. h. then followed by
the anihr ,ciir. Nhi,h ln tim" would
slowl, igniie. anl whrn veil a-gplng'
would burn al iay.
NJ. Pratt then related that on ~"
cycniful morning he got az hriprr lishi,
went down tn the stpr', l0ckrl himseli
In, and bcg ,u upon hi. ilrr III fpllos'
"a the directions, sni piled upon The
crate morc than half h.lr,l With char
coal. the mae Ot anthracite. until not
anothrf pic- Could d. pat on. IT,
.,rack light by th~ oil fiut stone, pat
up the blower anl Nttche m" tlfr. "
,lil not hurn slowly In that hrrce draii,
and the rnlr ~ u be- never forgot.
When n Was we'll under way ani the
lighter siun hid huruei oui, he pll'i up
the cal. - that hy eight ~ nlnc o'clork
when Mr. frrcm,n came down Ia th"
store. Il "a. Ia a r~l.h1t b'af', the Won.
der ~ all Who $40 w. Muliltndc. ot
people came IN III through the dty, ani
the fi-- wt. luly fri al the afternoon,
until the problem .nilcnly occurred to
them. What shall Wr do With IT, u
would never do tn leave such hrr al
night. \ councll of var "a. hell over
II. aud u va. decided a. pick oui The
coal. aud place thru upon the hearth
aud .o lct II cool down. The bny va
directed not Ia leave IA. store until every
spark IA. out, In spite ~ hl. ."n'ihlr
protest. boy q. De- wss. that u the hrr
could burn safely all day II would buru
as safely all night.
lie picket out the rcl.hot coal. ani
watched lhcm Ear Into the night, ani
made long day of II.
This settled the question that anthra-
cite coal would huTu. and u the story oi
the fir.t flr. IL u made IN Bo.ion.-W q.
H. IL In Ho.tou Transcript.