Re: (erielack) Martins Creek plant closing

[Jim Guthrie <jguthrie_@_pipeline.com>]

>
>Okay, was ALL the coal that DL&W hauled clean burning at the turn  of the 
>century through the 1950's??? I'm sorry if my statement irked you, but I  wasn't 
>alive then and I didn't realize that the DL&W cared that much about  the 
>environment.

By no means. Despite the advertising, the DL&W carried lots of dirty coal to lots of places and burned lots of it in its fireboxes. After all, why burn premium when you can just as well use regular? <g>.

But the DL&W and other anthracite railroads strongly promoted clean-burning coal to the point where in the 1900 and 1902 strikes, there was a great deal of angst in the Northeast as to whether people should freeze or suffer from dirty air.

I realize that social history of the DL&W (and Erie) is anathema to rivet-counters but if one is going to make statements other than noting the end of coal burning -- period -- at a place like Martins Creek, you're going to invite the historians to step in.

Just be glad no one (so far) has taken you to task for introducing politics to the ELHS list for the faux pas of that editorial comment ;-).

Cheers,
Jim Guthrie ELHS #1296


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