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Shoveling Coal for Heat
COAL CHUTES
A friend in New England recently lost electricity for several days.  I thought that it was a good thing that it was summer and not winter, even though the lack of running water became an issue.  But it got me to thinking about the Victorian Homes that I love so much, most of which were built before the advent of the common use of electricity in homes.
Almost all of the Victorian houses that I sell have a coal chute, usually along the alleyway or a driveway. Even now, the City has an easement on most of those alleyways that was deeded in the late 1800s.  The chute, generally located in the foundation wall, was commonly a hinged door, normally made out of metal because the coal was damp and would freeze during transport. The door would open on to an angled tunnel. Each week the Coal Trucks would deliver the week’s fuel through these angled openings and it would dump the coal into a room that was specially designated to hold the coal, usually in the basement next to the furnace.  To this day, the walls of those rooms are stained black.If you didn’t have a coal chute, ... more

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