Centralia - Page 2

Summerrain · #21 03-12-2008, 06:21 PM

It is sad... So much potential, but for a mine fire. What can be done?

spongebob · #22 03-12-2008, 06:27 PM

I like that town been there many times and it is a shame.

REBELFLAG · #23 03-12-2008, 07:53 PM

Can't they drill several holes down into the mine and pump water down there and flush it out?

spongebob · #24 03-12-2008, 07:56 PM

I think they did that once. It did not help. I don't think you can put out a coal fire.
Check out this site it may help..
http://shulersnet.com/coalcracker/fire.htm

REBELFLAG · #25 03-12-2008, 07:58 PM

I'm sure that these people at these colleges with technology could come up with a solution to fix what they have out there. But the question is? Will they.

Kamma70 · #26 03-12-2008, 09:14 PM

They have tried different things to put it out. Go to one of the many websites about it and read the different things they have tried, in some cases it only made it worse. It really is a sad place.

REBELFLAG · #27 03-12-2008, 09:25 PM

Well, they haven't tried enough. In my opinion, whatever they tried isn't worth anything til they turn that town back to what it was.

TomS70 · #28 03-13-2008, 05:28 AM

Kind of hard to put water on a fire that's burning hundreds of feel under you. If you don't get every last hot spot it'll just start back up again. They tried for I believe over a decade to find some way to put it out and finally gave up.

I'd think if they had a way they would have put it out in the last 46 years and not let the coal/roads/real estate go to waste.

Kamma70 · #29 03-13-2008, 06:56 AM

Well said Tom, thank you.

Don't you think that if there was a way for them to save peoples houses and livelihoods, instead of the government having to pay them the value of them, they would have found it by now. They[the government] don't shell out money to the working people for fun.
They have also tried back mining, fill ins, implosions, and many other things, none work.

REBELFLAG · #30 03-13-2008, 08:42 PM

But when was the last time they have tried? Since then, don't you think that the new ways will give this burning mine hope for the people who have stayed. To think, I have never been to this town nor have I heard of it since Widget told me about it last July. But I am pretty adiment about it as if it was my own town. I took Widgets word in how beautiful this town was. Or what it was like. Its almost like Chester. The way it was back then. And look at it now.

daisy-dog · #31 05-13-2008, 07:45 AM

I would like to visit Centralia. Can you drive into the town? Is the road open?

spongebob · #32 05-13-2008, 03:47 PM

It was an open road.. Someone just told me they have closed one or two..

REBELFLAG · #33 05-16-2008, 08:05 AM

Well, where is this place? Is it easy to get to?

CentralPALady08 · #34 05-16-2008, 12:33 PM

Depends on what you consider easy!!!!!

It is about an hour and 25 minutes north of Harrisburg. Take your best route to I-81 (either 78 or the turnpike from the Phila or the Lehigh Valley) head north to exit 119 and go west Highridge Park Road, following signs for Gordon. Once in Gordon go right on Gordon Road and stay on that road until it comes to Rt 61 near Butler. Take Rt 61 north into Ashland. Rt 61 and Rt 54 run together for a ways and there will be signs for Rt 54 towards Centralia. The portion of the trip from I-81 to Centralia should take you about 45 minutes.

There is also a mine tour in Ashland that might be interesting if you're going to Centralia. You take a coal train down in the mine for 500 feet, then walk the next 500 in. The temperature is always a cool 55 degrees.

And not too far from Centralia is Knoebels Amusement Park for something else in the area to do - that's not quite as depressing as Centralia can be.

One of the things that really struck me on my first trip into Centralia was seeing half a duplex/semi-detached house. As the government bought out the residents homes in an effort to get them to leave, they destroyed the home - to include half of a duplex.....if the owner of the other half wasn't selling.

I live about 30 minutes south of Centralia, in another coal town - at the very southern edge of the coal region in Central PA. The town just next to mine also had an underground coal fire in the 60's - they called that section of town the "burning banks". Luckily, it wasn't in as deep a seam of coal as the one in Centralia. When I moved here about 10 years ago, I was surprised at how much coal is still used in households. Many in the area still heat their homes and hot water with coal. Around here, you put your trash out for collection on one day of the week and your ash tubs on another day!!! There is actually a new mine that just opened in the last year or so.

The history in this area is very interesting - much of it from the days when "Coal was King" and the big bands (Tommy Dorsey, Les Brown, etc) made regular stops in the area. There were hospitals, skating rinks, thriving businesses in the area back then....

REBELFLAG · #35 05-16-2008, 01:50 PM

Thank you!!!! Just wondering, do you like it there? I mean is it a laid back type of town? Slow pace, not so much action going on?

Mr. Haney · #36 05-16-2008, 02:48 PM

Like so many other things we may have the technology to do but not the money to do it.

Kamma70 · #37 05-16-2008, 03:08 PM

C:\Documents and Settings\Kelly\My Documents\100308_09-02-05F\l_c9030900282e87072f2325f0d42492b1.jpg

spongebob · #38 05-16-2008, 05:30 PM

How did you do that?? You posted over my post, Kamma...

REBELFLAG · #39 05-16-2008, 07:18 PM

I'm looking for a nice place to look. Somethings more laid back and not too confusing. But still enough for me to make a good living.

Summerrain · #40 05-16-2008, 07:33 PM

Carlisle area is hopping with jobs.