The Steamboating Forum

Chunks abound..

The live coal seams on the banks "calf coal burgs" every spring when the ice breaks loose.

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lostintime wrote: ↑Wed Oct 20, 2021 8:59 pm Chunks abound..

Is it a good coal to burn? Bituminous is pretty easy to use in a wood burning steamboat without modification. Anthracite may require a different grate or pellet hopper. Those chunks look nice sizes for many fireboxes.

One of my first steamboat experiences was on the Juneau Steamboat Company in Juneau, AK.

The skipper told us when he saw drift wood - he saw free fuel!
He actually got most of his wood free from construction companies that are left with a lot of short pieces of 2x4s they can't use.

If it's just lying on the shore and it makes decent heat, you can just say you are the coal cleanup crew...

-CB

Yep, burns good, just a higher sulfer content than ideal. Not many people realize that Iowa has an extensive coal mining history, and vast current reserves.
(Modified)

I tried burning drift wood a couple of times and learned my lesson not to pick it up. I rather make fire with damp wood if I need to, but never driftwood. But "my" driftwood is usually filled with salt or brine and even when bone dry barely burns. I suspect you're talking about sweet water driftwood. Never knew it burns better, but makes sense.
Unless you're living in arid climate, I guess all the coal you can find would be too moist to simply use as it is.
Is that in Pennsylvania by any chance, by some illegal makeshift coal shaft in the woods?