Shoutout to the old book that taught me how much coal a forge really eats

I was reading a blacksmithing manual from 1923 I got at a yard sale in Knoxville. It said a basic shop forge could burn through a ton of coal in a single month of steady work. That's like 40 of those 50-pound bags. I never thought about the sheer volume until I did the math. How did they even move that much material back then without trucks?

3 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In

3 Comments

hayes.lee6mo ago

A ton a month is crazy. Eric93 is right, that's a lot of wheelbarrow work, but they probably had a coal chute and a big bin right by the tracks.

7

eric936mo ago

Man, that's a whole lot of wheelbarrow trips.

3

val3235mo ago

What if they didn't use wheelbarrows at all? A lot of those old houses had a coal cellar with a small door to the outside. They'd just back the truck up and shovel it right through the door into the bin. Way faster than a wheelbarrow parade.

6