The Coal Silos is a photograph by Kendall McKernon which was uploaded on March 5th, 2018.
The Coal Silos
Historic silo complex built in 1906, Maple Street, Hudson Falls, NY.... more
Title
The Coal Silos
Artist
Kendall McKernon
Medium
Photograph
Description
Historic silo complex built in 1906, Maple Street, Hudson Falls, NY.
On top of five silos, each 30 feet tall, runs a long horizontal wooden structure used by Griffin Lumber Co. to hoist coal from barges in the canal to the silos.
The silos and roof were built in 1906, according to a journal by John Wittemore, who worked for Griffin from 1900 to 1956.
The structure consisted of the cement silos, the hoist house and a railhouse. Employees in the railhouse pushed a cart back and forth to deposit coal into the silos.
Coal was taken from boats to the silos using a horse-powered pulley system that raised a hoisting bucket, according to Wittemore's journal. He wrote the process was "slow and arduous."
Five different grades of coal from Pennsylvania were stored in the structures, according to Loding, historian for Hudson Falls and Kingsbury. Openings in the lower walls of the silos allowed access to the stored coal, which was purchased by businesses and residents.
The 1906 setup replaced wooden coal silos at the site, which, according to Wittemore's journal, burned down in 1904.
Boats ceased bringing coal to the silos around 1929, according to Wittemore's journal, but dumpster-like trucks later deposited coal along Maple Street with a conveyer belt, carrying the fuel to two windows in the silos.
Uploaded
March 5th, 2018
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