These days, it’s hard to imagine a world when homes and businesses were heated by coal, but that is exactly what’s happening in this photo from Aug. 22, 1921. A dump truck operated by Economy Fuels is delivering coal through a hatch or hole in the sidewalk to reach the basement of a building located at 901 Tacoma Ave. South in Tacoma.
From there the stoker coal, about the size of marbles was shoveled from the bunker into an augur-fed, furnace that heated the building. In the day, heat was typically delivered by hot water piped through radiators. Ash and clinkers, the byproduct of burning coal were removed from the furnace daily, then hauled up to street level for weekly pickup by garbage trucks.
According to Assessor records, this building dates to 1900 and is now occupied by the District Court Probation offices. It’s located across the street from the Pierce County Jail. The castle-like building in the far distance was Tacoma Central School and today houses the administration offices of Tacoma School District. This photo No. B4503 of the Marvin D. Boland collection comes courtesy of the Tacoma Public Library.
