photo by C. Young Photography Um, so it's Tuesday! Every week on this day I will link to a wikipedia article that needs your attention while you're procrastinating and avoiding your homework. It's ok, we're still learning!
There are several theories as to how this subterranean fire began in Centralia, Pennsylvania, but the coals beneath a landfill were somehow lit, resulting in poisonous fumes being released from the ground below.
Interesting passages from the wikipedia page:
- "In 1979, locals became aware of the scale of the problem when a gas-station owner and then-current mayor, John Coddington, inserted a stick into one of his underground tanks to check the fuel level. When he withdrew it, it seemed hot, so he lowered a thermometer down on a string and was shocked to discover that the temperature of the gasoline in the tank was 172 °F (77.8 °C)."
- "In 1992, Pennsylvania claimed eminent domain on all properties in the borough, condemning all the buildings within. A subsequent legal effort by residents to have the decision reversed failed. In 2002, the United States Postal Service revoked Centralia's ZIP Code, 17927."
- "The underground fire is still burning and will continue to do so for the indefinite future. There are no current plans to extinguish the fire, which is consuming an eight-mile seam containing enough coal to fuel it for 250 years."
- "As of the 2000 census, there were 21 people, 10 households, and 7 families residing in the borough. As of March 2004, there were eighteen people residing in nine dwellings.[update]"
There was a documentary filmed in 2007 about this town called The Town That Was. Has anyone seen it before? Recommended? Oh, and by the way I have a pretty big interest in ghost towns, so be prepared to see more of these pages. Have you ever been to one before?
Enjoy the inauguration ceremony!
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