# Explain charcoal to me. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 27, 2005, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-charcoal-to-me/305707 "2005-05-27T02:49:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Crandolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7cd45c/32.png) [@Crandolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crandolph)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2005, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-charcoal-to-me/305707/21 "2005-05-30T13:35:04Z")
> [@sleeepy2](#): > > Eeewww… That river is like, three miles from my house… ☹ At least it has gotten [a lot better](http://www.phillywater.org/schuylkill/Main%20Pages/wq_doc.htm). The Bad Old Days were when heavy industry was concentrated along the river, which is much less true today. Up until the mid-20s the same river also provided drinking water around here ( :eek: ), and the development of Fairmount Park was in part to keep some green around the river. (The holding tank for water pumped out, then gravity fed to he city, is now the site of the Philadelphia Museum of Art). You can learn a lot more about all of that at the [Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center](http://www.fairmountwaterworks.com/index.php). ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2005, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-charcoal-to-me/305707/22 "2005-05-30T15:35:56Z")
> [@Spectre of Pithecanthropus](#): > > You can trust **Una**. She used to be called **Anthracite**. 🙂 Just don’t mention anything that sounds like the bulk of electricity is generated by oil. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2005, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-charcoal-to-me/305707/23 "2005-05-30T15:47:46Z")
I once interviewed to be the town manager of ‘Little Coshy,’ right near there. They rejected me for the position and I fled here to forget my shame. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-charcoal-to-me/305707.md?page=1)