Transportation
What modes were used to move coal to the rivers?
Industrial Revolution
Keelmen Coal trimmer Industrial Revolution Coal breaker Coal River (West Virginia)
Keelmen-Abstract Coal_trimmer-Abstract Industrial_Revolution-Transportation Coal_breaker-Pre-breaker_treatment_of_coal Coal_River_(West_Virginia)-History
The Keelmen of Tyne and Wear were a group of men who worked on the keels, large boats that carried the coal from the banks of both rivers to the waiting collier ships. Because of the shallowness of both rivers, it was difficult for ships of any significant draught to move up river and load with coal from the place where the coal reached the riverside. Thus the need for shallow-draught keels to transport the coal to the waiting ships. The keelmen formed a close-knit and colourful community on both rivers until their eventual demise late in the nineteenth century. 
The trimmers worked inside the coal bunkers located on top of and between the boilers. Trimmers used shovels and wheelbarrows to move coal around the bunkers in order to keep the coal level, and to shovel the coal down the coal chute to the firemen below, who shoveled it into the furnaces. If too much coal built up on one side of a coal bunker, the ship would actually list to that side. Trimmers were also involved in extinguishing fires in the coal bunkers. Fires occurred frequently due to spontaneous combustion of the coal. The fires had to be extinguished with fire hoses and by removing the burning coal by feeding it into the furnace. Of the engineering crew, the trimmers were paid the least. The working conditions of a trimmer were poor, primarily as a result of their environment: the inside of a coal bunker was poorly lighted, full of coal dust, and extremely hot due to residual heat emanating from the boilers.  
At the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, inland transport was by navigable rivers and roads, with coastal vessels employed to move heavy goods by sea. Railways or wagon ways were used for conveying coal to rivers for further shipment, but canals had not yet been constructed. Animals supplied all of the motive power on land, with sails providing the motive power on the sea. The Industrial Revolution improved Britain's transport infrastructure with a turnpike road network, a canal and waterway network, and a railway network. Raw materials and finished products could be moved more quickly and cheaply than before. Improved transportation also allowed new ideas to spread quickly.
Coal breakers were generally located as close to the anthracite mine entrance as possible, so as to minimize the distance the coal had to travel before processing. Prior to entering the breaker, the coal would be crushed and sorted in a coal tipple and, if necessary and if water was available, washed. All coal was screened in the tipple as it came out of the mine so that steam-sized or smaller pieces could travel immediately to the coal washer and/or coal breaker. Chunks of coal which were too large were then crushed (sometimes several times) in the tipple until it passed through the screen (e.g., was of acceptable steam size or smaller). Coal is often mixed with impurities such as slate, sulphur, ash (or "bone"), clay, or soil, which requires that it be cleaned before shipment to market. Mine workers sampled the coal as it came out of the mine to determine whether the level of impurity recommended washing (if washing was available). Slate, sulphur, and ash have a higher relative density than coal, and will sink in agitated water. Passing the coal through the tipple was an essential pre-treatment process for coal washing, however, because the impure coal must be of similar sized lumps for coal washing to work. If coal washing was conducted, coal might enter the breaker "wet." This meant the incline of the various belts and conveyors had to be lowered so that the coal did not slide on the belts or move too quickly down chutes. Where coal washing was used, the coal breaker was expanded to handle both "dry" and "wet" coal simultaneously. 
Originally named Walhondecepe by the Delaware Indians,The three rivers that make up the Coal River Watershed, Big, Little and Coal River were renamed in the 18th century by explorer John Peter Salling for the coal deposits found along its banks. Since humans first arrived in the region the three rivers that make up the Coal River Watershed have served as a vital transportation link to the Kanawha River. The Indians used the rivers as favorite hunting and fishing sites. Early settlers in the region discovered that outcrops of (Cannel) Coal along the Big Coal River could be utilized as an excellent source of heat and light. The abundant timber reserves found in the region also could be transported to the Kanawha Valley during floods and sold to the growing Kanawha Valley. The availability of large seams of Cannel Coal, which could be used to produce a very desirable coal oil, brought investors to the region in the mid-19th century. The coal could be utilized to produce a coal oil which was in high demand in the urban areas of the US. The oil was used to replace whale oil for lighting. Cannel Coal oil burned bright and produced very little smoke. The utilization of the rivers for navigation was enhanced in the mid 1851 by the construction of a 34 mile lock and dam system designed by William Rosecrans. The Coal River Navigation Company was formed and invested approximately $208,000 to complete the system. The lock and dam system was repeatedly washed out by floods but continued to be rebuilt by investors. The system operated successfully from 1855 through 1861. In 1860 over 850,000 bushels of coal were shipped. The outbreak of the Civil War stopped operations of the system but in 1867 a new company was formed and the lock and dams returned to service until 1881. Altogether the lock and dams operated for 16 years. The system is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places as is a series of Log booms built after the locks on the dams were washed away as the Coal River Locks, Dams, and Log Booms Archeological District. The log booms helped to channel cut timber into Sawmill locations along the Coal River near St. Albans, WV. The Coal River from St. Albans to Upper Falls remains a federal government of the United States-designated navigable waterway. Beginning around 1800, flax mills and gristmills were built and operated along the river, yielding fiber for the production of textiles in addition to staples such as flour and cornmeal. After failed attempts by others, the Coal River and Western Railway Company established scheduled rail service along the river at the dawn of the 20th century. This finally provided a reliable source of transportation for the coal and timber industries, sparking an economic boom in the region. 