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506 Gap Creek Road, Duncan, South Carolina 29334-9104
Doing quick research on the Beaumont Cable Drag Scraper, it was used for coal storage. This should support the idea the site was once a coal fired power plant before being razed and replaced by a substation.
Yes and the rail car in the pictures above was a part of the drag scraper system. That combined with the coal and coal waste still on site makes that piece of it obvious. The burning question remains though, was it a power plant? A mill? It was a very large complex. The rail bed leading up to the coal yard is very wide, leading me to believe there were multiple tracks, possibly a small yard. There has to be pictures of the place.
It was, and Im guessing here, both a mill and power plant, which wasnt uncommon back then for mills and factories to have their own "power". Duke probably set up the power plant to run a mill and surrounding homes. The generators would have most likely been steam powered by burning coal to either turn the gennys directly or via a steam engine. The closet one of those mills to me is Mills Mill, and though its been years since I have been down to it, they did have their own power plant at one time. As I recall, the dam supplied water to what is basically a big water wheel which turned the gennys. As I said, its been years since Ive been there, so it may be completely gone by now.
From Dukes website:
They took the first big step toward this goal in 1904 when the first power plant, Catawba Hydro Station in South Carolina, began providing electricity to Victoria Cotton Mills in Rock Hill, S.C. Over the next several years, the company's hydroelectric fleet continued to grow to serve not only commercial textile mills, but the region's growing appetite for the conveniences that electricity could provide.
I could see that scenario.....as I mentioned there are remains of a dam and pump house complex on the site as well. There are 4 giant valves labeled "Coffin Valve Boston" with levels still intact. I had pictures but cant locate them now.
You keep mentioning that there is coal ash present on the site. If true, it needs to be removed and placed in a lined landfill. You would think Duke would have inventoried all of their property for coal ash storage at this point since it has caused them so many problems.
^you would think huh? Oh well, I dont work for the EPA, Im just a history buff.
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506 Gap Creek Road, Duncan, South Carolina 29334-9104
