The Mystery behind leaving a piece of old construction equipment behind at an old Coal strip Mine

 Have you ever gone along a Pa.  back country Road perhaps past some old Strip Mining Land  and you see just a single old bulldozer or Grader  just sitting there abandoned but looks like its ready to go to work.

Like you see in the picture below

Well it was left behind by Mine Owners deliberately with the belief that as long as one piece of equipment  remains on the property they still have control of property and State of Pa. DER  can not force them to forfeit a Coal Reclamation Bond which can cost millions to post.

Which guarantees the mine property will be cleaned up.  

One of the most famous of these is sitting along Pa 51  Near Uniontown Which unfortunately was destroyed and is tied up in a lawsuit.between new and old property owners 

https://archive.triblive.com/news/suit-seeks-restoration-of-giant-steam-shovel-in-fayette-county/

 Hopefully some one will restore it but belief leaving a piece of equipment proves property ownership to prevent forfeiting a  reclamation Bond  doe not when its time to go to court after a mine owner. But the practice which may of had some truth back in 50s  still goes on.

Mysterious Parkers Tomb sitting in the middle of no where. Near Emporium Pa. and a Treasure connected to it?

 Thru the many years the state of Pa. has grown and expanded their where many fortunes made and lost and towns which sprung up around the Coal ,Iron , Oil  and lumber Industry which also found fortune and failure and in some cases have completely disappeared like the famous Pit Hole Ghost town which is now a state museum and park.

Many times only thing left where  Grave yards and cemetery  to become lost to time like  Livermore  a town removed when they flooded the town with a reservoir   designed to protect Pittsburgh .

So finding a Mausoleum  from a long forgotten town out in the middle of nowhere would be rare but it does happen.

Take the case of the tomb of Colonel Noah Parker near Emporium  located in a one time Lumber  town of Gardeau

Its sits there all by itself surrounded by forests and rattle snakes. With no apparent cemetery to go with it. 

Some say its filled with treasure and the colonel is not even buried there. 

 

 

The truth in this case may be stranger than true and involves Indians and Pirates 

What ever the truth the whole back story to it is winding and complicated so I have included the following link to give you the whole story .The author of whom can give you a much more complete picture.

https://paoddities.blogspot.com/2019/08/colonel-noah-parker-and-myth-of.html

A Phantom Fire truck from Westerville West Virginia Every time its shows up a structure fire is sure to occur .

 Hard to believe a Fire Truck that has been out of Commission and  been stripped of all usable  parts still sitting and rusting away next to the Panther Fire Dept in McDowell County .has been spotted by people on the road and then disappearing  and shortly after a structure fire has occurred .

its appearance being like that of an Omen

The  1959 era Truck which became known as Big Red started its career in 1961 when Westerville WV was desperate for a truck and bought the big red chassis and members then put sweat equity into fitting it out with a water tank and equipment and put in into service .for almost 18 years 

The dept eventually grew into a  Paid Service as the town grew  and all the volunteers for the dept where allowed to try and pass test to join paid dept. one member could not and cursed the dept  saying after he died he would come back and haunt Big Red 

Which you can see in the google photo is still there sitting disabled.

Well eventually the truck was sold despite the efforts of the old chief to try and save it off it went to a truck dealer. 

He sold the truck to Panther fire dept in 79 and they kept it running for 2 years till it became too dangerous to do so.  especially with it being a standard shift and many not able to drive a standard shift and just trying to keep maintenance up on truck they parked it beside dept and stripped it of parts .

Now this is where things get weird. Shortly after the Westerville chief passed away Old Red was seen running on and then disappearing on the back road around panther and every time some one has seen it there has been a horrific fire often times fatal.

One time the Panther fire chief and wife out on a drive saw it running on a back road and the chief and he drove back quickly to fire House and truck had not moved.  

Now there are plenty of story's of haunted fire houses and stations but this is first time I heard of haunted fire Truck.

 

https://www.blogarama.com/paranormal-blogs/280752-theresas-haunted-history-tristate-blog/39955484-panthers-phantom-fire-truck

 

 

The Unfortunate Life of the St Clair Incline in Pittsburghs South Side. Was it cursed?

 Funicular Inclines have operated for over 100 years in the united states 3 of the most outstanding right here in Western Pa. with one of the safest records for operation of a public transit conveyance  in the world but this was not the case for the St Clair Incline  which operated on Pittsburgh's South Side which had several notable incidents  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Clair_Incline

incline running behind water pumping station

  Built in 1886-88 and operating till 1933  it traveled from  22nd and Joseph St up to Salisbury St. across from the old Fort  Laughlin Playground  which once served as a redoubt during the civil war. 

with 2 tracks  which where laid on the ground and where more of a cable way ,which got higher and in  a parabolic arc as you got towards the top it carries both passengers and freight.

 It was among one of 17 inclines built around same era as a way for Steel Mill and Glass Workers to get to their homes up on the slopes  instead of having to walk up and down the steep hill .

But one day one of the cars went plunging into the 22nd street station after the Engineer operating the 

controls passed out due to a medical condition and fell on the controls.

at 3:30 am on the morning of April 6, 1909  and 3 young men where aboard a 17 year old survived having jumped off early but a 16 and 17 yr old died  horrifically. after trying to jump.

The cars apparently did not have a emergency safety centrifugal brake  like other inclines  and elevators which senses the car exceeding seed and send out a set of spikes to slow the car. 

https://www.otis.com/en/us/tools-resources/high-rise-safety-systems/

But this would not be the only time this incline saw tragedy

On July 22, 1915 a young 19 moth old  child was crushed when trying to follow  his 2 sisters after they crossed over the tracks instead of walking around correctly 

Then on March 10,1919  A young girl lost her life while leaning on a gate of one of the cars and it gave way and she fell to her death.

 3 fatality on 1 incline and none as far as i can find with all the other inclines in the area.

Which makes one wonder was it cursed . That area where it ran was inhabited by native Americans  so who knows if angry spirits could be involved.