Beneath the sprawling 643-acre campus of the University of Washington lies a 7-mile network of tunnels used for insulated pipes which deliver steam and chilled water from a central power plant. Natural gas became the primary heating source in 1988, after the plant switched from coal, its primary fuel for over 90 years. The power plant is located next to the former Northern Pacific Railway where rail cars of coal once off-loaded. The old rail bed is now the popular Burke-Gilman trail.
In January 1958, four visitors from University of Washington, came to inspect Palmer Coking Coal Company’s Landsburg mine in Ravensdale. At the time, the U.W. was an important customer of Palmer. Mining on the 18-foot coal seam at Landsburg No. 1 commenced in 1937 on the Danville side (i.e. Summit-Landsburg Road) of a ridge separating the Cedar River from the town of Ravensdale. A mine opening (i.e. portal) was later established at this Kent-Kangley location, 1.5 miles east of Four Corners. The Danville-Landsburg mine operated for 25 years producing 663,000 tons of clean coal before closing in 1961.
Pictured from left to right: John Hardin (U.W. Purchasing Agent), Bob Timoto, George Guy (U.W. power plant manager), Gordon Gonberg, plus Jack A. Morris, V.P. of Palmer and manager of the University account. Jack Morris was the oldest son of the company’s President and founder, John H. Morris. Next week, the story of Hubert Kravagna, one of the miners who dug the coal which once kept college students warm.
