I recently delved into the workings of a coal furnace and its benefits and... disadvantages. Coal was needed to fuel the fire and the arrival of the coal truck was a treat for me and my brother Kevin. With faces pressed against a living room window that looked-out over our side yard, we knew the truck was there when the driver rapped on the back door to announce his delivery.  Just like the mail-man, egg-man and insurance-man, the "coal-man" positioned his dump truck adjacent to the basement “coal” window.” His metal chute was attached to the exterior as he pushed a lever to open a back panel. Once the truck bed was elevated, here came the coal.  For us it was the excitement of watching a dump truck dump and the sound of the coal funneling down the chute, through the window that we could hardly see and rumbling below us into the coal cellar. It sounded like bowling balls hitting a tin roof.  The only way the coal-man made his delivery was “if” the ground was frozen. A stuck truck was even more exciting for us and not to the delight of our grandfather and father.