In our Spring 2001 issue, this column made reference to an archaic technology: the coal furnaces that were prevalent in New York City’s schools. The reference had been inspired by our 1996 “They’re Still There” column. When that column was written, 322 of the city’s schools were heated with coal. Five years after that figure had been collected, it did not seem necessary to check whether the coal-burning furnaces were still in operation.
In fact, they were—but just barely. Shortly after the issue came out, Gov. George Pataki tossed a ceremonial last shovelful of coal into a Queens school’s furnace, which was about to be replaced with an oil-burning model. Except for one other school building, which was scheduled for closing at the end of the year, it was the last coal furnace in the New York school system. The episode serves as a reminder that even the most elephantine bureaucracy can sometimes get things done—and that people who write for magazines should always check their facts.
