Piece of coal in bottle,but how?

[SmallTownGirl]

I Just started bottle collecting a few months ago.. I came across a bottle dump along and old railroad bed. I actually found alot but this one has me puzzled. At first I thought it was the cork and a closer look it was a piece of coal.. OK no biggy.. The railbed was built in the late 1800's for the purpose of hauling coal.. The thing is ,how did it get there..? Its way to big for the opening up the bottle.. I know there is prolly a logical explanation for it ,I just would like to know what it is.. It is a Stove polish bottle.The front is Embossed with LIQUID STOVE POLISH MANUFACTURED BY JL PRESCOTT CO NEW YORK. Thanks in advance!
By the way I'm from a small town in PA ,one redlight.. The coal region ..Its not quite a patch town but close..I hope to one day soon be able to give back to the board to others what I have taken.. By the way how do you become a supporter?

 

[passthebottle]

Hi small town girl;
Is it possible that the contents of the bottle formed into that shape and harded?

 

[SmallTownGirl]

Thats what I thought at first ,but I do think its coal. Then again what was stove polish made of back then?

 

[capsoda]

Hey Barb, Welcome to the forum. Nice bottle. It could be a lump of tar. Either coal tar or pine tar. Both were used to give a semi-shine to the stove.

 

[bottlenutboy]

its coal, i had a chero cola bottle that was almost completely filled with coal i dont know how it got in there either but to get it out i just found something to fit in the top and crunched it up some and then ran some water in to get it out

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[towhead]

I also found a bottle with- what appears to be- two chunks of coal....and also too big for the opening!

 

[xpadigger]

it is the dried remnants of the liquid stove polish that was originally in the bottle, which was a coal tar paste.

I have the same bottle and a "Black Cat" stove polish bottle, both about half full of coal 'nuggets' which were dug from the same dump, also in PA coal country (Johnstown area).

 

[Humabdos]

I think I would leave it in there. You never know when you'll need a lump of coal.
All I ever find in my bottles is dust or a few rat turds []

 

[cowseatmaize]

I don't remember the turds but I found a nest of dead mice in a jug once. I imagine there must have been turds too.

 

[towhead]

[]....I had an open box of about 20 Dairy Bottles in the Garage from a few years back....practically every one contained a dead mouse! Hmmmm maybe I should put some Mouse Traps in the Garage....[8|]