The size of the pile over many years had produced internal heat and spontaneous combustion, leading to a smoldering of the slate and coal refuse which slowly smoldered into a clinker called "red-dog." This was commonly used at that time for rural road bases instead of the crushed stone used today.
The beach was about 50' wide between the slate pile and the river, and the erosion of small particles from the side of the slate pile made a beach covering that was comfortable to walk on, or to sunbathe on a towel or blanket. With the many young unemployed during this time, the beach became an escape for whole families on hot sunny days. Every one walked to the beach. Gradually improvements were made to clear up the rocky beach, and the stones were used to build various walls at the back of the beach.
The river here was a gradual slope for 10-15' and then dropped quickly to 10-15' deep in the river channel. A floating platform was built a little off-shore in the deeper water, and a diving board was added. It was a pleasant way to spend a summer afternoon. Old inner tubes of all sizes were commonly used as a way to float on the water.
Some folks would spend almost every afternoon sunning at the beach, trying to get as brown as possible. Their were no sun shield creams back then, and little knowledge or concern about skin damage from excessive sun rays.
My brother Lou and I rarely missed a day of swimming all summer. We would play ball for a while with friends, and then all decide to cool off by taking a swim. And then back to the ball game. When the weather was hot in early May, we would occasionally take an early swim in the cold water.
In those days, we didn't have formal swimming suits. We used old pants with the legs cut off. There were some willow trees off a way from the beach, and these served as a privacy screen while we slipped into our trunks. We would roll up all our clothes in our pants and stow them on top the the rock wall. When we were done swimming and were dressed, we would stash our trunks in crevices in the rock wall so we would always have them there when we wanted to take a swim.
There were several other beaches along the town side of the river, none as developed or as popular as Rocky Beach. One was about a half mile upriver called Ival Beach, and the Second Street beach was located in town.
Directly across the river from Rocky Beach was the Manown Beach , a well-used spot for folks who lived on that side of the river. It was popular to swim across the river from these beaches to visit the other side.
We often threw flat stones out on the water as "skippers" and had contests to see who could throw with the most bounces the stone could make before sinking. Thirty years later, I taught our children when they were young this technique on Crooked Creek.
Another past time at the beach for us kids was playing baseball in the shade of the trees with a pocket knife for hours. It was a nine inning game for two people, played on a small piece of board. The long blade would be fully opened and the short blade was opened half way so it was at a right angle to the long portion. The knife would be placed on the board, balanced on the flat knife end and the short blade with the index finger under the knife, and then given a flip.
Scoring depended on the landing position of the knife. If it fell over, it was an out. Sticking in the board with the end and short blade touching was a single; a double if the short blade stuck and no other part of the knife touch the board; a triple if both the long and shorts blades were stuck; and a homerun if it landed with only the long blade stuck. It was a walk if it landed and stayed balanced on the flat side.
One of the most popular places in the neighborhood during the middle and late '30s was the swimming spot along the river in our neighborhood which grew into the name of "Rocky Beach." Coal mines in the area over the years had produced a large slate pile of waste material along the river, about 800' long, 300' wide and 30-40' high. It screened off the river from the Pennsylvania RR tracks and Main Street.