Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1867-05-25
CAyING IN OF A MINE.
elSKING AND DIsApPEARING OF A DWELLING
WITH ITS CONTENTS.

On Friday afternoon, 10th inst, singular
and startling accident happened near Gil
rardville, at the foot of Mahanoy Plane,
about six miles from Maharoy City, this
County. 1t seems that at that point a
breast" of the Boston and. Mahanoy Coal
Company's colliery, had been worked to
within about twenty feet of the surface of
the earth, and that located just above it
stood two story frame building, occupied
by MIR. Thomas T. Myers, breaker-boss at
the coliery, and his family. He, also, had
O number of boarders whose clothing, etc.,
were in the house.
About o'clock on Friday afternoon, as
Mrs. Morris Robinson of this Borough, wife
of the Superintendent of the colliery, who
was on visit to the house, and Mrs. Myers,
were in the kitchen, they felt the house
moving and rushed in haste into the open
air. Two minutes had hardly elapsed after
they left the house, before it sank with a
surging, swaying motion into huge chasm,
to the depth of about eighty feet Large
masses of earth and rock from the sides OF
the chasm, Immediately closed in upon the
house, burying it almost completely from
view. The crash when it went down, was
tremendous. The complete entombment OF
the dwelling, which was about thirty feet
iouS, may oc liidS Siucu, WHeu we Stdlc lial
the chasm formed 10y the sinking of the
mine, would readily have admitted Penn.
sylvania HALL, building over one hundred
feet in length.
The house contained seven beds and bed
ding, four stoves, bureaus and other furni
ture, besides a considerable quantity OF
clothing, Sunday School library and some
money. There was fire in several of the
stoves and shortly after the occurrence smoke
was seen issuing from the earth which GOV
cred tie roof, rendering it almost certain
that the house had been set on fire. Stream:
of water were directed into the chasm, and
it was hoped that the house would not bt
entirely destroyed.
The value of Mr.. Myers's property in til,
house was about $4,000, of which 5000 wa
in money; gold watch valued at 500
and furniture and clothing enough to maxi
up the balance. A boarder, who is a car
penter at the mine, had $50 in money anC
clothing in the house. Mr.. w. Robinson
son of Mr.. NJ. Robinson, who was also,
boarder, had clothing, a revolver, ETC., il
the house, valued at $3.50. Several othe
boarders also sustained losses in clothing
and other articles.
Mr.. Myers was a soldier of Company X
e7th Pennsylvania Regiment, during tn
lNcDeillOu, ie du tstiuluDle WOTklDR0ldU
and the loss falls with peculiar severity upol
him.
Fortunately, the startling occurrence wa
not attended by loss of human life. Ha'
it taken place at night ten lives might hav
been lost. But it took place at an hou
when some of Mr.. Myers's children had gon
to school, while the Others were playing
outside. Mrs. Myers had timely warning
and effected her eScaDe uniniurei
Among the incidents of the descent, wa
the disappearance with the house, of a ca
and three kittens; an old hen with her iv
chicks, and thirty-six other chickens of va
rious sizes. The cat and hen worked thei
way out alive, but the kittens and chicken
are among the things that were.
The immediate cause of the caving in q
the mine, was the heavy rains We have ha
lately, saturating the earth. and rendering
more liable to fail in so large an excavatio
as the breast" of a minc-INners' Journa