Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1869-12-29
ANOTHER MINING HORROR.
Four Houses with Ten Persons Carried
Down.

Down.
HAZELToN, Pa, Dec. Is, '69.
A terrible mining accident occurred
this morning at five o'clock at the vii
lage of Stockton, near this place. At
the hour named the community was
startled from slumber by loud noise,
caused by the eaving in of slope No.
of Linderman & Skeer's coal mine
Upon parties hurrying to the scene it
was discovered that two double dwell
ing houses, Nos. 3, 4, . and 6, had been
carried down with the enormous
masses of earth that filled the shaft
and tunnel.
Stockton is a small village situated
on the Hazelton branch of the Lehigh
Valley Railroad, two miles distant
from Hazelton. 1t contains many
very neatly built houses and other
buildings, the company's stores and
the hotel being the principal struc-
lures. The company employs about
/ 200 miners, who make this their
home. The mine runs parallel with
the railroad track through the middle
of the village. About fifty feet above
the place of this mornings accident
the mine c&ved in some years ago !;
bat no danger of its happening again
has since been spprehended. About
ten years ago a small hole was made
by the falling of the earth directly in
front of the two Inflated houses.
NARROW ESCAPE.
The residents of houses Nos. 3 and
4, Mr.. Philip Wetheran, his family
and boarders, and the family of Mr..
William Morris and boarders, were
saved from terrible death by a sing
ular circumstance. A dog belonging
to Mr.. Morrist awoke the family by
its persistent bowling and barking
One of the men rose for the purpose of
ascertaining what allied the animal,
when he discovered that the house
was sinking. He Immediately gave
the alarm and the two families had
barely time to escape. Miss Mary
Wetheran, running in the wrong
direction, fell into the abyss; but was
subsequently rescued by some .coura-
geOus young men. She is somewhat
bruised and prostrateS from excite
ment and fear, but will recover.
THE VICTIMS.
All of the residents of houses Nos. 3
and lie hopelessly buried in the
ruins. They comprise Mr.. Schwenk,
his wife, son of nineteen years, a
daughter of eighteen years, son of
eight years and an infant. This COM
prised one family. The other consist
ed of Mr.. Isaac Ranch, his mother,
wife and infant. This makes total
of ten persons. 1t is reported that
some men were in the mine at the
time of the accident, and if so all are
undoubtedly dead. But the report is
very doubtful and cannot be traced to
any reliable authority. So far it has
been found impossible to reach the
dead bodies of the victims. The cave
is seventy-iive feet wide and sixty feet
deep, and as the stoves in the houses
set fire TO the woodwork the entire
cavity is now burning and smoking
mass. The Pioneer No. l fire engine
of HazeltOn was sOoh on the ground
and made every exertion to extinguish
the fire, in the hope that some of the
persons in the cave might be saved
There was not, however, the faintest
probability of any being alive one
hour after the accident took place, as
all were buried by the fallen earth
with frightful effectiveness.
EXCITEMENT OF THE PEOPLE.
Trains are running from Hazelten
every hour to the scene of the disaster
and will continue to do so until all the
bodies are recovered, which will be
some time yet, as it is still dangerous
to enter on the work of rescue because
of the earth's still continuing to fall in
and thus enlarge the cavity continu-
ally.
The excitement is very great and is
increasing. Families in the vicinity
are moving out of their houses, fearing
that theirs will fall in next. 1t is the
general opinion that other houses will
fall in. There is also danger of the
mines taking fire. Messrs. Linderman
and Skeer arrived at the scene of the
disaster this afternoon. They are
sparing no pains to secure the bodies
as speedily as possible.