Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1871-12-07
EXCITEMENT At HYDE PARK, PENN.
A Portion of the city sinking into a
Coal Mine Many Buildings DAM

A Portion of the city sinking into a
{ Coal Mine Many Building, DAM
( aged.
I SCRANTON, Nov. 16.-HYde Park has
/ again been visited by one Of those ca
tastrophes peculiar to mining regions.
/ About 3 o'clock this morning the clti-
. zens of that portion Of the city lying
south Of Main street, and III the neigh
I borhood of Scranton avenue, were
/ startled from their slumbers by rum
bling crashing noise, and the trembling
/ of the earth and their buildings, as if
/ bv an earthquake. So violent were the
/ shocks and so loud the noise, that they
/ fled terror stricken from their dwell
ings After the first paroxysm OF fright
bad passed the cause Of the terrible
/ alarm became apparent. The mines Of
+ the first vein of the Oxford shaft had
given away, causing the earth to settle
some two feet, and causing great cracks
in the surface. The area of ground,
which is thickly covered with build
ings and handsome dwellings,, is about
20 acres, extending from Main street at
+ point west Of the Welsh Calvinistic
( Church running diagonally north east
J to Chestnut street. This boundary of
4 the fall is marked by crack which va
ries in width and depth.
The crack passing through the front
/ ward of the Welsh Calvanistic Church
goes through the dwelling and store Of
/ Mr. Thomas Phillips, Herman's Hotel,
and the adjoining property, breaking
4 their walls and rocking the buildings
/ from cellar to garrett Crossing Scran-
/ ton avenue, it crosses the corner of
Fellows Hall building, breaking open
/ the foundation walls and causing a
/ large opening in the brick wall, and in
fact iuiuring the entire building. From
/ this point it runs in an easterly direc-
hon, through the property of DIR.
/ Heath, Daniel Howell, ID, L. Richards,
! ESQUIRE SNYDER, and others, to Chest
nut street, thence diagonally to Scran-
| ton avenue, where tracks Of the fall are
/ lost But the effects of the fall are
still visible in the settling OF the earth
4 about Mr. Herman's residence and
/ other dwellings, between this point and
/ the place from which we first started.
/ In all of the buildings, and particu
! larry those of Messrs. Philips, Richards,
/ Howell, and the hotel and Fellows Hall,
/ are the destructive effects of this disas-
! ter most clearly visible, as hardly any
part of them remains uniniured, Walls
1 and ceilings broken, floors sunken,
windows broken. wainscoting torn
/ loose, while cisterns, wells, and cellars
have literally lost their bottoms, caus-
ing destruction OF property amount
ing to $50, 900.
There were three distinct shocks, each
one loud enough to arouse everybody.
In few minutes Main street was
crowded with men, women and children
who were greatly frightened. When
the residence of Mr.. d. T. Richards
was shaken, the family was obliged to
flee in order to save their lives SO great
was the destruction that the house
must be rebuilt The Hermaus House
is SO badly damaged that ii must be
torn down. The Post Office has sunk
some eighteen inches aud still continues
settling. 4 large cistern in the kitchen
OF DaM Howell was pierced, and is now
dry. In fact, not drop OF water can
be had IN any cistern in any part OF the
injured portion. The houses of j. 1t.
Mllspaugh, William Price, Judge W.
q. Ward, $. Mears, and Mr.. Ashby
were also badly damaged. That of h.
Ilermuns settled down eighteen inches
below the surface, but otherwiseis COM
paratiyely uniujured.
The Oxford shaft is situated in the
center OF the HYDE Park, and is the
property of the Delaware, Lackawanna
and Western Company, having been
purchased by them III 1868 from Sci
den, Scranton y Go. The vein which
caused such terrible scare this morn
ing is known as the Diamond vein, and
has not been worked by the Delaware
Lackawuuna and Western Company
On that ground they claim that no dam
age will be paid, and Il the losers will
insist, the former owners must bear the
g. hrunt The fall which occurred some
= -four years ago in another portion OF
b HYDE Park, Mt which time so much
= damage was done, was not near SO dis
astr u in its results.