The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1884-06-15
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81 HnhsbitaBta.
A wilkesbarre special to the PhiIadel-
phia Times, dated Wednesday, says: The
excitement in and around the scene Of
yesterdays cave-in at Poke Hollow contin-
ued all last night and to-day, and there are
no signs OF abatement tonight. This
morning early rumor was started by
one OF the occupants OF the wrecked
houses that he heard further cracking OF
the earth's surface and that the bottom was
falling out OF his cellar. This created q
general alarm among all the residents OF
the place, and those who had not yet
made up their minds to leave their houses
packed up at once and made hurried prep
arations TO leave for safer quarters. Brawny
miners, with their terrOr-stricken wives
and children, rushed pell-mell here and
there, grasping everything within reach
to carry II OF TO place OF safety. The
first to be looked after was the COW, then
the pigs, and then the procession toek
place. One old miner. who was warned OF
the danger he was in remained in his DOM
icle, positively refusing TO vacate until the
rats in his "shanty" took their departure.
WAITING FOR THE RATS TO GO.
a tell you, boys, Pve lived In this val
ley forty years, and yOu'se amt a-goin' to
scare me so quick. Until these here rats OF
mine cock up their ears and git am not
a-goin' to leave"
The miners, as a rule, have great faith In
the preceptve power Of rodents, and make
special pets OF them in the mines. IL dam
ger is in the vicinity they are said to fly on
its approach, which gives the miner ample
time also to make his escape; hence the
faith Of the old miner in his friend the rat.
In the other dwellings which were wrecked
the rats are said to have been seen leaving
hours before the shock took place, and
many remarked at the time that something
disastrous was going to happen. About
noon another slight commotion in the
earth's surface was noticed, but no damage
was done. Large assures In the ground
running hundreds OF yards are plainly per-
ceptible, and in the cellars OF the wrecked
houses immense gaps large enough to
admit the body Of man are to be seen.
SOME OF TIE WRECKED DWELLINGS.
A large double house, owned by Ter
renee Mcdonald, suffered the most. The
foundation walls were split in several
places and thrown out Of plumb, and the
whole house thrown out OF perpendicular.
This house was occupied by John Burke,
Mrs. Carry, q widow, and John Gleason.
and, with their families, they have all moved
away, and the house is entirely deserted.
Another large house, owned by Kirkland
McDougal and occupied by James Brad
ley, was also badly damaged. Several
large assures pass directly under the
building. The foundation walls are split
and seem to be crumbling apart. All
the plaster on the ceiling and walls
is cracked and broken of, and the
extension kitchen wrecked. When
the Times reporter visited the house
Mrs. Bradley was at work packing up
the last OF her household goods. The
floors were so upheaved as to give one the
impression as to being on the deck OF
vessel at sea. Another and smaller house,
also owned by Kirkland McDougall and
occupied by Patrick O'Brien, was so badly
damaged as to be uninhabitable. The rear
part had sunk some eight or ten inches,
while the front portion renamed I'M
moved. The building appeared to be on
the point Of topping over and the founda-
ton walls were much cracked. Mr..
O'Brien has removed his family to safer
quarters. A house owned by Il. ID. Parkes
bad suffered considerably. Several cracks
passed uIubT lUc uOuSt. uC iOunubtioi
walls were cracked and bulged, and the
one-story extension was torn from the
building and gap fully eight inches wide
separated the two structures.
SCENE OF PANIC.
The crash came about 10 O'Clock on Mon
day morning, and no warning whatever
was given. There seems to have been two
shocks Immediately following each other.
The CONSERVATION Of the residents resen-
bled a panic. The ground beneath their
feet opened in gaping assures, and their
houses trembled and SHOOK as though
about to tumble about their heads. Clouds
of dus. arose from all over the tract. One
man asserts that the shock flung him fully
four feet in the air, and in an
other instance, where = mother and
children were sitting on the porch,
the whole party were thrown into
the garden below. The thing which will
most seriously affect the residents OF the
vicinity is the giving out Of the wells, and
a water famine is imminent. The caye-in
was caused presumably by the drenching
OF the timbers in an abandoned working,
which lies under the disturbed tract at
depth OF about 100 feet. 1t is eleven years
since work in this vein was abandoned.
The greatest fears arise from the fact that
another fall may occur, in which event The
result would be most disastrous.