The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1909-05-17
Inning TOWN IS
SLOWLY s|NK|NG
Deal Has Been Taken Out Under
oeath City in Large Quantities and
Houses Sink Into Earth.
BY SAM 3. ANsoN.

WEST PITTSTON, Pa. May IL
mis- Is city doomed IL Is slowly.
orely sinking.
IL isn't that vice and iniquity Is
@raggfng II down. West Pittston Is
nautiful residence community, the
(1chest town for It's size in all this
xrcat anthracite region - cleaner.
morally. than most towns. II Is sink
Ing literally.
The mines below the city are caving
NJ!
In many parts OF West Pittston the
drop has been five inches already.
'Houses are settling, great assures are
cnDpearing in the pavements. the grave
1tones in the cemetery-as brad
cmens OF the end that is to come
4 ore tipping.
AZ the rate the town is now sinking.
{n will drop another foot before New
Year. IL will keep on dropping. say
|Dxperts--a little each day. a little each
hour. Finally. some day. soon. the bot
Tom will drop from beneath the whole
city. That will be the end of West
4 Pittston.
This is the rich mine operators
own city-they live here. They pick
ID II out. the only undespoiled spot in
the valley, TO build homes in for their
wives and children. But they couldn't
resist the temptation To mine under
n. Nor after that 10 rob the pitt
lars
"Robbing the pillars" is peculiarly
- Pennsylvania thing. IL means that
<ofter you've stripped the mines bare.
leaving only pillars OF earth and coal
Flo support the roofs-that you get
busy then and take the coal out OF
the pillars.
In a dozen cities for 20 miles along
the river valley, the pillars have been
robbed, the countryside undermined.
They are looking at West Pittston
with dismay and fear
"a In this emergency the rich opera
Tors are In qusndary. II they make
-ony move they may draw down the
<nre Of legislative enactments forbid
ding pillar robbing In the future,
which VIII cut into their fat dividends.
"a they don't move they will lose their
homes.
or course, they have poor people in
West Pittson, merchants and small
taxpayers. They stand 10 lose their
ZONES, too. They have nothing 10
Tear from the legislature. Why don't
1hey get busy, you ask?
why, bless you, they've been going
70 the legislature since before either
|of US was born. It's like chasing the
lot OF gold at the rainbow's end. The
xpAl barons own the legislature. own
HE courts, own the mine inspectors
own the state.
The sinking was first noticed in the
3Vnrd OF the Vulcan Iron Co.'S plant.
~ the river bank. The walls OF the
&u1ldings began 10 crack. The ground
1ott1ed, first one, then two, three, four,
i've inches.
In day or two the assures began
10 crop out in the heart OF the town.
The Methodist church foundations
nhifted. The Warren-st. school sud-
denly fell out OF plumb Brick pave
ments began to crack.
The operators, stirred by popular
bathurst, sent three state mine inspec-
tors and bunch of their own experts
down into the Clear Spring colliery.
whose workings honey-comb West
Pittson below streets.
M But these were Pennsylya nia state
mine inspectors. That reservation
counts for a lot. These got their Or
|ders and reported that there is no
more danger of sinkings."
That mollified the frightened West
>Pittson merchants and smaller prop
My owners--for a while.
D1it 4 didn't stop the sinking.
The lew factory OF the Hitchner
u1r<uit Co. settled and its walls open
"a Additional assures developed at
the Iron works, In the yard and in the
wallis OF the buildings. Every day or
there 10 reported more evidence
3 continued caving.
0ome people few-are trying 10
non6ethink
Ne haven't given up hope" said
/. Nd G. Kirkendall, editor OF the
)Ines-Leader at Wilkesbarre, nine
<lC3 down the river. We'll win ycl.
~ keep on firing anyway"
q m Times-Leadsr, which has been
ING spartan fight against
d vine Rights" Baer and his precious
Haug for years, succeeded last white.
ct Harrisburg In getting the legisla-
ture to appoint a commission OF a
number of citizens. expert mining en-.
gineers and Others, 10 look into the
piilar-robbing evil and recommend
ways and means toward ending IL.
Maybe some good will come OF II.
Here's hoping. signs West Pittscn.
Wilkesbarre. Scranton. Hazelton. Dur
yea and 90 long miles of other mining
towns.
But there are few Kirkendalls.
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