Hazleton Area Mine Subsidence Swallows Two Houses, Buries Ten People

On December 18th at 5am, a coal mine caved in, swallowing two homes into the mine tunnel, covering them with dirt as they fell in.

Ten individuals were reported to have been inside of the homes which fell roughly fourty feet and broke into fragments.

The people inside of the homes are believed to have been killed instantly.

One female was able to escape one of the homes, but did not run far enough to escape the sinking land, falling in and on top of one of the homes. She was able to be rescued.

The cause is believed to have been from mine workers digging too close to the surface. There was reportedly 20 feet of ground between the shaft and the houses before they fell.

This happened in Stockton Pennsylvania in 1869. A plaque now stands where ten persons died in this disaster.

** This article was intentionally written to give the reader the understading of this devastating event. Our local history is often ignored, with monuments sitting unvisited. Were you aware of the tragic disaster which occured along the Stockton Mountain Road? **