Scranton, PA Mine Cave-In Destroys Home

Scranton, PA Mine Cave-In Destroys Home

In Pennsylvania’s Coal Region, mine subsidence has been an issue since deep mining began in the mid-19th century. The sudden collapse of the earth into old mine workings happened regularly in the 19th century and throughout the 20th century, occasionally swallowing homes and buildings. On more rare occasions, like the Stockton Mine Cave-in of December 1869, it could even prove fatal. Illustration from the 1869 disaster at Stockton, Pennsylvania …