SEL US D 103.2:SU 7/29 
Northeast Flood 
Study ~ 
Susquehanna River 
Pennsylvania 

_., Jl JIO 
.,.~32 1 ge L cJ Buffalo, New York 14226 
Review Report-November '70 
22 

·. 

;.. 
:. .. 
I· I 
• I 1' 
Cover: 	Effect of subsidence in Coxton Yards of the Lehigh Valley Railroad and artist's conception of whirlpool caused by Knox mine disaster. 
NADDE (30 Nov 70) 1st Ind SUBJECT: Review Report on the Susquehanna River, Pennsylvania Northeast Flood Study 
DA, North Atlantic Division, Corps of Engineers, 90 Church Street New York, New York 10007 17 February 1972 
TO: HQDA (DAEN-BR/Resident Member) WASHINGTON, D.C. 20314 
1. 
I concur in the recommendation of the District Engineer. 

2. 
It is noted that Section 221 of the Flood Control Act of 1970 requires that, prior to construction of the recommended works, non-Federal interests enter into written agreements concerning their required cooperation, and that such agreements are to be enforcible in the appropriate district court of the United States. 


~ 
Major General, USA Division Engineer 
38 

REVIEW REPORT ON 
THE SUSQUEHANNA RIVER 
PENNSYLVANIA 
NORTHEAST FLOOD STUDY 

SURVEY REPORT 
ON 
FLOOD CONTROL AND MINE SUBSIDENCE 
IN WYOMING VALLEY, PENNSYLVANIA 

DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
BALTIMORE DISTRICT, CORPS OF ENGINEERS 
BALTIMORE , MARYLAND 

NOVEMBER 1970 


SUMMARY 
Restoration of the Wyoming Valley levee system is imperative in view of the loss of freeboard protection resulting from surface subsidence due to coal mining. The present levee system has prevented approximately $78,000,000 in flood damages since its original construction. The District Engineer recommends restoration of about 4-3/4 miles of the Kingston-Edwardsville, Swoyersville-Forty Fort, and Wilkes-Barre and Hanover Township levees at an estimated cost of $1,723,000 to the United States, and $42,900 to local interests. The estimated annual charges for restoration of the protection system are $102,500 of which $99,900 are Federal charges and $2,600 are non-Federal. Annual charges for operation and maintenance cost will be the same for the restored protect ion as for the existing projects. No additional charges have been included in the economic analysis for this purpose. The estimated annual benefits from restoration of the subsided protection are $469,000 with a resulting benefit cost ratio of 4.6. The recommendation is subject to t he condition that local interests provide, without cost to the United States, all lands, easements, and rights-of-way necessary for rehabilit ation of the protective system; hold and save the United States free f rom damages due the the construction works; maintain and operate the rehabilitated projects, without cost to the United States, in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary of the Army; make periodic inspections and leveling surveys along the levee embankment and related structures to determine if and where subsidence has occurred and ·the amount thereof; assume maintenance responsibility for restoring the protective works to design conditions including the extension of the protective works to tie to high ground when necessary; make every effort to prevent encroachment and regulate those aspects of mining activities which might interfere with proper functioning of the projects; provide guidance and leadership in preventing unwise future development of the flood plain by use of appropriate flood plain management techniques to reduce flood losses. 
REVIEW REPORT ON THE THE SUSQUEHANNA RIVER PENNSYLVANIA NORTHEAST FLOOD STUDY 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 
Heading 
SUMMARY 
AUTHORITY 
Authority 
1 
Assignment 
1 
EXTENT OF INVESTIGATION 
Purpose 
2 Scope of Report 2 Consultation With Other Interests 
2 
PRIOR REPORTS 
Report Under Review 
3 
Other Reports 
3 
DESCRIPTION OF WYOMING VALLEY 
Location 
4 
Topograph.y 
4 
Geology 
4 
Climate 
5 Streams 
5 Maps 
6 
ECON<MIC DEVELOPMENT 
General 
6 Population 
6 Agriculture 
7 Natural Resources 
8 Industrial Development 8 Employ.ment 
8 Transportation 
9 
FLOOD PROBLEMS Floods of Record 
10 
Flood-J)amages 
11 
Knox Mine Disaster 
11 
ii 
TABLE OF CONTENTS (Cont'd) 
Heading 
EXISTING CORPS OF ENGINEERS FLOOD CONTROL PROJECTS 12
Local Protection Works 
12
Kingston-Edwardsville Project 13
Plymouth Project 13
Swoyersville-Forty Fort Project Wilkes-Barre and Hanover Township Project 13 15
Reservoirs 
SUBSIDENCE AND OTHER MINE-RELATED PROBLEMS 15
Levee Subsidence 16
Recent Repairs Subsidence in Other Wyoming Valley Areas 16 Other Effects of Mining Operations 16 18
Mine-Pumping Program Appalachian Regional Development Act of 1965 18 
DESIRES OF LOCAL INTERESTS 19
Public Meetings Meetings with Other Agencies 19 
SUBSIDENCE STUDIES 
U.S. 	Bureau of Mines Study 20 21
Scope 21
Maps Results of Investigation 21 
GEOLOGIC STUDIES 
U.S. Geological Survey Study 22 Scope 22 Maps 23 Results of Investigation 23 
PLAN OF REHABILITATION 
General 

24 Levee Extensions 25 Tabulation of Work 26 Interior Drainage 26 Environmental Quality 26 Cost Summary 26 Annual Charges 26 Annual Benefits 30 Project Formulation 30 
• 
30
Local Cooperation 
iii 
TABLE OF CONTENTS (Cont'd) 
Heading 
COORDINATION WITH OTHER AGENCIES Federal Agencies Non-Federal Agencies 
DISCUSSION Investment Benefits Susquehanna River Basin Study 
U.S. 
Geological Survey Report 

U.S. 
Bureau of Mines Report Additional Local Protection Mine Flood Protection Emergency Work Conclusions Recommendations 


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND IDENTIFICATION OF PERSONNEL 
PLATES 
Title 
1 	WYOMING VALLEY 
2 	GENERAL PLAN 
3 	PROFILE -Swoyersville, Forty-Fort, Kingston and Edwardsville 
4 TYPICAL CROSS SECTIONS -Swoyersville, Forty-Fort, Kingston and Edwardsville 5 PROFILE -Wilkes-Barre and Hanover Township 6 TYPICAL CROSS SECTIONS -Wilkes-Barre and Hanover Township 7 PLAN, PROFILES & HYDRAULIC DATA 8 PLAN, PROFILES & HYDRAULIC DATA 
APPENDIX 
Title  
A  MEMORANDUM OF  UNDER TANDING  
B  U.S.  BUREAU OF MINES  REPORT  
C  U.S.  GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY REPORT  
D  DETAILED COST ESTIMATES  FOR LEVEE RESTORATION,  ANNUAL  
BENEFIT  COMPUTATIONS AND  PROJECT FORMULATION  
E  ADDITIONAL  PROTECTION CONSIDERED  
F  LOCAL  COOPERATION  
G  COMMENTS  BY OTHER AGENCIES  

iv 
31 31 
33 33 33 33 34 34 34 34 35 35 
37 
R-1 

3-31-71 
LIST OF TABLES 
Number 
1 DRAINAGE AREAS -SUSQUEHANNA RIVER AND TRIBUTARIES IN THE WYOMING VALLEY 5 2 POPULATION OF AREAS IN THE WYOMING VALLEY 7 3 AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT IN LUZERNE COUNTY 8 4 CIVILIAN LABOR FORCE -LUZERNE COUNTY 9 5 FLOODS OF RECORD AT WILKES-BARRE, PENNSYLVANIA 10 6 FLOOD DAMAGES AT WYOMING VALLEY C0~1UNITIES 11 7 CONSTRUCTION FEATURES OF LOCAL FLOOD PROTECTION PROJECTS 14 8 PUMPING STATION CAPACITIES OF LOCAL FLOOD PROTECTION PROJECTS 14 9 COSTS OF LOCAL FLOOD PROTECTION PROJECTS 15 10 PROPOSED LEVEE AND FLOODWALL RAISING 27 11 COST SUMMARY OF LEVEE RESTORATION 28 
12 	ANNUAL CHARGES, ANNUAL BENEFITS AND BENEFITCOST RATIO FOR LEVEE RESTORATION 29 
13 	COST-BENEFITS, FOR CONSTRUCTED WORKS ANNUAL CHARGES, ANNUAL BENEFITS, AND BENEFIT-COST RATIOS 32 
v 

DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
BALTIMORE DISTRICT. CORPS OF ENGINEERS 
P . O . BOX 1715 
BALTIMORE. MARYLAND 21203 
NABEN-B 	November 1970 
SUBJECT: 	Review Report on the Susquehanna River, Pennsylvania
Northeast Flood Study 

Division Engineer, North Atlantic 
AUTHORITY 
This report was authorized by a resolution of the Committee on PublicWorks of the United States Senate, adopted 14 September 1955, as follows: 
"Resolved * * *, that the Board of Engineers for Rivers andHarbors, created under Section 3 of the River and Harbor Act,approved June 13, 1902, be, and is hereby, requested to reviewprevious reports on the * * * Susquehanna River, Pennsylvaniaand New York; * * * in the area affected by the hurricane floodof August 1955, to determine the need for modification of therecommendations in such previous reports and the advisabilityof adopting further i mprovements for flood control and alliedpurposes in view of the heavy damages and loss of life causedby such floods." 
Testimony by members of Congress from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvaniabefore the Subcommittee of t he ' Committee on Appropriations, House ofRepresentatives, 86th Congress, Second Session, regarding the desirability of expanding the current authorized study to include minesubsidence in the Wyoming Valley, resulted in authorization of theexpanded study by the appropriation of the necessary funds in the PublicWorks Appropriation Act for fiscal year 1961, Public Law 86700,74 Stat. 743. 
ASSIGNMENT 
The Chief of Engineers, by letter to the Division Engineer, NorthAtlantic Division, dated 16 September 1955, authorized a surveyinvestigation. The study of Susquehanna River areas was assigned tothe District Engineer , Baltimore, on 27 September 1955. 
EXTENT OF INVESTIGATION 
PURPOSE 
The purpose of the Northeast Flood Study was to review previous reports to determine whether modifications are warranted as a result of the hurricane floods of 1955. In the Susquehanna River Basin, only the Lackawanna River area suffered extensive flood damages from the 1955 hurricane floods. The Lackawanna River Report, an interim report prepared under this same authorization and published as Senate Document 141, 87th Congress, reviewed this flooding in considering the need for flood protection in that basin. The comprehensive Susquehanna River Basin Study, authorized by Senate Public Works Committee Resolution dated 5 October 1961 and House of Representatives Public Works Committee Resolution dated 10 May 1962, considered the need for additional flood protection throughout the basin in addition to other water resource problems. In view of these studies and the closing of most of the active anthracite mines in the area, further investigation of the mine and hurricane flooding does not appear to be warranted at this time. In accordance with the authorization in the Public Works Appropriation Act for fiscal year 1961, the purpose of this study has been oriented to investigate the subsidence problem in the flood plain of the Wyoming Valley, with particular emphasis on the present and potential conditions which have a direct effect on the existing f l ood protection works in the valley. 
SCOPE OF REPORT 
This report is of survey scope and presents the results of studies 
along both the Susquehanna and. Lackawanna Rivers within the Wyoming Valley. As discussed in the preceding paragraph, the problems of hurricane and mine flooding were not investigated. Studies for this report pertain to the subsidence of the flood plain in the Wyoming Valley as a result of mining, its effect on the constructed local flood protection projects, and the need for additional protective works. 
CONSULTATION WITH OTHER INTERESTS 
Following the hurricane floods of 1955, a public hearing was held 
at Scranton, Pennsylvania, in February 1956, to determine the desires 
of local interests regarding the area's flood problems. In addition to 
requests for flood protection for communities in the Lackawanna River 
Basin, mining companies requested investigation of flood problems at 
important anthracite mines along the Susquehanna River, particularly in 

2 

Plains Township near Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. As the study became
concerned with subsidence problems, the U.S. Bureau of Mines and the
U.S. Geological Survey were consulted with regard to subsurface mining
and geological data. On 13 December 1960, a memorandum of understanding
was adopted which outlined the studies to be made by the Bureau of Mines
and the Geological Survey for the Corps of Engineers. A copy of this
memorandum of understanding is included as Appendix A. 

PRIOR REPORTS 
REPORT UNDER REVIEW 
The report under review is the Review Report on the North Branch of
the Susquehanna River and Tributaries, New York and Pennsylvania, pub
lished as House Document 394, 84th Congress, 2nd Session. This report
recommended the construction of (a) three flood-control reservoirs in
Pennsylva11:: a, located on the Cowanesque River near Lawrenceville and on
the Tioga River and Crooked Creek near Tioga; (b) levees at Elkland,
Pennsylvania, and at Nichols and the Endicott-Vestal-Westover areas of
New York; and (_c} channel improvements in New York at Cortland, Sherburne,
and in the vicinity of Conkli n and Kirkwood. 

OTHER REPORTS 
A survey report, "Northeast Flood Study, Lackawanna River, Pennsylvania,"
published as Senate Document 141, 87th Congress, 2nd Session, is an interimreport considering the need for additional flood protection in the Lackawanna River Basin as a result of the hurricane flood of 1955. The report,prepared by the Baltimore District, recommended the construction of localprotection works at Scranton, Pennsylvania, and reservoirs on AylesworthCreek and Fall Brook, tributaries of the Lackawanna River. All threeprojects were subsequently authorized, and construction has been completedon the Scranton local protecti:on project and the Ayles,·wrth Creek dam andlake. 
A "Report on Investigation for Repairs to Flood Control Works,Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and Vicinity," dated July 1961, discussed theneed for raising portions of existing levees in the Wyoming Valley whichwere below design height as a result of subsidence caused by anthracite
mining. The report, prepared by the Baltimore District, contained plansand estimates for raising levees and rehabilitating appurtenant structures.No action was taken on the report pending completion of this study. 
A report, dated December 1952, was prepared by the Baltimore Districtin connection with planning for the Swoyersville-Forty Fort local protection project. The report contains estimates of future settlement ofthe levee system, the estimated duration of such settlement, and the costof extraordinary maintenance to restore protective structures affectedby subsidence. The project was constructed in anticipation of future maint enance being required to restore the levee system as subsidence occurred. 
3 
DESCRIPTION OF WYOMING VALLEY 
LOCATION 
The Wyoming Valley extends from Duryea, Pennsylvania, on the Lackawanna River, southwestward to Nanticoke, Pennsylvania, on the Susquehanna River. It is located in the southwestern half of the Northern Anthracite Field. The portion of the coal fields included in this area is 17 miles long and is 5 miles wide at the widest point. The valley includes portions of Luzerne and Lackawanna Counties. Wilkes-Barre, the county seat of Luzerne County, is about 110 road miles from Harrisburg and 120 road miles from Philadelphia. A map indicating geographic features of the study area is shown on Plate 1. 
TOP<X;RAPHY 
A broad slightly rolling plain forms the greater part of the surface of the Wyoming Valley, which is flanked on both sides by moderately steep mountains. The valley is flanked on the northwest by a prominent longitudinal ridge that is variously called Larksville Mountain, Bunker Hill, Peterson Mountain, and Lookout Mountain, after local summits along its crest. Wilkes-Barre Mountain is one of two subparallel ridges on the southwest side of the valley. The second ridge is the higher and is called Wyoming or Penobscot Mountain. Elevations vary from about 510 feet above sea level along th.e Susquehanna River near Nanticoke to about 2150 feet above sea level on Penobscot Mountain. 
GEOLOGY 
Bedrock in the area consists of, from oldest to youngest: the Catskill Formation of Devonian age, the Pocono Formation of Mississippian age, the Mauch Chuck Formation of Mississippian and. in part, possibly of Pennsylvanian ages, the Pottsville Formation of Pennsylvanian age. The economically important coalbeds in the Northern Anthracite Field are contained in the Llewellyn Formation which was formed during the Pennsylvanian age. The ancestral Susquehanna River Valley was overdeepened by glaciation during Pleistocene time, but when the glacier receded the valley was filled with. clay, silt, sand, gravel, cobbles, and boulders. This ancient valley, known as the "Buri.ed Valley: of the Susquehanna River, has been explored for many years by the coal companies to determine the position of the bedrock surface and the line of intersection between the anthracite beds and the unconsolidated valley-fill deposits. The bedrock surface at the bottom of the ancient valley at one locality is about 300 feet below the present land surface; at many localities it is more than 200 feet below the surface . The deepest eroded part of the ancient valley is located near the middle of its length , just south of Plymouth. The floor of the ancient val ley rises along its length both to the southwest and northeast from the deepest point, a fact that favors the hypothesis that the Buried Valley originated as a glacial trough developed from a preglacial stream valley . 
4 
The bottom of the ancient valley is not a smooth surface with an
even gradient, but rather an irregular surface composed of shallow
depressions, mounds, and ridges, all of which have a variety of shapes
and sizes. Isopachous, or thickness, maps of the valley-fill deposits
show that the deposits are thickest in the main channel of the ancient

valley and thin toward the edges of the valley. The maximum thickness
of valley fill is 319 feet, underlying the flood plain of the Susquehanna
River just south of Plymouth; more than 200 feet of fill is present in
several depressions along the main channel of the ancient valley. 

A more
detailed description of geologic features is given in Appendix C. 
CLIMATE 
The moutains which surround the Wyoming Valley protect the areafrom high winds and influence the temperature and precipitation in bothsummer and winter. Because of the proximity of the mountains, the climateis relatively cool in the summer with frequent shower and thundershower type
precipitation, usually of brief duration. The winters in the valley arenot severe; subzero temperatures and severe snowstorms are not frequent.A high percentage of the winter precipitation occurs as rain. The averageannual temperature is about 50 degrees Farenheit. The coldest months areJanuary and February with an average temperature of about 27 degrees, andthe warmest is July with an average monthly temperature of about 72 degrees.The average annual precipitation is about 39 inches. The month of heaviestaverage precipitation is July, while the lowest monthly precipitation occursduring January and February. Average annual snowfall is about 43 inches. 
STREAMS 
The significant tributaries entering the Susquehanna River in the
Wyoming Valley are listed in Table 1, together with their drainage areaand thBt of the Susquehanna River at various locations. 
Table 1 
DRAINAGE AREAS
SUSQUEHANNA RIVER AND TRIBUTARIES IN THE WYOMING VALLEY 

Drainage areaStream 
at mouth(square miles) 
Abrahams Creek 18Mill Creek 
37
Toby Creek 
35Solomon Creek 
18
SusquehBnna River:Below Lackawanna River 
9,890
Below Abrahams Cree k 
9,921At Wilkes-Barre (Market Street gage) 9,960
Below Solomon Creek 
10,026 
5 
-"" 
MAPS 
Topography and other physical features of the Wyoming Valley 
are shown on quadrangle sheets published by the U.S. Geological Survey. 
A tabulation of applicable sheets at a scale of 1:24,000, is given below; the contour interval on all sheets is 20 feet. Aerial photographs are also available for this area. 
Title Related Location 
1. 
Kingston, Pa. 

2. 
Pittston, Pa. 

3. 
Nanticoke, Pa. 


Lf7n
4. 
Wi l kes-Barre West, Pa. 

5. 
Wil kes-Barre East, Pa. 



f2Iili1 
The report by U.S. Bureau of Mines, Appendix B, contains maps of the Wyoming Valley flood plain delineating areas where mine subsidence has occurred or can be expected to occur. 
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 
GENERAL 
During the first half of the 19th century, the economy of the Wyoming Valley was marginally agricultural. With the advent of anthracite mining, the economy of the region shifted during the second half of the century. Large demands for anthracite developed after the Civil War, when its value as a fuel for home heating was recognized. By that time, the nation had developed, in response to rising demand for anthracite, an extensive rail and canal network which resulted in low transportation 
costs, expanding both the market and the industry. 
The peak of anthracite mi ning in Luzerne County was reached in 1918. With the substitution of other fuels for coal, anthracite production declined from over 17 million tons in 1950 to 3.4 million tons in 1969, ~eriously affecting the economy of the Wyoming Valley. 
POPULATION 
Table 2 indicates the population trends of the various communities 
and areas within the Wyoming Valley. These trends follow those of the Pennsylvania Anthracite Region , which includes Carbon, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Northumberland, and Schuylkill Counties, and are similar to the population trends of the Appalachian Region of which it is a part. With the decline of anthracite mining, there has been a net loss of population 
in Luzerne County of 49,277 be tween 1940 and 1950; 45,269 between 1950 and 1960; and 7,564 between 1960 and 1970. 
6 

Table 2 
POPULATION OF AREAS IN THE WYOMING VALLEY 
Community or Year
Area 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970* 
Wilkes-Barre 67,105 73,833 86,626 86 ,2 36 76,828 63,551 57,946
Nanticoke 18,877 22,614 26,043 24,387 20,160 15,601 14,40 3
Pittston 16,267 18,49 7 18,246 1 7,828 15,012 12,40 7 11,412
Kingston 6,449 8,952 21,600 20.679 21,096 20,261 18,231

Plymouth 16,996 16,500 16,543 15,50 7 13,021 10,401 
9. 393
Hanover Township 16,439 15,051 12,781 11,994
Plains Township 15,621 12,541 10,995 11,387
Luzerne County 343,186 390,991 445,109 441,518 39 2, 241 346.9 72 339,408 
* 1970 population based on preliminary census figures. 
AGRiaJLTURE 
In 1964, Luzerne County was one of 19 of the 67 counties in Pennsylvaniawith less than 25 percent of its area devoted to farming. Of 99,000 totalfarm acres, 38,106 were in harvested cropland and 6,440 in pastured cropland. The number of farms reported in 1964 was 919, or 1,071 less than the1954 total. Dairy farms accounted for 273 of the total, vegetable and
field crop farms for 82, poultry farms for 52, livestock farms for 46, andthe remaining 466 are general or unclassified farms. Of the total, 610 werecommercial farms. Only 76 of these had sales of over $20,000; 123 had salesbetween $10,000 and $20,000; and the great majority, or 411, had sales ofless than $10,000. Only 128 farms had regular hired workers employed 150
or more days during the year. As of April 1964, total farm employment
was estimated to be 1,500. The total value of farm products sold in Luzerne
County increased from $5,641,000 in 1949 to $7,154,000 in 1954. Followinga decline to $6,150,000 in 1959, the total value increased to $7,422,000
i n 1964. 
From this, it can be seen that agriculture, as an economic activity,as a source of income, and as an employer, has been decreasing in
significance in Luzerne County in recent years. 
Along with a decreasein the number of farms, the land under cultivation has decreased by about31,000 acres between 1959 and 1964. Although some farms are now largerbecause of consolidation, they are still on the average smaller than those
in the state as a whole. It is not likely that there will be appreciableincreases in agriculture in Luzerne County in the foreseeable future.Additional statistics on farming in the county are given in Table 3. 
7 
Table 3 
AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT IN LUZERNE COUNTY 

Percent of  Value of  Wages paid  Value of  
Year  county in farms  farm property  to hired labor  farm products  
1930  30.6  $17,994,000  $ 609,000  $4,023,000  
1940  28.3  10,707,000  347,000  2,510,000  
1945  31.1  15,051,000  835,000  5,411,000  
1954  28.1  20,483,000  1,033,000  7,154,000  
1959  22.9  21,750,000  881,000  6,150,000  
1964  17.4  20,790,000  7,422,000  

NATURAL RESOURCES 
In addition to anthracite deposits, natural resources of the WyomingValley include stone for building purposes, bank sand, gravel, and shale. Adequate rainfall over the area produces sufficient stream and river flow 
throughout most of the year, but pollution in the form of mine drainage and 
untreated sewage tends to limit stream development for recreation or water supply. Operation of the new sewage treatment plant with the capacity to serve several Wyoming Valley communities, including Wilkes-Barre, will help to improve the water quality of the Susquehanna River in the area. 
INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT 
With the continuing decline of anthracite production and employment since the late 1920's, new industries have moved into Luzerne County to utilize the available labor pool. Such industries as food processing,
lumbering, and the manufacturing of furniture, paper and paper products, 
chemicals, ruhber, metal products, machinery, electrical supplies, and 
transportation equipment have replaced coal mining as the economic base. The value added by manufacturing in the county rose from $156,328,000 in 1954 to $3 1,011,000 in 1963. Wholesale trade increased from $228,981,000 
to $382,547,000 while retail sales increased from $309,900,000 to 
$387,810,000. Correspondingly, the value of shipments and receipts of mineral products fell from $105,410,000 in 1954 to $81,225,000 in 1963. 
EMPLOYMENT 
Table 4 contains data on the civilian labor force in Luzerne County. 
8 

Table 4 
CIVILIAN LABOR FORCE -LUZERNE COUN'IY 
Year Item 1940 1950 1960 Aug 1970 
Population 441,518 392,241 346,9 72 339,400 
Civilian Labor Force 173,290 149,744 136,064 144,800 
Employed 130,072 138,873 121,920 137,600 
Unemployed 43,218 10,871 14,144 7,200 Percent Unemployed 24.9 7.3 10.4 5.0 
Percent Unemployed, u.s. 9.6 4.9 5.1 5.0 
Luzerne County experienced an average annual unemployment rate of 9.8 
percent during the 1950-1970 period, ranging from a law of 3.9 percent 
in 1969 to a high of 16.8 percent in 1958. This compares with an 
average annual unemployment rate of 4.7 percent for the country as a whole during this same period. Since 1960 the unemployment rate has 
declined from 10.4 percent of the labor force to 5.0 percent in August 
1970. The 135,200 employed in Luzerne County in August 1970 were 
distributed thusly: 1,100 in farm employment, 12,200 in comestic 
employment, 50,500 in manufacturing industry, and 71,400 in nonmanufacturing industry, which includes 2,200 employed in the mining 
industry. The estimated average annual rate of growth in personal per
capita income for the area is 3.7 percent per year for the period 
1960-1970, which compares favorably with the 3.5 percent per year for 
the nation as a whole for the same period. 
TRANSPORTATION 
Good transportation facilities provide the region with easy access to outside markets. From Wilkes-Barre, it is three hours by highway to New York City, two hours to Philadelphia, one and one half hours 
to Bethlehem, and six and one half hours to Pittsburgh. Wilkes-Barre 
is located just west of the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, which has two interchanges south of the Wilkes-Barre area and provides a direct travel route between the New York metropolitan area and the Midwest. The area is also served by a new north-south 
highway network the Penn-Can Highway (Interstate 81)--leading from the south into New York State and Canada. Another major artery, yet unnamed, leading from New England, will terminate just north of Wilkes-Barre. 
These expressways will supplement the excellent highways which already 
J 
9 
radiate from the Wyoming Valley area, such as U.S. 11 and U.S. 309
and Pennsylvania Routes 115 and 315, and will further enhance its
locational advantages. By decreasing the time and cost of transporting
to and from the Wilkes-Barre area, this highway system will improve thecounty's competitive position as a manufacturing location for the Northeastern United States and as a service center for Northeastern Pennsylvania. 
Five major railroads and twenty-eight trucking companies provideregular freight service for the Wilkes-Barre area. There is regularairline and bus service. The Wilkes-Barre-Scranton Airport at Avoca,midway between the two cities, is a modern Class IV airport with fourmajor airlines providing regular freight and passenger service to NewYork, Pittsburgh, Boston, Chicago, Washington, and other cities. 
FLOOD PROBLEMS 
FLOODS OF RECORD 
Flood stage at the Wilkes-Barre gage, as determined by the U.S.Weather Bureau, is 22 feet. The floods of March 1865 and March 1936both reached a stage of 33.1 feet. 
Other floods of record exceeding
25 feet in stage are shown in Table 5. 

Table 5 
FLOODS OF RECORD AT WILKES-BARRE, PENNSYLVANIA
(exceeding 25 feet in stage) 

Date Stage, Feet Date Stage, Feet 
October 1787 29.0 April 1929 26.4April 1807 30.0 July 1935 25.4May 1833 28.0 March 1936 28.6March 1865 33.1 March 1936 33.1January 1891 26.8 April 1940 31.5March 1893 28.7 January 1943 29.4March 
1895 27.0 May 1946 32.0
December 1901 27 .o March 1948 28.8March 1902 31.4 March 1950 27.0March 1910 26.1 October 1955 26.5March 1913 28.5 March 1956 28.2March 1914 28.3 April 1958 
26.8
April 1916 26.5 April 1960 29.6
March 1920 26.0 February 1961 26.2February 1925 25.1 March 1964 30.0 
10 
FLOOD DAMAGES 
The March 1936 flood, the maximum of record, caused damages in the
principal Wyoming Valley communities totalling $9,450,000. Table 6
contains a community breakdown of the damages from that flood and the
May 1946 flood. 

Table 6 
FLOOD DAMAGES AT WYOMING VALLEY COMMUNITIES* 
March 19 36 May 1946 
Kingston-Edwardsville $3,9 30,000 $ 0Plymouth 1,320,000 442,000Swoyersville-Forty Fort 420,000 257,000Wilkes-Barre and Hanover Township 3,780,000 6,000
TOTAL $9,450,000 $705,000 
KNOX MINE DISASTER 
On 22 January 1959, a break-through occurred between the bed of theSusquehanna River and the mine workings of the Knox Coal Company. Thebreak-throug~was adjacent to the east (left) bank of the river, 1,500feet downstream from the southerly borough line of Pittston, and about
1.2 miles upstream from the Wyoming-Port Blanchard Bridge crossing theSusquehanna River. At the point of break-through, the river flowsadjacent to a vertical rock cliff, approximately 130 feet high. A ledgeconsisting of river deposit and man-made fill extends out approximately70 feet from the cliff and carries double tracks of the Lehigh ValleyRailroad. Upper levels of mining in the area are as near as 50 feetbeneath the riverbed, with the cover consisting of rock and river deposit.The Wyoming Valley anthracite ·mines are interconnected, and the unrestrictedflooding of one mine eventually may flood all the mines. 
At the time of the break-through, the river stage at the Wilkes-Barregage was 15.8 feet. The stage had been rising, fell slightly, thenresumed its rise, reaching a maximum of 21.1 feet (flood stage is 22 feet)the following evening, 23 January. It is estimated that 40 billion gallons
of water entered the mines through the break, which was approximately 40
feet in diameter. The estimated maximum flow into the mines was in excessof 30,000 cfs. An artist's conception of the whirlpool caused by thebreak-through appears on the cover of this report. On 23 January, thePresident approved Federal assistance for the affected area. The outertrack of the Lehigh Valley Railroad was cut opposite the breach and movedcloser to the edge of the embankment to facilitate the dumping of railroad 
* The significant decrease in flood damage between the March 1936 and theMay 1946 flood was due to completion of levees and appurtenant works inmost of the formerly damage-prone communities. A tabulation of flood damages
prevented by these works is shown in Table 13. 
11 
cars into the opening. Thirty 50-ton railroad cars, four hundred 5-ton
mine cars, and 23,000 cubic yards of rock and dirt were required to close
the breach, which was accomplished by late evening of 24 January. Twelve
miners lost their lives in the break-through. The flooding of Knox and
adjacent mines resulted in unemployment of some 1,700 mine workers. Many

of the affected mines never reopened. 
EXISTING CORPS OF ENGINEERSFLOOD CONTROL PROJECTS 
LOCAL PROTECTION WORKS 
The flood control projects for protection of the more highlydeveloped areas of the Wyoming Valley are located along both banksof the Susquehanna River in Luzerne County, extending from the boroughof Exeter to the downstream limits of the borough of Plymouth. Theprotection was constructed as f our independent projects known as theSwoyersville-Forty Fort, the Ki ngston-Edwardsville, the Wilkes-Barre andHanover Township, and the Plymouth flood protection projects. These worksprovide protection from flows i n the Susquehanna River equal to thegreatest of record, that of March 1936, with a minimum freeboard of threefeet and, to date, have prevented damages in excess of $78 million. Localinterests are responsible for the maintenance of the levees, pumping stationsdrainage outlets, and other appurtenant works. The local governing bodiesare also responsible for operation, which includes the training ofoperators as well as the actual operation of the pumping stations andcontrol valves and the erection of flood barriers at closure structuresduring periods of high river f l ows. Descriptive data for these projectsare given in the following paragraphs and in Tables 7, 8, and 9. A mapshowing the locations of the projects is given on Plate 2. 
KINGSTON-EDWARDSVILLE PROJECT 
Initial construction was undertaken in November 1936 with funds madeavailable by the Emergency Reli ef Appropriations Act of 1935. Work wascontinued under the Flood Control Act of 1936, and the project was operationally completed in 1943. Subsequent minor modifications were completedin September 1956. The plan of improvement consists of an earth leveealong the Susquehanna River from the Kingston-Forty Fort borough line,along Rutter Avenue and Church Street to the river, thence downstream to
the Kingston-Edwardsville borough line, then generally parallel to the
borough line to high ground near Toby Creek and Plymouth Street; a concretepressure conduit to carry the f low of Toby Creek; an impounding basin onToby Creek; interceptor sewers ; appurtenant drainage facilities; a seepagecontrol system; 3 pumping stati ons; 2 transformer substations; and electric
transmission lines. 
It is esti mated that the project prevented damages of
approximately $5 million during the flood of May 1946. 
The project isoperated and maintained by the boroughs of Kingston and Ernvardsville and
the Commonwealth of Pennsylvani a. · 
12 
PLYMOUTH PROJECT 
The project was authorized by the Flood Control Act of 19 36. Con
struction was initiated in September 1940, suspended in the interest of
the war effort in 1943, resumed in 1946, and was operationally completed
in 1948. Supplementary, electrically operated drainage gates were
installed in 1951 at Brown, Wadham, and Coal Creek relief culverts. Theprotective works consist of an earth levee along the Susquehanna River,a diversion channel for Coal Creek, 2 pumping stations, drainage structures,a transformer substation, and electric transmission lines. The projectis operated and maintained by the borough of Plymouth. 
SWOYERSVILLE-FORTY FORT PROJECT 
The project was authorized by the Flood Control Act of 19 36.Construction began in 1953 and was completed in 1957. The protectivework consist primarily of a system of levees and floodwalls extendingfrom the vicinity of Fort Street in Forty Fort, upstream along theSusquehanna River to approximately 800 feet beyond the Wyoming ValleyAirport, then landward to high ground just beyond the Erie-LackawannaRailroad tracks in West Wyoming with a short reach of levee in thevicinity of the Lehigh Valley Railroad tracks in West Wyoming; levee andflood wall near the mouth of Hicks Creek in Exeter; a diversion channelfor Abrahams Creek in Wyoming; closure structures for street and railroadcrossings; and appurtenant drainage structures. The project is operated
and maintained by Luzerne County. 
WILKES-BARRE AND HANOVER TOWNSHIP PROJECT 
Initial construction was ,undertaken in October 1935 with funds madeavailable by the Emergency Relief Appropriations Act of 1935; work wascontinued in 1937 by the Corps of Engineers under the Flood Control Act of1936. The project was substantially completed in 1943, when work wassuspended in the interest of the war effort. Construction was resumed in1946 and completed in 1952 with the installation of operating equipmentin Solomon Creek pumping station, bank stabilization along the river, andraising 6,400 feet of levee to design height by additional embankment andlow concrete walls. The levee in a park area had been left approximatelytwo feet lower than the design elevation at the request of city officials.
The protective works consist primarily of five miles of levee and floodwall commencing in Wilkes-Barre, about 1,350 feet upstream from the MarketStreet Bridge, and extending downstream to high ground near the mouth ofSolomon Creek in Hanover Township; 8 pumping stations; interceptor sewers;electric transmission lines; 4 transformer substations; one relief culvert;and a storage reservoir. These works were effective in preventing damagesof approximately $3.6 million during the May 1946 flood. The project isoperated and maintained by the City of Wilkes-Barre and Hanover Township. 
13 
Table 7 CONSTRUCTION FEATURES OF LOCAL FLOOD PROTECTION PROJECTS 
KingstonSwoyersville Edwardsville Plymouth -Forty Fort 
Levee,  feet  19 ,050  8,700  16 '720  
Bank stabilization,  feet  2,280  
Floodwall,  feet  2,489  
Conduit,  feet  6 ,659  
Channels,  feet  3,640  2,670  3,900  
Collecting sewers,  feet  6,192  5,800  4,000  
Flood gates, number  32  23  26  
R.R.  and street closures,  
number  2  1  6  
Seepage  relief wells,  
number  24  4  
Transformer substations,  
number  2  1  
Electric transmission lines,  
feet  16 '700  4,100  
Pumping stations, number  3  2  

Table 8 
PUMPING STATION CAPACITIES OF LOCAL FLOOD PROTECTION PROJECTS 
Nominal Capacity Project (gallons/minute) 
Kingston-Edwardsville Church Street pumping station 125,000 Loveland Avenue pumping station 15 ,000 Woodward pumping station 270,000 
Plymouth Brown Creek pumping station 205,000 Wadharn Creek pumping station 55,000 
Wilkes-Barre &Hanover Township Union Street pumping station 145,000 Market Street pumping station 45,000 Ross Street pumping station 95,000 Old River Road pumping station 45,000 D&H Railroad pumping station 30 ,000 Horton Street pumping station 45,000 Delaney Street pumping station 45,000 Solomon Creek pumping stat · on 280,000 
14 
Wilkes-Barre and Hanover Township 
27,860 1 '714 160 
1,000 2,325 35 
3 
4 
17,900 8 
Table 9 
COSTS OF LOCAL FLOOD PROTECTION PROJECTS 
Federal Estimated TotalProject Cost Local Cost Cost * 
Kingston-Edwardsville $ 5,072,900 
$ 379,000 $ 5,451,900
Plymouth 1,911,700 117,000 2,028,700
Swoyersville-Forty Fort 2,718,700 283,000 3,001,700
Wilkes-Barre & Hanover Township 4,486,500 216,000 4,7022500 

TOTAL $14,189,800 $ 995,000 $15,184,800 
* Costs to June 1968 
RESERVOIRS 
The Flood Control Acts of 1936, 1941, 1958, and 1962 authorized the
construction of 14 reservoirs on tributaries of the Susquehanna River
upstream from the Wyoming Valley area. 
Six of these have been built(Almond, Arkport, East Sidney, Stillwater, Whitney Point, and Aylesworth),
cwo are in the preconstruction planning stage (Cowanesque and Tioga
Hammond), and six have not been started .(Copes Corner, Davenport Center,
Genegantslet, South Plymouth, West Oneonta, and Fall Brook). 
In addition,
four reservoirs are planned but not authorized (Fabius, Five Mile Creek,
Mud Creek, and East Guilford). If all the authorized reservoirs were in
operation, they could reduce the flood of record, that of March 1936, by
about three feet in the Wilkes-Barre-Pittston reach of the Susquehanna
RLver. 
SUBSIDENCE AND OTHER MINE-RELATED PROBLEMS 
LEVEE SUBSIDENCE 
Flood protection works constructed by the Corps of Engineers in theWyoming Valley area have a history of subsidence resulting from settlementcaused by both active and abandoned coal mines. The Wilkes-Barre and
Hanover Township levee, completed in 1947, was raised in 1959 at Federalexpense for a distance of 2,275 feet to restore design elevation lost bysettlement due to mine subsidence. During February and March 1961, thelevee was further raised at Federal expense in the vicinity of Horton Streetand the Delaware and Hudson Railroad pumping stations and the Willow Streetrelief culvert. The Kingston-Edwardsville levee, completed in 1943, wasraised at Federal expense in 1950 to restore design elevation lost by minesubsidence in the vicinity of the Toby Creek impounding basin and between
Rutter Avenue and Pierce Street. During March 1961, the borough of Kingstonrestored the levee grade lost by mine subsidence downstream from the ChurchStreet pumping station and in the vicinity of Pierce Street. In 1958 and 
15 
------------------------------------~------
1959, the Department of Forests and Waters, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, 
repaired expansion joints in the Toby Creek pressure conduit damaged by mine subsidence. Construction of the Swoyersville-Forty Fort levee, consisting of four units, was completed in May 1957. Portions of levee 
unit No. 1 settled after construction because of subsidence due to mining, and the grade was restored as part of the construction of unit No. 2. The Department of Forests and Waters raised 2,139 feet of sheet-pile flood wall of levee unit No. 4 in 1960 to restore the grade lost by 
mine subsidence. 
RECENT REPAIRS 
In 1963, the Department of Forests and Waters, of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, raised portions of the levees and the spillway at the Toby Creek impounding basin, pl aced additional riprap, and improved the 
channel at an estimated cost of $90,000. Under the emergency authority 
contained in Public Law 99, 84 t h Congress, portions of the Wilkes-Barre 
and Hanover Township, and the Kingston-Edwardsville levees were raised to 
original elevation during 1964, at an estimated Federal cost of $31,700. 

In 1965, in the Forty Fort area near the Kingston Borough line, the levee 
was extended some 438 feet to provide a tie out to high ground where the previous high ground had subsided two feet below the adjotning protection. The work was accomplished under emergency authority of Public Law 99, 84th Congress at a Federal cost of $6,525. 
SUBSIDENCE IN OTHER WYOMING VALLEY AREAS 
Other areas adjacent to the Susquehanna River in the Wyoming Valley, 
as well as areas in the Lackawanna River Basin, have felt the effects of 
mine subsidence. Communities such as Swoyersville, Forty Fort, Wilkes
Barre, Plymouth, Scranton, Duryea, and Pittston have been continually 
plagued by settlements and cave-ins with resultant damage to residences, 

commercial buildings, churches, streets, and underground utility lines. 
An example of a cave-in which occurred in the Coxton yards of the Lehigh 
Valley Railroad is described below. 

Subsidence in the Coxton Yards of the Lehigh Valley Railroad near West Pittston, which occurred on 25 July 1957, created a crater 200 feet in diameter and 300 feet deep. Fourteen railroad gondolas tumbled into the 
cave hole and the cave was filled with rock, sand, and gravel. A picture of the hole caused by mine subsidence of the Coxton Yards appears on the cover of this report. 
OTHER EFFECTS OF MINING OPERATIONS 
The following description of mining conditions was presented as part of a paper by Wilbut T. Stuart, U.S. Geological Survey, at a meeting 
16 
of the Technical Committee, North Branch of Susquehanna River, in
December 1963 at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: 

"As the coal resources have become exhausted or mining becameuneconomical, many mines were closed and allowed to fill withwater. By 1960, pumping from mines in the Lackawanna Basinhad stopped, and the mine~ater levels in the basin rose untilthe Moosic Saddle was overtopped. Although most of the deepm1n1ng in the Wyoming Basin ceased in the 1958-62 period, thereare a few active mines south of Wilkes-Barre where pumping isnecessary for their operation. The abandoned mines have filledwith water and the pool levels are still rising slowly. At thesouth end of the basin, a few natural overflows have beenobserved." 
The source of water that enters the mines in the area is precipita
tion, which averages about 37 inches annually. For each square mile
this amounts to 1.75 million gallons daily, or about 1,220 gallons
per minute. Part of the rain that falls on the land surface enters the
underground mines through either direct downward percolation or runoff.
The runoff enters through the strip mines at the outcrop, and through
seepage from stream flow as it passes over broken and caved ground.
Slightly more than half of the precipitation leaves the area as runoff
in surface streams. 

A mine~ater pool extends from Pittston to within a mile of thenorthern city limits of Wilkes-Barre. The Knox subsidence disasterflooded additional mines by raising the stage of the pool. An attemptto hold the water to a working level by pumping at Hoyt shaft wasdiscontinued in 1962. In the center of the Wyoming Basin, in and nearWilkes-Barre, the Henry-Prospect, Dorrance, Pettebone, and Woodward mineshave mine~ater pools that are essentially self-contained to the levelof the bottom of the Buried Valley. Water-level conditions differ inmines on the limbs of the coal structure along both sides of this centralgroup. On the east and south sides are active mines where the pool levelsand the overflow volumes from one pool to another are controlled by pump
ing. On the west and north sides, pumping was stopped in 1962, and thelevels are uncontrolled. On the west side the pools are interconnectedand step downward from elevation 484 feet above mean sea level underForty Fort to 474 feet above mean sea level under Plymouth. Owing to theshort time that pumping has been stopped in these mines, the pools havenot reached their stabilized levels, although the first rapid rate of risehas ceased. At present there are no overflows, but the pool levels areabove the bottom of the Buried Valley. Overflow from the Ewen pool andother mines on the south and east sides of the Susquehanna River is controlled at the Delaware-Pine Ridge and the South Wilkes-Barre pumpingstations. The Delaware-Pine Ridge pumps prevent the overflow from Ewenand the Henry Prospect mines from entering Mineral Spring, Baltimore, andHollenback mines, which are tributary underground to the South Wilkes-Barremine. Pumps at the South Wilkes-Barre mine control the pool level so thatit does not rise above points of entry into active mine workings in Huber
and Sugar Notch mine s. 
17 
Other mines, where the mine-water pools are several hundred feetbelow the land surface, either are being worked or have been closed forsuch a short time that the mines have not filled with water. There aremany mines in this category on the east side of the Susquehanna River andsouth of Wilkes-Barre. When all the mines in the Wyoming Basin are filledto a standing level, they will overflow either to the sediments of theBuried Valley or to the Susquehanna River at an elevation above that ofthe river at West Nanticoke, which is 500 feet above mean sea level.The mine~ater pools south of Nanticoke are now overflowing, or in thefuture will overflow, to Black Creek south of Glen Lyon, and the NewportCreek at Nanticoke; both of the creeks are tributary to the SusquehannaRiver. Flooding of the lowlands along these streams because of mine-wateroverflows probably never will be serious, as the streams are entrenchedinto the local topography. Solutions to this problem as well as theproblem of acid mine-water drainage into the Susquehanna River, are beyondthe scope of this report. 
MINE PUMPING PROGRAM 
In 1955, the Congress and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania passedlegislation establishing a joint Federal-State Anthracite Mine-WaterControl Program. Each was to contribute equally to a $17-million fundfor purchasing and installing control facilities. All operating costswere to be paid by the participating mine companies, and only projectsrequested by them were to be considered. There were two types of controlprojects in the program; one, of providing large-capacity pumps to controlwater levels in underground pool s and prevent overflow into adjoining activemines; and the other, surface drainage improvements to prevent infiltrationof surface water to underground workings. Whil e the program was active,32 projects were initiated at an estimated cost of $7 million; four werecancelled with no expenditure of public funds. Only 40 percent of theauthorized funds was expended because of failure of the industry to takeadvantage of the program potential. The distressed economic state of theanthracite industry, together with the almost prohibitive pumping cost tobe borne by the sponsoring coal companies, was the reason for failure. 
APPALACHIAN REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACT OF 1965 
Section 205 of the Appalachian Regional Development Act of 1965provides authority for the Secre tary of the Interior to make financialcontributions to states in Appalachia to seal and fill voids in abandonedcoal mines. The Federal share of mining-area restoration projects, onother than Federally owned lands, will not exceed 75 percent of the totalcosts. Local governments must acquire all mineral and surface rights tothe restoration areas and must supply waste fill at no cost to state orFederal governments. It is hoped that this method of support will be apermanent solution to the problem of settlement of surface areas aboveand adjacent to abandoned coal mines. 
18 
DESIRES OF LOCAL INTERESTS 
PUBLIC MEETINGS 
Following the disastrous flood of August 1955 in the Lackawanna
River Basin, a public meeting was held in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in

February 1956. In addition to requests for flood control works to
protect communities, officials of various mining companies requested
flood protection for mines then operating in the Wyoming Valley and the
Lackawanna River Basin. 
The concern of the mine companies stemmed from
a break-through during the August 1955 flood of a levee constructed by
the Works Progress Administration after the 1936 flood to protect mines
along the Lackawanna River in the vicinity of Duryea, Pennsylvania.
When a bridge across the Lackawanna River washed out, the adjacent levee
was breached, and water flowed behind the levee and broke through the
surface into an abandoned mine. There was no interruption to mining
operations in the area because of this break-through. Other than this
incident, there was no occurrence of overland flood flows entering
mine openings in the Wyoming Valley during the 1955 flood. 
A public forum was held in Wilkes-Barre on 27 May 1969 by the
Coordinating Committee in connection with the Susquehanna River Basin

Study. Plans for flood control improvements in the area, including
raising subsided areas of the existing protection system in the Wyoming
Valley, were discussed at this meeting. It was pointed out that the
study does not propose a higher degree of protection than that provided
by the original improvements or construction of any new flood control
improvements in the Wyoming Valley. 
MEETINGS WITH OTHER AGENCIES 
At a meeting in Wilkes-Barre on 23 February 1960, the problem ofmine subsidence and its effect on the levee system and adjacent areas
was discussed by members of local, state, and Federal agencies. These
representatives and other interested citizens requested that a study of
the subsidence problem be made and the need for additional legislation
be considered. Representatives of the U.S. Bureau of Mines and theCorps of Engineers agreed to undertake a cooperative study of the
subsidence problem. The authority of the Corps to undertake such
studies is related to the need for additional flood protection, and
consequently could be extended only to the flood plain of the river. 
Representatives of the Department of Forests and Waters, Commonwealthof Pennsylvania, and the Corps of Engineers met in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania,on 11 June 1970 to discuss the proposed plan of improvement for the WyomingValley flood protection system. Comments of the Department of Forests andand Waters on the proposed plan are contained in Appendix G. 
19 
SUBSIDENCE STUDIES 

U.S. BUREAU OF MINES STUDY 
Following the February 196 meeting at Wilkes-Barre, a memorandum of understanding was prepared outlining portions of a subsidence study to be undertaken by the Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Bureau of Mines, and the U.S. Geological Survey. These agencies agreed to a study of the subsurface areas under the flood plain of the Susquehanna River. The Bureau of Mines agreed to: 
a. 
Investigate structural conditions and the extent of mine workings in the various beds beneath the river channel and underlying adjacent surface areas that are susceptible to floods from the Susquehanna River and its major tributaries. The areas are to be determined and evaluated. Mine maps and other records of the coal mining companies will be used, and inspection of the workings will be made where they arE accessible. 

b. 
Investigate the barrier pillars and the condition of these pillars in mines vulnerable to flooding and evaluate their effectiveness in providing support and preventing flood waters from passing from one area to another. 

c. 
Evaluate the degree of hazard to mine workings underlying the river and the various areas of adjacent lowland susceptible to flooding by surface waters. This phase of the study is to refl ect changes from current and future mining operations. 

d. 
Compile data on the mineable coal reserves and evaluate the possible loss of such reserves from extensive mine flooding by surface waters, the information being dependent in part upon t he mining companies making data available. 

e. 
Determine the adequacy of subsurface formations, modified by mining, to support flood control structures, and the locations where additional support may be necessary to prevent excessive subsidence or differential settlement; the study to apply to present flood control structures as well as to future structures which may be recommended as a result of this study. 

f. 
Investigate and evaluate the probable economic damage to the anthracite industry in the Wyoming Valley area from closing of the mines by flooding. 

g. 
Discuss the national defense aspects of the anthracite industry 
of the Wyoming Valley. 


h. 
Delineate the areas studied to show the degree and accuracy of 
information available for eva uation, specifically noting information 
gathered for this report. 



20 
i. Present pertinent maps and other diagrams to illustrate existing
conditions and important features of the problem. 

SCOPE 
The Bureau of Mines evaluated the subsidence potentials of mining
operations in the Wyoming Basin of the Northern Anthracite Field. Descrip

tions and evaluations were restricted to the area of each bed that is
subjacent to the potential flood plain of the Susquehanna River in the
Wyoming Valley, including the lower reaches of the Lackawanna River from
its confluence with the Susquehanna River to the borough of Old Forge.
An additional study was made of subsurface conditions of the Scranton
area in the vicinity of proposed levees and pumping stations. Results
of this study were included as part of the general design memorandum for
the Scranton project. The mine subsidence studies of the area made in
accordance with the memorandum of understanding is included as Appendix B
of this report. 

MAPS 
To correlate underground mining areas with surface features, thestudy area was divided into six panels, which were further subdividedinto rectangular quadrants as shown on plates in Appendix B. Eachpanel map shows the extent and condition of mine workings, togetherwith the location of existing levees and· pumping stations. Additional
descriptions of mine workings are also given in this appendix. 
RESULTS OF INVESTIGATION 
The subsidence potential shown on the individual panel maps does notindicate the probable time of occurrence, as the time lapse between underground mining and surface subsidence cannot be predicted with any degreeof accuracy. Pothole subsidence, as a result of thin rock cover overmine chambers may develop shortly after the actual mining is done,whereas subsidence from the collapse of the chamber roof due to pillarskipping and blocking in second mining, and complete extraction ofpillars in third mining, may be accelerated or retarded according to thedepths of the workings below the surface and the homogeneity of the rockcover over the workings. Subsidence resulting from pillar-crushing dueto mining below critical depth in first and second mining, may be veryslow in developing and difficult to discern. Sometimes only slight cracksoccur in plastered walls of dwellings and other buildings, and actual levelsurveys are necessary to detect the subsidence. In areas where railroadtracks cross the surface lying above mine workings, the slow, gradual settlingof the surface is indicated by the height of the tracks above the surroundingterrain. Railroad tracks in other areas must be raised to grade periodically. 
When mine workings become filled with water, the contact of thewater with the roof rock and the coal-pillar ribs in the chambers may,for the following reasons, hasten a roof collapse that otherwise mightnot have occurred: 
21 
a. 
Some shaley roof rock, by its very nature, becomes plastic with the absorption of water and thus becomes less resistant to loading or pressure. 

b. 
All rocks, especially shales and siltstones, lose compressive strength when they are saturated with water or are submerged. 

c. 
Water-saturation lubricates the rock cleavage planes and the rock-roof bedding planes as well as the cleats in the coal pillars. This action is of particular significance in pitching beds. 


The presence of water in underground mine workings may have an effect oppositE to facilitating or expediting subsidence. The hydrostatic pressure of the water against the mine-chamber surfaces, especially the pillar ribs, may, in borderline cases, stabilize the pillars and retard subsidence. Panels 2 through 5, of Appendix B. indicate that there has been a considerable amount of second and third mining under the existing levee system. Second mining consists of removing portions of the pillars which have been left to support the roof strata after the original operation. Third mining, or robbing, is the complete removal of the pillars, withdrawing all support to the roof strata over the bed. Subsidence may therefore be expected to affect the levee system in the foreseeable future and continued maintenance will be required to prevent settlements from lessening the degree of flood protection. 
GEOLOGIC STUDIES 
U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY STUDY 
As a part of the memorandum of understanding with the U.S. Geological Survey, they agreed to: 
a. 
Correlate, where possible, mapped geologic features with surface features and flood problems in the Wyoming Valley. 

b. 
Map and evaluate surface and subsurface geology, structure of 
the coal-bearing rocks, and sediment zones in the valley-fill. 


c. 
Indicate new stratigraphic and structural concepts that would alter the estimates of recoverable coal, but not estimates of coal reserves are to be made. 

d. 
Assemble maps and other geologic diagrams illustrating existing 
conditions and pertinent features of the area. 



SCOPE 
The geology of the area was studied in the four 7.5-minute quadrangles (Kingston, Pittston, Wilkes-Barre West, and Wilkes-Barre East) that cover the parts of Luze rne and Lackawanna Counties under study. Data were collected by field mapping; from maps, cross sections, and drill-hole records 
22 
furnished by coal companies; and from the files of the Bureau of Mines. 
Approximately 1,400 maps, of a scale of l-inch equals 100-feet, were 
obtained from coal companies for use in determining the structure of 
coal-bearing rocks and the outcrop of coalbeds or the trace 
of the 
coalbed at the interface between the Buried Valley fill and the bedrock. 
Logs of approximately 12,000 drill holes were obtained during the study.
The geologic investigation of the area, made in accordance with the 
memorandum of understanding, is included as Appendix C of this report. 

MAPS 
Maps compiled by the Geological Survey as a result of their investi
gation are also presented in Appendix C. 

RESULTS OF INVESTIGATION 
The results of this investigation show: 
a. It is exceedingly difficult to evaluate or predict the quantitativeand spatial aspects of subsidence, and practically impossible, with present means, to determine how subsidence will behave with time. Each instance of subsidence is almost unique because of the great number of factors 
that must be considered, each of which is individually variable and may be related to the others in a variety of ways. These factors include: 
(1) intensity and depth of mining; 
(2) type and amount of roof support provided in the undergroundworkings; man-made supports may be discounted, except as a temporaryinfluence; 
(3) 
the thickness and number of coalbeds mined; 

(4) 
The composition, thickness, and consolidation of the strata 


and valley-fill deposits overlying the mine workings, and the stress characteristics of the rock; 
(5) 
structural features, such as dip of coalbeds and other strata, simple and complex folds, faults, fractures, and joints; 

(6) 
the character of the groundwater in the overlying rocks and its accessibility to the mine workings; 

(7) 
mine~ater pools, barrier pillars, and the movement of mine-water drainage. 


23 
b. Surface subsidence in the Wyoming Valley is caused basically 
by underground mining of anthracite beds. Collapse of mine workings and consequent subsidence of the land surface is likely to happen sooner, and to a greater degree, where the ratio of coal-mined to coal-remaining (or void-space to coal-pillars) is the greatest. Subsidence is practically certain where the coal has been wholly extracted under a given area. The chance of subsidence increases with the increase in number of coalbeds mined below a given area. 
c. The area affected by subsidence over underground mine workings increases upward, so that the area of subsidence at the ground surface is larger than the area of the collapsed mine workings. The angle of 
draw, that is the angle made between a vertical line and a straight line from the margin of the workings to the edge of the area of subsidence, has been found to range generally from 15 degrees to 25 degrees in simple cases. Inclined planes of weakness, such as bedding planes, faults, fractures, and joints, tend to enlarge this angle and, consequently, the area of surface subsidence. Locally, a fault, bedding plan, or a barrier pillar might serve to limit the angle of draw. 
d. Moderately to steeply inclined workings may collapse more readily 
under shearing stresses than horizontal workings would under corresponding amounts of load. When collapse takes place in inclined workings at one point, the shearing stress is transmitted up and down the dip, which 
tends to precipitate further collapse, and collapse of workings at the core or apex of the fold is thereby increased. 
e. Surface subsidence in areas underlain by more than a superficial amount of valley-fill deposits tends to cover a larger area than would be affected if underlain only by bedrock. Subsidence may be intensified if the interface between valley-fill and bedrock is breached so that unconsolidated material funnels into underground workings. Groundwater can contribute substantially to this action. 
f. Each locality, with its individual set of conditions, has to be 
studied separately and minutely to predict whether, and how much, subsidence may take place. The maps accompanying this report will provide some of the geologic framework for such detailed analyses. 
PLAN OF REHABILITATION 
GENERAL 
Subsidence throughout the Wyoming Valley area, as a result of 
anthracite mining, has made necessary the raising and reconstruction of approximately 4-3/4 miles of levee and flood wall to meet Corps of Engineers standards for protection for a design flow of 232,000 cfs. The design 
level of protection equals the greatest flood of record, that of March 1936, with 3 feet of freeboard. Sections of the protection were raised by the Federal Government in 1961 and 1964 under emergency repair authority of 
24 

Public Law 99, 84th Congress, which requires that the measures taken be of a emergency nature. The tempory raising consisted of placing additional embankment on the levee crown, with no attemp to maintain levee slope. In most instances the levee crown width was sacrificed to gain the needed height. Profiles and sections of subsided reaches of the system, and the areas raised as emergency measures in 1961 and 1964, are shown on Plates 2 through 6. The design grade shown on the profiles is based on 3 feet of freeboard above a recomputed flow line for a discharge of 232,000 cfs. The loss of protection from that provided by the original construction was determined to be approximately 1-1/2 feet in each of the areas protected. Areas which .are more than 6 inches below design grade would be restored with an additional 2 feet above design, as would the areas £epaired as emergency measures, to compensate for future settlement. These areas are susceptible to further subsidence. The total freeboard in the reconstructed areas will be 5 feet to compensate for potential subsidence. In those areas now having a minimum of 2-1/2 feet of freeboard, no remedial action is proposed at this time. Such small amounts of settlement may be due, in part, to normal consolidation of the embankment, and are not indicative of significant mine subsidence in these areas. Periodic surveys of the entire levee system should continue to be made after restoration, to determine locations where vertical or lateral movements are still in 
progress. 
Levees requiring repair will be stripped of sod, riprap, and any objectionable material. A levee slope of !-vertical and 2-1/2-horizontal on the riverside and !-vertical on 2-horizontal on the landside have been adopted to keep additional land acquisition to a minimum. A top width of 10 feet is proposed for all levees. Where the existing concrete wall in Wilkes-Barre is below grade, protection would be restored by driving steel sheet piling on the riverside of the existing wall placing compacted fill between the two walls as shown on Plate 6. Where the existing steel sheet piling wall in Forty-Fort is below grade, protection would be restored by welding the specified extensions on the existing wall and driving the modified wall to design grade as shown on Plate 4. Closure at street crossings, such as Market and Pierce Streets, will be made with sandbags when necessary. Street elevations at these crossings are close to the design flow lines, and closure would be needed only during a major flood. Cost estimates reflect present conditions at July 1971 price level (Engineering News Record Index, July 1971, 1587.88). 
LEVEE EXTENSIONS 
The downstream end of the Swoyersville-Forty Fort improvement and the upstream end of the Kingston-Edwardsville project were originally tied to high ground in Forty Fort borough as shown on Plate 3. Subsidence in this area lowered both of these tie-ins below design grade. The 
R-2 25 

River Street protection would be extended by construction of a steel sheet-pile wall and bank stabilization. The Rutter Avenue levee was extended as new work, by contract, in the fall of 1965. The levee was constructed to slope, compaction, and levee crown standards of the original work, except that a freeboard of 5 feet above the flow line of 232,000 cfs was provided. 
TABULATION OF WORK 
Table 10 lists the locations and lengths of levees and flood walls to be raised. The stationing refers to that shown on Plates 2, 3, and 5. 
INTERIOR DRAINAGE 
The existing interior drainage facilities were designed to handle 
the maximum discharge of the storm sewer systems in each community at the time of original project construction. There has not been any significant modification of the various storm sewer systems since the original design of the pumping stations and other related interior drainage facilities. For this reason it appears there is no need to increase the capacity of the existing interior drainage systems since 
the volume of storm run-of f delivered to the facilities for any one storm will be substantially the same as in the past. The existing interior drainage systems have exhibited their functional capability in the past and can be expected to continue to do so in the f uture. 
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY 
There are no known adverse effects of the proposed improvements on the environmental quality of the Wyoming Valley. A detailed environmental statement has been prepared in response to the National Environmental Po l icy Act of 1969, PL 91-190, in conjunction with this report. 
COST SUMMARY 
Table 11 lists the total Federal and non-Federal costs of the project 
r estoration by location. Federal costs, which include construction, 
engineering, design, supervision, and administration, are estimated to be 
$1 ,723,000. Non-Federal costs, which include all necessary lands, easements, 
r igh t -of-way, borrow and spoil areas, are estimated to be $42,900. A 
de t a iled cost estimate for each project is shown in Appendix D. 

ANNUAL CHARGES 
Computation of the Federal and non-Federal annual charges, comparison of annual benefi ts, and the benefit-cost ratio for each unit of project restoration is shown on Table 12. An economic life of 50 years was ~ s e lected, which is the same as that used in the economic evaluation of ~ 
26 

Stations Length Existing Proposed Remedial Project Location From To Feet Construction Construction 
Swoyersville-Forty Fort Forty Fort -129+00 -ll2+05 1695 Earth levee Earth levee 
II II II 
-ll2+05 -108+00 405 Steel Sheet-Weld extensions to pile wall existing steel sheetpile wall. 
II II II -98+50 -91+90 660 Steel sheet-Weld extensions to pile wall existing steel sheetpile wall. 
II II II -90+20 -80+68 952 None Extend existing steel sheet-pile wall Kingston-Edwardsville Kingston -49+00· -35+80 1320 
Earth levee Earth levee 
II N II II -4+60 48+50 5310 Earth levee Earth levee 
-...) 
II II 
Edwardsville 124+00 134+90 
1090 Earth levee Earth levee 
Wilkes-Barre, Hanover 
Township Wilkes-Barre 37+00 42+00 500 Earth levee Earth levee 

II II II 64+50 74+30 980 Steel sheet-Steel sheet-pile wall pile wall 
II II 
Wilkes-Barre & 
Hanover Township 75+00 154+00 7900 Earth levee 

Earth levee 
II II 
Hanover Township 164+00 198+50 3450 Earth levee Earth levee 
II II 
Hanover Township Breslau Reservoir 0+46 3+50 304 
Earth levee Earth levee 
II II 
Hanover Township Breslau Reseryoir 23+00 
31+30 830 Earth levee Earth levee 
Table 10 
PROPOSED LEVEE AND FLOOD WALL RAISING 

COST  Table 11 SUMMARY OF LEVEE RESTORATION (July 1971 Price Level)  
FEDERAL COST Construction Forty Fort Borough Kingston Borough Edwardsville Borough Wilkes-Barre Hanover Township Total Construction Cost Engineering and Design Supervision and Administration Subtotal ~ Federal Cost  $ 417,600 361,900 27,800 553,300 184,400 $1,545,000 85,000 93,000  $1,723,000  
NON-FEDERAL COST Real Estate Forty Fort Borough Kingston Borough Edwardsville Borough Wilkes-Barre Hanover Township  $ 39,000 -0-03,900 -0- 
Subtotal -Non-Federal Cost TOTAL PROJECT COSTS  $ 42,900 $1,765,900  
R-2  28  

Table 12 
ANNUAL CHARGES , ANNUAL BENEFITS, AND BENEFIT-COST RATIO FOR LEVEE RESTORATION (July 1971 Price Level) 
Kingston-Wilkes-Barre Project Forty Fort Edwardsville & Hanover Twp Total Federal First Cost $465,700 $434,600 $822,700 $1,723,000 Non-Federal First Cost 39,000 3,900 42,900 Total Cost $504, 7no $434,600 $826,600 $1,765,900 Federal Annual Charges Interest 5-3/8% $ 25,000 $ 23,400 $ 44,200 $ 92,600 Amortization, 50 yrs. @5-3/8% (.00423) 2,000 1,800 3 500 7,300 Total Federal Charges $ 27,000 $ 25,200 $ 47,700 $ 99,900 Non-Federal Annual Charges Interest 5-3/8% $ 2,100 $ 200 $ 2,300 Amortization, 50 yrs. @5-3/8% (.00423) 200 100 300 Total Non-Federal Charges $ 2,300 $ 300 $ 2' 600 Total Charges $ 29,300 $ 25,200 $ 48,000 $ 102,500 Annual Benefits $ 30,300 $171 ,600 $267,100 $ 469,000 Benefi t-Cost Ratio 1.0 5.6
6.8 4.6 
tt-2 
29 
10-71 


the original project works·. The current approved interest rate of 5-3/8 percent was used for computing both Federal and non-Federal charges . No interest during construction was considered, as construction will be accomplished in less than bvo years. It is considered that the overall long-range operation and maintenance costs of the affected projects will continue to be subst antially the same as for the existing projects as a result of these corrective measures . For this reason an annual charge for operation and maintenance of the protection system was not included in the economic analysis of the plan of improvement. The total estimated annual charges for rehabilitation of the protection system are $102,500, of which $99,900 are Federal costs and $2,600 are non-Federal costs. 
ANNUAL BENEFITS 
The degree of protection lost from subsidence is estimated to be 1-1/2 feet at each of the communities affected. Restoration of the subsided areas will prevent average annual damages--which become benefits-estimated to be $30,300 at Swoyersville-Forty Fort, $171,600 at Kingston
Edwardsville, and $267,100 at Wilkes-Barre and Hanover Township. The resulting benefit-cost ratio for the project is 4.6 . The ratios for the individual units are given in Table 12 . A comparison of the actual benefits 
from project operation with project annual costs is given in Table 13. Assuming that the benefits will continue to accrue at the same rate throughout 
the remaining project life, the Wyoming Valley projects have a combined benefit-cost ratio of 5.5 . The ratios for individual units are given in Table 13. The economic analysis developing the improvement benefits is 
presented in Appendix D. 
PROJECT FORMULATION 
Several degrees of flood protection for the Wyoming Valley were considered in the project formulation phase of this study. As explained in Appendix D, it is economically feasible to provide a greater degree of protection than that proposed in this report, but local costs would be of 
such a magnitude as to preclude local interests from fulfulling the 
requirements of local cooperation. Pertinent data for the various levels of protection considered during project formulation studies are given in Table D-3, Appendix D. 
LOCAL COOPERATION 
Prior to the start of construction, local interests will be required to furnish assurances that they will: 
a. Provide, without cost to the Uni ted States, all lands, easements 
and rights-of-way necessary for rehabilitation of the levee system; 
b. Hold and save the United States free from damages due to the construction works; 
• 
R-2 30 

r--------------------
c. 
Maintain and operate the rehabilitated projects, without cost to the United States, in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary of the Army; 

d. 
Make periodic inspections and leveling surveys along embankment and related structures to determine if and where subsidence has occurred and the amount thereof; 

e. 
Assume maintenance responsibility for restoring the protective works to design conditions, including the extension of the protective works to tie to high ground when necessary; 

f. 
Make every effort to prevent encroachment and regulate those aspects of mining activities which might interfere with proper functioning of the projects; 

g. 
Provide guidance and leadership in preventing unwise future development of the flood plain by use of appropriate flood plain management techniques to reduce flood losses. 


Local interests have indicated a willingness to participate in the restoration of the levee system along the Susquehanna River in Wyoming Valley, Pennsylvania. Letters of assurance of local cooperation from the individual communities involved and Luzerne County are presented in Appendix F. 
COORDINATION WITH OTHER AGENCIES 
FEDERAL AGENCIES 
The U.S. Bureau of Mines and the U.S. Geological Survey, Department of the Interior, were consulted during preparation of their portions of this report, which are incorporated as Appendices B and C, respectively. These agencies, along with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior, and the Soil Conservation Service, Department of Agriculture, were furnished copies of the plan of proposed improvements for comments. Copies of correspondence with these agencies are included in Appendix G. No other Federal agencies are known to have an interest in this investigation. 
NON-FEDERAL AGENCIES 
Coordination has been maintained with the Department of Forests and Waters, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, regarding the results of this investigation. Their views are contained in Appendix G. 
31 
Table 13 

COSTS -BENEFITS, FOR CONSTRUCTED WORKS 
ANNUAL CHARGES, ANNUAL BENEFITS, AND BENEFIT-COST RATIOS 

PROJECT C 0 S T S B E N E F I T S 
Total* Annual Federal & Charges Operation Total Years Benefits Annual B-C Non-Fed 50 yrs@2-l/2 & Annual in to Benefits Ratio Costs ( .03526) Maint Charges Service June '68 
Swoyersville-Forty Fort $ 3,001,700 $106,000 $13,000 $119,000 11 $ 2,300,000 $ 209,000 1.8
w 
N 
Kingston-Edwardsville 5,451,900 192,000 18,000 210,000 25 44,000,000 1,760,000 8.4 
Wilkes-Barre & Hanover Twp 4,702,500 166,000 20,000 186 ,000 26 27,400,000 1,054,000 5.7 
Plymouth 2,028, 700 72,000 8,000 80 ,000 20 4,700,000 235,000 2.9 
Total $15,184,800 $536,000 $59,000 $595,000 --$3,258,000 5.5 
* See Table 9 
DISCUSSION 
INVESTMENT 
Over a period of 33 years, 1935-1968, Federal costs for constructionof the four local flood control projects in the Wyoming Valley havetotalled $14,189,800. The total non-Federal investment in these projectsis $995,000. Local interests have, in addition, expended funds annuallyfor maintenance and operation of the projects. A tabulation of projectcosts and estimated annual charges for the completed projects is given inTable 13. An interest rate of 2-1/2 percent and a project life of 50 yearswere used, as they were e f f e ctive at the time the project was constructed.
Annual maintenance and operation costs are estimated on the basis of past
expenditures. 
BENEFITS 
The four Wyoming Valley flood control projects, Kingston-Edwardsville,
Plymouth, Swoyersville-Forty Fort, and Wilkes-Barre and Hanover Township,have provided a significant degree of flood protection to the area. Table13 shows the flood damages prevented by the four projects, through 30 June1968, and the estimated annual benefits on the basis of the number of yearseach has been in operation. The benefit-cost ratio for each project i s als o given. 
The estimated average annual benefits from r aising the s ubs i ded areasare $30,300 at Swoyersville-Forty Fort, $171,600 at Kingston-Edwardsville,and $267,100 at Wilkes-Barre and Hanover Township, a total of $469,000.The Plymouth proj ect has not been effected by subsidence. The corresponding
benefit-cost ratios are 1.0, 6.8, 5.6, and 4.6 for the total i mprovements. 
SUSQUEHANNA RIVER BASIN STUDY 
The improvements recommended by this study are compatible with theproposals set forth in the Coordinating Committees Susquehanna River BasinStudy. The Coordinating Committee recommended the raising of the subsidedportions of the local flood protection projects in the Wyoming Valley totheir original design grade. It also recommended that this project be
accomplished in the early acti on period; that is, by 1980. 
U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY REPORT 
As part of the studies for this report, a geological report of
Wyoming Valley was prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey to provide

• 
background for construction planning and maintenance of flood control

structures. The results of this study have been mad e a par t of this
report as Appendix C. 
10-71 
33 
J 

U.S. BUREAU OF MINES REPORT 
In connection with the studies for this report, an evaluation report of surface subsidence potentials resulting from past mining operations subjacent to the f l ood plain of the Susquehanna and Lackawanna Rivers, over the Wyoming Basin, was prepared by the U.S. Bureau of Mines. The results of the study have been made a part of this report as Appendix B, and will, in addition to furnishing information on potential subsidence of flood control structures, prove useful to State and local agencies for future land-use planning and for locating public facilities and areas for mine-filling. 
ADDITIONAL LOCAL PROTECTION 
The need for flood protection at Plains Township, the only community indicating a flood problem, was investigated and studied in detail. It was found that the annual damages were relatively small, and that a local protection project could not be economically justified for the area. Details of the study are incl ded as Appendix E. 
MINE FLOOD PROTECTION 
There appears to be no need for protection of the anthracite mines 
from overland flood flows. The only incident of mine flooding occurring during the hurricane floods of August 1955, was a minor case where stream overflow entered an abandoned mine near Duryea, Pennsylvania, because of 
a clogged bridge opening. Prior to this, mine flooding occurred in May 1942, when the flood waters of the Lackawanna River and its tributaries ente r ed mine workings in the area and caused stoppage of operations for several weeks in some of the mines. Since 1955, most mining operations in the Wyoming Valley have been abandoned, pumping of water from the mines has stopped, and underground streams have filled the workings, further negating 
the need for protection. 
EMERGENCY WORK 
Areas under the Wyoming Valley flood protection system have subsided on numerous occasions, resulting in a reduction in the degree of protection provided by these projects. The local communities, assisted by Luzerne County and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, have attempted to maintain the design protection by restoring the more severely subsided structures. The Corps of Engineers has raised and extended subsided sections as an emergency measure under the authority of Public Law 99, 84th Congress, to prevent overtopping of the protection by the larger floods. 
34 
CONCLUSIONS 
There is no longer a need for flood protection of the anthracite mines in the Wyoming Valley in view of the lack of mining activity at the present t i me. Restoration of the levee system is imperative due to the lack of sufficient freeborad height in many areas. This work is economically j ustified as evidenced by the benefit-cost ratios of 1.0 for Swoyersvil le-Forty Fort, 6.8 for Kingston-Edwardsville, 5.6 for Wilkes-Barre and Hanover Township and 4.6 for the improvements as a whole. Filling of abandoned mines with waste materials, under and adjacent to the levee system, may be a permanent solution to the problem of surface subsidence, although it is recognized that such an operation would be very costly. 
RECOMMENDATIONS 
It is recommended that approximately 4-3/4 miles of the KingstonEdwardsville, Swoyersville-Forty Fort, and Wilkes-Barre and Hanover Township local flood protection projects be raised and restored as indicated on the accompanying plans, at an estimated cost of $1,723,000 to the United States and $42,900 to local interests, provided that, prior to the start of restoration, non-Federal interests agree to: 
a. 
Provide, without cost to the United States, all lands, easements, and rights-of-way necessary for rehabilitation of the levee system; 

b. 
Hold and save the United States free from damages due to the construction work; 

c. 
Maintain and operate the rehabilitated projects, without cost to the United States, in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary of the Army; 

d. 
Make periodic inspections and leveling surveys along embankment and related structures to determine if and where subsidence has occurred and the amount thereof; 

e. 
Make every effort to prevent encroachment and regulate those aspects of mining activities which might interfere with proper functioning of the projects; 


R-2 
10-71 R-3 35 
-3-72 

•
f. Provide guidance and leadership in preventing unwise future 
development of the flood plain by use of appropriate flood plain management techniques to reduce flood losses. 
It is also recommended that non-Federal interests give high priority to a mine-filling program for filling the areas under and adjacent to the Wyoming Valley flood protection. 
W. J. LOVE Colonel, Corps of Engineers District Engineer 
36 R-3 3-72 
NORTHEAST FLOOD STUDY 
SUSQUEHANNA RIVER BASIN 
PENNSYLVANIA 

SURVEY REPORT 
FLOOD CONTROL AND MINE SUBSIDENCE 
IN WYOMING VALLEY, PENNSYLVANIA 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND IDENTIFICATION OF PERSONNEL 
This report was prepared by the Baltimore District, Corps of Engineers, under the general direction of: 
Colonel W. J. Love, District Engineer 
The investigation and the preparation of the report were under the 
staff supervision of: 
G. M. Miller, Chief, Engineering Division 
J. T. Starr, Asst. Chief, Eng4n~ering Division fat Basin Planning 
W. E. Trieschman, Jr., Chief, ·Plarming Division. 
The immediate supervision of planning, studies and investigation, and 
drafting of report material were performed by: 
J. E. Book, Civil Engineer 
R. L. Mann, Civil Engineer 
N. E. Beegle, Hydraulic Engineer 
T. P. Whelley, Civil Engineer 
D. s. Ladd, Civil Engineer 
Support in technical specialties was furnished by: 
L. S. Potash, Civil Engineer 
N. Zweig, Civil Engineer 
K. L. Garner, Hydraulic Engineer 
Preparation of U.S. Bureau of Mines report on subsurface conditions resulting from mining, Appendix B: 
H. Dierks, U.S. Bureau of Mines-Wilkes-Barre Office 
W. Eaton, U.S. Bureau of Mines-Wilkes-Barre Office 
Preparation of U.S. Geological Survey report on geology of the WyomingValley, Appendix C: 
M. J. Bergin, U.S. Geological Survey-Washington, D. and Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania J. F. Robertson, U.S. Geological Survey-Washington, and Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania  C. D.  C.  
37  

CORPS OF ENGINEERS 
U.S. ARMY 
BALTIMOR 
VICINITY MAP 
I CALlE O' MI L ( I 
10 00 K>O 

,....._, 
__./ \. 
·. .......-\\ , ----------
-------.......~-:-
DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY BALTIMORE DISTRICT, CO RPS OF. ENGINEERS 
BALTIMORE , MARYLAN D 
SUSQ U EHANNA RIVER fLOOD CO N TROL PROJECT 
WYOMING VAL LEY LEVEE REPAIRS 
SCALE OF FEET 2000 0 2000 4000 WYOMING VALLEY 
!!;;j I I 
TO ACCOMPAN Y REPOR T 
I I I I
I I 
DATED NOVEMBER 1970 
-· ~--••n .o' 
CORPS OF ENGINEERS U.S. ARMY 
i~·  I I  
1 TOB Y CMPOUNOING REEKBASIN  .:  \  
~  \ ~  ,....a,o•~ 0~oV'1 _ _ -""~ (.c. ... .'__r;:;;~· -~ - . _..- ~ 3  1 STEEL SHEET PILING  
.  WALL  EXTENSIONS  
~  ~~- 
,·  
BOROUGH  
~'1' 
'1'-~  
~~  .  
0~  
~":J  
":J  
~  
HANOVER  TOWNSHIP  
WILKES-BARRE  
LEGEND :  
PROPOSED  IMPROVEMENTS  
~  
SCALE OF FEET  
1000  0  1000  2000  
DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY  
BALTIMORE DISTRICT, CORPS OF" ENGINEERS  
IIALTIMO..I:, MA..YLANO  
SUSQUEHANNA RIVER FLOOD CONTROL PROJECT  
W YOMING VALLEY LEVEE REPAIRS  
GENERAL  PLAN  
:~r;~c~:;:;E:E~~~ L-----'T'-::-_L__I;:;;;--_~.---1  
PLATE 2  

CORPS OF ENGINEERS 
U. S. ARMY 
5Tf:fL SH E£ T PILING 
LEVEE RAISI NG 	WALL E XTENSIONS
565 STEEL SHEET PILING STEEL SHEET PIL IN G WALL WALL EXTENSIONS 565
t.NO BA NK STABILI ZA TION 
~ ~ Top of £ Ais f ing Steel She•t ' ' Pllmg W all (S' £¥ft~t7 SJons w•ltl~d ~ 
~ ~ ~
"'~ ~ ~ to pili'lg by loco/ intere .1fs qfter 560 ' ' r-onable .seHie m , nt) ~ 
560 
TOp of E¥i• lmg L~vee 	Propo,~d Top of L~VI!I! a 
555 =--......-----------------	______ [____ ______ _
-------Clksign Top oF Pro+ecfion 
'-....... ........___---............__ 

.....__ 
Dt!.s19n Top of Prolecfiot'l 
> 
fop of L~v~e m 1960 ~ 
..a 	Emergency raising fromSto. -11!~05 to -tzo~so ..0 wo.s pl!rlormed b_y loco/ interests m 1960. 
~ 
-~:8400 -1 30 +00 ' -120+00 -110+00 	100•00 -9 0 +00 -80+00 -10+~5 
LEVEE RAISI NG 
... 

~ W,/k~s-!J.;rre 060 
~ 
Coni'Ht'C f intj R..R.
.., 	1 
f
llldlw-A • . 	.,
Cr,sfing 	LEVEE RAISING 
H1gh Ground 	560
-~ 
<! 	~ 
"' 4 "' ~ Top ofExr s tmg L• vee ~ 
•ss 
Z 	_ 
" -----------------------r.:,;.-To;0; ;:;.;.~l:n::.-.:. --;::;~~L. m1962 ~ -cc --~ -----=-=-	1~-L.'---..,~...,..j-U... 
Pes1gn Top of Prof• c fion 
510 
LttVtltl roisttd f r om Slo-5/ 1-50 to-55t88 
Flo• 	500 
by Govttrnmttnf Conlrocl in 1965. 
~• 
0 -70.00 -6 0+00 -~+00 -40+00 -30.00 -20.00 -10+00 	0+00n• 
.. > 
rl~
"' 51'fl " 
LE VE E RA ISING 
"'~ . 60 t Citwf:Jt s;~ef !i!l~ A..~Sf•hon ~~~ 
Prop ou d Top ofl,~ 	~ 
Z >->
~I
..q, 	555
Top or CJ<i3 l in9 Lt! v e' i U ~ fM•rk•f St. 
"' 
-----	-[_~;;9~ ;,p-;f'P,..~hclion 
-__::::..-.-,._ ~ £;Top of e.lsf/nf i. ~vee • ;S•ndb~ CJos11rw 	C Top Qr Cxis tmf L:::. 
--	..0
-----~-----,·----~ 
-----~ \_Top ofLe•,. in/960. 	---' -----_____,-------------------~lr r_De:,,~-r:p-:,-;;.~e~;,;.-------------
Em, r gt.nc_y roiSin9 f'rom Sto. 0+00 to Sta./.5~00 ond Sto. 3/+00 to Sto. <11+00 was also p•rf'or med"' by loco/ mt~rests m / 961. ~ 545 
MO 
•40
0.00 	10..-00 20+00 30+00 40+00 50+00 60+00 70+00 
5 
..  
"'  
0  560  ~~~  560  
>  ..,  Tqo of' £,./:sfll1<j Levu .,,.,0 VI ltl~"'~;:lj 1Wdk~s-!Jarre ~:g Connu l ing R.R. ~ >-·I; 1 o i3~ ---l--------------------------------------~~Sijn Top of Pro;~c;,on  r lov~14ndAv~. Pumping sta;ion  fIJ. S Nighw• y Hte. No. I/ ? 4Aflanh c Re f1·mn9 Sidm g ~ 1 ~ • IStop L09 Sfrvclur • 1 LEVEE RAISI NG Woodw•rd f>vHpng Sf1fi on ~ Toby Crr•lt Pr .ssuro Culvor l • . IOL. !W.RR:t ~,~,~-~ ' -. . . .--I Mxxf.,rd Sitl!m; -------------c--------~JI_f;-~~rcrr~ist..,loy S,.,dur<  555 ••o  
545  Des1917 T<>p ofProledion  /  ~ 

F!Ofl ......__ 
I Em•rr;ency ra1smr; by Govttrnment 1964 I 
540 540
10+00 80+00 	90+00 100+00 110-tOO 120+00 
130 '1'00 	140+-00 
DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
LEGEND 
BALT1MORE DISTRICT, CORPS OF ENGIN..... 
• AI..TIMOitC. MAitYLAND 
Top of Ex1stm9 Le v•tt of'fttr ttmt~rgency ra131ng 
SUSQUEHANNA R I VER FLO OD CONTROL PROJECT
of sub31ded ort~o3 b_y Gov•rnment ,,., /96-1-
WYOMING VALLEY LEVEE REPAIRS 
Oesign Top of Protecf10f'1 
PROFILE 
low-points of Levee as sur.,yye d m years mdicot•d on profiltt 
lO ACCOMPANY M~T 
DATED NOV£101£R 1170 f:,....::::-,-:.-;:-:;:H:;;O;:w:;o-,-:-c::-__ji___-,----....l..--l
55
PLATE 3 
CORPS OF ENGINEERS 
U. S. ARMY 
,70  
560  
0>0  
~0~~  
>  
120  
w  
560 ,...  
550 J 
5 4 0 ~  
"'  
:  5>0t  
'ZO  Exl•llng Noct T~  
t f":;jj  
"'  
>  510  
o  100  
:  
tear  
1 ~p  
540~  
a  ...1  
_,  II  
z  100  
o  
..  
c  
>  57oy- 
I  

u I I 
~ 
RIVER SIDE LAND SI DE 
570 
560 
550 
5 40 
~ 
530 
520
w w o w ~ 60 m 
STA.-11 2+05 TO STA. -129 + 00 
II .., S60 
Nt1w Slt1t1/ SIIHI P/11111 Exlt~ll•iolt, Typtl MA · I2, Wild to £xi 61l ng Pillltl. 
Exl • flng GrDulld 
on !:1 tltiCI(Itng Mor."of , ~rt...--EKtS!tirg 5 ' Slut ShHI ,.11/ltf .of 550 £ xtu•ions Wt~ldtld /o (),.;giluJ/ P'ili11g 
by LocollnltlrtJs/s afltlr Stlllltl,.n/. 
Ongmol S t_,l Sht1t1/ Pili, 
, r'-~ II Typ• MA -22 , II ' Long. i 5 40 
j530 
' 20 
12" Mi, . Grt1t1t1l Flll• r 8 /anktll. 
51 0 
eo so 40 20 o zo •o 
STA.-91+90 TO STA.-98+50 a STA.-108+00 TO STA.-11 2+05 
L.._5'-o_: , !)60 
S tu! Sl"'' Pilmg Wall JYp~ OA-27, IS ' long 
U "),lm.lllprop 
/ll

on 6 "/kddmg Mo fen oll , 
~·50 
/ 
/ / / 
./'~ // -I 5W 
/ 
s-7// 
..............-~ ~ ~rVIOUS Fd/ / -1 530

/.........5 lx1.1flf'lg Ground Svrf oce 

/ / 
'C'-,.....--Strippm g _.. .....-O.J r t!qwred  -l.,o  
10  60  40  20  0  20  40  5 10  
STA.-80+68  TO STA. -90 +20  

, 570 
L~ve~ Ro isln!J 8 E v srmg L~11• e 
~ 
560 
550 
I 
j'·"'~ ~·"~" r 
I 

530 
' w  I  I w  '  t 0  t  I w  ,  ~  '  60  t  t w  5 2 0  
STA. -4 +60 TO STA.  17+00 a STA.-35 +80  TO  STA.-49t00  

R I VER SID E 
LAN DSI DE 
570 570 
560 560 
~I
550 " 
550 
5 4 0 5 40 
530 530
60 40 20 0 20 40 

STA. 17+ 00 TO STA.30 + 0 0 
57 0 570 
f LI VH RDI• ing 
56 0 
560 
12 " Aim l?tp r op 550 on 6 " 8 e ddmg 6/ofl r iO/ 
550 
54 0 540 
530 530 
ro 40 20 o 20 • o 

STA. 30+00 TO STA. 35+ 00 
570 
570 
560 >60 
Ext.Jfmg Road 
550
550 ---~--~ I
---I · ----~ ~ Ex13tm g L ~ve~ 
5 4 0 540 
_,....... --!;,r,pptn9 

-----~-.--a.J r•qu1r~d 
530 5~ 60 40 20 0 20 40 
STA.35+00 TO STA. 48+50 
560 560 
550 550
L ~~~~• 
Embankmen t 
540 
53 0 
530 
520 0 2b 
&0 40 20 0 20 40 
STA. 124 + 00 TO STA. 134+90 
OEptARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
aALnWOftE" DISTRICT. CORPS OF I:NG4NIIIIfta 
.ALT IMOR: • • MAR:Y LAND 

SUSQUEHANNA Rl VEft FLOOD CONTROL PftOJECT 
WYOMING VALLEY LEVEE REPAIRS 
T YPICAL CROSS SECTION S 
SWOYERSVILLE , FORTY -FORT, K INGSTON 
AND EDWARDSVILLE 

TO ACCOMPANY ftEP'ORT 
...TEO NOVEMBER 1870 1----,-,-,--.,----''-----,---....L.-~ 
Ktou, ,t,S SHOWN 
PLATE 4 
CORPS OF ENGINEERS 
U. S. ARMY 
LEVii~G 
560 	t Old Rwrr Rood ., !1
£.8 W.V. RR (Laurfll Lmel 	60
Market St 	Pumpmg Sfottonand L. V Rl?. Clo.surtJ Structure 
LEVEE RAISING 
Morlret Sf 
555 1 1 PCJmpmg Stof1on Pump1ng Statton <> <> RoH St <::> 

fl/mon Street 	<::> <> ""''"'" ""'"' ••cc ~ ~ 
c ':>1 lo;J -l 555
Pumpmg Stof1on 	':'
~ Top of Ex1.sfmg S~el Sheet Pilmg Wall IPropo.Jtld 
(Constructed m repo1r of'pr1or 3eff/ernenf) 	~ .:;ti Top of Levee 
~
\jj l 	t

... -,.--·• ... ,.,. . .... .... ...... ......... , • • ..,,_,.,___ . ..,... -· • ' ' "'::# 
·· ~·· 
550 
55H u I 
,., 
~~Topofl<'um/960 	,., 
I Emflrgt~ncy raising by 1 .....u ...,., ,,,.,,, "' ' 'vr 1 Govtlrnment '" 196./.
~o 10+00 20+00 30+00 40+00 ~0+00 60+00 70+00 ~•o 
> 
W1/kes -Borre 
Connecfmg RR 
LEVEE RAISING 	1 ~~~
"""r-------------------------------------
DBH.R/1 
Horton St. Pumpmg Stotron
Pumpmp Stat10n 
c 	550 • 1 I fD.8HRR ' 
-1550 
~ 	~ _ r-Propo.st~d Top oft• .,.,. ;rsondbog Clo.:Jurfl rPropos~d Top of'Leve• [r------------------;:-r---~I 
_ "' ---:;---~ \_"'<C -J:l--_ _ 	1 
~ rToporcmr;n9L"" ~ l 
,~, -----------------'----~----/"-__..-... \...'llr:------"T" ·r---/ ~ Des1gn TopofProtect1on ---------_____ __ --../' -LY" Lo~s1gn Topof'Prot~ctton ----...../ 1\.. ----
.___ -------	--e, ------,~, 
T 	Top of Levt1e m 196~. Top of L•vtle m 1960 Em•r9ency ra1smg f'rom Sto. 96 r-OO to Sto. 10-1 o~-OO 
z 	and from Sta. 110 +00 to Sto. 123+00 was also
!140 
!HO 
c 	p,rform11d by th• Govt~rnm,,f m 1961. ~ 
.. Emerqency roi sinQ by Government in 196+ 	I
• 	~ l 
80+00 	100+00
90+00 	110-+00 120+00 130+00 14 0-+-00 "" 
~
'?II 
... 	H5 r: LEVEE RAISING ~I -LEVEE RAISING 
> 	••• 
0 ~.(t ? 	:;;: 
fW~st End Rood 	iOttlon~y St. 
Stt1 L/5.;{)() Ht~IWW,. Township Lew~
1 	~ Pumpmg Station ~~ Sro.0•00 /Jrulov 11•.-r•oirlev.,
• ,_00~ ' ~ 	t'•"o"'' Av•.
~ 	~ z ti 
1 	550
• 	-"ur 
~ 
Top of£~1sfing L•v•• ~--------../ Propo5tld Top of L11vee 	1
~ 1 
I 
---~-~-==-;-'>-==-!-=-=--=-'"'-=:-:::_::-=_-::_:-:_oo_=c[;o~=.=~-=~:-::=,.-.-,-----------=-=-=-=-=-=-=-~-----...__-___..-·~· 
_1::!-~---_/o~;"';""r-=or=~=~,-=~o":'"'-"'-"'-~-;;=-=:-.:...=-_~::.,.--::., ___=.===-----~--' 	(Top or Ex;srm~~~:~r-----------~ 
Oe319n Top of Prot• cfion
... 
!140 
•~o
... 
... 	~
I IErnergt~ncy ro1smg by Governm•nf I Emerg,ncy ro13m9 by Cov•rnm~nt m / 964 I 
m 1964 

,, 530 150+00 160+00 170+00 180+00 190+00 200-+-00 210-+-00 
z 
555 555 
t Solomon Cre•k~ Penno RR 
Pvmpmg S'orion I Stop LogStructur• 
&50 	r 
550 
Top of Exi~fing L~v•• 
z 	1 
I 	~
0 	,., 
,~, 
-------------------------
[0e~,;;To;;;,-P~o~;c~,:;n-------------" 
> 
540 
540 
~ 
~ 
,,
220-+00 230+00 240-+00 250+00 	260+00 
LEVEE RAISING 
<> 	~ 
~ 
~ 
:J $; 5<0 	LEGEND
">. 	l! 
DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY 
540 r / .J; 	I!IALT1MOR£ DISTRICT, CORPS Of" E:NGINEEM
")l t I crropu.;,cn.l t<Jp Of L•ll'lfle -JJ 	Top of Cx1sttrJ9levee art~r em•rgency ro1stn9 
of sub.s1ded oreo.s by Gov~rnment tn 196-1 
SUSQUE HANNA RIVER FLOOD CO NTROL PROJECT
535 	,. 
Oes1gn Topol' Protectton 
WYOMING VALLEY LEVEE REPAIRS 
----L~f'Lev£Oe 1n ,-;;;--....... 

Low-poinf.s oflevee o.s .survtty~d 
PROFILE
1 I r~a•:n:c:v:ro=="=n:g:=v=•=rn	~--------------~:'~~~~~~~·=•r==6o•=•=r•~m=e=n=tj________ m yeors m dtcoted on profile
L----------~~~:::::::::-±:E:m=•='br==Go=m=•=nst:m:l:9:6f:_____________________________ ~ m~er~g=•=nc~~~n~~=\ j -----
530 	,~ 
0+00 10+00 20+00 30-+-00 	WILKES-BARRE AND HANOVER TOWNSHIP 
TO ACCOMPANY ,_EPO,_T DATED NOVEMBER 1970 
KAU AS SHOW N 
PLATE 5 


!&0  LANDSIDE  
5>0  
540  
-' ... >  5>0 ItO  
flO  60  4 0  
c  !&0  
550  
z c "' ::11  540 530  
"' > 0 "' ..  110 510  60  40  
510  
!!60  
550  
z - 540 530  
.. z 0 -.. .. >  520 510 510  00  40  
500  
540  
5)0  
520  10  •o  

fLevee llO!Sing  RIVERSIDE  560  
12" Mm Rtprop on 6 " Beddmg Morertol EJostmgll1prop  550 540  
530  
520  
20  0 20 STA 37+00 TO STA. 42 +00  4 0  60  80  010  
560  
To b' removed R!Vers1de OriVe 1  Stu ! Shut Pl/mq Wall Type Z -3" . J /tong  [ostmg Ground S ur face  550 5 4 0 530 520  
20  0 20 STA.64+50 TO STA. 74+30  4 0  60  80  510  
570  
560  
550  
540  
530  
20  0 20 STA. 75+00 TO STA. 84+00  4 0  6 0  80  520  
570  
tLevell Ra,smg 10'-0"  Note RIVttrsrde ~lope protec f 1on on new l e vee requ/red from Sfo. ~J. + 00 to Sfa. 90 ~ 00  560 550  
5 4 0  
5 30  
20  0 STA. 84+00 TO  20 STA. 115+00  4 0  6 0  520  

U.S. ARMY 
LAND SIDE 
~ 
560 
-,560 
550 550 
540 54 0 
530 530 
520 520 
40 20 0 20 40 60 
STA.115 + 00 TO STA. 131 + 00 
560 r tLt!vee Rotsmg 
10'-0" 
550 r---;-'"1 550
r
ll" A.lm /?,prop on 6" s,ddtng AloterJol 
....... 

[mbonkme~--
~40 l ; ~ -I 540 
.................. 

...... 
:;........."_.... _.... --[Str1ppmg 530 [ ~ OS "q"'"<1 
! ~[
520 40 20 0 20 40 60 
STA. I31+00 TO STA.I54+00 8 STA.164+00 TO STA.170+10 
560 r tL•vee llo,mg 
10·0" 
550 ~ 500
r 
~ 
L ~vee ~

..J Embankment ..................---T ......_________ i 540 

} Ex tstmg 
Le1·ee
-...,,,-,1-'1-'"'Y 
as requ,red 

:::r 
r:
40 20 0 20 
STA. 170+10 TO STA. 198+50 
tLe-ee llo-smg
550 r 8 [xtStmg 8re'51ou Lev6e 
540 ~ 540
r
2 
----··"~-/ ~ 
530 ~ ('"--_........... -j 530 

leve e 
[mbonlrmenf os req1.Hred 
:J t
40 20 0 20 40 60 
STA.0+46 TO STA. 3+50 8. STA. 23+00 TO STA. 31 +30 
OIEPARTMENT OF THE A,_MY aALTIMORE DISTRICT, COR""~ I:~NU,_. 
aALTIIIIIIOftC.. NA._YLAHD 
SUSQUEHANN A RIVER FL OOD CONTROL PROJECT 
fi'.O'. w . --
CHI[f.fLOOD CO IHIIOL SE WYOMING VALLEY LEVEE REPAIRS 
TYPICAL CROSS SECTIONS 
WILKES-BARRE AND HANOVER TOWNSHIP 
TO ACCCIMI'ANY RE~T 
DATEO NOYEMIEft 1•10 
Kt.U.!AS SHOWN 
PLATE 6 
CORPS OF ENGINEERS U. S. IIRMY 
.... ·.  -·-.·· ·--. ·rr~-~~{-~..  ._:..~: ·:·:::  .. ......  
eca l_  ..,,\'  .·.  
.  9-......  
: :  : -: . :, ~-J:~· .. ·· ~~~  
' ~ r -Swoy•r~vi/J~ -ForfiJ~orf/..<~v,.•·R,gM/Jinl< I "'"b L J . t. I -~fop ofex1,:,fm!J ,_, . / IL~.-ee Right&.Ink~~ 570 L-.:¥·II I ' --y-·-~-~-r-. -:-' .JO '" 9 9 • ~ ..... l ~ I ::: '! 3.. 1 s I w , ~ 110 , 1/.ght Ch•nn•l ..t '!''ond  . ~ • ~ ~~ {' ...I ~ ~ t ! '1.1 5CALf Of' F[(T .... ,.-.; ~ t .;1000 o 10 00 1 _ 100 "'> "' lou• .::, .... ~· ~I~.~ ~~ ------r-,---(;Design !":~wline I ·--I Q•232,_oi:>oc:.t:s. , {n ·0.0 s) I + " _I "'j rr r'-Q · .('32,oqpc.r: s. ~ • 20/. ~t, F:s Cornputet w!fh ·n·VCJ!ues ~6' ~f¥cf~d de.termin d rrom Apr: t9~ Ap:,,j /91".. OUF/oodH1gh w~t ,r MarAs -~ n•0-030 ~ 1 "'n... Value~ De <!!r711i1ed by Re oo.st·ffuflon o F he Aprii!XO Hi h lVcTf~r Profi1~ ______ -·--·-1 _ ___ ____ -·---L--------_  .,..._I ! 1 ____ ___  ~~ ~~ :..::::-... ~t ~ .., ~'-:-:--_, , ,' ~.-_' · · ·; > ,;;' "'~ ('. • .. ~ ~I Swoster~ville -Fori-Fort Lev,e -Righf ~-nk• \I ~ ~: ~ t I . . I 5'••' Sh..t P,/ '! _.J~ ~ 10 ~j ~G r3.0'rr....bo.rol (TopofE~' "''Z W•IIE<fM;ion iJ'\ •l ~ .···
-·· --. -----------~--------..-----------. __t . ~:~..e "·ghf~:;::::;"" ' ,.-,-,\rJ'· I , • -r-;. r-~ --r----·-r-------~"~..... t.:.:.l. ·..,._~· ' -3.o· I -1.-'• . ' 4 .., _ 5.0 -+ I l~o n •0.02!5 I_ n•O.j030 I 30:  

., -------1 \ ----~ : • {_L'if Ch...,n~l ~1 /sl•nd
: :::::.~--r ,-; ., ~ I I i -I 
-Night cn-rm~l ~I lsl•nd" ! ... -.L. '---'•" c~~1!_:1•nd--.. ' i -+---~-=-;-------/Em·'"!/ Chonn• l Bottom -.L. .I \ I I I J. ; I ~1 ~ I I Lll,yhl Chi!nn•l •llsl.;n.l ---...;_ .1/ ____.......---\~~ j ''-...,_ ~----.._ I I · 
~ . I 
y I -/ ~
i j 1 + I left C~M/•I ls/;Jnd..:>-../ --..::::::..:..~ 
SIO i • 
. I ---;----~--------· ---~---·--) ·
,••0 1 ,. I 1 ! , +Oes ,9 n Flow Ve/ocdy . -----r-----_
Prol1 l~ Q I2.3~COOc t.5. 1 
1 -------~ 
' ---t-::
' -I --------~~ -·-··------
1 ------r----' -I~
11 r~-· 1
I(} Q;) .... <:) 
~ l -I ' ~ J. Jll ~ ,, ' 
\l,l -~ " -.;"' ~ I 
.,...,_ M~1N "< ~ ~ ~ J
, 'OJ "0. , .; to K CHA NeL ~;.i VELCC ITIE S IN (,j FT. PER SE C. ~ K ,.-'C) • '<\ ~ u c..j K c_ 5 
MO•OO a.O+OO 820• 
00 
600t00 1eo •OO 760•00 74Ct-OO 120+00 100•00 680+00 660.00 W.O•OO ilO+OO 500+00 5&0•00 560+00 s•o•OO SIO+OO 
ST ATIO NI NG ALOWG APPR OXIW. ATE t Of CH~NNCL 
DtE~AIIItTMENT OF THE ARMY aALTI~ o.•nttCT. CO..~ OF ENGINEEIItS
LEGEND
PROFILE 
~ March 193~ H19h wdl:::r M,n t.s SUSQ U[ HANNA RIVER fLOOD CONTltOL PROJECT _. M ci!f/9./fte; Ht5Jh Wofet· M a .....k~ 
WVOo.jiNG VALLF.Y LEVEE REPAIRS
GJ .April/9 60 HiCJh Wt;Jfer MurA$ 
--&----CGIIIfJtlh::::cl Flow/lin::~ 
--J.U ' Freebodrd L til(:: ~-.,.,..,...:a._ PLAN PROFILES 5 
/-........ -... Top of'£]l(isffn.9 Levt!!e 1-<ighl tJottJk 

HYDRAULIC DATA 
/"'-._,..r'"'\._ Tc-f1of'~1C'St,nsLevt!e Lerf t:J<:~n~ r----1 Prot-JC$ed RutstiJg 
~~ 
TO ACCO M...Y HEI" RT 1 
r1 
DATED NOVE M8E R 19 70 ~K-,-.,-:,c-,-:,:-:,.::0::::W::-:N--,-M-.,--'----r,,-.,-.,---~L-~-I
1 1
PL ATE 7 
CORPS OF ENGINEERS U. S. ARMY 
WIL~ES -8ARRE 
H.t-.NQV f.:R T OWNSH I P 
. ,.,.__ 
.;. ·· \~
· · ~,..,.._ ~ 
~--"-o< -.·~-~
~.,•.. .... . 0~ 
lt.lt •• 
K I NG3TON 
LA~KSVIL L E . 
_:-~ 
:<---~ :1 . 
__ ....J 
r...J 
g,. 
. -
'~i•''" \ I _,......--' sc~rEET 
\ ~ 
\ 
LEV EE \ \ 
Wilke:J-BOI• r ~ Hanover Town~hi~ L e ve e -Lef't 8ank 
c ' ....-/ ----RAI SI NG 

~ ~ /(in Q3f on·Eclw6r o1.5vl/le . Le_vee -lliq hf & nk ~ PI mouth L e vee -Ri ght aan_l< 
.. o" ., f "'"' "I 
-:; "~ ll:: 'I ~.,I 
... ~ ~(J ~ ~ ~.
.. .ct!!> ~ ...... 
~ ' ., l lti lct:S \J ~
~ ~ 
...._(() . Ill ..... ' ..... ~ .:5
t To o~ ~ ~ ...... ~ <:~ t
.. . ..~
~'X i•tin -...: ...... ct it CQ ' h • ~· ~ io... ...!! I"Q:: ~~ !! ,., ..... ...... ~ 4l 'I " .!! "'b ~ ~ "' -lie: ll v• • t.:!
~\ );L-:vee R/9ht~.m..-"l~ ~ .-:: il> ~~~~ ~ ; ~ ::;~ ~ ~t"' "', ';:,~ :"'S~ ~ ';; ~~ ::; o;.::~ ~" ~ ~"> ~ ~~~ ._~:; ti ::~ -.. ~ .:;
L~v~Rois ing ~~ ~~~ ~ ~~~ ~~ t ti ~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~... ~ ~ ~~ ~~~~~ ~~ ~ ]~ ~~ !)\3~~ ~ ~· r
(~Right 8ftnk c..; ._. ·~~ ~ ~· ~'->:::.. ~~ ~t~E: ..,· ~ rt ~v ~ ~~· \,;, ~ -..j ~ ~ ~~:t.-· ... .~ ~~ ~ ~~-L-~ } ~ ~~~ ~
YO tQ -:l' ' .._ ,..-_,-.,, ::;:, ---">...:::: "~ ' <:t:i~~;;:: --\otl ..., , ~;:: ..::: ct "' ---~.... t.:: ~ ' r · ~~----o~~ 
• t.::. · u._ "'
j ,, .l ,_ .-·~ ~''::.ri';;::"" <A'::;f;t~' ,k . ,~ ·r-. l .:t, ~..i' ~)'· ,, ~-•r' t,t~o, it~ Topof't:., fm'! !]~ ") ~ I
-· --~----'h h~
tun!< I J<, '
LeftBoF¥--' I
~ ---r-~~. _.:.t. '"~.l • .. , \ I j \llbpol'biS I"'J I•Levee L-.f'f 11.n7f ll
, ' r: -· ~ LBvee Rais ina 1 ~ ~ L~vt!fl R HJ f • -· I
t-3.0' 
---~---=.j..~7o· ------I ~ _ ___ , l i lT S.OFreebo;m " .. l Lef!Bonk I 1 _I &n~-· -. ,.,.o·!'rNb<> rrol 1'110,I
110 -11 I I I I .. I I I t L 1 1
;;: ,......___ ../· -----= ----
; , .. .. ..
I · , ·r-"·o· ~ .-.:-I "'"": ...c;, ---:± -•·--_1--'---_::;:><---__, •-r=· -
-')
.. ___,. I 'F . -t-.----;~---==~~~510
=·.00 . . ----# ___ . • _,t+J_ + '-! + -·--·· ... '-5c~' -+ .. --±.j _ -f--3.0 •. 
c" '-Q -23200 0 .f.5 . ' -Oe. ~ .~
Compui~d ""': ith •n· v1h.1•, qn F/ow/J 
I 
L~ e• l?ot.s lntj -'\ 'lTi.±' ofExi~t'"9 -1.. . 
s <l,.f ,.rminecl f"rom /91;0 Q/ ~.J2, 000c. f'. !5. R, ~~BonK L "'"' t ef'f8•nk !I ~ 
'" uo -liiq h W•fc:r iar ks .r • 0. 03 5) -t-· ----.r---------------
--1---I MI I I I Ill I

!!>aO
jc ! 1 Q • 201,000c~1~.
1 ll,.con5f i fll cl 
,.. 
' April 19fiO r od
"' 
I 
,
.. -I 
... n •0.030 n -o.czs n•0-035 uc ! A 'n" Value~ O~fermin('!d b~ R co=tituf i on o f the Apr./960 H1'f1h WcduPr oliie [ Left Ch• nnel 11 l.s~nd 
o SIO ;' " ------------~-~. 
. 
a 2 I ~ /~ ~...----........ .!----._ EJtiS/Ing Ch~nn.I /Jo/fom ' I ------r----------~----------~~ Cfl6nn.l ef _r J-t..___ ~l.sW>d7 \ 
~ ""' / ~. i~. "----./1 ------..__ ""' ___t_J-----~ I I -----·
--+--I I -+-•·l>rO 
./ 
1 0e i9'!nowhr.ev:~cif<J v 1 1 1 ..,.-I r ....--1 ![ I j I "1 . '!" f ~rafile Q" 232, 000c.f:~ T '" 
I 1 r1
~" ... ~ "' "' .. ' ~" J J l .,c 1"' '1 -·
.. ~ 11~ ~ .. MEAN tl-~CHANNEL ~ " ..:! VELOCiTI ES ,,; I .,; ~ ,_l.Uo
i I N ~ FT. PERSI!C. ~ ~ " ~ "' ,:j ...0+00 ...0+00 440 •00 • OO+ OO 380• 00 3 6 0•00 340 •00 31 0 +00 3 0t;•OC
4<C 4 ZC + OO 
zeo• oo 160+ 00 140+00 tfO+OO 200+00 1180+00 
STATION ING ALO NG A PP"-O.IU MATE 'l 0 ' CMANN[L 
Da..A..TMIENT Ofl' THE AlltNY 
aALTIJIIK)RC ~llttCT. CQiitN, 0' KNGf...I:H
PROFIL E ~ MLT...,_. ...IJtYLAMO 
a. M arch / 936 High W~t<~tr M ark:> SUSQU[ HA"4NA NIVER fLOOD CON TAOL P.,_OJECT 
+ MB':f 19 +6 Hfg/1 WWf •rM6rk.s "' A f'r i/ /960 High W•ter M•rl<, WYOM ING VALLEY LEVEE REPAI"S 
~Compufecl F/ow !/n•s 
--.J.C" ' F ree hoard Line Pi... AN. PROFILES S .. .. -.•_. ·---Top of'EJti•t'ng L $vtte R i ght JUnk 
HYDRAULIC DATA
~-' Topo'f~•l•f'ingLeve~ LeFtbdnJtc r-------1 Prc.po.5ed Hai.sit'9 
• :.. :n~"'¥m 
PLATE 
APPENDIX A 
MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING 

APPENDIX A  
MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING  
TABLE  OF  CONTENTS  
INTRODUCTION  A-1  
Number A-1 A-2  FIGURES Title Copy of letter from U.S. Bureau of Mines to Baltimore District Copy of Memorandum of Understanding between the Baltimore District, U.S. Bureau of Mines, and U.S. Geological Survey  

A-i 

, 

APPENDIX A 
MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING 
INTRODUCTION 
The purpose of this appendix is to present the memorandum of understanding agreed to by the Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Bureau of Mines, and the U.S. Geological Survey in December 1960. The memorandum outlined portions of a subsidence study to be undertaken by each agency for the Susquehanna River flood plain in the Wyoming Valley, Pennsylvania. 
A-1 

OFFoCC: OF ,.HE DIRECTO!t 
UNITED STATES 
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 
BUREAU OF MINES 
WASHINGTON 25, D. C. 

Decembe:r 8, 1960 
Colonel Harren R. Johnson 
Corps of Enzineers 
Dist4ict Engineer 

U. S. Army Engineer District 
P. 0. Box 1715 Bnltimore 3, Maryland 
Dear Colonel Johnson: 
A Memorandum. of Understanding for the cooperative study to be mede by the Bureau of Nines and the Geologic::1l Survc.J for the U. s. Army Engin~er District, Baltimore was transmitted >-lith your letter of November 21, File NABEN-R, for consideration and signr2ture. Innsnuch as the Geological Survey has .made a change in item 3 of the objectives to be attained from the Survey's studies, the entire agree:me;1t has 
bcen 'retyped. 
Copies of the revised Hemorandum of Understanding have been ~igned 
for the Geological Survey and Bureau and are enclosed for yourconsidcn1tion and final signature. If your consideration is favo...-
ablc lo;ould you please return tuo completely signed copies of the memorandum for our files. 
It is understood that the m.emorandum is to serve as a basis for cooperation and thc:t it 'Hill be subject to such modifications as may be mutually desired based upon knmvledge gained or circUI!!st.;,nccs developed during the course of the investig~tio~s. 
An early start of the project would be desirable, th~refore, any aid your office can give to e:cpedite the transfer of funds will be appreciated. 
Sincerely yocrs, 
Enclosures 
Figure A-1 
J 

MEMORANDUJ.~ OF Uh'"DERSTANDDlG 
BETWEEN 
CORPS OF ENGINEERS, U. S. ARMY EOOINEER DISTRICT, BALTIMORE 
U. S. DEPAR'l'l•tENT OF THE INTERIOR 
BUREAU OF MINES 
GEOLOGICAL &tmWEY 
This He1norandum of Understanding outlines the investigations to be made by the Bureau of Hines and the Geological Survey of the U. S. Department of the Int~~ior, for the Corps of Engineers, U. S. Army Engineer District, Baltimore. The investigations are to be made in the antl~acite mining region of that p~rt of the SUsquehanna River basin known as the Wyoming basin, a~d also of the Lackawanna basin to the extent that nimila.r flood problems exist, in connection with flood-control s.tudies of the areas affected by the hurricane floods of 1955 in compliru1ce with a resolution of the Senate Public Works Committee, adopted 14 Sep~ember 1955. 
The Bureau of Mines investigations would cover the following: 
1. 
Stl~ctural conditions ~nd extent of mine workings in the various beds beneath tbe river channel and underlying adJacent surface areas that were a.'ld r.till are susceptible to floods in the frusquehanna River and its major tributaries in the above-described areas will be determined and ev~~uated. To aGsist in this deter-cinaticn and evalUation, mine maps and other records of the coal mining companies will be used, and inspection of the workings will be made wherever they are e.ccessible. 

2. 
The barrier pillars ~d the condition of these pillars in mines that are vulnerable to flooding will be investigated, and their effectiveness for providing support and for preventing flood waters from passing from one area to another will be evaluated. 

3. 
The degree of hazard to mine workings underlying the river and the various areas of adjacent lowlend susceptible to flood.ing by surface water.:> will be evaluated. The reGults of this phase of the study will be subject to change as current and future mining operations are carried out. 

4. 
The mineable coal reservec will be compiled, and the possible loss of such resen·cs as a resUlt of extensive mine flooding by stt"t'fe.ce waters will be !"V~.luated. The infom.ation in this :part of the report will depend in pc.rt upo::1 the extent that coal IJ.ining companies will ruake su~h data available. 


Figure A-2 
5·. ThE~ adequacy of :;;ubsurface for-mations, as 1nodified by mird.ng, to suppo:).:t flood-control structures will be determined, e.nd the localities at •:hich 
additional support may be necessa1J· to prev~ut excecsive subsidence cr differentiD.J. settlen~nt will also be determined. This st\~dy will E.'.pply to present :flood-control structures and, also, to :future structures vhich rJD.y be recOln
mendcd for construction as a resul.t of the over-all stuey. 
6. 
The probable economic de.mage to the anthracite indiJstry in the Wyoming VaHey area sho...U.d the I:l.ines be closed by flooding ·uill be inve.~tlgated aud evaluated. 

7. 
The national defeuse aspects of the anthracite industry in the \?yoming Valley will be dizcussed. 

8. 
The areas studied in this report vill be delineated to sho·..r the degree a.'l.d acc'LU'acy of information (including new infomation gathered specifically fo1· this report) which is available for evaluo.tion pU.!"ljOSes. 

9. 
Pe!"tinent maps end other diagrams will be incln6.ed to illustrate existing ccnditio~s and ireportant features of the p:tobJ.em. 


Stud:i.es of the Geological Survey to cover the follo'llir•e: 
1. 
Mapped geologic features will be correlated where possible with surface feattlres and flood problems in the .~Tyoi·Jing Valley. 

2. 
SUrface and subsurface geology and structure of the coal-bearing rocks s.nd sediment zones in the valley fill 'Jill be mapped and evalu~t.ed \There datn pemit. 


3· Stratigraphic end structural concepts related to problc~s of floo1 control will be indicated. 
4. Wh~re recognized, problems of engineering geoloz.y will be defined, 
and the general correlation of these problems with pertinent stratigraphic and structural information will be made. 
5· Selected m~ps and other geologic diagr~s vill b~ included to illustrate existing conditions and important features of the problem. 
The data end inforroation developed through the :Snvestige.tions, in whole or in part, may be published jointly or separately by the Bur·ea'l o:f }!J.nes and the Geological Survey after the complete report has been trans!:!itted to :;ongress by the Secretary of the ~S· 
The cczt of the foregoing studies is presently estimated to be $250,000 by the Buren.u of Mines a.11d $35,0oo by the Geologic~.l Surve~;. The estb?.ted costs a.:re subject to revision based on conditions disclosed during the co·..u:se of the iLvcztigation3. -
Figure A-2 
Funds for the investigation were made available to the Corps of Engineers in the Fiscal lear 1961 Appropriation Act and will be transferred to the Department of the Interior or its agencies. 
/f;.;rtVvu~~
Colonel, Corps of Engineers 
Baltimore Districy1 . 
Date: ~. .. . l l I · · Date: 
0
..;(.,~,' .. '• 0" J9CQ 
~A.. ~ 
Director 
u. S. Geoiogical Survey Date: DEC -7 19GO. 
Figure A-2 



APPENDIX B 
U. S. BUREAU OF MINES REPORT 
SUBSURFACE CONDITIONS RESULTING FROM MINING 
UNDER THE FLOOD PLAINS OF THE SUSQUEHANNA AND 

LACKAWANNA RIVERS, WYOMING BASIN, NORTHERN FIELD, 
ANTHRACITE REGION OF PENNSYLVANIA 

PREPARED BY 
U. 	S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR BUREAU OF MINES 
FOR 
U.S. 	ARMY ENGINEER DISTRICT, BALTIMORE CORPS OF ENGINEERS 
1963 

). 
CONTENTS 

Page I ntroduction------------------------------------------------------B-1 Scope of report---------------------------------------------------B-3 Topographic and general geologic notations------------------------B-3 Surface and alluvial deposits (buri ed valley)----------------B-3 Anthraci te measures------------------------------------------B-5 Mining methods-----------------------------------------------B-6 First mining----------·---------------------------------B-7 Second mining-------------------------------------------B-7 Critical depth-------------------------------------B-8 Top coal-------------------------------------------B-8 Third mining--------------------------------------------B-9 Safety and reserve pillars------------------------------B-9 Backfilling---------------------------------------------B-9 Barrier pillars----------------------------------------------B-10 Mine-water problem-------------------------------------------B-11 Method of analysis------------------------------------------------B-13 Panel and folio system---------------------------------------B-13 Classification of study area---------------------------------~-15 Surface altitude differentiation-----------------------------B-16 Subsidence potentials---------------------------------------------E-17 General discussion-------------------------------------------~-17 Differentiati on of potenti als--------------------------------~-19 First mining--------------------------------------------B-19 Second mining-------------------------------------------3-19 

CONTENTS (Continued) 
Page Mining below critical depth-------------------------------B-19 Thin rock cover and pothole subsidence---------------B-20 Third mining-----------------------------------------B-20 Faults-----------------------------------------------B-21 Relative severity of subsidence potentials-----------B-21 Effect on levee system------------------------------------B-21 Conclusions and recommendations--------------------------------B-22 Glossary for anthracite----------------------------------------B-24 Panel descriptions---------------------------------------------B-26 
Panel 1 -Nanticoke-Hanover Sector------------------------B-1-2 Panel 2 -Plymouth-Hanover Sector-------------------------B-2-2 Panel 3 -Wilkes-Barre-Kingston Sector--------------------B-3-2 Panel 4 -Forty Fort-Plains Sector------------------------B-4-2 Panel 5 -Wyoming-Port Blanchard Sector-------------------B-5-2 Panel 6 -Pittston-Duryea Sector--------------------------B-6-2 
TABLES 
1 . Correlation of anthracite beds in study area---------------Following B-6 
2. 	
Rise in level of typical underground water pools in mines in the Wyoming Basin, June 1959 to June 1964------------Following B-12 

3. 	
Altitude assigned by various coal companies to U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey bench mark on Public Square, Wilkes-Barre , Pennsylvania-------------------------------------Following B-16 

4. 
Critical depth---------------------------------------------Following B-20 


-. 

SUBSURFACE CONDITIONS RESULTING FROM MINING UNDER THE FLOOD 
PLAINS OF THE SUSQUEHANNA AND LACKAWANNA RIVERS, WYOMING 
BASIN, NORr.HERN FIELD, ANTHRACITE REGION OF PENNSYLVANIA 

INTRODUCTION 
This report has been compiled at the request of and for the Corps of Engineers, U. S. Army, Baltimore District. The original assignment requested a comprehensive study of the hazards to anthracite mine workings from surface floods in the Wyoming Basin of the Northern anthracite field along the Susquehanna and Lackawanna Rivers in the Wyoming Valley and the lower end of the Lackawanna Valley. 
Following the Knox mine-flood disaster in 1959 and the resulting inundation of nearly all the mines in the area it was deemed expedient, with the consent of the Corps of Engineers, to change the object of the study to an inquiry into the hazards to the flood-control system constructed .by the Corps from possible subsidence and resultant breakthrough from the river channel into underground workings. 
Subsequently, the study was fUrther broadened to include evaluation of surface subsidence potentials resulting from past mining operations subjacent to the flood plain of the Susquehanna River and its major tributary, the Lackawanna River, over the Wyoming Basin. 
A vicinity map showing the location of the report area in the Northern field of the anthracite region of Pennsylvania is a part of this report. 
The Wyoming Basin occupies the western synclinal fold of the Northern anthracite field and is separated from the eastern synclinal fold, designated as the Lackawanna Basin, by a low, transverse anticline. 
The central and by far the widest part of the Wyoming Basin underlies the Wyoming Valley, over whose broad floor the Susquehanna River flows in a sinuous course over a straight-line distance of about 16 miles. The river enters and leaves the valley through gaps in the mountain range that skirt the valley to the northwest. 
The northeastern portion of the Wyoming Basin rises gradually toward the interbasin anticline and is subjacent to the part of the western end of the relatively narrow valley of the Lackawanna River that extends from the confluence of the Lackawanna and Susquehanna Rivers to the vicinity of Moosic Borough. 
The southwestern extremity of the Wyoming Basin extends beyond the point where the Susquehanna River leaves the Wyoming Valley and narrows to a spoon-end outcrop near the town of Shickshinny. The surface overlying this part of the basin rises well above the altitude of the river plain and, therefore, is not subject to inundation from floodwaters of the Susquehanna. 
B-1 
More than 125 years of mi~ing activity throughout the region, resulting in the removal of about 50 percent of the original anthracite reserves, has caused frequent and serious subsidences that, in many instances, wrought damage to streets, railroads, private property, and to sections of the river-levee flood-prevention system and its related facilities. This subsidence problem of long standing has been fUrther aggravated in recent years by the progressive abandonment of mines coincidental with cessation of pumping and the resulting formation and continuing expansion of vast underground mine-water pools. 
The gradual but continuous decline of underground mining activity-in the Northern anthracite f ield and subsequent discontinuance of minewater pumping has been the pri~ry cause of extensive inundation of practically all deep mines in the Wyoming Basin to various altitudes. Some of the underground mine-water pools thus forming are still rising, while others have already crested and are known to be overflowing into surface streams or believed to be seeping into the alluvial mantle that covers the bedrock underlying the Wyoming Valley. A few mine-water pools are presently controll ed by pumping, while some of the uncontrolled pools could possibly rise to altitudes at which low-lying or subsided surface areas would be inundated. 
The data presented in t his report and documented in detail are considered of importance in gaining a comprehensive view of existing subsurface conditions and their causal relationship to surface subsidences that have in the past affect ed and will continue to affect the physical and economic welfare of the highly industrialized and densely populated metropolitan areas of Wyoming Valley. 
Of equal if not greater importance and of much public concern i:s the possible effect of surface subsidences on the present and future effectiveness of the levee system and related flood-control facilities constructed by the Corps of Engineers in the flood plain of the Susquehanna River at large expenditures of public funds. 
This report attempts to give qualified answers to these questions by evaluating the conditions resulting from past mining operations, such as adequate strength of remaining coal pillars, thickness of rock cover, and other f.actors that det.ermine the magnitude of subsidence potentials of varying degree s inherent in subsurface mining areas. 
Evaluations of conditions in individual but stratigraphically related anthracite beds have been consolidated in. zones of subsidence potentials shown on a single map indicating the varying degrees of severity and occurrence probability. 
B-2 

\ I I I I
SUSQUEHANNA 
I WAYNE 
BRAOFOR.O 
l.YCOMIHG 
\ 
\ 
\ 
<.:','> 
\ 8 0 N \ Jim 1korpe \ 1.\iuclt Otuak) ..)
-
G H 
B E. R. 1<. s 
ANTHRACITE REGION OF PENNSYLVANJA 
OJ G9 12. 24 
~I 
App,.ox. ScaleJ MiiC1.5 
SCOPE OF REPORI' 
This report is essentially an evaluation of subsidence potentials in combination with detailed descriptions of subsurface conditions resulting from extractive operations in the various anthracite mines in the Wyoming Basin of the Northern anthracite field. Descriptions and evaluations are restricted to that portion of the area in each bed 
that is subjacent to the potential flood plain of the Susquehanna River in the Wyoming Valley.P and to that of the Lackawanna River from its confluence with the Susquehanna to the vicinity of the borough of Moosic. 
The report outlines the extent of nu.n~ng in each bed by stating 
bed thickness, size and distribution of remaining coal pillars, or absence of pillars, as the case may be. These principal data are further elaborated by giving weight to such factors as depth below surface, placement of backfill, thickness of rock cover over mine chambers.P and presence of major tectoni c fault areas. These data, enumerated separately for each bed and then assembled by folios and panels, provide the basis for the delineation of potential subsidence areas that are differentiated as to severity rating on topographic maps. 
Also shown on these maps.P one for each panel, are surface features, boundaries of subjacent mines.P shoreline of the assumed maximum flood plain.P and the cropline of the lowest anthracite bed. 
The system of barrier pillars between mines and their ,relationship 
to mine-drainage and mine-flood problems is discussed only briefly and with reference to a comprehensive study of the subject matter undertaken by the U. S. ~~eau of Mines in 1954, whose findings were pub
lished in detail in Bulletin 538, titled "Barrier Pillars in the 
Wyoming Basin, Northern Field, Anthracite Region of Pennsylvania." 
The mine-drainage and mine-flood problems, which have plagued the Northern anthracite field with catastrophic severity for many years and continue to plague it with steadily increasing urgency, are discussed briefly and only to the extent that such discussion contributes to the full comprehension of the problem of surface stability. 
TOPOGRAPHIC AND GENERAL GEOLOGIC NOTATIONS 
Surface and Alluvial Deposits (Buried Valley) 
The Northern anthraci te field is an elongated, canoe-shaped basin that contains along the synclinal axis two major folds that are sep• arated from each other by a t ransversal anticline generally known as the "Moosic Saddle" and so named for its location in the vicinity of Moosic Borough.P about 5 miles southwest of the city of Scranton. 
The larger and deeper synclinal fold to the west of this anticline is called the Wyoming Basin. The shallower syncline to the east of i t is known as the Lackawanna Basin. 
B-3 

The Wyoming Basin --the locale or study area of this reportis for the most part a broad syncline having a length of about 24miles, measured from the lirr~ting anticline at the eastern end to thespoon outcrop at the western end. The maxinrum width, approximately inthe center of the basin and just east of the city of Wilkes-Barre, is5 miles, measured between the outcrops of the lowest bed on the mountain slopes that skirt the Wyoming Valley on both sides. 
At the deepest point of the basin, about 5 miles west of the city
of Wilkes-Barre, the lowest anthracite bed descends to a depth of 1,530
feet below sea level. Here the coal-bearing formation reaches a thick
ness of about 2,100 feet and contains 18 minable anthracite beds with
an aggregate thickness of almos.t 100 feet. Towards the eastern and
western limits of the basin the floor of the trough rises gradually andthe number of remaining coalbeds decreases. At the Moosic Saddle, whoseaxis is nearly at right angle to that of the basin, all but the fourlowest beds have been eroded. 
The name, thickness, and configuration
of the coalbeds vary from mine to mine. 

The surface overlying the Wyoming Basin runs concordant with the
axis of the synclinal anthracite formation. Topographically, it is
known as the Wyoming Valley in which flows the Susquehanna River and
the lower reaches of its trr::mtary, the Lackawanna River. The greater
part of the surface is a broad, slightly rolling plain that is flanked
on both sides by moderate_y steep mountains on the slopes of which are
the outcroppings of two or three of the lowest coalbeds. 

The valley fill, which blankets the bedrock, consists of alternate
layers of sand, quicksand, clay, gravel, and boulders in various ordersof stratification and reaches a thickness of over 300 feet at the deepest point about 3 miles west of the city of Wilkes-Barre. Geologists
theorize that this great depression in the bedrock is the result oferosion by glaciers during the Ice Age. In the intervening thousandsof years, moraines from the ~etreating ice sheet and the waters of theSusquehanna River, with those of its local tributaries, have filledthis great trough with alluvial deposits to the level of today' s valleyfloor. This geologic phenomenon of nature has been termed the "BuriedValley of the Susquehanna River." 
The alluvial material of the buried valley is highly permeable,allowing the surface waters f rom rains, flashfloods, and bed seepageof the rivers and tributary creeks to penetrate to bedrock. The basinstructure of the rock strata and the coalbeds further facilitate thisseepage to enter mine workings through natural bedding planes, rockfissures, and fractures in the rock strata caused by mining operations. 
The structure of the buried valley and the problems attributableto its presence over mining operations in the Wyoming Basin have beenstudied and mapped from hundreds of boreholes that were drilled by thevarious coal companies to ascertain altitudes of bedrock surface.The information so obtained was essential in safely projecting the 
B-4 
limit of mining operations in close proximity to the bedrock surface, or bottom of the buried valley. The results of this study made by the Bureau of Mines between 1946 and 1950 were published in Bulletin 494, titled "Buried Valley of the Susquehanna River, Anthracite Region of Pennsylvania." 
The alluvial and saturated deposits filling the buried valley also play an important role in the vertical and lateral propagation of subsidence from cavings in the rock strata resulting from mining operations. This is particularly the case where the valley fill contains beds or lenses of quicksand, or where water flowing in troughs in the rock floor can transport fine sand over considerable distances from one location to a point where the rock strata has been fissured by mining operations. 
In recognition of the relatively flat angle of repose of the materials composing the valley fill, the angle of draw that was applied in projecting the limits of the surface study area to the top of bedrock is 45 degrees. This f igure is generally accepted by Federal and Commonwealth agencies as the proper draw angle for unconsolidated surface 
material~ 
Anthracite Measures 
From the outcrop at the western spoon end of the Wyoming Basin near Shickshinny the lowest bed in the coal-bearing formation drops to a depth of 1,530 feet below sea level at a point about 5 miles west of Wilkes
Barre. Here, the basin formation reaches its maximum thickness of almost 21 100 feet in which 18 minable anthracite beds are imbedded at various and varying intervals. These have an aggregate thickness of nearly 100 feet of minable coal. From here, the basin floor rises eastward more 
gradually, reaching a depth of 700 feet below sea level in the vicinity 
of Kingston Borough and, finally, altitude 500 feet above sea level on 
the crest of the Moosic anticline. The gradual rise of the basin floor 
westward towards the spoon end and eastward toward the Moosic anticline 
causes a corresponding decrease in the thickness of the coal-bearing 
formation and, consequently, in the number of anthracite beds that have 
escaped surface erosion. There, all but the four lowest beds have been 
eroded. 
The name, thickness , and configuration of all anthracite beds vary from mine to mine, which renders a correlation and their placement in proper stratigraphic sequence extremely complex, as is shown on the enclosed correlation table covering all mines located fully or partial ly in the study area. The name of the bed appears under the respective mine only if it was mined in the panel•folio area shown on the map of the study area. (See table 1.) 
Because the mines throughout the anthracite region were opened and developed at different times by different individual operators, or 
B-5 
companies, the naming of the rr.ultiple beds at each mine was more or 
less at the whim of the owners; consequently, in many instances the 
same beds are known by different names on opposite sides of barrier 
pillars between adjacent mines. For the purpose of this report, the 
names of the beds in the individual mines were correlated stratigraphi
cally with a list of bed names more or less common throughout the 
Wyoming Basin, termed "general names." 
In the body of the report, where each panel is described separ
ately, the names of the coalbeds in each mine are correlated strati
graphically with a list of bed names more or less common to the panel 
area. 
Mining Methods 
The workable anthracite beds in the Wyoming Basin have been mined to various degrees of extraction. For the most part, the beds are lyingrelatively flat with the flanks having steeper pitch toward the crop•
line. The upper beds outcrop in the rock strata under the alluvial 
deposits of the buried valley. This crop region is the danger zone 
where excessive and imprudent mining under insufficient rock cover has 
caused in the past and may cause in the future cave-ins through which 
water-saturated material can flow into mine workings. The most recent 
of such occurrences was the Knox mine-flood disaster of January 22,
19591 when the Susquehanna River broke through thin rock cover into 
workings of the Knox Coal Company, drowning 12 men whose bodies were 
never recovered. 
In recognition of the anger of mining too close to the outcrop of 
coalbeds under the buried valley, the operating companies have drilled a great number of boreholes in advance of mining to determine the alti· tude of the top of rock at a given point. The information obtained was 
used to establish a minimum rock-cover limit for mining in the upperbeds. No agreement exists among mining engineers as to what thickness 
of rock cover represents a ?afe limit. The variance of opinion is due 
to many factors of the problem, such as depth of alluvium, nature and 
relative strength of the respective rock cover, width of chambers, and 
size of coal pillars left for support. If a judgment is to be made in 
connection with this report, Bureau engineers of the opinion that
are a 30-foot rock cover applied by some companies is too close to the safe limit, leaving no room for unknown weakness of rock strata that has to act as a supporting beam. A safer limit is believed to be a rock cover 
of 50 feet, which figure has been used arbitrarily in this report as the minimum safe rock cover to prevent pothole subsidence. 
The predominant method of mining practiced in the Northern e.nthracite field is the room-and-pillar system. A gangway, accompanied by an airway, is driven in a coalbed on a gradient as close to horizontal as practical and possible. Chambers are driven off such gangways to 
the rise at fixed intervals and usually at right angle to the gangway.Chamber lengths generally vary between 200 and 300 feet. 
B-6 

~ 
CORRELATION OF ANT~ 
N A ME 0 F M I N E S 
7-~-
r-
,._,., 
q,'>Qf
...~coo 
GENERAL NAME rl' ~ ~.,.,._o 0~ ~"' .._o~ OF BED ...~ <-'*'<-0~ c,"_,_.._o ~<-"00 ~<. (] 
./ " ~0 · '-'~o ,~~ ~\"<. v .,.-<' ~"" e:,'> v o'lf ~0 ...... '?>'>"' ~"" "'" <?>""' 
" " 
~· _l I
I -----------,r N' < 1· ·· rlf 6 
N' 3 I.
L "' 
It:4 
Nl 4 I I IN• 5 -·---
__L___ __,
OVERLAP Nt 5 OVERLAP 
~5 ~ --~ ~5-f
!F·_6 . ---lN• 6 . l N· 
TOP SNAKE ISLAND TOP GEORGE
,.-----r-"c" 
I~ BOT. GEORGg_s;EORGE_ SNAKE ISLAND SNAKE ISLAND __SNAKE I~Af'lj)_ SNAKE ISLAND! I
SN AKE ISLAND 
~----
ABBOTT ABBOTT ABB OTT ABBOTT _ 2 B.!!Q!.!__ ABBOTT ABBOTT ABBOTT_ ABBOTT
-----+O.RCHA~J_ ABBOTT 
r-
BDWKLEY 
MILL_S___IMILLS __ KIDNEY ----"K'-"ID""NE Y__,_ LA~E IKIDNEY IKIDNEY KIDNEY KIDNEY BOWKLEY BOWKLEY
:..--"'lONE_! ---· HILLMANII HILLMAN II HILLMAN I HILLMAN I HILLMAN HILLMAN HILLMAN I HILLMAN HILLMAN I HILLMAN HILLMAN HILLMAN 
I 
TOP STANTON I TOP STANTON
TOP STANTON 
BOT FI VE FOOT-II STANTON ILANCE I BALTIMORE ' I COOPER STANTON 1 STANTON ISTANTON BOT STANTO~-STANTON BOT. 
STANTON FI VE FOOT STANTON ! BOT. STANTON STANTON FIVE FOOT FOUR FOOT 
ll---.!.DP FIVE FOOT COOPER 
I FIVE FOOT FORGE BENNETT I FIVE FOOT FIV E FOOT I FIVE FO OT F IVE FOOT ~ANCE ,!IVE FOOT LANCE FIVE FOOT LANCE LANCE LANCE 
:r TOP BALTIMORE TOP TWIN TOP BALTIMORE I TO fi BALTIMORE ITOP. BALTIMORE ITOP BALTI MOR~ALTIM_Q_fli:"COOPER COOPER _ COOPER 
BENNETT-BALTIMORE I BOT. TWIN I TWIN I IFORGE ' BALTIMOR_E __,JlOT ~ALTIMORE IBOT BALTIMORE I BOT. BALTIMORE BOT. BALTIMORE , BENNETT . BENNETT I BALTIMORE I pv 1. CALIIMVMt. ! D~LJIMUtft. t:JAL 1\MVN't. 1 Ct.NNt. 1 1 1 C.l4L IIMUnt. ! tn:.NNt. I 1 1 CtNNt. 1 T 
I 
PITTSTON CHECKE R TOP ELEVENTOP MARCY 
1 
SKIDMORE ELEVEN ELEVEN FOOT I ELEVEN FOC'f-MARCY 
NINE FOOT 
TOP SPLIT-TOP ROSS TOP ROSS 
• T OP ROS S TOP ROSS TOP ROSS 
BOTTOM ROSS BOT. ROSS BOT. ROSS BOT ROSS BOT. ROSS ' ROSS 
TOP RED ASH CHAUNCEY CHAUNCEY TOP RED ASH TOP RED ASH TOP RED ASH TOP RED ASH TOP RED ASH I TOP RED ASH ROSS ROSS ROSS 
BABYLON 
; 
MIDDLE RED AS H TOP LEE 
BOTTO M RED ASH LEE RED ASH RED ASH REO ASH IREO ASH I BOT~ RED ASH RE O ASH BOT RED ASH IBOT. RED ASH BOT. REO ASH l REO ASH ~RED ASH _ IREO ASH IRED ASH 
I 
"A" BOT LEE I I 

r 
-
... f) -l
LBO 
I I 
I I l 
' 
r 
-
~ 
. 
-

TABLE 
RACITE BEDS IN STUDY AREA 
I N S T U D Y A R E A 
--F~ 
~<J ~ .,a,;,'
... g'<-•''1' '1-<J c,iv 
,-7-~ ./ NAM E
GENERAL
<J' q§t /~ /~~~-." /~ /:4~ OF
/ '<,CJ~ 00 ,.,<v '<-~" c; '~' ~ "-"' '~'"' ·o'<' 
......'<; ~«-\'>q ~ / 10 0o '-~ "«; .::."' '~'«-,_c, ~ ,'1' " "«-~ BED 
, ~ v <v <v <v -<!' "' v"' ~ , <J 
~ iv ~'<; q'<' ~~ ' ~... "' /. "' , ,o ~ ,, ,, o' ;< / <'' / f' & & I I N• 2 
N• 3 
N• 4
t=~· I J! I i ' -=-I I 
_l N" 5 OVERLAP
~ --T I ! I N" 5 
---L--
-+-----· --~--·-+-· 
---~=F-== = ==;;-I I I I I I N• 6 ----L-~ _I l__ / I I I I I TOP SNAKE ISLAND
---~ ·r ,SN~K,E: ISLAND SNAKE ISLAND SNAKE IS~__ _ _ l___ -~ _ . 1 : _ _ _ 1 _ 1 1 SNAKE ISLAND 
L. I . I I ' 
1 
ABBOTTIABBOTT ABBOTT _j_ABB OTT ABBOTT ~ ~ ...... 4 I I I 
BOWKLEY I KIDNEY KIDNE Y I I ! I I IKIDNEY 
-I : I I II I 

KIDNEY 
HILLMAN IHILLMAN HILLMAN HILLMAN HILLMAN HILLMAN HILLMAN I HILLMAN 

TOP FIVE FOOT \ TOP FIVE FOOT FIVE FOOT ROCK TOP FIVE FT I TOP FIVE FT I DIAMOND DI AMOND TOP STANTON 
1 I BOT. FIVE FOOT IBOT. FIV E FOOT BOT. f iVE FT. BOT. FIVE FT. TOP CHECKER ' TOP CHECKER TOP CHECKER TOP CH ECK ER I TOP CH EC KER I I I I . ~ STANTON II 
1 I
. ' TOP FIVE FOOT 
I
LANCE STANTON FIVE FOOT 
C 
--t===---JJ:lPPER BALTIMORE FOUR FOOT BOT CHECKER_ BOT. CH ECKER ICHECKER BOT. CH ECKER! CHECKER CHECKER 1 CHECK ER CH EC KER CHECKER TOP SALT IMORE BA LTIMORE-SIX FOOT-IPITTSTON IPITTSTON
LOWER BALTIMORE PITTSTON PIT T STON PITTSTON PITTSTON PITTSTON PITTSTON PITTSTON PITTST.ON PITTSTON BOTTOM BALTIMORE 
~ 
BOT PITTSTON BOT. PIT TSTON BOT. PITTSTON BOTTOM PITTSTON 
T. CHECKER CHECKER TOP ELEVEN FT. I TOP MARCY TOP MARCY TOP MARCY I TOP MARCY TOP MAR CY TOP MARCY TOP MARCY 
•T I SKIDMORE IMARCY IBOT. SKIDMORE IMARCY IROSS IBOT. ELEVEN FT.IMARCY I MARCY MARCY I MARCY IMARC Y IMARCY IMARCY I MAR CY I MARCY I MARCY IMARCY I MARCY I MARCY I MARCY II MARCY 
NINE FOOT NINE FOOT NINE FO OTBOT SKIDMORE 
! 
TOP SPLIT-TOP ROSS
J. I 
TOP ROSS 
TOP ROSS TOP ROSS CLARK TOP ROSS TOP CLARK TOP CLARK TOP CLARK TOP CLARK CLARK TOP CLARK CLARK TOP CLARK I CLARK CLARK CLARK BOTTOM ROSS 
ROSS-BABYLON-
IROSS IROSS IROSS IBOT. ROSS IBOT. ROSS IBOT. CLARK BOT. ROS~ _ BOT. CL ARK IBOT. CLARK IBOT. CLARK i BABYLON BOT. CL ARK I BOT. CL ARK CLARk 

TOP REO ASH 
BABYLON _ BABYLON BABYLON TOP RED ASH TOP REO ASH IN• I DUNMORE I Nl GGER TOP RED ASH BABYLON (MINED WITH' I IFIFTH IFIFTH IMID. RED ASH IFIFTH ! MID. RED ASH IMID. REO ASH IN• 2 DUNMORE IRED, ASH) IMID. REO ASH II MIDDLE RED ASH 
I RED ASH 'IREQ_A~ IRE D ASH I IRED ASH IRED ASH IRED ASH IRED ASH -J R.I.!l_ASH IRED ASH IRED ASH IRED ASH ISIXTH IBOT. RED ASH ISIXTH IBOT. RED ASH IBOT. REO ASH IN• 3 DUNMORE IRED ASH IBOT. RED ASH II BOTTOM RED ASH II ~ .., . I "A" 


The coal pillar to be left between chambers has a rectangular shape and is given a width that is calculated to provide it with sufficient strength to support the superimposed strata. Chamber widths vary normally from 18 to 24 feet, depending on many factors suCh as nature of roof rock and mining-contract rates. Consequently, the width of a pillar varies and is the difference in the distance between the center lines of two adjoining chambers and the chamber width. As an example, two chambers, each 20 feet wide, are driven on 70-foot centers; hence, the pillar width is 50 feet . Adjoining chambers are, for the purpose of ventilation, interconnected by crosscuts through the dividing pillar. These crosscuts are placed at distances generally not exceeding 60 feet, thus cutting a pillar into a row of several rectangles. 
Methods for <letermining the safe width of pillars are not prescribed by the anthracite mine laws; their planning is left to the discretion of mining engineers of the respective operating companies. Determination of chamber centers and room-and-pillar widths is generally made on the basis of assigning to anthracite a safe-bearing and crushing strength of 2,000 pounds per square inch. This factor is based on results obtained from load tests made in 1907 at Lehigh University, South Bethlehem, Pa., under the sponsorship of the Scranton Engineer's Club, and described in Bureau of Mines Bulletin 303, titled "Tests of Strength of Roof Supports Used in Anthracite Mines of Pennsylvania." 
The room-and-pillar method of mining is executed, when carried to complete extraction, in two and sometimes three distinct phases -first, second, and third mining. 
First Mining 
In this phase only gangways, airways, and chambers are driven, leaving the pillars between the chambers intact except for the relatively narrow crosscuts that are driven for ventilation purposes. 
Taking of top coal in chambers either during first mining operations or at a later date; whiCh is discussed later in second mining, is for the purpose of this report considered as first mining, since it does not constitute subtraction from the original pillar area. In this phase of mining 40 percent or more of the original coalbed is generally left in pillars to support the overburden. This percentage increases with the depth at whi ch the bed is mined below the surface. 
Second Mining 
This phase covers mining operations that are seldom executed immediately after first mining. Second mining comprises such operations as splitting pillars, lengthwise or crosswise, and skipping them. The latter means reducing the width by taking a slice or skip off the entire length. Usually less than 40 percent of the original coalbed remains in 
B-7 
J 
pillars after second mining operations are completed, leaving pillar 
stumps that have a bearing strength well below calculated requirements 
for effective support of the superimpos-ed strata. 
Areas in which an unusually high percentage of· coal was removed in first mining operat'ions, ar bitrarily assumed in excess of 60 percent,· have been classified as second mining for the purpose of this report. This occurs where chamber centers are too small or where the chambers· and crosscuts were driven excessively wide and pillar crosscuts on short centers. 
Critical Depth 
In evaluating subsidence potentials created by first and second mining operations, the dep-h at which an anthracite bed is mined is of importance bec&use the remaining coal pillars may not have sufficient · strength to support the overburden. This is because the weight of the overburden exceeds the bea~ing strength of anthracite. 
For the purpose of this report, the depth below the surface at which remaining pillars, r egardless of their lateral dimensions, may be ultimately crushed by the weight of the overburden is called "cri
tical depth. " 
Top Coal 
A modification of second mining is known as "taking top coal,'' and i s practiced chiefly i n beds that have a thickness exceeding 8 to 10 f eet. The term applies to the recovery of a bench or layer of coal that was left in place under the rock roof of a mine chamber or gangway during first mining. This bench of coal was left in place for the following reasons: 
1. 
To take advantage of the strength of the coal bench in forming a roof that will stay up with a minimum of timbering. 

2. 
To protect a weak rock strata immediately overlying the coalbed against the deteriorating effect of ·mine•air moisture. 


Taking of top coal in chambers, gangways, etc., either after the completion of first mining operations or at a later date, sometimes as many as several years, for the purpose of this report is considered .as first mining since it does not constitute subtraction from the original pi.U.ar area. Ta.king of top coal., w.hich is generally of excellent quality and can be won at low cost, may induce collapse and is subsequently exposed to the deteriorating effect of the moisture in the mine air or when becoming submerged in a mine-water pool. The rate 
of deterioration may be slow if exposed only to moist mine air, or rapid if submerged in a mine-water pool. The roof collapse may extend progressively upwards and disturb overlying pillars and reach the surface eventually. 
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The roof rock overlying the Kidney and Hillman beds in a considerable area in the Wyoming Basin consists of a friable shale that reacts in the manner described previously when the protective layer of top coal is removed. 
Third Mining 
This phase consists of extracting more or less completely the pillars left after first mining operations, thus withdrawing all support to the roof strata over the bed. This operation is known colloquially as "robbing," to which, in this case, the commitment of an illegal act should not be implied. The inevitable result of pillar extraction is complete caving of the overlying rock strata that will gradually spread upward and manifest itself in surface subsidence over a large area. 
Safety and Reserve Pillars 
Most operating companies followed a practice of establishing socalled safety or reserve pillars throughout the mining areas to either protect surface structures, creek beds, shafts, planes, slopes, rock tunnels, important haulageways and other specifically vulnerable areas, or to minimize the possibility of the collapse of a limited n~ber of · pillars from spreading over a much larger area --an action termed 11 squeeze." In the case of safety pillars, coal was left unmined in the same bed or in the beds beneath the unit to be protected. Reserve pillars were formed by eliminating the driving of one chamber at the regular interval along a gangway or entry; hence, such a reserve pillar has a width equal to the combined width of two pillars and one chamber. Subsequent splitting of a safety pillar and thus transforming it into two piliars of the same width as those in the surrounding ·. area does not in itself create a subsidence potential but merely removes an effective barrier against the spreading of a possible squeeze over a much wider area. 
Backfilling 
Mining engineers differ in opinion whether coal pillars will permanently support the superimposed strata or whether in due time they may yield to the enormous compressive forces and other deteriorating factors. 
To forestall nature's persistent effort to refill underground voids, mining men have endeavored to do this task artificially by an operation known as "backfilling." Backfilling in the anthracite region of Pennsylvania is generally of two types --flushing or silting and rock-packing. 
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Flushing or silting indicates transporting sand, ashes, silt, or 
crushed rock, such as breaker refUse, into mine workings with water 
in pipelines or boreholes in order. to fill the existing voids. The 
primary effect of this operation is to give lateral support to the . 
pillars and only secondarily to direct and iilliilediate support of the 
roof strata in chambers. Complete backfilling of the mine voids, par
ticularly in flat or moderately pitching beds, is physically impossible
owing to the flat angle of repose of the flushed-in material and sub
sequent shrinkage due to drying out. FUrthermore, all backfill·material 
deposited by flushing is still more or less compressible and can, .there
fore, only minimize and not completely prevent the settling o~ roof 
strata. 
In some instances second and third mining was done in areas pre
viously backfilled, resulti ng in either partial or complete extraction 
of the coal pillars and all owing the roof to settle on the backfill. 
In these special cases the effectiveness of the backfill in preventing
subsidence is considerably reduced. 
Rock-packing denotes filling a chamber or const~cting a wall 
manually with rock or refUse material that was excavated with the coal,

termed "gob,'' to help support the roof or give lateral support to the 
pillars. A wall is generally built in the chamber along the side or 
rib of the coal pillars in the manner of loose, dry-wall masonry. Rockpacking is also done in old chambers by merely dumping loose rock into 
them, primarily as a means of disposal of waste rock and secondarily to help support the roof. It is naturB.l that rock-packing and loose rock dumped in mine openings contain many voids and, consequently, will. 
be compressed greatly if and when they are brought under pressure by
the roof-load. Here, too, as in flushed backfill, the end result is 
merely a reduction in the vertical settlement of the roof strata and a 
reduction in magnitude of he subsequent surface subsidence. 
It is to be noted that flushing predominates in the upper beds,
while rock-packing by hand was practiced more in the lower beds. The 
reason is the fact that flushing is more economical in beds at shallow 
depth as the water used in the flushing operation is pumped back to 
the surface over lower hydrostatic heads. 
Barrier Pillars 
A barrier pillar in t he anthracite region is that portion of. a 
coalbed that is left unmined along the property line of adjoining mines. Its principal function is to act as a dam, which, in the wording of the Pennsylvania Anthracite Mining Laws, shall be "of such width that taken in connection with t he pillar to be left by the adjoining property owner will be a sufficient barri,er.for the safety of the employees of either mine in case the ot er should be abandoned and allowed to fill 
with water." 
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L_------------------
An arbitrary rule for determining the width of barrier pillars,. generally adopted by the mining companies in compliance with the provisions of the anthracite mining laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,)> is known as the "Mine Inspector' s Formula for Barrier Pillars , " and is as follows : 
"Multiply the thickness of the coalbed, in feet, by one 
percent of the depth below the drainage level, and add 
to this five times the thickness of the coal bed." 

If dependable barrier pillars had been maintained at many mines that are now abandoned and allowed to fill with water, such abandoned and inundated mines would not present the menace to adjoining active mines as they actually do. 
Unfortunately, many barrier pillars were originally of inadequate design, and many of those that were originally adequat ely designed were frequently pierced by openings, reduced in width, or completely removed in later years. 
The effective altitude of a barrier pillar is normally referred to as the altitude at which the barrier pillar is considered to be effective in withstanding a calculated hydrostatic pressure, or the altitude of the lowest breaching or piercing of the barrier pillars where such is the case. The aforementioned determination of effective altitude has had its most useful application in establishing a danger limit for underground pools in abandoned mines while adjoining mines were kept free of water. Since most of the mines in the Wyoming Basin are now abandoned and contain pools at various levels, the usefulness of previously recorded altitude data is largely obviated. 
Mine-Water Problem 
The basin structure of the coal measures underlying the highly permeable and water-saturated alluvial deposits of the buried valley fill facilitates, with relative ease, the entry of immens e volumes of surface runoff water from rains, flashfloods, and bed seepage of rivers and creeks,)> through structural rock fissures , but more freely through the interstices of rock~strata fractures that result from mining operations. Surface r~noff water also enters the mine workings through bed outcrops on the slopes of the mountains, and particularly through open strip pits on these outcrops. 
The one basic cause of the present day mine~water problem, which is besetting the anthracite industry and has had a particular severe impact on the mines i n the Northern anthracite field, has been the inadequacy of the barrier~pillar system. This inadequacy stems from the fact that the anthracite mining laws of Pennsylvania, which required the establishment of barrier pillars, were passed in 1891 when mines were already in operation for many years, and also from the fact that 
B-11 

the provisions of the law were subsequently only loosely or not obeyed at all in some instances . Furthermore, the barrier-pillar law does not apply to barrier pillars between mines of one owner
ship, but only to pillars to be left between mines of different ownership. 
I nadequacy in the original design or subsequent weakening or piercing of barrier pillars created a serious hazard to active mines because impounded water in adjoining idle or abandoned mines exerts excessive hydrostatic pressure against an inadequate section of the barrier pillar. In some instances, the existing hazard was minimized by controlling the pool in the idle mine by means of boreholes through the barrier pillars, thus placing additional and often excessive pumping costs on the operating mine . As early as 1925 , when the market for anthracite began to shri nk, some high-cost mines were laid idle . As pumping was stopped in these mines, drainage of the accumulating water became a responsibility of the adjoining mine to prevent buildup of a dangerous hydrostatic pressure against the barrier pillar. 
With the continuing decline of the anthracite industry to the present day, more and more mines were idled and even abandoned. The mine -water problem in the entire anthracite region, especially in the Northern anthracite field, assumed such proportions that gradually one mine after another was laid idle. The climax came in January 1959 when the Susquehanna River, then in 22-foot floodstage, broke into the workings of the Knox Coal Company, Jenkins Townshi p , near Pittston. The Knox mine and several adjoining mines were completely inundated in a very short time and have remained so inundated. Adjoining active mines were closed for reasons of safety or because the mine -water control of neighboring mines became financially too burdensome. 
Presently, nearly all the mines in the Northern anthracite field are more or less inundated completely. In some of these mines the water is overflowing either to the surface or t h rough a breach in the barrier p i llar to an adjoining mine where a safer pool level is maintained by means of deep-well pumps installed under a joint FederalState Mine Dra inage Program. Where no such overflow is known or reasonably expected to exist it is believed that the mine water is seeping through broken rock strata into the overlying highly permeable fill of the buried valley. 
Table 2 shows the rise of the level of the water in typical underground pools in mines located at both the eastern and western portions of the Wyoming Basin since 1959. 
Since most of the mines are presently filled with water, it must be assumed that in some instances mine water is seeping into the alluvial deposits of the permeable valley fill overlying the mines . It is suggest ed that definite information should be obtained by a study of the i nterrelationship of the various mine -water pools and the ground water level in the alluvial fill of the buried valley. 
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TABLE 2. -Rise in level of typical underground water 
pocls in mines in the Wyoming Basin, 
June 1959 to June 1964 

Mi ne Malt oy-Nottingham-Westmoreland Buttonwoo~/ Ewen2/ Dorrance Surface altitude, feet 
545 .9 1 512 .0 1 555 .1 I 593.0 Date Under rourid pool altitudes, feet 
June 1964-----524 . 3 513. 0 516 . 3 507.1 
January 1964--490 .4 479-5 492.9 473.4 
June 1963---~~ 471 . 1 459·9 493.4 45 3. 4 
January 1963--435 . 2 242.9 481.0 418 .4 
June 1962-----424.2 72. 41/ 423 .0:/ 415.9 
January 1962~~ 419 . 3 ------------42 3.9 387.1 
June 1961-----422 . 2 ------------428 . 3 298 . 2 
180.6
January 1961-~ 415 . 8 ------------423 .1 
June 1960-----420 . 2 ------------423 .1 -91. 2 
January 1960--402. 0 """-----------394. 2 -292 . 3 
June l959-----392.7 ------------223.8 -489.6 
1/ Includes Grand Tunnel, Avondale , Gaylord, Lance, Loree, -Kingston, East Boston, Black Diamond, and Harry E-Forty Fort mines .g/ Includes Schooley, Mt. Lookout, No. 14, and No. 6 mines.3/ Stopped pumping December 1962 . ;; Stopped pumping July 16, 1962 . 
L 

It appears that the rise in mine -pool levels, if unchecked, may cause the inundation of some low-lying surface areas in the not too distant future. 
Mine drainage in the anthracite region of Pennsylvania has been discussed in many publications. A report was prepared for submission to the Congress in compliance with provisions under which expenditures of funds requested by the ~~reau of Mines were authorized. 
The purpose of the report or engi neeri ng survey was to obtain information and provide the engineeri ng background by whi ch the encroachment of mine water might be solved. 
These previous engineering surveys consisted of studi es on acid mine water, underground water pools, the "buri ed ·valley" of the Susquehanna River, mine-pumping plants, surface -water pools, seepage of surface water into mines, barrier pillars between mines, and geologic· features of the region. A comprehensive study was conducted to determine corrosion and erosion resistance of selected metals and alloys and to ascertain their suitability for components of pumps to be used in handling acid mine water. 
Different ideas and pla~s to remedy the mine -water problem, including 13 tunnel proposals and schemes for central pumping pl ants, were considered, among which was the Conowingo Tunnel System, which would have drained the anthracite mine water into the Susquehanna River below the Conowingo Dam in Maryland. Because of the rapid deterioration of the anthracite market and subsequent f inancial retrenchment policies of the major coal companies , consideration of a long-r ange plan, such as the t'.l.Ililel scheme, was replaced by a short-range plan such as is embodied in the joint Federal-State Anthracite Mine Drainage Program initiated in 1955, impleme~ting Public Law 162, 84th Congress, 69 Stat. 352, and Act No . 82 of the General Assembly, Commonwealth of Pennsylvani a. 
METHOD OF ANALYSIS 
Panel and Folio System 
The lateral extent of the area, complexity of the coal formation, and diversity of mining practices and coal ownership, the latter complicated by legal and corporate developments over a period of more than 100 years, made it advisable for an orderly dissertation to divide the area that is the object of this study into several panels and each panel i nto several plates to be assembled i n folios. The report covers six of these panels. 
A surface map of the study area in the Wyoming Basin, scale 1 inch equals 1 mile, shows the Susquehanna River, the lower reaches of the Lackawanna River, and the more important municipalities in the area, with the panel and folio grid superimposed upon it. This map i s included in the report. 
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Each par.el covers ru1 area 16,800 feet long, as measured along the longitudir-al axis of t he Wyoming Basin; the width of each panel varying with the spr·ead of the shoreline of the assumed flood crest and the further widening of the study area in each bed for the reason of making allowant:e f or t 'ne effect of angles of draw with increasing depth. Each panel i s subdivided into several folios. As a practical folio size a rectangle was chosen, measuring 4,200 feet in length ' along the axis of the basin and 3,000 feet in width, comprising an area of 289 acres . 
Data collected and evaluated for each folio was obtained from maps of the surface, top of bedrock, and authentic mine maps obtained -from the operating authracite companies. For each folio they were assembled from the uppermost to the lowest, arranged in a precisely centered stratigraphic sequence. 
The mine maps so a~~uired and assembled were used to obtain the llasic informat.i or: con' . er~:ing ur..derground workings, since inaccessibility of the ur..deTgr.::n _'":d worki :1gs made underground inspections impossible for the following reasom: 
1. Work.ir:;.gs of numerou s mines in the study area were already flooded when t he compilat i Jr.. of the basic data was begun and, before completion of the st "J.d:y·, pr a ctically all were flooded completely. 
2 . The means of a c:cess t o many of the mines had been eliminated through removal of hoisting machinery and the backfilling or capping of shafts and sl opes, etc., as safety measures . 
3· -nderground :!aving indll.Ced by second and/or third mining and nor.anaintenance of t i mber.:.ng t o support the roof in inactive or abandoned first-mined areas would r~strict to a large measure passageway even through nonflooded areas . 
4. 
Underg:::·ound ventilation is not generally maintained by mm.ng companies in old and abandoned workings ; consequently, large•scale inspection of these areas is impossible due to the hazards of explosion and nonrespirable atmosphere. Reestablishing ven~ilation on a scale necessary for underground inspection of the mine workings would be physically and financially almost impossible. 

5. 
The vastness of the underground workings, consisting of as many as 18 beds underlying a surface study area of better than 22 square miles, even if they were accessible, would make the time required for actual physical inspection well beyond the time allotted for such a report. 


The official mine maps contain the most authentic basic information obtainable concerning underground mine workings, which could not be obtained by a physical inspection. This information includes, besides the general layout, the total extent of the mine and degree 
B-14 

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of coal extraction; date of mining; bed altitudes at various points; 
pitch of the coalbeds; bed thickness; borehole location and data 
from which the rock interval between the coalbeds may be obtained; 
and location of faults and folds in the rock strata and coalbeds that 
greatly influence subsidence potentials. 
The maps used in making the st udy were the official maps of record of the di fferent coal companies in the area and were made from surveys and other information as prescribed by the laws of the Commonwealth. The engineering personnel who participated in the study of the subsidence potentials are longtime residents of t he area and most are license d professional engineers . They are all former employees of various coal companies operating in the area and thus are initimately familiar with the mines under study and the data available. There i s no question as to the accuracy of the i nformation shown on the maps . 
There i s no reliable information available that will show the · overall subsidence that has occurred anywhere in the anthracite region. Mining operatior.s in th'=ir ir.fancy were naturally on a small local basis, and original surface altitudes over the entire area were not recorded. 
The preser.tation of a separate report for each panel, subdivided by foli os, i s believed to facilitate the review of structural details of the area and to focus attention to potentially dangerous conditions within a circumscribed area. This arrangement also assures the future usefulness of the folios in providing the basis for obtaining additional detailed information on specific conditions in any part of a coalbed in relation to subsidence hazards. 
Detailed data, tab·Qlated on separate sheets f or each individual bed in a folio, are believed to enhance the understanding and evaluation of relative degrees of subsidence hazards that are contingent upon the more or less complete extraction of coal and the surface subsidence potentials created thereby. This i nformation is contained in a separate volume as an appendix related to the respective panel description. 
The folios of maps are not a part of this report. They were prepared solely for analytic purposes to obtain the pertinent information necessary for the report, but will be kept intact by the Bureau of Mines for future reference . 
Classification of Study Area 
The study area of each panel comprises that portion of the surface that may be inundated if the Susquehanna River woul d r each a floodstage that is arbitrarily assumed from 1 to 3 feet higher than the design altitades of the levees in the respective area. The altitude of the shoreline of the assumed flood crest so established is different in each panel concordant with the gradient of the streambed of the river. 
B-15 
For the purpose of this report and to differentiate between surface areas that may be flooded normally and those that would be flooded under extreme and catastrophic conditions, the study area is divided betw·een river-levee area and flood plain. 
The river-levee area consists of the following categories: 
(l) where the levees flarlk both sides of the Susquehanna River the 
area as designated is the one that is lying within the outer toes of the levees, including the riverbed; (2) where there are no levees, the area so designated is the territory lying within the shorelines of the assumed flood crest; and (3) where a levee flanks one side of the river the area so designated i s that lying between the outer toes of the levee on one side of the river and the shoreline of the assumed flood crest on the opposite shore. 
The designation "flood plain" is ascribed to those areas that lie outside the levee system and would be subject to inundation only if the levee would subside considerably below design level or would be breached or.otherwise impaired by mine subsidences while the river is 
in floodstage. 
Flood plains were incl~ded in the study area that is covered by this report, solely for the purpose of extending the evaluation of subsidence potential"' t ·:J the maxinrum area of Wyoming Valley that may be inundated under the most severe conditions imaginable. 
Surface Al~itude Differentiation 
All altit'J.de figures appearing in this report, unless otherwise stated.~> are based on an alt it.'J.de of 543.54 feet assigned to the survey monument on Public Square in Wilkes~Barre, Pa. It is to be noted that this figure is 6.67 feet lower than altitude 550.21, assigned by the 
U. S. Coast & Geodetic S·u.rvey to the same monument, which has been used by the Corps of Engineers in the design of the levee system. 
In the examination of the mine maps from which the fol ios have been assembled to serve as the basis of this report, consideration had to be given to the fact that the various coal companies based their surveys on different datum figures for the same monument, as 
shown in table 3. 
The basic datum for altitudes on the top•of-rock plates in all folios is 543.54 feet, which is the same datum that was used by the Bureau of Mines in published bulletins dealing with mine-water and -subsidence problems in the Wyoming Basin. It is to be noted that this datum figure is the same as that being used by the Hudson Coal Company and the Lehigh &Wilkes-Barre Coal Company, and differs only slightly from those used by the Glen Alden Corporation and Pennsylvania Coal Company. It is further to be noted that altitudes appearing on surface and mine maps of the Lehigh Valley Coal Company 
B-16 

TABLE 3. 
Co~~any Pennsylvania Coal Co.----------Lehigh Valley Coal Co.----------· Glen Alden Corp.---------------Lehigh &Wilkes-Barre Coal Co.-Delaware & Hudson Coal Co.-----Kingston Coal Co.--------------East Boston Coal Co.---------~-Black Diamond Coal Co.-------·--
Altitude of bench mark, feet 
544.25 
551.25 
545.04 
543.54 
543.54 
558.04 
538.95 
544.07 

have 500, 1,000, or 1,500 feet added to any respective altitude. This was done to prevent altitude figures for points below sea level from having to be shown with a minus sign. 
SUBSIDENCE POTENTIALS 
General Discussion 
Subsidence follows mining in the anthracite region in varying degrees of magnit~de . This is especially true when mining is carried to its ultimate phase as third mining in the room-and-pillar method by which as mu~h of the coalbed is removed as is safely possible. 
The result of subsi dence due to mining can be seen throughout Wyoming Valley as well as elsewhere in the anthracite region. In numerous in.::ta::1.ces highways throughout the area are visibly twisted and warped in horiz·::mt.al alinement and have short, sharp changes in grade, whi ch certainly were not present in the original design. Underground service utilities, s-~ch as water, gas, and sewer lines, are broken frequently. Cra cked fouu~dation and exterior walls, especially if of masonry or brick construction, together with cracked plastered i nterior wall s in build.irlgs of public and private ownership, are much in evidence . 
The horizontal and vertical alinement of railroads, as well as the previously mentioned highways, are occasionally twisted and warped. The railroad tracks must , of necessity, be jacked back to a reasonable semblance of the original line and grade, and bridge abutments and piers shimmed to meet the reestablished grade. This reestablishment of railroad gr a des makes very evident any subsidence in an area traversed by a rai lroad. The short, sharp range by which the streets cross the tracks show vividly the approximate measure of the subsidence that ha s occurred over the years. The entire area of Wyoming Valley along the r:_ght-of-way of the D. L. & W. Railroad from West Nanticoke t o West Pitts-t.on ill.ustrates this condition. It has been necessary for the Corps of Engineers to raise the top of the f lood-control system of levees along the Susquehanna River in certain areas either by additional fill mat erial or concrete or steel sheet-piling walls on top of the l evees to keep the top of the levee system at the design altitude. This subsidence and subsequent repair has occurred at different times and places along the length of the levee system on each side of the river, and m~st be expected to continue in some areas for years to come. 
Churches, school s , and houses have been damaged badly by pothole subsidence and, in at least one instance, a motor vehicle dropped into a pothole that oc~~rred suddenly in a heavily travelled highway. 
Factors that determine the amount of subsidence at the surface and the time lag between mining and subsidence are many and varied, and are highly indeterminable. 
B-17 
The degree of extraction naturally has a decisive influence on the magnitude of subsidence in a given area. The number and thickness of the coalbeds and the depth at which these beds lie are also important factors as are the thickness and character of the rock strata between and over the coalbeds. Some of the rocks comprising the anthracite measures in which the coalbeds are located are soft, brittle, and weak, while others are hard and strong. When submerged in water, the soft and brittle rock formations will suffer considerable loss in bearing strength. 
The depth or thickness of the unconsolidated buried valley fill and its composition and water content determine to a considerable degree the depth and lateral extent of surface subsidence resulting from fracture of the rock overlying the coalbeds. If the material is of a fine, -sandy nature containing a large amount of water, it may flow a considerable distance to a rock fracture and drop into underground workings. Such movement of alluvial material results in a surface subsidence whose lateral and vertical extent may be greatly out of proportion to the size of rock caving over the mine workings. 
It has been stated previously that most mines in the area under 
investigation for this report have been abandoned and are filled or are filling with water. In some, the level of the mine-water pool is at a higher altitude than that of the lowest known depression of the buried valley. Consequently, it may be assumed that the water accumulating in these mines is seeping upwards into the valley-fill deposits through natural fissures, cracks, and bedding planes in the rock as well as through fractures caused by mining. 
It is reasonable to assume that the saturation of the valley-fill material will increase as the mines continue to fill with water and nature strives to reestablish a permanent water table. Progressive saturation of the valley-fill material may induce the flow of the finer sandy particles into cracks and fissures of the rock strata, and certainly into voids created by collapse of the roof over the mine workings. The magnitude of the effect that such redistribution of valleyfill material may have on the surface can only be conjectured. 
The geology of the area in which mining is done also plays a role in the subsidence potential. The degree of dip of the coalbeds, folds, and faults in the rock and coalbeds are all significant, especially when they become water-lubricated through submergence. 
All the factors' pertaining to subsidence vary widely and interact in endless combinations that make a determination as to the amount of subsidence at a given location highly problematical, and an estimate as to time of occurrence highly speculative. 
B-18 

Differentiation of Potentials 
Surface subeidence may result from any of the three general 
categories of mir.ing ~-first, second, or third. 

First Mining 
Surface subsidence usually does not occur in an area superjacent to first mining for the reason that t he width of the pillars and di s tance center to center of the parallel rows of pillars were designed by company engineers to furnish sufficient strength to support t he surface witho'C.t cru.shing the pillars. Also, the chamber width, whi ch generally does not exceed 24 feet, provides a roof span of sufficient beam strength to prever.t. collapse of the roof between pillars . 
Second Mining 
Surface subsidence may be expected in any area that overlies wor kings that were second mined. The very nature of second mining reduces the cross-sectional area of the pil l ars remaining after first mining; consequently~ their ability to resist crushing by the overburden weight is impaired aeverely. 
Second mining does not always reduce the cross-sectional area of the pillars remaining after first mining to a point where the overburden weight will crash them. HcweverJ> when the pillars are skipped, or splitJ> the widths of the chambers and crosscuts are increased and, although the pillar;;: remaining may be considered suffi ci ently strong to prevent their being crushedJ> excessi vely wide roof areas exposed between the p i llars will have: ins-:lfficient beam strength to prevent collapse and thus induce cavi~gs that may extend to overlying beds and eventually reach the surface. 
After second mining operations have been ca rried out, generall y more than 60 percent of the original coalbed has been extracted. Whether or not the percentage of the coalbed remaining has reduced pillars to the poi nt that they would be of insufficient strength to carry the superimposed weight and thus be crushed, the dividing line between first and second mining was chosen at the point where more than 60 percent of the original bed was removed. Therefore, in all instances where less than 40 percent of the bed remained in pillars, whether the coal was removed entirely during the f irst-mining phase or in Becond mining, the area was classified as second mining. 
Mining Below Critical Depth 
Subsidence may also occur from either f i r st-or second-mined a reas that lie below a depth beneath the surface at which the remaining pillars 
B-19 
are not considered to have sufficient strength to prevent their being ultimately crushed by the weight of.the overburden regardless of their size. This distance below the surface is termed "critical depth" for the purpose of this report and is arrived at by calculation · 
giving consideration to such factors as pillar area, overburden weight, 
and the generally accepted squeezing strength of anthracite at 2,000 psi. Critical depth data have been calculated for various conditions and assembled on table 4. 
Thin Rock Cover and Pothole Subsidence 
Subsidence may occur over either first-or second-mined areas, regardless of strength of pillars or width of chambers, that are under a rock cover of less than 50 feet. This limit in the thickness of rock cover was chosen arbitrarily but is generally accepted by mining engineers, making allowance for unknown and indeterminable strength of the 
rock strata. This condition is more prevalent al ong the cropline of the coalbed.. This type of subsidence is termed pothole, cropfall, or 
cavehole, and results from the failure of thin rock cover over the 
chambers to act as a beam, causing collapse and allowing the overburden material to rush into the chamber cavities, leaving roughly circular holes or rather pronounced saucer-like depressions at the surface. The presence of water in the alluvium overlying the fractural condition of the chamber roof induced naturally or by mining may increase greatly the amount of material that may enter the mine voids, thus increasing the size of the pothole or depression and subsequent damage to surface facilities and structures. 
Third Mining 
Surface subsidence may be expected in any area that overlies workings that were third mined. By definition, third mining consists of complete extraction, or removal as nearly complete as possible, of the pillars remaining after the first-or second-mining phases. When 
extracting pillars, which is a hazardous operation, it is vitally 
essential for the safety of the workers that the roof inby the opera
tion should come down or cave. If this does not occur naturally, the 
lower roof is blasted down (dynamited); otherwise, the weight of the 
overburden may crush the remaining pillars and possibly trap and kill 
the workers. Consequently, surface subsidence follows naturally in 
any area that overlies mine workings that were third mined. Caving 
at the surface may not occur until considerable time has elapsed 
following the .natural collapse or "shooting down" of the roof in third 
mining, as the time element in the upward propagation of the settle
ment is indeterminable. The deeper the mine workings in which pillars 
have been removed, the shallower the surface subsidence resulting 
therefrom. 
B-20 

TABLE 4. -Critical depth -Distance below surface at which overburden weight* may cause crushing 
of coal pillars at various percentages of coal remaining in pillars 
Pillar area Critical Pillar area .Critical Pill ar area Critical remaining, depth, remaining, depth, remaining, depth, percent feet percent feet percent feet 25 480 42 8o6 59 1,133 26 499 43 826 60 1,152 27 518 44 845 61 1,171 28 538 45 864 62 1,190 29 557 46 883 63 1,210 30 576 47 902 64 1,229 31 595 48 922 65 1,248 32 614 49 941 66 1,267 33 634 50 960 67 1,286 34 653 51 979 68 l,3o6 35 672 52 998 69 1,325 36 691 53 1,018 70 1,344 37 710 54 1,037 71 1,363 38 730 55 1,056 72 1,382 39 749 56 1,075 73 1,402 40 768 57 1,094 74 1,421 41 787 58 1,114 75 1,440 
*Overburden weight = 150 lb./c.f. (estimated). 
S~ueezing strength anthracite = 2,000 lb./in.2• 

(First cracks appeared in test cube at Lehigh Uni ,·eh;ity. ) Formula: 150 X Depth (D) = lb./in.2 = 2,000. 144 D = 1,920 ft. with 10~ coal remaining in pillars. 1,920 ft . X percent pillars remaining = Critical depth. 

Faults 
Subsidence may occur when mining is done in an area where faults exist even though the remaining coal pillars and chamber roofs have sufficient strength to support the overburden. Mining may disturb the equilibrium of forces in the rock crust of the fault area and trigger further movement along the fault plane, causing either subsidence or upthrust at the surface, regardless of the type of mining done. 
Relative Severity of Subsidence Potentials 
The phase of mining that produces the greatest subsidence potential at the surface is third miningj lesser potentials are produced by second and first mining. 
The maps in the reports for the six separate panels that show the subsidence potentials indicate the most severe potential in any of the beds subjacent to the surface at that point without regard to the 
stratigraphic position of the area of origin of the potential hazard. For example, if third mining was done in only one of the multiple beds underlying a~y given point, the subsidence potential applicable to the surface would be considered as third mining and shown as such on the maps accompanying each such panel. 
Second mini~g operations under a rock cover less than 50 feet 
thick, which normally would be expected to cause pothole subsidence, and second-mining areas below critical depth are not specifically indicated as such on the maps although they are considered as areas of 
extremely high subsidence potentials. 
In first mining, pothole subsidence and mining below critical depth are indicated only when mine workings of greater hazard potential (second or third mining) are not subjacent to the area. 
Effect on Levee System 
The flood-protection system of levees and its continued efficacy will be influenced greatly by surface subsidence --either by local potholes or by general subsidence over a large area. 
The pothole type of subsidence is sudden and spectacular and, being newsworthy, is brought immediately to the attention of the public througho~t the area by the news media. This type of subsidence, although occasionally severe, is generally not extensive and is readily corrected by refilling the pothole and repairing the levee with acceptable material. A pothole-type subsidence occurring in the levee system could be catastrophic in effect if it happened when the river was at floodstage. 
B-21 
General subsidence over a large area occurs so gradually over an extended period of time that it may not be readily noticeable as it produces no surface dislocations or damage to structures and facilities sufficient to attract attention. If a levee is located in such an area the top of the levee may have subsided, imperceptible to the naked eye, below the design altitude, allowing the supposedly protected area behind the levee to become vulnerable to flooding . It has been necessary for the Corps of Engineers to raise the grade of the top of the levees in various places to correct the effects of this type of subsidence. 
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 
The subsidence potent ials delineated on the maps accompanying each of the six panels of the report provide no guide as to the time when surface subsidences have occurred or will occur in the future. The report has been compiled on the study of mine maps only, without field insp·ection of undergr ound workings or surveys of surface areas. Some subsidence may have occurred prior to the study in areas that are shown on the maps to be subject to high subsidence potentials. 
The time lapse between conditions created by underground mining and actual subsidence of the surface cannot be predicted with any degree of accuracy. 
Pothole subsidence as a result of thin rock cover over mine chambers may develop shortly after the actual mining was done. Surface subsidence resulting from the collapse of the chamber roofs due to pillar skipping or splitting in second mining or complete extraction of pillars in third mining may occur soon or much later after mining has been completed according to the depths of the workings below the surface and the structural characteristics of the multiple layers in the rock cover over the workings. 
Subsidence resulting from pillar-crushing due to mining below critical depth in f irst and second mining may be very slow in developing and difficult to discern. Sometimes only slight cracks occur in plastered walls in dwellings and other buildings, and actual leveling surveys are necessary to detect the subsidence. In areas where railroad tracks ·cross the surface lying above mine workings the slow, gradual settling of the surface is indicated by the height of the tracks above the surrounding area. The railroad tracks must, by necessity, be brought back to grade periodically. 
When mine workings become inundated with water upon cessation of pumping, or otherwise, the water may soften and weaken some types of roof rocks in open chambers . and over coal pillars and thus hasten the collapse that otherwise may not have occurred for the following reasons : 
1. 
A shaley roof rock by its very nature will become plastic to a degree by absorption of water and, consequently, less resistant to loading or pressure. 

2. 
It has been suggested by various authorities after considerable testing ~hat all rocks, especially sandstones and shales, lost 


compressive strength by absorbing water when submerged f or the relatively short time of 4 days. 
3. Water -sat:Irat:ion lubricates the cleavage planes in the rock and the bedding planes in the top and bottom of a coalbed. This could be of particul.ar significance in fault areas and where coalbeds are on steep pitch. 
Practically all mines subjacent to the study area of this report 
are filling with water, and some are inundated completely to the level of natural overflow, or contain mine~water pools that are kept at a certain altitude by deep~well-pumping plants. Some of the overflowing 
pools are .believed to discharge their water by upward seepage into the 
alluvial deposits of the buried valley. The progressive saturation of the valley-fill material may induce the flow of the finer sandy particles into cracks and fissures of the rock strata and into voids created by collap3e of t he roof over the mine workings. 
To maintain the continued efficacy of the flood-control levee system, it is recommended that periodic inspections be continued, either by the Corps of Engineers or the municipalities charged with the maintenance of the facilities . These inspections to be made of tne embankment and related structures, such as flood gates ru1d pumping stations, to determine if visible damage is evident that was caused by subsidence. ~t is further recommended that leveling surveys be made periodically along the top of the levees, especially in areas where supsidence potentials are delineated in the several panels, to ascertai~ if and where subsidence has occurred and the amount thereof , in order that proper and timely corrections may be made. 
The texts for the subdivisions of the report (panels l to 6) are treated individually and follow in numerical sequence. 
Appendixes co~taining detailed da~a from which the subsidence potentials stated i n the text f or each panel were evaluated are assembled separately by panels and are bound individually. 
B-23 

GLOSSARY FOR ANTHRACITE 
AIIMAY -A passageway in a mine parallel to a gang'Way ·o:t -entry; . but usually smaller in cross-sectional area than a gangway. · Its · _, principal fUnction is to provide a return in the ventilatio~ system of the mine to an exhaust fan at the surface. 
BACKFILLING -In the anthracite region it denotes the filli~g ' of mined6 out voids and generally comprises two types --flushing or silting, and rock-packing. 
BARRIER PILLARS -A portion of a coalbed that is left unmined along the property line of adjoining mines. Its principal fUnction is to act as a dam to prevent water that has accumulated in a fuirie from suddenly breaki ng into an adjoining mine and causing loss of life, property, or both. 
CAVE HOLE (POTHOLE, SINK HOLE) -A deep depression at the surface of limited horizo:J.tal dimensions ·caused by a fall of roof over mine · workings. 
CHAMBER-ROOM-BREAST -An op~ning in the coalbed driven from a gangway or entry f or the extraction-of coal. 
COLUMNAR -Arrangement of pillars. in different beds in perpendicular alinemer:t. (11 eolumned" is a colloquialism of the imthracite region.) , .. 
CR!7ICAL DEPTH -In this-report the depth below which the overburden yreight may caus e crushing of the coal pillars, regardless of size. 
CROPFALL -A cave hole along the outcrop of a coalbed. 
DIP OR PITCH -The angle at which the coalbed or rock strata is inclined from the horizontal. 
FACE -In gangways, chambers, et'c., the end at which work was last done or the po:!.nt at which coal is being mined in a chamber. · 
FAULT -A break in the continuity of a body of rock, attended by a movement on one side or the other of the break so that what were once parts of one continuous rock stratum or vein are now 'separated · or displaced• . In ccialbeds sometimes applied to coal rendered worthless by its condition --crushed, foliated, dirty, etc., although this condition may be the result of folding rather than faulting. A local rather abrupt thinning of the coalbed is sometimes termed "faulting.11 
FLUSHING OR SILTING -To fill undergrou~d spaces, as in coal mines, with material carried by water, which, after drainage, forms a compact mass . 
B-24 
J 
FOLD -Rocks or s trata that have been bent i nto domes and 
basins.--This structure .is observed mainly in mountainous regions 
and differs from a f a-.:. l!:. in +:.hat the rock strata i s flexed or bent 
rat her than b:·oi<.Ar,, sep 3.rated, or displaced. It is strictly a strong 
flexure of a s+~ r·a+.'J m, w:i. th steeply incl ined s i des ; however , loosely 
and more commonly :ir.dic:a~es any flexure of a stratum. When the ba sin 
of a fold is :carr mr 9.nd -:.h e sides rather s t eeply pitched, the process 
of folding may bave cr:.shed the coal in the basin or flexure area. 

GANGWAY 0R EI:iJT RY -A mai:-1 road into a coalbed in a mine from which chambers-rooms-breasts are driven. It i s generally the main haulageway i n the area. 
GOB -:R.efuse or Y3..3~E left in a mine, generally packed or stowed 
along the rib of a chamber or gangway. 

INBY -TO'•:"ard. t 'he vorki-.::tg face or interior of the mi ne . Away 
from the shaf+, or err::.ran:·e. 

OUrBY -Nearer +,,:: -t~r.e shaft, and hence further from the working f ace. Toward t.:!:le m::ne ent.ra..."lce . The opposite of inby. 
OUTCROP ( C:R! I J -;.:::'hat part of the stratum that appears at the surface. t may n:"v ~oe vi3i1:.le at ":'.he surfa ce because of the na tural disintegrat:i::>~l of t he coal or rock strata , or where such location i s covered by al~i'.A.vi:;.m . 
PILLAR -A acJ..id blcck cf coal left between chambers-rooms -b reasts to suppor+. t~e r'): f. 
F.ESERVE PZILAB -Ext. ra .'Large pillar of coal left at regular intervals i n t!ie work.i':"!g::: .! : ~ts p-J.Y:p:JSe is t o di v i de the mine into sections , or districts, so as to l oc9..lize the effect of any s qu eeze by breaking the roof at the resE:rv"e p::.lla:!:'' and thus prevent further spreading of the squeeze . 
RIB -The solid coal along the sides of a chamber, gangway, etc. In a rock t~nnel it denotes the sides of t he tunnel, such a s the exposed sides of a pillar. 
ROCK-PACKI~G -A wall or pillar built manually of gob to help s-u.pport the roof; also, to fill in old mine workings with waste rock or gob either to help support. the roof or to dispose of the material. 
SAFE:'Y PII.J.,AR -Coal pillar left unmined for the protection of shafts, slopes, plane s , gangways, and other specifically vulnerable areas under groun:i or or. the surface, such as str eambeds where they cr oss a crop area. I t i s known variously as shaft pillar, slop e pillar , or chain or ent.ry pill ar (protecting gangways or entri es ), etc. 
SQUEEZE -ThE settling, without breaking of the roof , over a considerable area of mine workings, accompani ed by crushing of p i llars. 
B-25 
--------------------------------------------, 
PANEL DESCRIPTIONS 
The following pages of the report contain an overall description of each of t.he six panels into which the study area has been divided.'-
Presented for each panel are an introduction, a description of its respective surface area, and a generalized analysis of subjacen~ IDln~ng conditions and their causal relationship to subsidence potentials, including a map showing the severity potentials of -f1ubsig.ence in the study area, a correlation of the anthracite beds in·the panel, and a cross section through a folio typical to the panel. 
Each panel constitutes a unit in which each folio subdivision is treated separately. 
B-26 

PANEL .1 
NANTICOKE -HANOVER SECTOR 
CONTENTS 
Page Introduction--------------------------------------------·-----B-1-1 
Description of panel 1----------------------------------------B-1-2 
Description of folios---·--------------------------·----------B-1-~ 
A-----------------------•--------·-----------------------B-1-3 B--------------------------------------------------------B-1-5 
C-----------------·---------------------------·----------B-1-5 
D------------------------------·----------------------•--B-1-7 
E------------·------~------------------•-----------------B-1-9 
TABLES 
1. Correlation of beds in panel l----------------------------Fo11owing B-1-2 
1. 
Map of panel 1. 

2. 
Typical cross section in folio C. 


INTRODUCTION 
Panel 1 comprises 5 folios and covers the Nanticoke -Hanover s~ctor of the study area. 
The topography within the confines of the panel is shown on a map, scale 1 inch equals 2,000 feet, upon which the boundaries of the mines are superimposed. The Susquehanna River is shown in blue. The severity potentials of subsidence within the confines of the shoreline of the assumed flood crest, normally identified with the various types of mining including critical depth, are delineated by different patterns of markings and shown in red. A cross section, scale 1 inch equals 100 feet, through the center of folio C is shown as typical of the panel. These maps are i~cluded in this report. 
~e altitude of the shoreline of the assumed flood crest for the determination of the surface study area in this panel is 535 feet, which corresponds to altitude 541.67 feet, U. S. Coast & Geodetic Survey base. 
Correlation of beds in panel 1 is shown in table 1. 
B-1-1 

DESCRIPTION OF PANEL 1 
Panel 1, Nanticoke -Hanover sector, consisting of 5. folios, lies at the extreme western end of the study area in the Wyoming Basin. The Susquehanna River flows through the northern corner of the panel in a westerly direction. U. S . Route 111 with an approach to the Cross Valley bridge, and the D. L. &W. Railroad parallel the northern shore of the river. A Pennsylvania Railroad bridge and a highway bridge leading from U. S. Route ll to Nanticoke, spanning th~ Susquehanna River, appear in the panel. The Pennsylvania Railroad · traverses the central part of the panel in an east-west direction. 
Main Street, which is t he principal traffic artery between Nanticoke and Wilkes-Barre on the eastern side of the river, with ·· an approach to the Cross Valley bridge spanning the Susquehanna River, lies in the central part of the panel. The area covered by the , folio~ . in this panel comprises the greater part of the built-up area Qf Nanticoke . The remaining area is generally farm or undeveloped wasteland. 
Political subdivisions in the area are Nanticoke, particularly the major part of the built-up area; Plymouth and Hanover Townships; and a small part of Newport Township. 
Workings of portions of the No. 7, Avondale-Grand Tunnel, Loomis, and Truesdale mines are subjacent to the panel area covered by the five folios. 
B-1-2 

TABLE l. -Correlation o£ beds in panel l 
M I N E S 
General name Avondaleof bed No. 7 Loomis Truesdale Grand Tunnel 
No. 4--------------------No. 4---------------------------No. 5--------------------No. 5---------------------------
No . 6
No. 6-----------------------------------------------
Top George--Top George---------------·--------------------George------Bottom George George-----George---------------Abbott------OrChard------Abbott-----
Mills----.-.--. Mills--------:---Mills--------Mills'""--Mills.--------Hi 11 man-----Hi 11 man---..,,_-Hil.J..man---...., Hillman--.Hi l Jman----Lance-------Lance--------Baltimore--
Cooper------Cooper---------------------------------------
Forge-------Forge--------Forge---------------------------Top Twin----Top Twin-----Bottom Twin-Bottom Twin--Top Split of Top Ross----
Top Ross 
Top Ross----Middle Ross--Top Ross---Top Ross----Bottom Ross-Bottom Ross--Bottom Ross Bottom Ross-Ghauncey----Ghauncey-------------------------Chauncey----
Top Red Ash_-Top Lee-----------------_____,____ ------------Red Ash-----Lee----------Red Ash----Red Ash-----Bottom Lee--~ottom Lee--
.e 



DESCRIPTION OF FDLIOS 
Folio A 
The area of the surface that is subject to inundation from the assumed flood crest comprises 61 acres, all of which is river-levee area. The remaining 228 acres lie above the horizon of the assumed flood crest. 
A portion of Nanticoke occupies the entire plate area with the exception of a small part of Newport Township, which barely touches the western corner. The area is mainly undeveloped with the built• up portion, including part of the business district, being located along the eastern side. The Susquehanna River appears in the northern corner of the plate. 
The Sunbury Division of the Pennsylvania Railroad crosses the plate and includes the southern end of the landspans leading to the bridge across the river. Principal highways are one leading to the Susquehanna River bridge to meet Route ll at West Nanticoke, and another to Glen Lyon. 
Workings of the No. 7 mine underlie the entire plate area, 
Nine beds, having a combined thickness of 42 feet, have been mined to varying degrees of extraction. Workings in the uppermost bed in which mining was done, Forge, are at a mininrum depth of 203 feet below the surface, with a rock cover of 185 feet. However, workings in the Top and Bottom Twin beds, lying beneath the Forge bed stratigraphically, have been mined to a greater extent and are at mininrum depths of 96 and 80 feet below the surface, under rock covers of 57 and 64 feet, respectively. 
Workings in the bottom bed, Bottom Lee, are at a maximum depth of 626 feet below the surface. The Red Ash bed workings, lying stratigraphically above the Bottom Lee, have been mined to a greater extent than the Bottom Lee and are at a maxinrum depth of 681 feet below the surface, which is 173 feet below sea level. 
The pattern of mining established during first ffilnlng operations varies from regular to slightly irregular. Pillar widths vary from bed to bed, ranging from 22 to 52 feet on 45-to 70-foot centers. No safety pillars are present; however, scattered unmined areas remain in the Top Split of the Top Ross and Red Ash beds. The pillars remaining in all beds after first IDllllng are considered adequate for surface support. No backfill was placed in the voids created by first mining. 
Second mining was done in the Red Ash and Bottom Lee beds and certain areas in the Top Twin, Top Split of Top Ross, Top Ross, and Top Red Ash beds, wherein an unusually large percentage of coal was removed in first mining operations. In consideration of these conditions the areas have been classified as second mining. 
:B-1-3 
Although the pillars remaining are considered to be sufficiently 
strong to prevent their being crushed, the excessive roof areas ex
posed between the pillars will probably induce caving that may reach 
to the surface. No backfill was placed following second mining oper
ations. The subsidence hazard is increased in the Red Ash bed in the 
northern portion of the study area where mining was done under a rock 
cover of 19 to 50 feet. 
Third mining was done in the Top Twin, Top Split of Top Ross, Top Ross, Chauncey, Top Red Ash, Red Ash, and Bottom Lee beds, and subsidence may be expected therefrom. No backfill was placed after third mining. 
The Susquehanna River flows outside the crop line of the lowest · 
coalbed in this folio. 

The mined areas (second and third mining) in the uppermost bed, Top Red Ash, worked subjacent to the landspans of both the Pennsylvania Railroad bridge and the Luzerne County highway bridge are at minimum depths of 148 and 170 feet below the surface, under rock covers of 113 and 125 feet, respectively. 
The mined areas (second mining) in the Red Ash bed subjacent to the landspans of both the Pennsylvania Railroad bridge and the Luzerne County highway bridge are at minimum depths of 152 and 218 feet below the surface, under rock covers of 95 and 164 feet, respectively. 
Two serious breakthroughs from the alluvial deposits of the buried valley into the mine workings occurred in this area in the early days of mining; however, .neither were located in the study area. 
In 1885 a large body of quicksand and water broke into the workings of the Middle Ross bed of the No. 7 mine, Susquehanna Collieries Company, Nanticoke, Pa. The workings were filled with sand and water for a distance of 2,000 feet, killing 26 men. Before the inrush occurred it was thought the cover over the mine workings was 262 feet, of which 200 feet was solid rock. Subsequent drilling revealed the rock cover to be 48 feet, indicating a deep-rock gorge at this point. 
In 1899 the roof collapsed in an old breast driven 20 years previously in the Hillman bed, No. 7 mine. The cave-in occurred 1,200 feet from the site of the Middle Ross breakthrough. The workings were 127 feet below the surface, and the rock cover was believed to be 50 feet; however, the rock cover was proved later to be only 20 feet. Forge and Newport Creeks flowed into the cave until cut off by dams and fill material placed in the hole. 
B-1-4 

Folio B 
The area of the surface plate that is subject to inundation from the assumed flood crest comprises 3 acres, all of which is river-levee area. The remaining 286 acres lie above the altitude of the assume d flood crest. 
The plate area l i es wholly in Nanticoke City and comprises most of the residential and principal business areas of the city. The study area, however, lying in the northern corner of the plate, covers undeveloped wasteland. The Pennsylvania Railroad crosses the northern tip of the plate. Principal traffic arteries are highways to Route 11, via the Susquehanna River bridge; to Glen Lyon; and to the Middle Road between Nanticoke and Wilkes-Barre. 
Mine workings of portions of the No. 7 and Loomis mines are subjacent to the plate area; however, only the No. 7 workings underlie the study area. 
Six beds, having a combined thickness of 30.5 feet, have been mined to varying degrees of extraction. Workings in the uppermost bed in which mining was done , Forge, are at a minimum depth of 171 f eet below the surface, with a rock cove r of 151 feet. Workings in the bottom bed, Red Ash , are at a maximum depth of 929 feet below the surface, which is 359 feet below sea level. 
The pattern of mining established during first mining varies from regular to irregular. Pillar widths vary from bed to be d, ranging from 26 to 38 feet on 50-to 58-foot centers. There are no safety pillars present. Pillars remaining in all be ds after first mining except in a portion of the Red Ash bed are considered adequate for surface support. Subsidence, however, may develop from a portion of the Red Ash bed at the northeastern part of the study area, which was mined below a dept h of 864 feet, wher e ove rburden weight exceeds calculated safe pillar strength. No backfill was placed after first mining. 
Second mining was not done in any bed in this folio. 
Third mining was done in the Top Twin, Top Ross, and Chauncey beds, and subsidence may be expected therefrom. No backfill was pla.ced in the voids created by third mining. 
Folio C 
The area of the surface plate that is subject to inundation from the assumed flood crest comprises 230 acres, all of which is classified as river-levee area. The remaining 59 acres lie above the horizon of the assumed flood crest. 
B-1-5 
Nanticoke City and Plymouth Township occupy approximately equal parts of the plate area, lying in the southern and northern parts respectively. Hanover Township occupies a small area at the eastern corner. The major part of t he study area is in Nanticoke. · 
' ' 
The terrain in the plate area is mainly undeveloped except for small residential areas lying along Route 11, which traverses the northern part from east to west and generally marks the division between the study area and the higher ground in Plymouth Township. An approach to the Cross Valley bridge spanning the Susquehanna River is shown branching off from Route ll. The D. L. &W. Railroad closely parallels Route ll across the plate. The Susquehanna River crosses the central plate area from e ast to west; however, in the western part it lies outside the outcrop line of the lowest coalbed. The Pennsyivania Railroad bridge and the Luzerne County highway bridge spanning the river are located in the area outside the coal measures. 
Workings of parts of t he No. 7 and Avondale•Grand Tunnel mines underlie the study area. 
Eight beds, having a. ccmbined thickness of 40.5 or 44.5 feet, depending on whether or not"top coal was taken, have been mined to varying degrees of extraction. Workings in the uppermost bed, Forge, are . at a minimum depth of 230 feet below the surface, under a rock cover of 126 feet. Workings in the next two lower beds stratigraphically, Top and Bottom Twin, however, are mined over a greater area than the Forge bed and are at minimum depths below the surface of 216 and 102 feet, under rock covers of 98 and 65 feet, respectively. Workings in the bottom bed, Red Ash~ range from a minimum depth below the sur-... face of 18 feet along the outcrop, with a rock cover of ll feet, to a maximum depth b elow the surface of 671 feet, which is 162 feet below' sea level. 
The pattern of mining established during first mn1ng operations' is irregular in the two top beds and regular in the remainder. Pillar widths vary from bed to bed, ranging from 21 to 44 feet on 43-to 70foot centers. Safety pillars are not generally present; however, there is _one in the Chauncey bed, and s~attered unmined areas appear in the Bottom Twin and Red Ash beds. Pillars remaining in all beds after first mining are considered adequate to support the surface. Pothole subsidence may develop from areas in the Red Ash bed where first mining was done under a rock cover that varies from ll to 50 feet in the northern limit of mining. This area is subjacent to the intersection of the north and south lanes o£ U. S. Route ll. No back£ill was placed after first mining. 
Second mining was done in the Red Ash bed; and certain areas in the Top Ross, cpauncey, Top Red Ash, and Red Ash beds, wherein an unusually large percentage of coal was removed in first mining oper~tions, have been classified as second mining. Although the pillars remaining are considered t o be sufficiently strong to prevent their 
B-1-6 

being crushed, the excessive roof areas exposed between the pillars will probably induce caving that may reach to the surface. The subsidence potential in the Red Ash bed is aggravated where mining was done under a rock cover of 21 to 50 feet along the limits of mining in the northwestern portion of the mined area, which approaches within approximately 80 feet of the south bank of the river in the vicinity of the Pennsylvania Railroad bridge and the Luzerne County highway bridge. No backfill was placed in the voids created by second mining. 
Third mining was done in the Top Ross, Chauncey, Top Red Ash, · 
and Red Ash beds, and subsidence may be expected therefrom. No back
fill was placed after third mining. 

The Red Ash is the only bed in this folio mined subjacent to the Susquehanna River, and the workings are at a minimum depth of 169 feet below the riverbed, under a rock cover of 63 feet. 
The Pennsylvania Railroad bridge and the Luzerne County highway bridge, both spanning the Susquehanna River, lie outside the crop line of the Red Ash bed. 
The uppermost bed subjacent to the landspans of the Luzerne County highway bridge, Top Red Ash, is at a minimum depth of 155 feet below the surface, under a rock cover of 99 feet. The Top Red Ash bed was not mined subjacent to the landspans of the Pennsylvania Railroad bridge. 
Workings in the Red Ash bed subjacent to the landspans of the Pennsylvania Railroad bridge and the Luzerne County highway bridge are 94 and 93 feet below the surface, under rock covers of 30 and 23 feet, respectively. 
Folio D 
The area of the surface plate that is subject to inundation from the assumed flood crest comprises 182 acres, all of which is river~ levee area. The remaining 107 acres lie above the altitude of the assumed flood crest. 
Nanticoke City occupies the western portion of the plate area; Hanover Township occupies the eastern portion. A small part of the plate at the northern tip is in Plymouth Township. Approximately half of the plate surface area is either farmland or undeveloped wasteland; most of the study area lies in this portion. Residential areas of Nanticoke are located along Main Street, which is the principal highway to Wilkes-Barre,and along the southwestern border of the plate. 
The Susquehanna River crosses the northern corner of the plate; the Pennsylvania Railroad crosses the central part from east to west. 
B-1-7 

Principal highways are Main and Kosciuszko Str eets. A part of the intersection of Main Street and the Cross Valley bridge spanning the Susquehanna River appears in the e a stern corner of the plate. 
Workings of parts of the No. 7, Loomis, and Avondale-Grand Tunnel mines are subjacent to the study area. 
Ten beds, having a combined thickness of 60. 5 feet, have been mined to varying degrees of extraction. Workings in the uppermost bed, George , are at a minirrrum de:pth of 79 feet below the surface, under a rock cover of 63 feet. Workings in the bottom bed, Red Ash, are at a maximum depth of 1 , 199 feet below the surface, which is 663 feet below sea level. 
The pattern of mining est ablished during first mQnlng operations is regular in all beds except the Top and Bottom Twin where it is very irregular. Pillar widths vary from bed to bed, ranging from 20 to 61 feet on 40-to SO-foot centers. Safety pillars or unmined areas are present to some degree in all beds except the George, Forge, Bottom Twin, and Bottom Ross, where none exist. Pillars remaining after first mining in all beds except portions of the Bottom Ross and Red Ash are considered adequate to support the surface. Subsidence may be expected from bed areas that were mined beyond depths where overburden weight exceeds calculated safe pillar strength, namely, in the Bottom Ross bed below 787 feet, and in the Red Ash b ed below 883 feet in the No. 7 mine and 1,171 feet i n the Loomis mine. However, none of these areas are subjacent to the river. Backfill after first mining was placed only in an area of 7 acres in the Red Ash bed that is not subjacent to the Susquehanna River. This backfill will have l ittle effect in minimizing the subsidence potential. 
Certain areas in the George bed, wherein an unusually large percentage of coal was removed in first mining op erations, have been classified as second mining. Although the pillars remaining are considered t o be sufficiently strong to prevent their being crushed, the excessive roof areas exposed between the pillars will probably induce caving that may reach to the surface. No other second mining condition exi sts in this folio. No backfi l l was placed after second mining. 
Third mining was done in the Top Twin, Top Ross, Chauncey, and Red Ash beds, and subsidence may be expected therefrom. No backfill was placed in the voids created by third mining. 
Workings in the Top Ross bed, the uppermost bed mined subjacent to the Susquehanna River, are at a minimum depth of 449 feet below the riverbed, under a rock cover of 331 feet. The rock interval to the next underlying bed, Bottom Ross, i s 30 feet. 
The mined area in the George bed subjacent to the intersection of Main Street and the east ern end of the landspans of the Cross Valley bridge is at a minimum depth of 114 feet below the surface, under a rock cover of 87 feet . The rock interval to the next under• lying bed, Mills, is 187 feet . 
B-1-8 
Folio E 
The area of the surface plate that is subject to inundation from the assumed flood crest comprises 61 acres, all of which is river-levee area. The remaining 228 acres lie above ~he horizon of the assumed flood crest. 
Nanticoke City occupies the western portion of the plate, and Hanover Township occupies the eastern portion. The area is undevel
oped except for a small residential area of Nanticoke bordering on Kosciuszko Street. Main Street, the principal highway between Nanticoke and Wilkes-Barre, including a portion of the approach ramps to the Cross Valley bridge spanning the Susquehanna River, crosses the extreme northern tip of the surface plate. Espy Run and Nanticoke Creek cross the study area, which covers the undeveloped nor
thern and central parts of the plate. Although a small area, 4 acres, at the northern corner containing Main Street and the Cross Valley bridge ramps rises slightly above the altitude of the assumed flood crest, it is included in the study area because it is surrounded by it. 
Workings of parts of the Loomis and Truesdale mines are subjacent to the folio surface area; the study area, however, overlies the Loomis mine. 
Nine beds, having a combined thickness of 51 or 58 feet, depending on whether or not top coal was taken, have been mined to varying degrees of extraction. Workings in the uppermost bed, George, are at a minimum 
depth of 145 feet below the surface, under a rock cover of 110 feet. Workings in the bottom bed, Red Ash, are at a maximum depth of 1,422 
feet below the surface, whiCh is 888 feet below sea level. 
The pattern of mining established during first nun~ng operations 
is regular in all beds. Pillar widths vary from bed to bed, ranging 
from 24 to 72 feet on 50-to 90-foot centers. Safety pillars are 
present on regular intervals in all beds except the George, where 
there are three small ones. Pillars remaining after first mining in 
all beds except in portions of the Top and Bottom Ross and Red Ash 
are considered adequate to support the surface. Subsidence, however, 
may be expected from bed areas that were mined below depths where 
overburden weight exceeds calculated safe pillar strength, such as in 
the Top Ross and Red Ash beds below 1,171 feet, and in portions of the 
Bottom Ross bed below 1,133 feet. This area in the Red Ash bed is 
subjacent to the approach ramp from Main Street to the Cross Valley 
bridge. The subsidence potential is increased by thin rock strata 
of 5 to 37 feet and noncolumnar placement of pillars in the Top and 
Bottom Ross beds. Neither of these beds were mined subjacent to the 
Cross Valley bridge. No backfill was placed in the voids created by 
first mining. 
No second mining was done in any bed in this folio. 
B-1-9 
Third mining was done only in the George bed, and subsidence may be expected therefrom. No backfill was placed after third mining. 
The uppermost bed, George, first mined subjacent to the intersection of Main Street and the eastern approach to the Cross Valley bridge is at a minimum depth of 145 feet below the surface, with a minimum rock cover of 110 feet. The next underlyi~ bed, Abbott, is not mined subjacent to this point. The rock interval to the next underlying bed mined, Mills, is 189 feet. 
B-1-10 

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Match Li ne For Fo llo 1-0-"' 
PANEL 2 
PLYMOUTH -HANOVER SECTOR 

CONTENTS 
Page 
Introduction--------------------------------------------------B-2-1 
Description of panel 2----------------------------------------B-2-2 
Description of folios-----------------------------------------B-2-3 
A--------------------------------------------------------B-2-3 
B--------•-----------------------------------------------B-2-4 
C--------------------------------------------------------B-2-5 
D--------------------------------------------------------B-2-6 
E--------------------------------------------------------B-2-7 
F--------------------------------------------------------B-2-8 
G--------------------------------------------------------B-2-10 
H--------------------------------------------------------B-2-11 
!-------------------------------·------------------------B-2-12 
J--------------------------------------------------------B~1-13 
K--------------------------------------------------------B-2-15 

L-------------------------------•------------------------B-2-16 
M--------------------------------------------------------B-2-18 
TABLES 
1. Correlation of beds in panel 2----------------------------Fo11owing B-2-2 
FIGURES 
1. 
Map of panel 2. 

2. 
Typical cross section in f olio K. 


INTRODUOI'ION 
Panel 2 comprises 13 folios and covers the Plymouth -Hanover sector of the study area. 
The topography within the confines of the panel is shown on a map, scale 1 inch equals 2,000 feet, upon which the boundaries of the mines are superimposed. Pertinent features, such as the Susquehanna River and flood-protection levees, including associated structures, are shown in blue and green, respectively. The green rectangles in the outline of the levees indicate pumping stations. The severity potentials of subsidence within the confines of the shoreline of the assumed flood crest normally identified with the various types of mining, including critical depth, are delineated by different patterns of markings and are shown in red. A cross section, scale 1 inch equals 100 feet, through the center of folio K is shown as typical of the panel. These maps are included in this report. 
The altitude of the shoreline of the assumed flood crest for the determination of the surface study area in this panel is 540 feet, which corresponds to altitude 546.67 feet, U. S. Coast & Geodetic Survey base. 
Correlation of beds in panel 2 is shown in table 1. 
B-2-1 
DESCRIPTION OF PANEL 2 
Panel 21 Plymouth -Hanover sector, consisting of 13 folios, 
lies in the western portion of the area under study in the Wyoming Basin. The Susquehanna River courses t hrough the central part of the panel in a southwesterly direction. U. S. Route ll roughly parallels the shoreline of the assumed flood crest on the northern side of the river. The D. L. &W. and Pennsylvania Railroads traverse the panel on the northern and sout hern sides of the Susquehanna River, respec
tively. The Cross Valley and Breslau highway bridges and the D. L. & 
W. Railroad bridge spanning the Susquehanna River are shown. 
Appearins in the panel are the Plymouth levee, with Wadham's and Brown's Creeks pumping stations; a portion of the Wilkes-Barre -Hanover Township levee, with Solomon's Creek and the Delaney Street pumping stations; the Br eslau levee; and Solomon's Creek impounding 
basin. 
Municipalities in -he area of the panel include the major part 
of Plymouth Borough and portions of Plymouth and Hanover Townships. The principal residential areas are Plymouth Borough, appearing in the northern corner of t he panel, and Lyndwood, Buttonwood, and Han
over Green residential areas of Hanover Township, appearing along the eastern part. The terrain in the central part of the panel adjacent to the Susquehanna River is mainly wasteland, or farmland. 
Workings of portions of the Avondale-Grand Tunnel, Nottingham, Nottingham-Buttonwood, Gaylord, Loomis, Inman, Lance, and South Wilkes-Barre mines are subjacent to the panel. The boundary between the Lance and Nottingham mines is shown out side the confines of this panel; however, because of of fset barrier pillars between these two 
mines, the upper beds in parts of folios K, L, and M down to and including the Bottom Balt: more were mined from the Lance mine while the beds below the Bottom Baltimore were mined from the Nottingham mine. 
B-2-2 
e e 

~1. -CorreJ.ation ar beda 1n panel 2 
K I: 11 E s 
~neral name Avondale-Nottingham-South of bed. Grand. Tunnel Loomis Inman Nottiru<bam Buttonwood. Lance W1lkes-Ba~ Gayl.ord 
__.._____ 
No. 2---------No. 
2---------------------------------·------------------------------No. 3-----No.3--No. 6------------~--J---------------------------------No. ), l'lo. 4-------------
No.5-----------------------------------No. ; Overlap-No. ; Overlap ------------------------------------------------------l'o. 5------l'lo. 5-----No. 
4--------------------------------------------------------------------
No. 6 ----No.6----No. 
3----:---------------------------------------------------------------
George George------------Abbott-----Abbott Abbott-------------------Abbott---------Abbott-----Abbott--------Kidney Mills--Mills Kidney----
---------------Kidney-------Kidney------Kidney------Kidney----
R11Jman R111man----R111man------Hillman--
Fi1lmm 
R111man-R111mzm--RD 1man-------------------
Stanton Cooper--~t1more--Stanton----Stanton-------Stanton--~
----------------Stanton---Five :Foot---lleJ:mett--Forge--:Five Foot-------F1ve Foot-----F1ve Foot-----:Five :Foot Lance----Top llal.tilDore---Top llal.t1more Top Baitilllore--Top llal.tilllore--Top llal.tilllore--Top llal.t1more--Cooper-
!l'rln---Bal.t1more---:Bottom llal.thlore :Bottom llal.t1more :Bottom Ba.ltilllore :Bottom Bal.t1more Bennett--
llottom llal.tilnore Forg 
._._.____ 
Top Boss To,p Boss--Top lmss-Top Boss ---------------------------------------~----------;Bottom Boss-----Bottom Jmss-:Bottom llos.s-:Bottom Ross----------------------------------:Bottom Ross ---Top Red Ash-.-
Top Rea Ash-----------------------------------·----· 
Red Ash-·
R.ea Ash----Red As~Bed Ash---Red. Ash--

~ '' ·.... 
DESCRIPTION OF FDLIOS 
Folio A 
The area of the surface plate that is subject to inundation 
from the assumed flood crest comprises 201 acres, all of which is 
river-levee area. The remaining 88 acres lie above the horizon of 
the assumed flood crest. 

The terrain in the study area, all of which is in Plymouth Township, is mainly undeveloped flatland containing swamps, culm banks, and some farmland. The Susquehanna River touches the southern corner of the plate. U. s. Route ll and the D. L. &W. Railroad skirt the northwestern edge of the study area. Radio tower for WNAK and the interchange connections between Route ll and the Cross Valley bridge, including a part of the bridge spanning the Susquehanna River, are located in the study area. Workings of parts of the Avondale-Grand Tunnel mine are subjacent to the study area. 
Three beds, having a combined thickness of 33.5 feet, have been mined to varying degrees of extraction. Workings in the uppermost bed, Top Ross, are at a minimum depth of 161 feet below the surface, under a minimum rock cover of 84 feet. Workings in the bottom bed, Red Ash, are at a maximum depth of 715 feet below the surface, which is 215 feet below sea level. 
The pattern of mining established during first m1n1ng operations varies from regular in the upper bed to irregular in the two lower beds. Pillar widths vary from bed to bed, ranging from 24 to 46 feet on 45-to 70-foot centers. There are no safety pillars present; however, scattered unmined areas are present in the bottom bed, Red Ash, which provide a stabilizing effect. The pillars remaining in all 
~ebeds after first mining are considered adequate to support the 
surface. Backfill was not placed in quantity sufficient to aid in 
the support of the surface. 
Certain areas in the Red Ash bed, wherein an unusually large percentage of coal was removed in first mining operations, have been classified as second mining. Although the pillars remaining are considered to be sufficiently strong to prevent their being crushed, excessively wide roof areas exposed between the pillars will probably induce cavings that may reach to the surface. Backfill was not placed in quantity sufficient to deter or prevent subsidence. 
There was no third mining in beds constituting this folio. The Top Ross bed was not worked in the area subjacent to the Susquehanna River; hence, the Bottom Ross bed is the uppermost bed mined under the river and Cross Valley bridge, with workings (first mining) at a minimum depth of 456 feet below the riverbed, under a minimum rock cover of 345 feet. Workings in the Red Ash bed (first mining) subjacent to the river and Cross Valley bridge are both at a m1n1mum depth of 694 feet below the streambed, with a rock cover of 597 feet. 
B-2-3 
Folio B 
The total area of the surface plate, 289 acres, lies wholly in 
the river-levee area and is, therefore, subject to possible inunda
tion from the assumed flood crest. 

Portions of Plymouth and Hanover Townships occupy the northern 
and southern parts of the plate, respectively. The Susquehanna River 
crosses the plate from east to west. A portion of the Cross Valley
bridge spanning the river appears at the western corner of the plate.
The Pennsylvania Railroad roughly parallels the south shore of the 
Susquehanna River. River Road, the main traffic artery between 
Wilkes-Barre and Nanticoke, traverses the southern 

corner of the plate.
The remaining surface area is mainly farmland. Workings of parts of 
the Avondale-Grand Tunnel and Loomis mines are subjacent to the study 
area. 
Eight beds, having a combined thickness of 55 feet, have been 
mined to varying degrees of extraction. Workings in the uppermost
bed, George, are at a minimum depth of 78 feet below the surface, 
under a minimum rock cover of 73 feet . Workings in the bottom bed,
Red Ash, are at a maximum depth of 1,295 feet below the surface,
which is 760 feet below sea level. 

The pattern of mining established during first ffilnlng operations
is regular in all beds, except where the Top and Bottom Ross beds 
were mined together; here, it is slightly irregular. Pillar widths 
vary from bed to bed, ranging from 21 to 59 feet on 40-to 80-foot 
centers. Safety pillars are present to some degree in all beds 
except the Abbott, Top Ross, and Bottom Ross. Pillars remaining in all beds after first mining, except the Red Ash, are considered adequate to support the surface. There is a small mined area where the Top and Bottom Ross beds were mined together, which lies below a depth of 960 feet, where overburden weight exceeds calculated safe pillar strength.However, this limited area is well-buttressed with unmined areas and is not considered to present a subsidence hazard. Subsidence, how
ever, may be expected from areas in the Red Ash bed that were mined below a depth of 998 feet, where overburden weight exceeds calculated safe pillar strength. Backfill was not placed in quantity sufficient 
to deter or effectually minimize subsidence. 
Certain areas in the Abbott, Five Foot, and Red Ash beds, where
in an unusually large percentage of coal was removed in first miningoperations, have been classified as second mining. Although the pillars remaining are considered to be sufficiently strong to prevent
their being crushed, excessivel y wide roof areas exposed between the pillars will probably induce cavings that may reach to the surface. No backfill was placed in the voids created by this type of mining. 
Third mining was done in the George and Abbott beds, and subsidence may be expected therefrom. No backfill was placed in the voids created by third mining. 
B-2-4 
Workings in the Kidney bed (first mining) j whic:h is the upper:.. most bed that was mined subjacent to the Susquehanna Riverj are at a minimum depth of 181 feet below the riverbed, with a minimum rock cover of 110 feet. Workings in the Kidney bed (first mining) subjacent to the Cross Valley bridge are at a mini mum depth of 228 feet below the surface, with a rock cover of 137 feet. Workings in the Hillmar. bed (first mining) subjacent to the Susquehanna River and ~ross Valley bridge are at a minimum depth of 222 feet below the riverbedj with a rock cover of 101 feet. Workings in the stratigraphically lower beds (first mining) subjacent to the river and bridge are either at depths lower than those previously mentioned, or are nonexistent . 
Folio C 
The area of the surface plate that is subject to possible inundation from the assumed flood crest comprises 114 acres, all of which is in the river-levee area. The remaining 175 acres lie abov e the horizon of the ass-Qffied flood crest. 
A portion of Hanover Township oc~~pies the entire plate area. The surface plant of the Loomis mine, Glen Alden Corporation, is lo~ cated in the central part of the plate. Loomis Park, a residential development for employees of the Loomis mine, appears in the southern corner. Main and Dundee Roads are the principal highways. The terrain in the study area is mainly undeveloped. 1/lorkings of parts of the Avondale-Grand Tunnel and Loomis mines are subjacent to the study area . 
Thirteen beds, having a combined thickr1ess of 69 or 78 feet, depending on whether or not top coal was taken downj have been mined to varying degrees of extraction. Workings in the uppermost bed, No. 4, are at a minimum depth of 56 feet below the surface, with a minimum rock cover of 32 feet; however, workings in the No. 5 bed, lyi ng stratigraphically beneath the No. 4 bed, are at a minimum depth of 48 feet below the surface, with a minimum rock cover of 25 f eet. Workings in the bottom bed, Red Ash, are at a maximum depth of 1,370 feet below the surface, which is 849 feet below sea level. The Bottom Ross bed, although lying stratigraphically above the Red Ash bed, has been worked to a depth of 1,422 feet below the surface, which is equivalent to 867 feet below sea level. 
The pattern of mining established during first ffilnlng is regular 
i n all beds except in the No. 4 and Bottom Ross where it is slightly i rregular. Pillar widths vary from bed to bed, ranging from 24 to 60 feet on 40.-to 80-foot centers. Safety pillars are not present i n the four upper beds, but are elsewhere generally present on regular 
i ntervals. 
Pillars rema1r11ng after first ffilmng in the Nos . 4, 5, and 6, 
George, Abbott, Kidney, Hillman, and Stanton beds are considered adequate to support the surface. However, the rock cover over the Nos. 4 and 5 b~ds along the outer limits of mining ranges from 32 to 
B-2-5 

37 feet and 25 to 50 feet, respectively, and is considered inadequate 4lt 
and creating an area having positive subsidence potentials. In one 
place just outside the study area, 40 feet distant from the face of · 
the workings, the rock cover over the No. 5 bed is only 2 feet thick. 
Subsidence, however, may be expected from first-mined areas that were 
worked below depths at wh ' ch overburden weight exceeds calculated 
safe pillar strength. Such areas are as follows : In the Five Foot 
bed, that part of the bed area that lies below ·l,037 feet; in the 
Bottom Baltimore bed, the entire mining area that lies below 922 feet; 
in the Top Ross bed, the entire mining area that lies below 1,190 
feet; in the Bottom Ross bed, the entire mining area that lies below 
1,056 feet; and in the Red Ash bed, the entir e mining area that lies 
below 11 229 feet. Thin rock interval, 20-40 feet, and improper column
ization of the pillars between the Top and Bottom Ross beds increase 
the subsidence potential. No backfill was placed in the voids created by first mining. 
Certain areas in the George and Abbott beds~ wherein an ·unusuallylarge percentage of coal was removed in first mining operations, have been classified as second mining. Although the pillars remaining are considered to be sufficiently strong to prevent their being crushed, excessively wide roof areas exposed between the pillars will probably
induce cavings that may reach to the surface. No backfill was placed
in the voids created by second mining. 
Third mining was done in the No. 5, George, and Abbott beds, and subsidence can be expected therefrom. No backfill was placed in the voids created by third mining. 
Folio D 
The area of the surface plate that is subject to inundation from the assumed flood crest comprises 150 acres, all of which lie in the river-levee area. The remaining 139 acres lie above the horizon of the assumed flood crest. 
A portion of Plymouth Township occupies the entire plate area. 
The shoreline of the assumed flood crest crosses the central portionof the plate from east to west, running approximately parallel to and along the northwesterly side of U. S. Route 11. The D. L. &W. 
Railroad, including the Hanover yards, lies in the study area. There 
are a few private dwellings along U. S. Route 11 and in the eastern part of the study area, known locally as the Plymouth Flats. The remainder of the terrain in the study area is undeveloped. Workingsof portions of the Avondale-Grand Tunnel and Nottingham mines are subjacent to the study area. 
Two beds, having a combined thickness of 27 feet, have been mined to varying degrees of extraction. Workings in the uppermost bed, Bottom Rosp1 are under a minimum rock cover of 71 feet at a point of 
B-2-6 
outcrop on the surface. Workings in the bottom bed, Red Ash, are 
at a maximum depth of 507 feet below the surface, which is 11 feet 
above sea level. 
The pattern of mini ng established during first mining varies 
from irregular to slightl y irregular in the Avondale-Grand Tunnel 
mine and from irregular to regular in the Nottingham mine. Pillar 
widths vary from 26 to 36 feet on 50-to 60-foot centers . There are 
a few scattered safety pillars and unmined areas on an irregul ar 
pattern mainly in the Avondale-Grand Tunnel mine. 
Pillars remaining after first mining are considered to have ad
equate strength to support the surface. No backfill was placed in 
the voids created by first mining. 

Certain areas in the Bottom Ross and Red Ash beds, wherein an unusually large percentage of coal was removed in first mining operations, have been cl assif i ed as second mining, Although t h e pillars remaining are considered to be suff iciently strong to prevent t heir being crushed, excessively wide roof areas exposed between the pillars will probably induce cavings that may reach to the surface . Backfill 
was placed in approxi mately 18 p ercent of t he mine voids , which may 
lessen the subsidence potential in these parti cul ar areas . 
No third mining was done in this folio. 
Fol io E 
The total area of the surface plate, 289 acres, is river-levee area, which is subject to inundation from the assumed flood crest. The entire area lies in Plymouth Township, except for a smal l part in the southern corner of the pl ate that lies i n Hanover Township. 
The Susquehanna River crosses the study area along the southeastern edge of the plate . A branch of the D. L. & W. Railroad, including a Susquehanna River bridge, crosses the plate from northwest to southeast. The terrain is undeveloped ri~er-bottom land used as farmland. Workings of the Avondale-Grand Tunnel, Nottingham, and Nottingham-Buttonwood mines are subjacent to the study area. 
Seven beds, having a combined thickness of 63. 5 feet, have been mined to varying degrees of extraction. Workings in the uppermost bed, Kidney, are at a minimum depth of 223 feet below the surface, under a rock cover of 123 feet. Workings in the bottom bed, Red Ash, are at a maximum depth of 1,139 feet below the surface, which is 635 feet below sea level. 
The pattern of mining established during first mln1ng operations is regular in all beds except the Bottom Baltimore where it is slightly irregular. Pillar widths vary from bed to bed, ranging from 24 to 56 
B-2-7 
feet on 50-to 80-foot centers. Safety pillars are present to some 
degree in all beds except in the Top Baltimore where there are none. 
Pillars remaining in all beds after first mining, except in the Red 
Ash, are considered adequate to support the surface. Subsidence 
may be expected from areas in the Red Ash bed that lie below a criti
cal depth of 11 037 feet, where overburden weight exceeds calculated 
safe pillar strength. This area underlies the Susquehanna River. 
Backfill was not placed · n quantity sufficient to aid in the support 
of the surface. 
No second mining was done in beds covered by this folio. 
Third mining was done only in the Bottom Ross bed, and subsidence may be expected therefrom. Backfill placed in the voids ~reated by third mining will tend to minimize subsidence attributable to this type of mining. 
Workings in the Kidney bed (first mining) adj a cent t o the D, L. &W. Railroad bridge and subjacent to the Susquehanna River are at a minimum depth of 266 feet below the riverbed, with a rock cover of 223 feet. Workings in the Hillman bed ( first mining) subjacent to the D. L. & W. Railroad bridge and the Susquehanna River are at :rn::nirtrum depths of 290 and 293 feet bel ow the riverbed, with rock covers of 183 and 204 feet, respective_y. Workings in the st ratigraphically lower beds are at greater depths than those listed above or are nonexistent. 
Folio F 
The area of the surface plate that i s subject t o inundation from the assumed flood crest comprises 69 acres-" all of which is riverlevee area. The remaining 220 acres lie above the altitude of the assumed flood crest. 
The terrain in the study area is mainly undeveloped except for the presence of the Nant~coke power plant of the Glen Alden Corpora• tion and the roadbeds of the Pennsylvania Railroad and a branch of the D. L. &W. Railroad. The south shore of the Sus quehanna River, including a D. L. &W. Railroad bridge, appears along the northwest boundary of the plate. Hanover Green, a portion of Hanover Township, Hanover Cemetery, and River Road and Ashl ey Streets are located in the surface area lying above the horizon of the assumed flood crest. Workings of parts of the Avondale-Grand Tunnel, Loomis, Nottingham, and Nottingham-Buttonwood mines are subjacent to the study area. 
Nine beds, having a combined thickness of 52 or 60.5 feet, depending on whether or not top coal was taken down, have been mined to varying degrees of extraction. Workings in the uppermost bed, No. 51 are at a minimum depth of 48 feet below the surface, under a rock cover of 42 feet; however, less than l acre of the No. 5 bed was mined in the study area of this folio. Workings in the next underlying bed, George, are at a minimum depth of 224 feet below the 
B-2-8 

surface, under a rock cover of 176 feet. Workings in the bottom 
bed, Red Ash, are at a maximum depth of 1,365 feet below the surface. The Bottom Ross bed, although lying stratigraphically above the Red Ash, has been mined to a depth of 1,456 feet below the surface, which 
is 892 feet below sea level. 
The pattern of mining established during first mlnlng op eratior:s '
is regular. Pillar widths vary from bed to bed, ranging from 26 to 60 feet on 50-to 80-foot centers. Safety pillars are present on regular intervals in the Kidney and Hillman beds in the Loomis mine, and in the Hillman bed in the Avondale-Grand Tunnel mine. Elsewhere, they are few in number or are nonexistent. Pillars remaining after first mining in the George, Abbott, and Kidney beds are considered adequate to support the surface. Subsidence, however, may be expected from bed areas that were mined below depths where overburden weight 
exceeds calculated safe pillar strength, namely: Hillman bed, below 
845 feet; Fi~e Foot and Bottom Baltimore beds, below 883 f eet; Bottom 
Ross bed, below 960 feet; and Red Ash bed, below 1,210 feFt . Parts 
of these areas in the Bottom Ross and Red Ash beds underlie the Sus
quehanna River. Backfill after first mining in the Fiv~ Foot and 
Bottom Bal-timore beds was not placed in quantity sufficient to deter 
or effectively minimize subsidence. 
Certain areas in the Abbott bed, wherein an unusually large percentage of coal was removed in first mining ope_rations, have been classified as second mining. Although the pillars remaining are considered to be sufficiently strong to prevent their being crushed, excessively wide roof areas exposed between the pillars will probably 
induce cavings that may reach to the surface . No backfill was pl'aced 
in the voids created by this type of mining. 
Third mining was done in less than 1 acre in the No . 5 and Abbott beds, and subsidence may be expected therefrom. The subsidence potential from mining in the No. 5 bed is aggravated by thin rock cover of 42 feet. No backfill was placed in the voids created by third mining. 
Workings in the uppermost bed that was mined subjacent to both the Susquehanna River and D. L. &W. Railroad bridge, Kidney (first mining), are at a minimum depth of 213 feet below the bed of the 
river, under a minimum rock cover of 186 feet. Workings in the Hill
man bed (first mining) subjacent -to the Susquehanna River and the 
D. L. &W. Railroad bridge are at minimum depths of 259 and 332 
feet, with rock covers of 178 and 299 feet, respectively. Workings 
in the stratigraphi-cally lower beds subjacent to the Susquehanna 
River and the D. L. &W. Railroad bridge are at greater depths than 
those listed above or are nonexistent. 
B-2-9 
Folio G 
The area of the surface plate that is subject t o inundation from the assumed flood crest comprises 132 acres, of which 66 are flood plain and 66 are river-levee area. The Plymouth levee divides the study area in half, r oughly on a north-south axisj however, a small part of the levee, including the Wadham's Creek pumping station, appears in the eastern corner. The area on the l and side of the levee and protected by it is flood plainj the unprotected pa rt i$ river-levee area. The flood plain area is subject to possible inundation from the assumed flood crest in case of f a ilures in the floodprotection system. The remaining 157 acres lie above the horizon of the assumed flood crest. 
Plymouth Borough lies in the eastern and central portions of the plate and occupies the majo r part of the area . The remainder, in the western part of the plate, lies in Plymouth Township . The built-up area of Plymouth Borough generally lies above the horizon of the assumed flood crest, except for a portion along Main Street, 
U. S. Route 11, i n the eastern part of t h e plate and the low-lying area known locally as Flat Road. Elsewhere~ the terrain in the st'.ldy area is undeveloped. The D. L. & W. Railroad traverses the study area from northeast to southwest. Workings of parts of the Nottingham mine are subjacent to the study area. 
Two beds, having a combined thickness of 29 feet, have been mined to varying degrees of extraction. Workings in the uppermost bed, Bottom Ross, are at a minimum depth of 142 feet below ~he surface, under a rock cover of 120 feet . Workings in the bot~om bed, Red Ash, are at a maximum depth of 480 feet below the surface, which is 50 feet above sea level. 
The pattern of mining established during first mlnlng operations varies from slightly irregular to irregular. Pillar width is 21 feet on 45-foot centers. Scattered safety pillars and unmined areas are present in an irregular pattern. First-mining conditions are found only in the Bottom Ross bed, and the pillars remaining are consider ed adequate to support t he surface. No backfill was placed in the voids created by first mining. 
Certain areas in both beds in this folio~ wherein an unusually large percentage of coal was removed in first mining operations, have been classified as second mining. Although the pillars remaining are considered to be sufficiently strong to prevent their being crushed, the excessive rodf areas exposed between the pillars will probably induce cavings that may reach to the surface . No backfill was placed in the Bottom Ross bed after second miningj however, approximately 40 percent of the second-mined area in the Re d Ash bed was backfilled, which will tend to lessen the subsidence hazard. 
No third mining was done in the beds covered by this folio. 
B-2-10 
The mined area in the Bottom Ross bed (second mining) subja cen+, to the Plymouth levee is at a minimum dep~h of 247 feet below thP surface, under a minimum rock cover of 132 feet . Workings ( fi r.st mining) lying under the Wadham' s Creek pumping station are a-t a depth of 338 feet below the surface, unde r a ro::-k c·over of 198 fe<::~,. The rock interval to the next underlying bed, Red Ash, is 1 36 feet . Work~ ings in the Red Ash bed are at greater depths than listed above. 
Folio H 
The total area of the surface plate, 289 a cres, is su.bjecf:. to inundation from the assumed flood e:rest, of wr.ich 60 a cres are flood plain and 229 are river-levee area. The flood plain would ·be inundated in case of failures in the Hanover ::::'o'Wrlship portion of ~-he flood-protection system of levees. Plymouth and Hanover Townahips occupy the greater part of the stu.i y area)) with a small par. of Plyrno~th Borough appearing in the northern ~orn.er. Tt1e H.I:". queha~~a F:1ver crosses the study area from northeast to s o·..:..t h. Po~' ~-:. ,)L:o 0 1-~;L, I · l;trr··-.·:-~1-~ a r_:i Wilkes-Barre -Hanover Township levees and a part of' the Solon. ..;n' a Creek impounding basin are located in the s·l:.udy area. 'Ibe rema:.nder of the terrain is undeveloped. Workings of the No-:;tingl:am a nd ~::>tt:.r.gham~ Buttonwood mines are subja,~ent to ::he t;i_;udy a"!:·ea. 
Seven beds, having a combined thickness of 48 (;r 61 feet, deper.ding on whether or not top coal was t aken dow.!:-.9 :r.avt:o been mi::.ed. to varying degrees of extraction. Workings in the \lppermost bed, :t:illman, are at a minimum depth of 201 feet below +.;he surface, under a rock cover of 71 feet. Workings in the bottom ·bed, Eed Ash, are at a max~mum depth of 938 feet below the surface, wh'ich ia 436 fet:-:J 1>t:l:::M sea level. 
The pattern of :rm.r.~ng established during first mining L regtA.lar in all beds except the Five Foot and Top BaE.imore where i~_ is slightly irregular. Pillar widths vary from bed to bed, rar~ging from 24 to 36 feet on 50-to 60~foot centers. There are no saf~ty pillars ~n the two top beds, Hillman and Stanton; however, a total of only 3 a cres were mined in these beds. Safety pillars are present in the r:.v e remaining beds in the folio, gener a lly on irregular intervals . Pillars remaining in all beds after first mi.ning are ~onsidered adequate to support the surface. Backfill was placed in approximately 2 5 percent of the area first mined; it will furnish some additional su~port to the pillars. 
Certain areas in the Red Ash bed, wherein an unusually large percentage of coal was removed in first mining operations, have been classified as second mining. Although the pillars remaining are con~ sidered to be sufficiently strong to prevent their being crushed, excessively wide roof areas exposed between t he pillars w::.ll probably induce cavings that may reach to the surface. Second mi::ing wa s not done elsewhere in the folio. Backftll was not placed a f t er sE:cond mining in quantity sufficient to deter or effe~tively minimize su.b~ sidence. 
B-2-11 
Third mining was done in the Bottom Baltimore and Bottom Ross 
beds, and subsidence may be expected therefrom. Backfill after 
third mining was not placed in quantity sufficient to deter or effec
tively minimize subsidence . The western end of the Plymouth levee 
is located over a third mined and partly backf illed area in the 
Bottom Ross bed that has a moderate subsidence potential. 

The areas in the Hillman and Five Foot beds subjacent to the Susquehanna River are at depths below the bed of the river of 201 and 208 feet, under minimum rock covers of 71 and 60 feet, respectively. The Stanton bed, lying stratigraphically between the Hillman and Five Foot beds, is mined to very little extent i n this folio (l acre) and the mined area is not subjacent to the river. The rock strata between the Five Foot and the underlying Top Baltimore bed varies from 7 td 15 feet. The area in the uppermost bed, Five Foot, that was mined subjacent to the Wilkes-Barre -Hanover Township levee is at a minimum depth of 238 feet below the surface, with a minimum rock cover of 73 feet. The area in the Bottom Ross bed, the uppermost bed t hat was mined sU:b= jacent to the Plymouth levee, is at a minimum depth below the surface of 326 feet, under a minimum rock cover of 196 feet. Workings in the stratigraphically lower beds are at greater depths than those listed above. 
Folio I 
The area of the surface plate that is subject to inundation from the assumed flood crest comprises 97 acres, of which 72 are flood plain and 25 river-levee area. The remaining 192 acres occupy higher ground. The flood plain would be inundated in case of failure in the Hanover Township portion of the flood-protection system of levees . The shore~ line of the assumed flood crest crosses the plate roughly from east to west. The Susquehanna River touches the western portion of the plate, with the western end of the Wilkes-Barre -Henover Township levee, Solomon's Creek pumping station, and a portion of the impound~ 
ing basin appearing in the west-central and northern part. The entire plate area lies in Hanover Township. With the exception of the Pennsylvania Railroad and a small part of the Wilkes~Barre -Hanover Township levee, the entire study area is undeveloped. Residential areas of Buttonwood, Korn Krest, and Hanover Green +ie in the area above the altitude of the assumed flood crest. Workings of portions of the Nottingham, Nottingham-Buttonwood, and Loomis mines underlie the study area. 
Ten beds, having a combined thickness of 68 or 84.5 feet, depending on whether or not top coal was taken down, have been mined to varying degrees of extraction. Workings in the uppermost bed, Abbott, are at a minimum depth of 85 feet below the surface, under a rock cover of 46 feet. Workings in the bottom bed, Red Ash, are at a maximum depth of 1,272 feet below the surface, which is 692 feet below sea level. 
B-2-12 
The pattern of mining established during first mlnlng is regular in all beds except the Top and Bottom Baltimore where it is irregular and in some areas only slightly irregular. Pillar widths vary from bed to bed, ranging from 24 to 60 feet on 50-to 80=foot center s. Safety pillars are generally present on regular intervals or provided by unmined areas, except in the Abbott bed where there are none and in the Kidney bed where only a few remain. 
Pillars remaining in all beds after first ffilnlng, except in the Red Ash, are considered adequate to support the surface. Subsidence in the river-levee area, however, may be expected from an area in the Red Ash bed that was mined below a depth of 998 feet where overburden weight exceeds calculated safe pillar strength. No backfill was placed in the area mined below the critical depth of 998 feet; that placed elsewhere will give some additional support to the pillars . A subsidence hazard exists from workings in the Abbott bed where mining was done under a thin rock cover of 46 to 50 feet in a small area along the northwestern limit of mining subjacent to the Hanove; s:':lwnship levee. Some pothole subsidence may also occur from a small area along the northwestern limit of mining in the Kidney bed, extending under the end of the Hanover Township levee, where mining was done lL~der a rock cover ranging from 37 to 50 feet . 
No second mining was done in any bed in this fclio . 
Third mining was done only in the Kidney bed, and subside~ce may be expected therefrom. No backfill was placed in the voids created by third mining. 
Mined areas subjacent to the Wilkes-Barre -Hanover ':2owr...ship levee in the Abbott and Kidney beds are at miniMwn depths below the surface of 78 and 151 feet, respectively~ each under a minimum rock cover of 46 feet. The rock interval between these beds is 101 feet. The first-mined workings in the Abbott bed subjacent to Solomon's Creek pumping station are at a minimum depth of 85 feet below the surface, under a rock cover of 51 feet. Workings in the Hillman bed, the uppermost bed mined subjacent to the Susquehanna River, are at a minimum depth of 231 feet below the bed of the river, with a minimum rock cover of 98 feet. Workings in the stratigraphically lower beds are at greater depths than those listed above or are nonexistent. 
Folio J 
The area of the surface plate that is subject to inundation from the assumed flood crest comprises 90 acres, oi' which 88 are flood plain and 2 are river-levee area. The flood plain would be inundated in case of failures in the Plymouth levee. The remaining 199 acres lie above the horizon of the assumed flood crest . 
B-2-13 
Plymouth Borough, which is mainly residential with the usual
supplement of churches and schools, occupies the major part of the
plate and all of the study area. Main Street (Route ll) is the
principal traffic artery through Plymouth, along which are located
retail stores and other business establishments, and crosses the
study area. The D. L. &W. Railroad and a small segment of the Ply
mouth levee appear at the southern corner of the study area. The
remainder of the plate lies in Plymouth Township and is mainly un
developed with some strip-mining operations. Workings of parts of
the Nottingham, Nottingham-Buttonwood, and Gaylord mines are subjacent
to the study area. 

Five beds, having a combined thickness of 52 feet, have beenmined to varying degrees of extraction. Workings in the uppermostbed, Five Foot, are at a minimum depth of 38 feet below the surfaceunder a rock cover of 4 ~eet. Workings in the Bottom Baltimore bed,located stratigraphically under the Five Foot, were extended to a distance of 43 feet below the surface and a rock ~over of only 2 feet.Workings in the bottom bed, Red Ash, are at a maximum depth of 603feet below-the surface, which is 70 feet below sea level. 
The pattern of mining est ablished during first mining operations
was irregular in all beds except the Red Ash, where it was only slightlyirregular. Pillar widths vary from bed t o bed, ranging from 25 to 34feet on 50-to 60-foot centers. There are no safety pillars in theupper beds; however,_ unmined areas and a few safety pillars are presentin the two bottom beds, Bottom Ross and Red Ash. Pillars remaining inthe Bottom Ross and Red Ash beds are considered adequate to supportthe surface. There is no first mining remaining in the three upperbeds. Backfill placed in the Red Ash bed under the flood plain willgive additional support to the pillars; elsewhere, the quantity placedis negligible. 
Certain areas in al beds, wherein an unusually large percentageof coal was removed in f i rst mining operations, have been classifiedas second mining. Although the pillars remaining are considered to be
sufficiently strong to prevent their being crushed, excessively wideroof areas exposed between the pillars will probably induce cavingsthat may reach to the surface. Existing subsidence potentials areaggravated in the Five Foot bed where mining was done under a rockcover of 4 to 10 feet, and 45 to 50 feet in the northern and southernportions, respectively; also, in the Bottom Baltimore bed under theflood plain where mining was done under a rock cover of 2 to 45 feet.Backfill placed in the Bottom Baltimore and Red Ash beds under theflood plain will tend to minimize the subsidence potential in theseareas. 
Third mining was done only in the Red Ash bed, and subsidencecan be expected therefrom. No backfill was placed in the voidscreated prior to third mining. 
B-2-14 
The area in the uppermost bed, Bottom Ross, that was mined sub• jacent to the Plymouth levee is at a mininrum depth of 366 feet· below the surface, under a minimum rock cover of 255 feet. The rock interval to the underlying Red Ash bed is 143 feet. The area is first mined and contains large safety pillars. 
Folio K 
The area of the surface plate that is subject to inundation from the assumed flood crest comprises 282 acres, of which 134 are flood plain and 148 are river-levee area. The flood plain would be inundated in case of failures in the flood-protection system of levees. The remaining 7 acres lie above the horizon of the assumed flood crest. 
A portion of Plymouth Borough lies in the northern corner of the plate, with Hanover Township occupying the remainder. The Susquehanna River crosses· the plate from east t.o west. .9 flanked by ~"!:l. P ?lymc'.lth levee with the Brown's Creek pumping station; the Wilkes~3arreHanover Township levee with the Delaney Street p11IllJ;ling sta4:-ion; and the Breslau levee with a portion of Solomon's Creek impounding basin. Residential areas of Plymouth Borough, traversed by U. S. ::::ighway Route 11, the D. L. &W. Railroad, and the Breslau highway bridge that spans the Susquehanna River are also located in the st~dy area . Workings of parts of the Nottingham, Nottingham-Buttonwood, Lance, and Gaylord mines are subjacent to the study area . 
Nine beds, having a combined thickness of 65 feet, have been mined to varying degrees of extraction. Workings in the uppermost bed, Kidney, outcrop to the surface; those in the bottom bed, Red Ash, are at a maximum depth of 910 feet below the surface, whi ch is 388 feet below sea level. 
The pattern of mining established during first I!llm.ng operations is regular. Pillar widths vary from bed to bed, ranging from 24 to 37 feet on 50-to 60-foot centers. Large safety pillars are present on regular intervals in the Five Foot, Bottom Baltimore, Bottom Ross, and Red Ash beds; elsewhere, they are scattered and few in number. Pillars remaining after first mining in all nine beds are considered .adequate to support the surface. Backfill was placed in approximately 25 percent of the first-mined area, and is considered to provide considerable lateral support to the pillars. Pothole subsidence may be expected from first-mined areas in the Kidney bed that extend 1~nder a rock cover of 26 to 50 feet along the northwestern limit of mining, including the Hanover Township levee and Susquehanna River, and from areas in the Stanton bed subjacent to the Wilkes-Barre -Hanover Township levee, Breslau levee, and Susquehanna River under a rock cover of 39 to 50 feet. 
Certain areas in all beds, wherein an unusually large percentage of coal was removed in first mining operations, have been classified as second mining. Although the pillars remaining are considered to be 
B-2-15 
sufficiently strong to prevent their being crushed, excessively wide roof areas exposed between the pillars will probably induce cavings that may reach to the surface. Subsidence may also be expected from workings in the Red Ash bed that lie below the critical depth of 691 feet, where overburden weight exceeds calculated safe pillar strength. Backfill was not placed in quantities sufficient to deter or effectively minimize subsidence. The subsidence potential in second-mined areas is aggravated where mining was done under thin rock cover, such a s less than 50 feet in the Kidney bed, 45 to 50 feet in the Hillman bed, and 41 to 50 feet in the Stanton bed. These thin rock cover areas are all located in the flood plain. 
Third mining was done only in the Red Ash bed, and subsidence may 
be expected therefrom. No backfill was placed in the voids created by 
third mining. 

The areas in the Kidney bed subjacent to the Susquehanna River, 
Breslau bridge, Plymouth levee, and Wilkes-Barre -Hanov~r ~ownship 
levee are at minimum depths of 114 and 207 feet below the riverbed, 
105 and 159 -feet below the surface, under minimum rock covers of 44, 
26, 58, and 50 feet, respectively. No mining was done under the 
Breslau levee in the Kidney bed. The rock interval to the next under
lying bed, Hillman, is 70 feet. The Kidney bed workings subjacent to 
the Delaney Street pumping station in the Wilkes-Barre -Hanover Town
ship levee are 244 feet below t he surface, under a rock ~over of 177 
feet. 

The uppermost workings mined subjacent to the Brown' s Creek pumping station in the Plymouth levee are in the Five Foot bed and are 241 feet beneath the surface under a rock cover of 132 feet. Workings in the uppermost bed mined subjacent to the Breslau levee, Hillman, 
are at a minimum depth of 158 feet below the surface, under a minimum 
rock cover of 65 feet; however, the Stanton bed, lying stratigraphically 
beneath the Hillman bed, has been mined under a rock cover of 50 feet. Workings in the stratigraphically lower beds are at greater depths than 
those above. 
Folio L 
The surface area that is subject to inundation from the assumed flood crest comprises 272 acres, of which 270 are flood plain and 2 are river-levee area. The flood plain would be inundated in case of failures in the flood-protection system of levees. The remaining 17 acres lie above the horizon of the assumed flood crest . 
The entire plate area lies in Hanover Township, with the Lyndwood residential area appearing in the north-central part . The remaining area is undeveloped land. The Susquehanna River, flanked by the WilkesBarre -Hanover Township levee, touches the northern corner of the plate. Portions of the Breslau levee and Solomon ' s Creek impounding basin appear in the western part of the plate. The Pennsylvania Railroad, 
B-2-16 

Wilkes-Barre Connecting Railroad, and Central Railroad of New Jersey merge into the Buttonwood yards of the Pennsylvania Railroad in the south-central part of the plate. Workings of parts of the Nottingham, Nottingham-Buttonwood, and Lance mines are subjacent to the study area. 
Eleven beds, having a combined thickness of 88 feet, have been mined to varying degrees of extraction. Workings in the uppermost bed, Abbott, are at a minimum depth of 155 feet below the surface, under a rock cover of 36 feet. Workings in the bottom bed, Red Ash, are at a maximum depth of 1,325 feet below the surface, which is 725 feet below sea level. 
The pattern of mining established during first ~nlng operations is regular in all beds except in the Bottom Baltimore where it is slightly irregular. Pillar widths vary from bed to bed, ranging from 24 to 72 feet on 50~ to 90-foot centers. Safety pillars and unmined areas are present in all beds. The safety pillars are distributed generally on a regular pattern; however, t hose :i.r: the upp e r two beds, Abbott and Kidney, are on irregular intervals. 
Pillars remaining after first mining in all beds except those that are below depths of 1,075 and 1,190 feet in the Top and Bottom Ross beds, respectively, are considered to be of adequate strength to support the surface. Subsidence may be expected from workings that lie below these critical depths, where overburden weight exceeds the calculated safe pillar strength. The small amount of backfill placed in the Bottom Ross bed will not deter or minimize the subsidence potential. No backfill was placed in the Top Ross bed. Backfill placed elsewhere in the various beds will offer some additional support to the pillars. 
Some pothole subsidence may occur from workings in the Abbott bed that extend under a rock cover of 36 to 50 feet under the flood plain in the southeastern corner of the plate; also, under the flood plain where workings in the Kidney bed are under a rock cover ranging from 38 to 50 feet. 
No second or third mining was done in this folio. 
No mining was done in the uppermost bed, Abbott, subjacent to the Susquehanna River and Wilkes-Barre -Hanover Township and Breslau levees. Workings in the stratigraphically next lower bed, Kidney, subjacent to the Susquehanna River and the Wilkes-Barre -Hanover Township and Breslau levees are at minimum depths of 257 feet below the riverbed, 263 and 222 feet below the surface, under rock covers of 159, 142, and 82 feet, respectively. The rock interval to the next underlying bed, Hillman, is 79 feet . . Workings in the stratigraphically lower beds are at greater depths than those above or are nonexistent. 
B-2-17 
_j 
Folio M 
The surface area that is subject to .inundation from the assumed flood crest, in case of failures in the flood-protection syst em of levees, comprises 51 acres, all of it flood plain. The remaining 238 acres lie above the horizon of the assumed flood crest . 
The entire plate area lies in Hanover Township. Old Ri ver RoadCarey Avenue, which is the main traffic artery between Wilkes-Barre and Nanticoke, adjoining scattered residential areas and industd·al plants; Solomon's Creek; and the New Jersey Central Railroad, are located in the study area. The remainder of the plate is mainly un
developed land. 
Workings of portions of the Inman, Nottingham, NottinghamButtonwood, Lance, and South Wilkes-Barre mines are subjacent to the plate area. 
Eleven beds, having a combined thickness of 84.5 feet , have been mined to varying degrees of extraction. Workings in the uppermostbed, Abbott, are at a minimum depth of 143 feet below the surface, under a rock cover of 40 feet. Workings in the bottom bed, Red Ash, are at a maximum depth of 1,515 feet, which is 900 feet below sea level. 
The pattern of mining established during first nun~ng operations
is regular. Pillar widths vary from bed to bed, ranging from 26 to 70 feet on 50-to 90-foot centers. Safety pillars are generally few in number or are nonexistent, except in the Top and Bottom Ross beds where they are spaced at regular intervals . Pillars remaining after first mining in all beds are considered adequate to support the sur
face, except as follows: Below critical depths of 1,094 feet in the Top Ross; below 1,171 feet in the Bottom Ross; below 1,229 feet in the Top Red Ash; and below 1,267 feet in the area where the Top Red Ash and Red Ash beds were mined together. 
Subsidence may be expected from bed areas that were mined below 
the critical depths named above where overburden weight exceeds the 
calculated safe pillar strength. Negligible amounts of backfill were placed after first mining; however, none was placed in the mining areas below critical depths in the Top Ross, Bottom Ross; Top Red Ash, and Red Ash beds. Some pothole subsidence may occur from firstmined workings in the Abbott bed, which were driven under a rock cover of 40 to 50 feet in the northern corner of the plate. 
Certain areas in the Abbott bed, wherein an unusually large per
centage of coal was removed in first mining operations, have been classified as second mining. Although the pillars remaining are ·considered to be sufficiently strong to prevent their being crushed, the excessively wide roof areas exposed between the pillars will probablyinduce cavings that may reach to the surface. No backfill was placedin this area. 
B-2-18 

Third mining was done in the Abbott and Kidney beds, and subsidence may be expected therefrom. No backfill was placed after third mining. 
B-2-19 

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PANEL 3 
WILKES-BARRE -KINGSTON SECTOR 

CONTENTS 
Page 
Introduction-------------------------------------------------
B-3-1 
Description of panel 3----------------------------------------B-3-2 
Description of folios-----------------------------------------B-3-3 
A-------------------------------------------------------
B-3-3 
B--------------------------------------------------------B-3-4 C--------------------------------------------------------B-3-6 D--------------------------------------------------------B-3-7 E--------------------------------------------------------B-3-8 F--------------------------------------------------------B-3-9 G--------------------------------------------------------B-3-11 H--------------------------------------------------------B-3-12 !--------------------------------------------------------B-3-14 
J--------------------~----------------------------------
B-3-15 
K--------------------------------------------------------B-3-17 1--------------------------------------------------------B-3-lB M--------------------------------------------------------B-3-19 N--------------------------------------------------------B-3-21 0--------------------------------------------------------B-3-22 P--------------------------------------------------------B-3-24 
TABLES 
l. Correlation of beds in pane l 3----------------------------Following B-3-2 
FIGURES 
l. Map of panel 3 . 
2. Typical cross s e ction in f olio 0. 
INTRODUCTION 
Panel 3 comprises 16 folios and covers the Wilkes-Barre -Kingston sector of the study area. 
The topography within the confines of the panel is shown on a map, scale l inch equals 2,000 feet, upon which the boundaries of the mines are superimposed. Pertinent feetures, such as the Susquehanna River ~nd flood-protection levees, including associated structures, are shown in blue and green, respectively. The green rectangles in the outline of the levees indicate pumping stations. The severity potentials of subsidence within the confines of the shoreline of the assumed flood crest normally identified with the various t~es of mining, including critical depth, are delineated by different patterns of markings and are shown in red. A cross section, scale l inch equals 100 feet, through the center of folio 0 is shown as typical of the panel. The map and cross section are included in this report. 
The altitude of the shoreline of the assumed flood crest for the determination of the surface study area in this panel is 545 feet, Whioh corresponds to altitude 551.67 feet, U. S. Coast & Geodetic Survey base. 
Correlation of beds in panel 3 is shown in table 1. 
B-3-1 

DESCRIPTION OF PANEL 3 
Panel 3 lies approximately in the west-central portion of the study area in the Wyoming Basin of the Northern anthracite field. The panel area straddles the Susquehanna River, which meanders ,from the east to southwest across the panel. 
Municipalities situated in the panel area are portions of WilkesBarre City; Kingston, Pringle, Edwardsville, Larksville, and Pl~o~th Boroughs; and Hanover Township. The area is densely populated and_ contains residential and principal business centers of both WilkesBarre and Kingston. Kirby Park, truck farms, and undeveloped land are located along .the right bank of the Susquehanna River. Numerous important highways traverse the panel. The D. L. & W.; Lehigh Valley, Delaware & Hudson, Wilkes-Barre Connecting, Pennsylvania, ·_. and New Jersey Centr~l Railroads either partially or, completely cross 
the area. · '-· 
The Toby's Creek pressure conduit and pumping station, the major part of the Edwardsville-Kingston· levee, the eastern end of the Plymouth levee, and a large part of the Wilkes-Barre -Hanover Township 
levee, including pumping stations at Union, Market, and Ross S_ t~eets, 
Old River Road, Delaware &Hudson Railroad bridge at the Susquehanna 
River, -and Horton Street, are l ocated in the panel. · · 
Workings of the Gaylord, .Lance, Loree, Woodward, Kingston, East Boston, Dorrance, Baltimore, Hollenback, Stanton, South Wilkes-Barre, and Nottingham mines are ocated in the panel. 
B-3-2 

e e 

TAliLE l. -Correlation of beds 1n pane! 3 
M  I  N  E  S  
General name of bed  Gaylord  Nottingham!/  La.nc.¢.1  South Wilkes-Bs.rreY  Loree  Woodward  Stanton  Hollenback  Bs.lt im:lre  I Kinpton  Dorrance  Eaet Boston  
Snake Isl and---- Snake I sland--ISnake Island-- Snake Island  

Abbott----------IAbbott----------1-~----------IAbbott----------IAbbott----------IAbbott--------IAbbott--------IAbbott----------IAbbott--------IAbbott-----1-----------IAbbott-----
;.:idney----------1 Bowkley--------I------------IK1dney--------IKidney---------ILa.nce---------IK1dney--------IK1dney----------IK1dney--------IY..1dney-----l Bowkley--lllovkley----
Hillman---------1Hillman---------1------------ll!il.lman---------IHillman---------IHil..lman------1Hillman-------IHil.llllan---------1H1l.lman-------1Hillman----1Hiu-n----1Hil..lman-----1Hill.man----Top Stanton-----1----------------I------------I----------------I---------------I-------------I----------ITop Stanton-----•--------------•-----------•-----------•------------•----------5tanton---------liottom Fi?e Poot ataatoD---------IBottom Stanton--IStanton-------IFive Pbot-----IBottom Stanton--lllottom StantoniStanton----IOrchard----IFive Foot---IFour Foot--Five Foot-------ILa.nce------1----------lnve Foot------IF1ve l"oot-----IFive Foot-----ILa.nce---------IFive Foot------IFive Foot-----1-----------ILa.nce------ILa.nce-------ILence------Top Bs.ltimore--ICooper--------1----------ITop Baltimore--!~ Jaltiaore--ICooper--------ICooper-------I----------------I--------------1-----------ICooper-----ICooper------ICooper----!!ott= Bs.ltiaoreIBennett---------1----------1BottOm Bo.ltimore I :Bottom Bal.timore I:Bennett-------I :Bennett and Bottom Bs.lt1more1Balt1more-----1Balt1more--lllennett----1Bennett and !Bennett---
Baltimore Baltimore Checker--------
Checker----I CheCker----Sk1d1wre--------Eleven FootiSkidmore----IEleven Foot Top Ross--------1--------------ITop Ross----!Top Rosa------ITop Ross------ITop Roes------1--------------ITop Ross--------1--------------ITop Ross---•-----------•------------•-----------Bottom Ross----IBottom Ross----IBottom Ross-IRoaa----------1---------------IBottom Rose-IMonkey--------1----------------IBottom Ross---IRoss------IRoss Split-ITop Ross----•-----------Top Red Ash---1------------ITop Red Ash-ITop Red Ash---ITap Red Ash-----!Top Red Aab---ITop Red Ash-1-------------ITop Red Ash---ITop Red AshiRoss-------I Rcss--------IRoss-------Bottom Red Ash--IRed Ash--------IRed Ash-----IRed Asb---------lllottom Red Aah--IBottom Red Allhlllottom Red Ash Bottom Red AshiRed Ash----IRed Ash----IRed Ash-----IRed Ash---
1/ In a.ll beds above the Top Ross, workinp of the La.nce and South Will<es-Bs.rre lllin.es overlie -those of the Notti.ngham mine due to an offaet 1n barrier pill.ars. 
DESCRIPTION OF FOLIOS 
Folio A 
The area of the surface p l ate that would be subject to inundation from the assumed flood crest comprises 138 acres, all of whichis river-levee area. The remaining 151 acres lie above the horizonof the assumed flood crest. 
A portion of Larksville Borough occupies the major part of thesurface area, with part of Plymouth .Borough and a small part ofLyndwood, Hanover Township, occupying the remainder. 
The. shoreline of the assumed flood crest follows an east-westcourse across the plate, paralleling roughly the right-of-way of the
D. L. &W. Railroad except where it extends inland to include a portion of the Boston Creek drainage area. 
The main channel of the Susquehanna River and its confluence
with Boston Creek, the right-of-way of the D. L. &W. Railroad,

U. S. Highway Route 11, the fuel-storage yard and plant of the UnitedGas Improvement Company, a residential area of Plymouth, part of theCarey Avenue Bridge that spans the Susquehanna River, and the easternend of the Plymouth levee are all located in the study area. 
Parts of the Woodward, Loree, Lance, Gaylord, and Nottingham
mines are subjacent to the plate surface area. 
Eleven beds, having a combined thickness of 75 . 5 or 78 .5 feet,
depending on whether or not top coal was taken, have been mined in
this area. Mine workings in the uppermost bed, Abbott, are at a
minimum depth of 63 feet below the surface at a point where the
interval between the faces of a row of chambers and the bed of Bos
ton 8reek is formed by 25 feet of rock strata and 32 feet of allu
vium. The workings in the bottom bed, Bottom Red Ash, are at a
maximum depth of 1,000 feet below the surface or 490 feet below sea
level. 
The pattern of nun~ng established during fi.rst mining operationsis mainly irregular. Pillar width varies from bed to bed, rangingfrom 16 to 51 feet on centers of 40 to 75 feet. Safety pillars wereleft in all beds except the Abbott and Top Ross, mostly at irregular
intervals. The pillars remaining in all beds except the Bottom RedAsh are considered adequate for surface support. Subsidence mayoccur from first-mined workings in the Abbott bed subjacent to Boston Creek where the rock cover is only 25 feet. Subsidence may beexpected also in the area where first-mined workings in the BottomRed Ash bed lie below a depth of 940 feet, where the overburdenweight exceeds the calculated safe pillar strength. Backfill wasplaced in approximately 33 percent of the voids created by first~n~ng. However, the relatively small volume placed in the criticalarea in the Bottom Red Ash bed is not considered sufficient to detersubsidence. 
B-3-3 
-------------------. 
Second mining was conducted in the Abbott bed and to a negligible extent scattered throughout the Kidney bed. Backfill was not placed in either of these beds. Pillars remaining in the Abbott bed are considered to be sufficiently strong to prevent crushing; however, excessively wide roof areas in chamber~ resulting from pillarskipping in second mining_, will probably cause caving that may extend to the surface, particularly because of the shallow depth of the Abbott bed workings. 
Third mining was conducted in a relatively small part (5 percent) of the pillar area of the Abbott, Kidney, Five Foot, and Bottom Red Ash beds. B~ckfill was placed in 3 of the 21 acres of third-mined areas in all beds during the mining cycle. This negligible amount is considered to have little or no effect in preventing or minimizing subsidence resulting from third mining. 
Workings in the Abbott bed subjacent to the Susquehanna River are at a minimum depth of 76 feet below the riverbed, under a minimum rock cover of 35 feet. The rock interval to the next underlying bed, Kidney, is 108 feet. 
Workings in the Kidney bed, which is the up~ermost bed mined subjacent to the eastern end of the Plymouth levee, are at a minimum depth of 156 feet below the surface, under a minimum rock cover of 132 feet. The rock interval to the next underlying bed, Hillman, is 84 feet. 
Folio B 
The total area of the surface plate, 289 acres, would be subject to inundation from the assumed flood crest in case of failures in the flood-protection levees. The river-levee area comprises 104 acres, and the flood plain 185. 
The Lyndwood section of Hanover Township occupies approximately half of the plate area; the remainder is in Wilkes-Barre City and Larksville Borough. 
A portion of Richard's Island, the channel of the Susquehanna River that flows south of the island, a portion of the Wilkes-Barre -Hanover Township levee, including the Horton Street pumping station, part of the Carey Avenue Bridge that spans the river, and some residential areas of Wilkes-Barre and Lyndwood are located in the plate area. 
Workings of portions of Woodward, Lance, and Nottingham mines . are subjacent to the surface area. 
B-3-4 
Eleven beds, having a combined thickness of 72.5 or 77 .5 feet, depending on whether or not top coal was taken, have been mined in this area. The mine workings in the uppermost bed, Abbott, are at a minimum depth of 175 feet below the surface, under a rock cove r of 50 feet; workings in the bottom bed, Bottom Red Ash, are at a maximum depth of 1,250 feet ·below the surface, or 721 feet below sea level. 
The pattern of mining established during first mining operations varies from regular to slightly irregular. Pillar width varies from bed to bed, r angi ng from 26 to 60 feet on centers of 50 to 80 feet . Safety pillars were left in all beds, mostly at regular intervals, except in the Ahbott and Top Red Ash beds where few remain. Pillars remaining in all beds, except the Top Red Ash and Bottom Red Ash , are considered adequate for surface support except in the area where the Top Red Ash bed lies below a depth of 1,171 feet in the flood plain area and 979 feet in the river-levee area where overburden weight exceeds the calculated safe pillar strength . 1Th.i.s is also the ca se in the area where the Bottom Red Ash bed lies below a depth of 1,171 feet in the flood plain area and 1,075 feet in the river-levee area . Backfill was placed in 302 acres or 12 percent of the first-mined area; however, the extent of backfill placed in the critical area s in the Top Red Ash and Bottom Red Ash beds is not considered sufficient to deter subsidence. 
Second mining was conducted in the Abbott, Top Baltimore, and T'op Red Ash beds. Backfill was not placed in any of the _voids created by second mining. While the pillars remaining in the Abbott bed are considered to be sufficiently strong to prevent crushing, excessively wide roof areas in the chambers, resulting from pillar-skipping in second mining, ·will probably cause caving that may extend to the surface, particularly because of the shallow depth of the Abbott bed. Pillars remaining in the Top Baltimore bed after second mining are considered adequate to support the surface inasmuch as second mining was not concentrated sufficiently to indicate subsidence potential. In the Top Red Ash bed the pillars remaining are not considered adequate to support the surface, as the overburden weight exceeds the calculated safe pillar strength. 
Third mining was not conducted in any of the beds mined. 
Workings in the Abbott bed subjacent to the Susquehanna River and the Wilkes-Barre -Hanover Township levee are at a minimum depth of 239 feet below the riverbed, under a minimum rock cover of 54 feet. Workings in the Abbott bed subjacent to the Horton Street pumping station are at a depth of 265 feet below the surface, under a rock cover of 140 feet. 
B-3-5 

Folio C 
The area of the surface plate that would be subject to inunda
tion from the assumed flood crest in case of failures in the flood
protection levees comprises 241 acres, all of which is flood plain. 
The remaining 48 acres lie above the horizon of the assumed flood 
crest. 
A portion of Wilkes-Barre City occupies the northern part of the plate; the Lee Park section of Hanover Township occupies the remainder. 
The shoreline of the assumed flood crest meanders across the 
southern part of the plate. The area is predominantly residential,, 
including schools and churches; however, supermarkets and garment 
factories are present. There is undeveloped terrain in the western 
part of the plate. Carey Avenue, an important local traffic artery; 
Solomon's Creek; and the wilkes-Barre Connecting and Pennsylvania 
Railroads appear on the plate. 
Portions of the Lance, South Wilkes-Barre, and Nottingham mines · are subjacent to the surface area. 
Eleven beds, having a combined thickness of 77.5 feet, have been mined in this area. The mine workings in the uppermost bed, Abbott, are at a minimum depth of 133 feet below the surface, under a rock cover of 37 feet; the workings in the bottom bed, Bottom Red Ash, are at a maximum depth of 1,271 feet below the surface or 739 feet 
below sea level. 
The pattern of mining estaoiished during first mining operations
is regular in all beds. Pillar widths vary from bed to bed, ranging from 26 to 58 feet on 50-to 80-foot centers. Safety pillars were left in all beds, mainly on regular intervals, except in the Abbott and Stanton beds where few remain. Pillars remaining in the Abbott, Kidney, Hillman, and Top Ross beds are considered adequate to support the surface. Pothole subsidence may occur from first-mined workings in the Abbott bed that extend under a rock cover ranging from 37 to 50 feet. In the Bottom Ross bed, some pillar failure may occur in 
an_area below a depth of 922 feet, where overburden weight exceeds 
the calculated safe pillar strength. However, because of the small area involved, cavings are not Iikely to extend sufficiently upward to bring about surface su sidence. Subsidence, however, may be expected from bed areas that were mined beyond the limit of calculated safe pillar strength, as follows: Stanton, below 826 feet; Five Foot, below 11 018 feet; Top Baltimore, below 979 feet; Bottom Baltimore, below 1,018 feet; Top Red Ash, below 1,152 feet; and Bottom Red Ash, below 11 152 feet. Backfill was placed in 152 acres or approximately 10 percent of the .total first-mined area. The extent of backfill placed in the areas that lie below the critical depth limit in .the Stanton, Five Foot, Top Baltimore, Bottom Baltimore, 
B-3-6 

Top Red Ash, and Bottom Red Ash beds is not considered sufficient to deter subsidence. 
Second and third mining operations were not conducted in areas of the beds covered by this folio. 
Folio D 
The area of the surface plate that would be subject to inundation from the assumed flood crest comprises 37 acres, all of which is river-levee area. The remaining 252 acres lie above the altitude of the assumed flood crest. 
The entire plate lies in Larksville Borough, with the exception of very small parts of Edwardsville Borough and Wilkes-Barre City at the eastern corner of the plate. 
The shoreline of the assumed flood crest crosses the southeastern portion of the plate. The right~of-way of the D. L. & W. Railroad, 
U. S. Route 11, and the right or west bank of the Susquehanna River and its confluence with Toby's Creek are in the study area . The terrain is mainly undeveloped. 
Workings of a part of the Woodward mine underlie the study area. 
Eleven beds, with a total thickness of 88.5 feet, have been mined in the various beds beneath the river-levee area on this folio. The mined areas in the uppermost bed, Snake Isl and, are at a minimum depth of 97 feet below the surface, with a rock cover of 92 feet; the bottom bed, Red Ash, workings descend to a maximum depth of 1,060 feet below the surface, which is 515 feet below sea level. 
First mining predominates in practically all beds, and the pattern of mining is regular in most instances, with chambers driven generally at 90 degrees off the haulage roads and spaced at fixed intervals. The resulting rectangular-shaped pillars of uniform size provide the best support obtainable from the room-and-pillar system of mining. The width of pillars increases from 26 feet in the Abbott bed to 36 feet in most of the underlying beds, but reaches 46 feet in the Bottom Baltimore and Bottom Red Ash beds and 50 feet in the Top Red Ash bed. Safety pillars are larger and located at closer intervals in the lower beds, . to better sustain the relatively greater weight of overburden. In all beds except the Bottom Red Ash, the coal remaining in pillars is adequate to support the overburden. Backfill was placed in relatively small quantities in the Kidney, Hillman, and Stanton beds, but was applied in more effective quantities in the Top Baltimore, ·Bottom Baltimore, and Bottom Red Ash beds. 
Some second mining, of negligible extent, was done in the Hillman and Top Baltimore beds . 
B-3-7 

l -
Third mining was done in 4 acres of the Abbott bed, 1 acre of the Kidney bed, and 7 acres of the Top Baltimore bed. 
Subsidence is indicated as a result of first mining in the Bottom Red Ash bed where overburden weight exceeds calculated safe pillar strength. Placement of backfill in most of the chamber voids in this bed, however, may reduce subsidence. Subsidence is not expected to result from the negligible extent of second mining. 
The extraction of pillars in the Abbott and Top Baltimore beds . is extensive enough to cause subsid.ence to spread to the overlying beds and from there possibly to the surface. Backfill placed in the Top Baltimore bed during third mining operations will have a stabilized influence. 
Workings in the Snake Island bed subjacent to the confluence of Toby's Creek and the Susquehanna River are at a minimum depth of 105 feet below the creekbed, under a rock cover of 85 feet. The rock interval to the next underlying bedj Abbott, is 86 feet. 
Folio E 
The total area of the surface plate, 289 acres, would be subject 
to inundation from the assumed flood crest. The river-levee area comprises 139 acr_es,. and the flood plain 150 acres. The flood plain would be inundated in case of failures in the flood-protection leveep. 
The major part of the plate area lies in Wilkes-Barre City; ~he remainder is in Larksville Borough. 
The Susquehanna River crosses the northern part of the plate from east to west. Ihe Wilkes-Barre -Hanover Township levee, containing the purriping station located at the Delaware & Hudson Railroad bridge across the Susquehanna River, flanks the left or east bank of the river. The Delaware & Hudson and Wilkes-Barre Connecting Railroads cross the plate. The area is mainly residential. 
Workings of parts of the Woodward and Llmce mines are subjacent to the surface area. 
Eleven beds, ra~ging in thickness from 2.5 to 15.5 feet and having a . total thickness of 83.5 feet, are present in the portion of the measures covered by this folio. In areas where top coal is not mined, the total mined coal thickness ranges from 78.5 to 81.5 ·feet. The mined areas in the uppermost bed, Abbott, have a minimum depth of 184 feet below the surface, under a rock cover of 144 feet; the lowest bed, Bottom Red Ash, workings have a maximum depth of 1,236 feet be,low the surface, which is 710 feet below sea level. 
B-3-8 
The pattern of mining established during fi·rst mn1ng operations is regarded as being regular for the most part in all beds. Pillar width varies greatly from bed to bed, ranging from 26 to 31 feet on 50-to 55-foot centers in the Kidney bed, and 50 to 56 feet on 70to 80-foot centers in the Bottom Red Ash bed. During first mining, safety pillars were left at regular intervals in all beds . Later, about half of the number of safety pillars in the Abbott and Hillman beds were subjected to first mining. Except for relatively small areas in the Top Ross and Bottom Red Ash beds, the pillars remaining after first mining are deemed adequate to support the overburden. Backfill was placed in about 15 percent of the voids created after first mining; however, the amount placed in critical areas i s insufficient· to deter subsidence. 
Second mining was conducted in about 20 percent of the mined area in the Abbott bed, and is distributed almost equally betwe en the river-levee area and flood plain. Although the pillars remaining are considered to be SlJ.fficiently strong to prevent crushing, the excessive width of chambers is apt to induce roof falls that often cause subsider... ce, particularly since no ba ckfill was placed in the voids. About 20 :percent of the mined area in the Top Baltimore bed of the Woodward mine was also subjec~ed to second mining. In this case, however, the voids created are located in widely separated areas of which some were backfilled, thus avoiding serious subsidence poten";ials. 
Third mining was conducted in only one bed; a relatively small area of 22 acres in the Hillman bed. All voids created were backfilled during the mining cycle, thereby lessening the effects of subsidence by the complete removal of pillars. 
Workings in the Abbott bed subjacent to the Susquehanna River and the Wilkes=Barre -Hanover TowrJ.ship levee are at minimum depths of 184 feet below the riverbed and 296 feet below the surface, under rock covers of 152 and 135 feet, respectively. Workings subjacent to the pumping station at the Delaware & Hudson Railroad bridge are 313 feet below the surface, under a rock cover of 155 feet. 
Folio F 
The total area of the surface plate, 289 acres, would be subject to inundation from the assumed flood crest in case of failures in the flood-prevention levees. The entire area lies in the flood plain. However, a small river-levee study area appears in the northern corner of each bed plate, which is assigned to the Susquehanna River levee shown on the adjoining folio J. These river-levee area s ' will be studied in conjunction with folio J. 
The entire plate area is located in the western part of WilkesBarre City, and is predominantly residential. Miner Park, a public 
B-3-9 
recreation area, and Meyers High School and athleti'c stadium are 
located in the area. Business establishments are relatively few; 
including a shoe factory, garment factory, and office building, and 
the Martz bus terminal. Carey Avenue and Old River Road are the important traffic arteries. The Pennsylvania Railroad and a branch of the Delaware &Hudson Railroad are present on the plate. 
Portions of the Lance, Woodward, and South Wilkes-Barre mines underlie the study area. 
Ten beds, having a combined thickness of 79.5 feet, have been first mined in this area. The mine workings in the uppermost bed, Abbott, are at a minimum depth of 132 feet below the surface, under a rock cover of 36 feet; the workings in the bottom bed, Bottom Red Ash, are at a maximum depth of 1,290 feet below the surface or 763 feet below sea level . 
The pattern of mining established during first mining operations varies ·from slightly irregular in the uppermost beds to regular in the lower beds . Pillar widths vary from bed to bed, ranging from 24 to 60 fe-et on 50-to 80-foot centers. Safety pillars were left on regular intervals in the lower beds; however, in the upper beds they are insufficient in number or on irregular intervals. The remaining pillars in the Abbott, Kidney, Hillman, Stanton, Five Foot, Top Baltimore, and Bottom Baltimore beds are considered adequate to support the surface . In the Abbott bed the faces of a few chambers were driven to a 36-foot rock cover; some pothole subsidence may occur here . In the Top Ross bed some pillar failure may occur in an area below a depth of 979 feet where overburden weight exceeds calculated safe pillar strength . However, the mine workings are of comparatively small extent and surrounded by large unmined areas, which makes surface subsidence unlikely. Subsidence, however, may be expected from the area in the Top Red Ash bed that was mined below a depth of 1,133 feet, the limit of calculated safe pillar strength; also, from workings in the Bottom Red As bed, all of which lie below a depth of 1,171 feet, the limit of calculated safe pillar strength in this bed. 
Backfill was placed in small areas in several beds, totaling 77 acres or approximately 6 percent of the total first-mined areas. The extent of backfilling in the area th~t lies below the critical depth limit in the Top Red Ash bed is considered insufficient to deter subsidence. 
Second and third mining operations were not conducted in this area . 
I 

B-3-10 

Folio G 
·rhe area of the surface plate that would be subject to inundation from the assumed flood crest in case of failures in the floodprotection levees comprises 97 acres, all of which is flood plain. The remai~ing 192 acres lie above the altitude of the assumed flood crest. 
The er.tire plate area is located in the southwestern part of Wilkes-Barre City and is mainly residential; however, the greater part of the study area is occupied by business and industrial establishments. South Main Street is the principal traffic artery in the study area. The Lehigh Valley and Pennsylvania Railroads traverse the study area. 
Workings of portions of the South Wilkes-Barre and Stanton mines underlie the surfa~e area.9 although only workings of the South WilkesBarre mine are subjacent. to the study area. 
Nine beds.'! havi~g a combined thickness of 79.5 feet, have been mined to varyir.g degrees of extraction. 'l'he workings in the u.ppermost bed, Ab-bott,)> are at a minirrrum depth of 266 feet below the surface, :.tnder a rock r!over of 246 feet. Workings in the bottom bed, Bottom Red Ash, are at a maxirrrum depth of 1,419 feet below the surface or 841 feet below sea level. 
The pat terr. of mining established during first m1n1ng operations is slightly irregular ~L the upper beds, but is regular in the lower beds. Pillar widths vary from bed to bed, ranging from 24 to 66 feet on 50~ to 90-foot centers. Safety pillars were left in all beds, mainly at regular intervals, except in the Abbott bed where the spa cing is irregular. In the Kidney bed a few of the safety pillars were first mined. 'I'he pillars remaining in the Abbott, Kidney, and Hillman beds are considered adequate to support the surface. I n the Stanton, Five Foot, Bottom Baltimore, and Top Ross beds some pillar failure may occur in areas below depths of 883, 826, 941, and 922 feet j respectively, where overburden weight exceeds calculated safe pillar strength. However, because of the safety pillars and large unmined areas remaining in these beds, together with backfill in the St anton, Five Foot, and Bottom Baltimore beds, cavings are not li~ly to extend sufficiently upward to bring about surface subsidence. Subsidence, however, may be expected from beds that were mined beyond the limit of calcuiated safe pillar strength.:~ &S follows : Top Red Ash, below 11 018 feet; and Bottom Red Ash, below 1,133 feet, which includes all workings i.n these beds . 
Backfill was placed in scattered areas in 154 acres, or approximately 24 percent of the total first-mined area. The quantity placed in the Stanton, Five Foot, and Bottom Baltimore beds will aid in stabilizing the pillars in the areas below the calculated safe pillar 
B-3-11 

strength. The backfill placed in the Bottom Red Ash bed will tend to minimize subsidence caused by pillar failure in this bed. 
Second and third mining operations were not conducted in areas of the beds covered by this folio. 
Folio H 
The area of the surface plate that would be inundated from the assumed flood crest comprises 173 acres, of which 68 are river-levee area and 105 are flood plain. The flood plain would be inundated in· 
case of failures in the flood-protection levees. The remaining 116 
acres lie above the horizon of the assumed flood crest . 
1he surface area lies in Edwardsville, Larksville, and Kingston Boroughs, with the largest part being in Edwardsville. Residential areas of Kingston and Edwardsville lie along the northwestern and 
northeastern·portions of the plate. A part of Toby's Creek pressure conduit and pumping station; the major part of the Edwardsville levee lying north of ry , S. Route 11, a large oil-storage-tank area; the Woodward breaker and associated buildings of the Woodward mine; and the D. L . & W. Railroad and Toby's Creek are ocated in the plate area. A relatively short length of U. S. Route ll crosses the south-ern corner. 
Workings of the Woodward mine are subjacent t o the major part 
of the area. The Loree and Kingston mines underlie smaller parts 
along the northwestern and northeastern borders of the plate, re
spectively. 
Nine beds, having a thickness of 73.5 feet, have been mined beneath the study areas of this folio. The mined areas in the uppermost bed, Abbott, have a minimum depth of 100 feet below the sur
face, under a rock cover of 30 feet. The bottom bed, Red Ash, work
ings have a maximum depth below the surface of 1,090 feet, which is 
570 feet below sea level. 
~e pattern of mining established during first mlnlng operations in the various beds varies from regular in the four uppermost beds, Abqott, Kidney, Hillman, and Stanton, to irregular in the lower beds. Pillar width varies greatly from bed to bed, ranging from a minimum 
of 20 feet to a maximUm of 50 feet. Safety pillars were left to 
some extent in all beds but, for the most part, are too few in number ·
and spaced at irregular intervals. In all beds except the Top Red 
Ash and Bottom Red Ash, the pillars remaining are adequate to support 
the overburden. Backfill was placed in scattered areas of all beds 
except the Abbott. 
B-3-12 
Second mining was conducted in the Hillman, Five Foot, Top Baltimore, and Top Red Ash beds, but only in small area s in the Stanton and Bottom Baltimore beds. Effective backfill was p1aced only in the Top Baltimore bed. 
Third min~. ng was ~onducted in 18 acres of the Hillman bed and in negligible areas in the Stanton, Five Foot, and Top Baltimore beds . Except in the Stanton bed, these areas were backfilled dur~ng third mining operations . 
Subsidence is indicated where first mlnlng was conducted below depths where overburden weight exceeds calculated safe pillar strength, such a s 920 feet in the river-levee area and 960 feet in the flood plain of the Top Red Ash bedj also, below 877 f eet in the river~levee area and 920 feet in the flood plain of the Bottom Red Ash bed. 
In the uppermost bed, Abbott, the subsidence potential is aggravated where chambers in a limited area of the flood plain were driven under only 30 feet of reck cover. The t h in rock strat a may collapse into the· mine opening, allowing the alluvial material to flow into the caved area. 
Subsidence is indicated a s a result of second ffilnlng operations in the F'ive Foot, 1Iop Baltimore, and Top Red Ash beds, and as a result of t~1ird mining operations in the Hillman, Stanton, Five Foot, and Top naltimore beds. 
Subsidence that would occur in the river-levee area during the assumed flood crest would, undoubtedly, cause water to enter the Woodward rnir"e' pro'bably in an excessive volume. If l evee structures would subside or be fractured, floodwaters would enter the flood plain and i:~mndate built='<lP areas in Kingston and Edwardsville . Subsidence that would occ-u.r in the flood plain would not cause underground flooding of the Woodward and Kingston mines as long as the levees are maintained operative at design elevation. 
Workings in the Abbott, Kidney, and Hillman beds subjacent to the Edwardsville levee are at minirrum depths of 187, 232, and 147 feet below the surface, under minimum rock covers of 66, 100, and 59 feet, respectively. The rock interval to the Stanton, which is the next underlying bed below the Hillman, is 135 feet. 
Workings in the Stanton bed, which is the uppermost bed mined subjacent to the To'by' s Creek pressure conduit, are at a mlnlmum depth of 213 feet below the surface, under a minimum rock cover of 127 feet. The ro ck interval to the next underlying bed, Five Foot, is 104 feet . 
Workings in the Hillman bed underlying the Toby's Creek pumping station are at a minimum depth of 165 feet below the surface, under a minimum rock cover of 50 feet . 
B-3-13 
Folio I 
•.' 
The total area o.f the surface plate, 289 acres, would . be inuh-' · dated from the assumed flood crest. The river-levee area comprises 126 acres, and the flood plain 163 acres. The flood plain would be inundated in case of failures in the flood-protection levees. 
The southern part of Edwardsville Borough oceupies the major part of the plate; portions of Kingston Borough and Wilkes-Barre City occupy the remainder. 
The Susquehanna River; Kingston-Edwardsville levee; WilkesBarre ~"Connecting Railroad, including the bridge spanning the Sus-' quehanna River; U. S. Route 11; and residential and mercantile areas of Kingston and Edwardsville are present in the surface area. 
Workings of a porti on of the Woodward mine are subjacent to the entire plate area. 
Nine beds, having a combined thickness of 71.0 feet, have been -• mined in the area comprising this folio. The mined areas in -the uppermost bed, Abbott, have a minimum depth of 235 feet below the surface, under a rock cover of 102 feet . Workings in the bottom bed, Red Ash, have a maximum depth of 1,250 feet below the surface or 723 feet below sea level. 
The patter n of mining established during first mlnlng ·operations, for the most part, varies from regular in the upper beds to irregular in the l ower beds . Pillar width varies from bed to bed, ranging from 25 to 70 feet on 50-to 100-foot centers. Safety pillars were left in all beds during first mining operations, generally at regular intervals in the upper beds and irregular intervals' in the lower beds : Approximately 50 percent of the number of safety pillars left in the Kidney, Hillman, and Stanton beds were later first minea. Pillars remaining in all beds, exc~_pt the Top Red Ash and Bottom Red Ash,are considered adequate for surface support. Some subsidence may occur over the major portion of the mined areas in the Top Red Ash and Bottom Red Ash beds that lie below depths of 1,094 feet in the Top Red Ash; and 11 075 · feet in the river-levee area and 1,152 feet in the flood plain in the Bottom Red Ash bed where overburden weight exceeds calculated safe p.illar strength. 
Backfill was placed in approximately 13 percent of the voids created by first mining; however, the amount placed in the critical areas in the Top Red Ash and Red Ash beds is considered insufficient to deter subsidence. 
Second mining was conducted in only one bed, Top Baltimore, in 27 acres under t?e flood plain. Backfill was not placed during the second mining oper~tion in this area, and the pillars remaining are considered inadequate to support the overburden. 
B-3-14 
Third mining was conducted in relatively small areas, comprising 8 percent of the combined Hillman and Stanton bed areas . The entire void created~ 47 acres, was backfilled in conjunction with third mining operations, thereby minimizing the effects of subsidence. 
Workings in the Abbott bed subjacent to the Kingston-Edwardsville levee are at a minimum depth of 260 feet below the surface, under a minimllffi rock cover of 150 feet. The rock interval to tne next underlying bed, Kidr.ey, is 83 feet. 
Workings subjace~t to the Susquehanna River are at a m1n1mum depth of 279 feet below the riverbed, under a rock cover of 175 feet. The rqck interval to the next underlying bed, Kidney, is 102 feet. 
Folio ,J 
The total area of the surface plate, 289 acres, would -be subj ect to inun.dati on from the assumed flood c:rest. 'I'he northern flood plain area comprises 62 a~res; the river-levee area 161 acres; and the southern flood plain area 66 acres . The two flood plain areas would be inundat ed in case of fa:llures :!.n the flood-protection levees that skirt the north and so'J.th banks of the Susquehanna River. 
A portion of Wilkes-Barre City occupies most of the surface area of the plate; small parts of Kingston and Edwardsville Boroughs occupy the remair!der. 
The Susquehanna River crosses the plate from east to west. Tb'e Wilkes-Barre -Hanover ':::own.ship levee, including the Ross Street and Old R:l.ver Road pumping s':.ations, flank the south or left bank of the river; the K:.ngston~Edwardsville levee is located along the north or right bank. A residential area of Wilkes-Barre, including a number of Wilkes College buildings, is located on the south or left bank of the river; Kirby Park, Wilkes-Barre Armory, Artillery Park, apd the abandoned site of No. 3 shaft of Woodward mine are located north of the north or right bank. 
Workings of a part of the Woodward mine are subjacent to the greater part of the plate. Part of the South Wilkes-Barre mine and unmined coal reserves under central Wilkes-Barre underlie the remainder of the plate. 
Eight beds, having a combined thickness of 56.5 feet, ·have been mined in this area. The workings in the uppermost bed, Abbott, are at a minimum depth of 137 feet below the surface, with a rock cover of 61 feet. Workings in the bottom bed, Bottom Red Ash, are at a maximum depth of 1,170 feet below the surface or 639 feet below sea level. 
B-3-15 
The pattern of mining established during first mining opera-. 
If • 
tions varies from regular in the upper beds to slightly irregular in 
the lower beds. Pillar width varies from bed to bed, ranging from 
26 to 76 feet on 50-to 100-foot centers. Safety pillars were le~t 
in all beds at regular intervals except in the Hillman bed where 
they are insufficient in number. Pillars remaining in all beds are 
considered adequate for surface support, except as noted later here
in. 
Backfill was placed in 52 acres or approximately 4 percent of the total first-mined areas, all in the Bottom Baltimore bed, except for 1 acre in ·the Hi.llman bed. This backfill will give additional support to tbe pillars in the Bottom Baltimore bed. 
Second mining was confi ned to 2 acres in the Bottom Baltimore bed, which, however, were backfilled upon completion of mining, thereby minimizing subsidence potentials. 
The river-levee study areas outlined on the various coalbeds in folio F are related to the portion of the Wilkes-Barre levee that appears on the western part of the surface map of folio J. Pillars remaining in all beds are considered adequate for surface support, except as noted below. 
No third mining was done. 
Although subsidence, as judged from the adequacy of coal pillars, . is not indicated, there has been intermittent subsidence of the surface between 1954 and 1957 i n the area west of and around the Ross Street pumping station on R·verside Drive. However, the subsidences could not be ~ttributed solely to conditions of the mine workings but to . a combination of the effects of mining and the presence of struq-. tural weaknesses in th~ rock -strata due to geologic faults and folds. The mine maps show a relatively sizable fault zone coursing northe~stsouthwest through the approximate middle of the plate. S.tresses in . the strata in and along the fault zone, in seeking equilibrium, may have caused crushing of the coal pillars and thus brought about the subsidences. 
Workings in the Abbott bed ·subjacent to the Kingston-Edwardsville levee are at a minimum depth of 137 feet. below the surface, under a , rock cover of 65 feet. The rock interval to the next underlying bed, ~ Kidney,. is 82 feet. ·workings subjacent to the Susquehanna River and the Wilkes-Barre -Hanover Township levee are at a minimum depth of 238 feet below the r:J_verbed, under a rock cover of 158. feet. The rock interval to ~he next underlying bed, Kidney, is 105 feet. 
Workings in the Abbott bed subjacent to the Old River Road and 
Ross Street pumping stations in the Wilkes-Barre -Hanover Township levee are at minimum depths of 291 and 451 feet below the surface, under rock covers of 168 and 363 feet, respectively. 
B-3-16 
• 
Folio K 
I'he area of tbe surfa ce plate that would be subject t o i nu ndation from the a 2sume d flood crest in case of failures in the f l oo d protection levees comprises 274 aeres, of which 273 are flood plain and l is river·-levee area . :'he remaining 15 a cres lie above the altitude of the assumed flood crest. 
I'he entire are a lies in the central part of Wilkes-Barre City. Parts of the South Wilkes-Barre, Stanton, and Hollenback mines underlie the surface in t.h e sou.-1:-hern portion of the plate. 'Jnmined a rea s in all beds underlie the surfa ce in the central and northern parts of the p:at.e, containlng the ce\tra l part of Wilkes-Barre. 
'I'he area overlying the South Wilkes-Barre, Stanton, and Ho llenback m:i.nes is predomi.r"a n":'.ly r-esidential. The Lehigh Va lley , New Jersey ::;entr al, a:1d 'F'ennro ylvania R.a:ilroads cr oss the plate. Large central c:.ty bui ldings are plentiful ir. the area ov erlying the unmined p a rts of the various b e ds , :The ma in traffic~ arteries are RiV"'r, Frarllilin, Mair., and Washlngtor. Streets and P ennsylvania AvenuP , Public Square a!::.d Market Street are located along the northeast~rn boundary of the plate.. I'he Wilkes-Barre -Ra r.over Township levee, including -t.he Market Str eet pumpi ng stat:i.on, +ouches the northern corner of t he plat e. 
Ten beds, having a c·o:rribir.ed thicknes$ of 77 f eet1 have bee n mined to varying deg1·ees of extra ction. Workings in the uppermost bed, Abbott, are at a mi nimum depth of 47 feet below the surface , with a roc:it cover of· 3:1 feet . Worki ng s in the bottom bed, Bottom Red Ash, are at. a maxi mwn depi:~h of 1, 334 feet below the surface, ·or 797 feet below sea level. 
·I'he patt ern of mini ng est.ablished during the fi'r·st mlnlng operations generally is elight ly irregular except in the Five Foot, Top Ros s, and Top Red Ash beds where it is regular. Pillar widths vary from bed to bed, ranging from 21 to 56 feet on 45-to 80-foot centers. Safety pillars were left in ·all beds; fewer in the upper beds , but a t regular intervals in the lower beds , Pillars remaining in the Abbott, Kidney, Hillman, and Bottom Ross beds are considered a d equate to support the surfa ce. 
Minimum rock cover over the Abbott bed workings is 39 feet ; however, this occurs at only one point where the f ace of a chambe r is subjacent to the shoreline of the assumed flood crest'-~it may aggravate the subsidence potential at this point . 
s·ome pilla r failure may occur :i.n the Stanton, Five Foot, Bottom Baltimo"re, and Top Ross 'beds at depths below 8o6, 826, 941, and 768 feet, respectively, where overburden weight exceeds the calculated safe pillar s~rength . howev er, b~cause of the small are a involved in the Stanton and Top Ros s beds, plue the existence of s a fety pillars~ 
B-3-17 
unmined areas, and backfill in all beds except in the Top Ross, probable cavings are not likeiy. to extend sufficiently upward to cause surface subsidence: · Subsidence, however·, may be expected from workings in the Top Red ASh bed, all of Which lie below a depth of 845 feet, and from workings in 'the lbttom Red Ash bed below a depth of. . 1,094 feet where overburden weight exce.eds the calculated safe pillar' strength. The magnitude of caving in the Top Red Ash bed will be · minimized by backfill, which was placed in. 30 of the 32 acres of the mined area. 
Backfill was placed :in scattered areas, totalling 169 acres or approximately 27 percent of the first-mined are'as. The' quantity · ' placed in the Stanton, Five Foot, and Bottom Baltimore beds will aid in stabilizing th~ pillars in the areas below the calculated sare pillar strength. 
, ..., 
Second and third mining operations were not conducted in areas of the beds covered by this· folio. 
No min:i,n~ was ,c;lon·e in any bed subjacent tq the Market Str'ee"t pumping station in t .he Wilkes-Barre ·-Hanover Township levee . 
Folio L 
The area of the surface plate that would be subject to inundation from the assumed ·flood crest, in case of failures in the floodprotection levees, comprises 62 acres, all of which is flood plain. The remain~ng 227 acres .lie above the horizon of the assumed flood . • crest. 
Portions of Kingston, Edwardsville, and Pringle Boroughs occupy the surface plate area; the study area, however, is in Kingston and Edwardsville and is predominantly residential. Some undeveloped _ terrain, containing a liquor warehouse and a f'u.rniture factory; are located in the eastern portion of the study area. Portions of the Kingstonand East Boston mines are subjacent to the surface area. 
Nine beds, having a combiried thickness of 52.5 feet, have been mined to varying degrees of extraction. Workings in the uppermost b~d, Stanton, are at a minimum c;l~pth of 107 feet below the surface, with a rock cover of 67 feet. Workings 'in the bottom bed, Bottom Red Ash, are at a ma.Ximum depth of · 674 ·fee·t, or 144 feet below sea level. 
The pattern of mining established during first mining operations is irregular in all bed9 except the Bottom Ross, where _it is regUla+. Pillar width.s vary from be·a to bed, ranging from 24 to 38 feet on 50to 60-fobt centers. Only a few safety pillars remain. Pillars re-maining in all beds after first mining are considered adequate for surface support. 
B-3-18 
Backfill was placed in 155 acres, or approximately 42 percent of the total first-mined area . It will aid in stabilizing the pillars. 
Second mining wae done in the Stanton, Five Foot, Top Baltimore, Bottom Baltimore, Top Red Ash, and Bottom Red Ash beds. Although the pillars remaining in the Stanton, Five Foot, Top Baltimore, and Bottom Baltimore beds are considered to be of adequate strength t o prevent crushing, the excessive width of chambers and, therefore, the area of exposed roof, which are the result of second mining, is apt to induce cavings that will extend upward and cause surface subsidence . 
Backfill placed in the Stanton and Top Baltimore beds may minimize the subsidence potential. Subsidence may be expected from bed area s that were mined beyond the depth where overburden weight exceeds the calculated safe pillar strength, as follows : Top Red Ash , a portion of whieh lies below 538 feet ; and Bottom Red Ash, all of which lies below 480 feet . ille ba ckfill placed in scattered areas th2·ough out the Top Red Ash and Bottom Red Ash beds after second mining is not considered sufficient to deter subsidence . 
Subsidence may be expected from areas where third minlng was done in the Stanton, Five Foot, I'op Baltimore, Bottom Baltimor e , 'lop Red Ash, .and :Bottom Red Ash beds . The extent of ba ckfilling, after third mining, is not ~onsidered adequate to deter subsidence. 
Areas in the Five Foot and Top Baltimore beds in whi ch r e cond and third mining operations were intermixed are arb:i.traril y treated as third-mined areas. 
Folio M 
The total surface area of 289 acres lies in the flood pl ain apd would be subject to inundation from the a ssumed flood crest in case of failures in the levee system that mfiy be caused by subsidence . 
The major part of the plate area is in Kingston Borough; smaller parts lie in Edwardsville and Pringle Boroughs. The area is predominantly residential, with the usual complement of churches, school s , and public buildings . The D, L . & W. Railroad, including the Kingston yards, crosses the plate along the northwestern side. Wyoming Avenue 
(U . S. Route 11), the principal traffic artery in Wyoming Valley, appears along the southeastern portion of the plate. 
The Kingston mine is subjacent to the greater part of the surface area. Parts of the East Boston and Dorrance mines underlie the northern and eastern portions of the plate. 
Eleven beds, having a combined thickness of 62 .5 feet, have been mined to varying degrees of extraction. Workings in the uppermost bed, 
B-3-19 
Abbott, are at a minimum depth of 113 feet below the surface, with 
a rock cover of 30 feet . Workings in the bottom bed, Bottom Red Ash, are at a maximum depth of l,o88 feet, or 562 feet below sea 
.
level. 
1he pattern of mln~ng established during first mln~ng operations is irregular in all beds except the upper two, Abbott and Kidneyj where it is regular. Pillar widths vary from bed to bed, ranging from 20 to 36 feet on 40-to 60-foot centers. Few safety pillars' remain. Scattered unmihed fault areas in the Five Foot, Top Balti~ more, Bottom Baltimorei and Checker beds provide an irregular pattern of safety pillars in these beds. The pillars remaining-after first mining are considered adequate fo"r surface support in all beds except ·the Top Red Ash and Bottom Red Ash. Subsidence, however, :may be expected from bed areas that were mined beyond the depth where overburden weight excee'ds the calculated safe pillar strength, as follows: Top Red Ash, below 979 feet; and Bottom Red Ash, below 864 feet. The subsidence potential is aggravated along the perimeter of the mined areas_of the three uppermost beds as a result of thin rock cover, as follows: Abbott, 30 to 50 feet; Kidney, 40 to 50 feet; and Hillman, 30 to 50 feet. 
Backfill was plac~d in 367 acres, or approximately 26 percent of the total first-mined areai which will deter the extent of subsidence that may be expected from mining operations in the Top Red Ash and Bottom Red Ash beds. 
Second mining was conducted in the Stanton, Five Foot, Top Baltimore, Bottom Baltimore, Checker, and Top Red Ash beds. Subsidence may be expected from the portions of bed areas that were mined beyond the depth where overburden weight exceeds calculated safe pillar strength, as follows: Stanton, below 461 feet; Five Foot, below 480 feet; Top Baltimore, below 403 feet; Bottom Baltimore, below 557 feet; Checker, below 538 feet; and Top Red Ash, all of which lies below 461 feet . Although the pillars remaining in portions of all beds that were second mined, except the Top Red Ash, are consider~d to be sufficiently strong to prevent crushing, the excessive width of chambers and, therefore, the area of exposed roof, is apt to induce roof falls that will extend upward and cause surface subsidence. Consequently, subsidence may be expected from all second-mined areas. 
Backfill placed in the Bottom Baltimore and Top Red Ash beds after s~cond mining will minimize the effects of subsidence caused by mining in these beds . 
Subsidence may be expected from areas where third mining was done in the Stanton, Five Foot, Top Baltimore, Bottom Baltimore, Top Red Ash, and Bottom Red Ash beds. Backfill was placed after· third mining only in the Stanton and Bottom Baltimore beds, where 
it will minimize the effects of subsidence. 
B-3-20 
• 
Work]ngs 1n the Stanton bed, the uppennost bed mined subjacent to the Toby1 s Creek pressure conduit, are at a minimum depth of 264 feet below the surface, under a minimum rock cover of 113 f eet. The rock interval to the next underlying bed, Five Foot, is 7 3 feet. 
Folio N 
The total surfa ce area of 289 acres lies .in the flood plain and wm1ld be subject to inur.dation from the assumed flood crest in case of f ailures i n the levees. 
lhe ehtire plate area lies in the most densely populated portion 
of Kingston Borough. Numerous commercial establishments are located 
along Market Street and at Kingston Corners . The Wilkes -Barre 
Connecting Railroad crosses the extreme southern corner of the plate . Market Street, P.ierce Street, and Rutter Avenue are the principal traffic arteries :.n he area . Market Street intersects Wyoming 
Avenue (U, S. Route 11) at the western corner of the plate . 
llbe Dorrance mine is subjacent to the greater part of the surface area . Relatively small parts of the Kingston and woodward mines underlie the r.orthwestern and southwestern parts of the area, res pectively. 
D1ir':.een beds, having a combined thickness of 81.5 feet, have been miLed ~o va rying degrees of extraction . The Snake I sland bed i s uppermos~ stratigr aphically, but is mined only in a limited area i n the southern part. of the plate where the workings are more than 300 fee-l: below the surface, Workings in the Abbott bed, the s econd bed from the top in stratigraphic sequence, comprise nearly the ent ire plate area and reach a minimum depth of 136 feet below the surface, wi+.;h a rock cover of 36 feet, near the northern limit of the plate. Workings in the bottom bed, Bottom Red Ash, reach a maximum depth of 1,260 feet below the surface, or 718 f eet below sea level . 
The pattern of mining established during first mining operations varies f rom regular to irregular, being regular in the two uppermost and f our bottom beds and ranging from slightly irregular to irregular in the other beds . Pillar widths vary from bed to bed, ranging from 21 to 46 feet on 45-to 70-foot centers . Safety pillars are present in all beds except the Skidmore and Bottom Ross . They are spaced at regular intervals in the Snake Island, Abbott, and Checker beds . In the other beds they are few in number but, with unmined fault areas and barrier pillars, form an irregular pattern of safety pillar arrangement . 
Pillars remaining after first mQn~ng are considered ade quate for surface support in all 'beds except the Checker, Skidmore, Top Red Ash, and Bottom Red Ash. The entire mined area, comprising 8 acres in the Bottom Ross bed, lies beyond the depth of 883 feet 
B-3-21 

below which overburden weight exceeds the calcul ated safe pillar strength,; however, bec~use of the limited extent of the mined area involved and being surrounded by large unmined areas, surface subsidence from this source is not anticipated. , Subsidence, however, may be expected from first-mined bed areas that lie beyond depths where overburden weight exceeds calculated safe pillar strength, as follows: Checker, below 845 feet; Skidmore, bel ow 883 feet; Top Red Ash, of which all workings lie below 902 feet; and Bottom Red Ash, of which the greater part of its workings lie below 1,037 feet. 
Backfill was placed in 132 acres, or approximately 7 percent of the total first-mined area; however, insufficient quantities were placed in areas where possible subsidence is indicated. 
Second mining was done in the Abbott, Kidney, Stanton, and Checker beds. Although the pillars r emaining after second mining in the Abbott and Kidney beds are considered to be of sufficient strength . to prevent crushi ng, the ex~essiye width of chambers and, therefore, the area of. exposed roof, is apt to induce roof falls that will extend upward and cause surface subsidence. The subsidence potential may be aggravated in areas in the Abbott bed as a result of thin rock cover, ranging from 36 to 50 feet, al ong the northwestern portion of the plate. Subsidence may also be expected from portions of s econd-mined bed areas that lie beyond the depth where overburden weight exceeds .. calculated safe pillar strength, as follows: Stanton, below 576 feet; and Checker, all of which lies below 595 feet. Subsidence is not indicated in the 16-and 5-acre portions of the Abbott and Stanton beds, respectively~ which lie above the critical depth and were backfilled either during or after the second-mining cycle. Backfill was not placed elsewhere after second mining. 
Subsidence may be exp ected from areas where third mining was done in the Abbott, Kidney, Hillman, and Stanton beds . Backfill was not placed in the voids after third mining . 
Folio 0 
The area of the surface plate that would be subject to inundation from the assumed flood crest in case of failures in the floodprotection levees comprises 278 acres, of which 150 are flood plain and 128 are river-levee area. The remaining. ll acres lie above the horizon. of the assumed flood cres.t 
0 
The greater part of the plate area is located in Kingston Borough; the remainder is ip Wilkes-Barre City. The Susquehanna River crosses the plate from northeast to south. A residential area of Kingston, with the usual complement of public and commercial buildings, oc~upies the western or right bank of the river. The Luzerne County Prison and a number of industrial buildings are located in 
B-3-22 
the small area of Wilkes-Barre that appears along the east or left bank. Market Street bridge and Pierce Street (North St.) bridge span the Susquehanna River and carry the main traffic arteri es in the area. 
The Wilkes-Barre Connecting Railroad crosses the western part of the plate. 
The Kingston levee flanks the right bank of the river and the eastern end of the Wilkes-Barre -Hanover Township l evee, containing the 'Cnion Street pumping station, and appears in the southeastern portio~ of the plate. 
Parts of -t.he Dorrance and Woodward mines are subjacent to the surface ·area. A small part of the virgin coal area under the city of Wilkes-Barre is located in the southeastern part of the plate. 
::Pen beds, havJ.ng a comblned thickness of 76. 5 feet, have been mined to varyi~g degrees of extractioL. The Snake I sland bed is uppermost stratigY"aphically, but is mined only in a limited area in the ncr:.hern part of the plate where the workings are more than 255 feet below the surface. Workings in the Abbott bed, which :i.s the second 'bed from the top ir. stratigraphic sequence, comprise approximately 50 per.:;ent cf the entire plate area and are at a minimum depth of 120 feet -below the surface, with a rock cover of 30 feet. Workings in "the bottom 'bed, Bottom Red Ash, are at a maxirrru.m depth of 1,365 feet below the surface, or 857 feet below sea level. 
The pattern of mini~g established during first mi ning operations is reg~lar in the Snake Island, Five Foot, ~op Red Ash, and Bottom Red Ash beds.• and more or less irregular in the other beds. Pillar widths vary from bed to bed, ranging from 15 to 50 feet on 40-to TO-foot centers. Safety pillars are present on regular intervals 
J.r the Snake Island and Five Foot beds, and part of the Bottom Bal timore bed. A few are present in the remaining beds, mostly at irregular intervals; there are none in the Abbott bed. 
Pillars remaining after first mining are considered adequate for surface support in all beds except the Top Red Ash and Bottom Red Ash, where areas were first mined beyond depths at which overburden weight exceeds calculated safe pillar strength. These areas are: Top Red Ash, below 1,056 feet under the flood plain and below 902 feet under the entire river-levee area; and Bottom Red Ash, below 979 feet in the entire mined area . The subsidence potential is .a!Sgravated in the cer..tral part of the plate as a result of thin rock cover, 30 to 50 feet, over the Abbott workings. 
Backfill was placed in 242 acres, or approximately 18 percent of the total first-mined area. The quantity placed in the Top Red Ash and Bottom Red Ash beds is not considered sufficient to deter or minimize subsidence where indicated. 
B-3-23 
Second mining was done in the Abbott, Kidney, Hillman, Stanton, and Top Red Ash beds. Alt ough the pillars remaining after second mining in all beds except the Top Red Ash are considered to be of sufficient strength to prevent crushing, the excessive width of chambers and, therefore, the area of exposed roof, which results from pillar-skipping, is apt to induce caving that will extend upward and cause surface subsidence. 
Backfill placed during or after the second:-mining cycle may modify the hazard potentials of such excessive roof areas by minimizing or preventing subsidence due to roof falls. Cases in point are: Abbott, over the entire area; Kidney, in 36 of 72 acres; and Stanton, in 10 of 18 acres.· No backfill was placed in the Hillman bed. Subsidence may be expected from second-mined areas in the Top Red Ash bed, all of which lie beyond the depth at which overburden weight exceeds calculated safe pillar strength. No backfill was placed in the Top Red Ash bed during nor after t he second-mining cycle. 
Subsidence may be expected from areas where third mining was done in the Abbott, Kidney, Hillman, and Stanton beds. Backfill after third mining was not placed in sufficient quantity to deter or minimize subsidence. 
Workings in the Abbott bed, the uppermost bed mined subjacent to the Susquehanna River and the Kingston levee, are at a minimum depth of 104 feet below the riverbed and 180 feet below the surface, under minimum rock covers of 55 and 42 feet, respectively. The rock interval to the next underlying bed is 80 feet. 
No mining was done in any bed subjacent to the Wilkes-Barre -Hanover Township levee and Union Street pumping station in this folio. 
Folio P 
The area of the surface plate that would be subject to inundation from the assumed flood crest in case of failures in the floodprotection levees comprises 126 acres, of which 125 are in the flood plain and 1 in the river-levee area. The remaining 163 acres lie above the horizon of the assumed flood crest. 
The entire area of this plate is located in the central part of Wilkes-Barre City, immediately northeast of Public Square, and includes the Luzerne County Courthouse and commercial, residential, and industrial areas. The Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, Delaware & Hudson, and New Jersey Central Railroads are located along the southeastern boundary of the plate. 
Parts of the Hollenback, Baltimore, and Dorrance mines are subjacent to the surface area. Unmined areas in all beds underlie the surface in the southern and western parts of the plate. These unmined areas are part of the large virgin coal reserve under Wilkes-Barre. 
B-3-24 

Ten beds, having a combined thickness of 70 feet, have beenmined to varying degrees of extraction. The Abbott and Kidney bedsare the two uppermost beds in stratigraphic sequence, but are minedto a lesser extent in the shallow areas than in the underlying beds.
Workings of these beds within the study area are at minimum depthsof 86 and 84 feet below the surface, respectively. Workings in theHillman bed, which is the third bed from the top in stratigraphic
sequence, are at a minimum depth of 80 feet below the surfRce, with
a rock cover of 50 feet at the outer edge of the study area. Workings in the bottom bed, Bottom Red Ash, are at a maximum depth of1,474 feet below the surface or 924 feet below sea level. 
The pattern of mining established during first mining operationsis regular in the Abbott, Stanton, Five Foot, and Top Ross beds, butmore or less irregular in the other beds. Pillar widths vary from
bed to bed, ranging from 25 to 55 feet on 45-to 75-foot centers.There are a few safety pillars, mostly at irregular intervals, in the
Stanton.• Bottom Baltimore, Top Red Ash, and Bottom Red Ash beds.
The Abbott bed contains one safety pillar, but none are present in
the Kidney, Hillman, Five Foot, Top Ross, and Bottom Ross beds. 

Pillars remaining after first mining are considered adequate forsurface ..:upport in all beds except in the Bottom Baltimore, Top RedAsh, anC.. Bottom Red Ash, where subsidence may be expected from areasthat were first mined beyond depths at which overburden weight exceedscalculated safe pillar strength. These areas are: Bottom Baltimore,below 883 feet; Top Red Ash, below 902 feet, comprising practic~llythe entire bed area; and Bottom Red Ash, below 922 feet, comprisingthe ent ire mined area. In the Abbott bed, the subsidence potential
is aggravated where first mining was done under a rock cover of 32
feet. 

Backfill was placed in 102 acres or 25 percent of the total
first-mined area. Quantities placed in the Top Red Ash and Bottom

Red Ash beds are considered insufficient to deter or minimize sub
sidence. 
No backfill was placed in the Bottom Baltimore bed. 
Second mining, consisting of pillar-skipping-splitting, wasdone in the Abbott and Hillman beds. Although the pillars-remaining
after second mining are considered to be of sufficient strength toprevent crushing, the excessive width of chambers and, therefore,the area of exposed roof, which results from pillar-skipping, is aptto induce roof falls that will extend upward and cause surface sub
sidence. No backfill was placed in the Abbott or Hillman beds during nor ~fter the second-mining cycle. 
Subsidence may be expected from a third-mined area in theAbbott oed vhere no backfill was placed. 
B-3-25 
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________________________________________ ~---------~--------------------------------------------------------r 
PANEL 4 
FORTY FORT -PLAINS SECTOR 

CONTENTS 
Page 
Introduction----------------------------------------------------B-4-1 
Description of panel 4------------------------------------------B-4-2 
Description of folios-------------------------------------------B-4-3 
AA---------------------------------------------------------B-4-3 A----------------------------------------------------------B-4-4 B---·------~-----------------------------------------------B-4-6 C-------------------~--------------------------------------B-4-8 D----------------------------------------------------------B-4-10 EE---------------------------------------------------------B-4-11 E----------------------------------------------------------B-4-13 F----------------------------------------------------------B-4-15 G----------------------------------------------------------B-4-17 H----------------------------------------------------------B-4-18 !!---------------------------------------------------------B-4-20 !----------------------------------------------------------B-4-21 J---------------------------------------------------------
B-4-22 
K----------------------------------------------------------B-4-24 LL---------------------------------------------------------B-4-25 L----------------------------------------------------------B-4-26 M----------------------------------------------------------B-4-28 N----------------------------------------------------------B-4-30 
TABLES 
1. Correlation of beds in panel 4------------------------------Following B-4-2 
FIGURES 
1. 
Map of panel 4. 

2. 
Typical cross section in folio C. 


INTRODUCTION 
Panel 4 comprises 18 folios and covers .the Forty Fort -Plains sector of the study area. 
The topography within the confines of the panel is shown O!J. a -~p,, scale l inch equals 2,000 feet, upon which the boundaries of, the mir1:es.; are superimposed. Pertinent features, such as the Susquehanna River ;· and .flood-protection levees, including associated structures, are ·. shown in blue and green, respectively. The green rectangles in the outline of the levees indicate pumping stations. The severity paten-.· tials of subsidence within the confines of the shoreline ·of the ... ~ .: assumed flood crest normally identified with the various types of mining, including critical depth, are delineated by different patterns of markings . and are shown in red. A cross section, scale l inch ,equals 100 feet, through th.~ cep.:ter of folio C is shown as typical of :th.e paneL . The map and cro.ss section are included in this report. . 
. .'i 
. ......
; 
The altitude of the shoreline of the assumed flood crest for_the., determination of the surface study area in this panel is 550 feet, which corresponds to altitude 556.67 feet, U. S. Coast &Geodetic Survey base. 
Correlation of beds in panel 4 is shown in table l. 
.... ._·.. ,. 
., 
B-4-1 

DESCRIPTION OF PANEL 4 
• 
Panel 4 lies approximat ely in the east-central portion of the study area in the Wyoming Basin of the Northern anthracite field. Most of the panel area is located on the northern side of the Susquehanna River. The northern boundary roughly parallels Main Street in Swoyersville; the Lehigh Valley Railroad traverses the panel near its southern boundary. Other railroads appearing in the panel are the Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western; Wilkes-Barre Connecting; Delaware &Hudson; and Central Railroad of New Jersey. 
Municipalities in the area covered by the panel are portions of Wilkes-Barre City; Plains Township; Kingston, Pringle, Luzerne, Swoyersville, West Wyoming, and Wyoming Boroughs; and all of Forty Fort Borough. The Wilkes-Barre -Wyoming Valley Airport is located near the eastern border. I t is mostly a densely populated suburban area in the western end of t he panel, with more open co~ntry at the eastern end. 
The Susquehanna River t raverses generally the south-central part of the panel. The terrain immediately adjacent to the channel of the river is generally farmland; however, considerable strip mining was done along the south bank of the river in Plains Township. 
Numerous traffic arteries appear in the panel, including U. S. Routes ll and 309. 
The flood-control system of levees, built by the Army Corps of Engineers, roughly parallels the north bank of the river, except for a stretch of high ground in Forty Fort, and includes the Church Street pumping station in Kingston. The impounding basin of Toby's Creek pressure conduit appears in the western corner of the panel. 
Workings of the East Boston, Black Diamond, Harry E-Forty Fort, Maltby-Westmoreland, Number 14, Conlon, Henry-Prospect, DelawarePine Ridge, Peach Orchard, Baltimore, Dorrance, and Pettebone mines are subjacent to the surface area. 
B-4-2 

e e 

TABLE 1. -Correlation ot: beds in panel 4 
M I  N  E  S  
General Il6l'De of bed  IEast Boston  Black Diamond  Dorrance  Pettebone  Henry-Prospect  Baltimore  Peach Orchard  DelawareConlonl Pine Ridge  l!ar:r'yEForty Fort  MaltbyWestmoreland  Number 14  
Tcp Snake I sland•---------- n C"--------- 
Snake Island---- Snake I sland-----I Snake I sland! Snake Island--- Snake Island  
Abbott---------- Abbott-----IAbbott----------IAbbott-----------IAbbott------IAbbott--------- Abbott------ 

Bowkley---------1-----------1---------------1 Bowkley----1Kidney----------IBowkley----------IKidney------IKidney---------1-------lKidney------•------------------•----------------•-------------
Hillman---------!Hillman----Hillman----1Hill.ma.n---------IH1llman----------IH1llman-----IH11lman--------l-------lH1llman-----Hillman---------1Hillman-------
Top Five Foot---I-----------1---------------1-----------ITop Five Foot---ITop Five Foot--·-ITop Stanton-IFive Foot------Rock--------ITop Five Foot-----ITop Five Foot---IDiamond-------
Bottom Five Foot I Four Foot--I Four Yoot------IFive Foot--I Bottom Five Foot!Bottom Five Foot-! Stanton-----Bottom Five Foot--IBottom Five FootlTop Checker--Lance-----------1Lance------ILance----------ILance------ILance-----------1 Stanton----------•------------•---------------Upper Baltimore-ICooper-----ICooper---------ICooper-----ICooper----------IUpper Baltimore--1------------ICooper---------ICooper-ICooper------IFaur Foot---------!Faur Foot-------I Bottom Checker Lover Baltimore-IBennett-·---IBennett--------I Bennett and,Bennett and Baltimore and IBaltimore---IBennett--------1 Bennett! Bennett-----1 Six Foot----------1 Six Foot--~-----IPittston------
Baltimore Baltimore Lover Baltimore Bottom Pittston-Bottom PittstonChecker--------------------•Top Eleven Foot Checker----------Cbecker-----!Top Eleven Foot---ITop Marcy------Marcy-----------IEleven Foot iEleven Foot----ISkidmore---ISkidmore--------IMarcy------------ISkidmcre----IBottom SkidmoreiMarcy--JRoss--------.JBottom Eleven FootiMarcy-----------IMarcy---------Nine Foot------------------•Bottom Skidmore-Nine Foot---------INine Foot-------Top Ross-------------------•Top Ross-------Ross--------------------•Top Ross----------1Top Ross --------1 Clark--------Ross------------1 Ross-------1 Ross-----------1 Ross-------1 Ross------------1 Ross-------------1 Top Red Ash-! Ross-----------Bottom Ross-------IRoss------------IBottom Clark--Top Red Ash-----•-----------•---------------•-----------•----------------•-----------------•------------•---------------------------•------------------• ----------------'Babylon-------
Red Ash---------IRed Ash----IRed Ash--------IRed Ash----IRed Ash---------IRed Ash----------IRed Ash-----IRed Ash--------Red Ash-----IRed Ash-----------lied Ash------
DESCRIPTION OF FOLIOS 
Folio AA 
The area of the surface plate that would be subject to inundation from the a ssumed flood crest in case of fa;ilures in the floodprotection system of levees comprises 58 acres, all of which is flood plain. The remaining 231 acres lie abov e the horizon of the assumed flood crest. 
Portions of Pr;ingle, Luzerne, and Swoyersville Boroughs occupy the surface area. 
The study area is undeveloped for the most part, except for a small residential area in Luzerne and the Toby's Creek impounding basin in Pringle. A branch of the Lehigh Valley Railroad appears along the northeastern boundary of the plate. Union Street, U. S. Route 309, crosses the plate from northwest to southeast. Workings of parts .of the East Boston, Bl ack Diamond, and Harry E-FoFty Fort mines are subjacent to the study area. 
Nine beds , havi.r.g a combined thickness of 47.5 or 49 .5 feet, de pending on whether or not top coal was taken, have been mined to varying degrees of extractior.. Workings in the uppermost bed, Bottom F:i;ve Foot, are at a mininrum depth of 90 feet below the surface. The rock cover along the fringe of the mined area has a mininrum thickness of 1 foot . Workings ir. the bottom bed, Red Ash, are at a maximum depth of 717 feet below the surface, or 180 feet below sea level. 
The pattern of mining establi shed during first mining operations varies from irregular to regular. Pillar widths vary from bed to bed, ranging from 20 to 60 feet on 40-to 80-foot centers. A few safety pillars are present in the Marcy bed. The pillars remaining in all beds after first mining are considered adequate to support the surf ace. Backfill was placed in 25 of the 71 acres of first-mined areas, mainly in the Marcy bed, which will give additional suppGrt to the pillars . 
Second mining was done in the Lance, Upper Baltimore, Lower Baltimore, Checker, and Red Ash beds . Although the pillars remaining after second mining are considered sufficiently strong to prevent their being crushed, excessively wide roof areas in the chambers resulting from pillar-skipping-blocking in second mining will probably cause roof cavings that may extend to the surface. Backfill was not placed in sufficient quantity after second mining to prevent or deter subsidence. 
Third mining was conducted in all nine coalbeds contained in this folio, namely, Bottom Five Foot, Lance , Upper Baltimore, 
B-4-3 
Lower Baltimore, Checker, Marcy, Top Ross, Ross, and Red Ash, and 
subsidence may be expected therefrom• . No backfill was placed in the 
voids created by third mining. 
Subsidence potentials in areas of second a.nd third mining are ~ggravated by thin rock cover over portions of tpe mined areas, -such as at the rim of the third-mined area in the Bottom Five Fo.ot bed where rock cover varies from 1 to 50 feet; in the Upper Baltimor e bed where the rock cover varies from 1 to 50 feet in second-ana third-mined areas; and in the Lower BaltimQre bed where the rock cover varies from 15 to 50 feet in second-and third-mined area:s. 
Subsidence may also occur from, workings in the Lance bed, ·where a few chambers in the northeastern limit of the first-mined area were driven under a rock cover that has an average thickness of only 5' · feet. 
Workings in the Bottom Five Foot bed subjacent -to Toby i s Cteek· impounding basin a r e at a minimum depth of 149 feet below the streambed, under a rock cover ranging from 1 to 86 feet. The rock interval to the next underlying bed, Lance, is 58 feet. The upstream end of the impounding basin extends beyond the assumed flood crest shoreline, and i.s at a minimum depth of 77 f eet below the streambed under' a rock cover of 25 feet . '~. 
Folio A 
The tot al area of t he surface pl ate, 289 acres, would be subject to inundation from the a s sumed flood crest in case of failure in the flood-protection system of levees . The entire surface plate lies in the flood plain. 
A portion of Kingston Borough occupies the great'er part of the surface area. Small portions of Pringle and Luzerne Boroughs appear in the western part, with a portion of Forty Fort Borough in the -' eastern part . The area is predominantl y residential. Numerous retail stores and other business establishments are located along Wyoming Avenue. Nesbitt Memorial Hospital is near the southe·rn corner of the plate, with the Duplan Silk Mill and U. S. Naval ·Reserve Center situated in the north-centr al part . The D·. L. & W. Railroad crosses the plate from west to north, while a spur of the Lehigh Valley Railroad crosses the northeastern part. The Toby'.s Creek impounding basin and a small part of the creek's pressure conduit appear i n the western part of the plate. 
Wyoming· Avenue (Route il) and Union Street (Route 3~) are the important traffic arteri~s. 
Workings of parts of the Dorrance, Pettebone, Henry-Prospect, East Boston, Black Diamond, and Harry E-Forty Fort mines are subjacent to the surface area. 
B-4-4 
Eleven beds, having a combined thickness of 69.5 or 81.0 feet, depending on whether or not top coal :was taken, have been mined to varying degrees of extraction. Workings in the uppermost bed, Abbott, are at a minimum depth of 116 feet below the surface, with a rock cover of 30 feet . Workings in the bottom bed, Red Ash, are a-t a maximum depth of l,OGO feet below the surface, or 464 feet below sea levelA 
The pattern of m1n1ng established during first m1n1ng operations 
varies ·from slightly irregular to irregular in all beds except the uppe~ two, Abbott and Bowkley, where it is regular. Pillar widths vary £rom bed to bed, ranging from 20 to 46 feet on 40-to 70-foot centers. · Safety pillars were left to some degree in all beds except 
the t ·op two, Abbott and Bowkley, where they are nonexistent. There 
are a few of these at "irregular intervals, which, when viewed in 
combination with unmined areas and barrier p:i.llars, form an irregular 
pattern. 'l1he pillars r emain:i.ng in all beds after first mining are 
•:onsidered adequ.a·te for surfa~e support. There are some small first
mined areas in the Ross bed that lie beyond a depth of 768 feet where overburden weight exceeds calculated safe pillar strength; however, these areas are well-·buttressed with unmined areas and barrier pillarz~ ar...d are not cor.sidered to present a subsidence hazard. Backfill was placed in approximately 9 percent of the voids created by fir9t mining. 
Secor...d mining was conducted ir... the Abbott, Bowkley, Hillman, ·Top F:.ve Foo-': 7 Bottom F:i.ve Foot, Upper Baltimore, Lower Baltimore, and Red Ash beds. Pillars remaining in the Abbott bed after second mir.ing are c:one::idered adequate for surface support, especially since the small area of o!lly 3 acres in the Dorrance mine was backfilled during or after the mi ning cycle, except for the voids in the northern ex~remity of the ar.ea. While the pillars remaining after second nun1ng in the Bowkley, Hillman, Top Five Foot, Bottom Five Foot, -Jpper Balt::.more, and Lower Baltimore beds are considered to be sufficiently strong to prevent their being crushed, excessively wide roof areas in ·the chambers, resulting from pillar-skipping, will probably cause caving that may extend to the surface. Also, a thin rock interval (3 to 9 feet) between the Top and Bottom Five Foot beds, together with the irregular pattern of mining and its resulting poor columnizatiop of pillars, constitutes another subsidence potential. Backfill was not placed in any second-mined area except in the Abbott bed of the Dorrance mine, which was mentioned previously. 
Subsidence may also be expected from second-mined workings in the Red Ash bed, all of which lie below a depth of 691 feet, where overburden weight exceeds calculated safe pillar strength. In addition, excessively wide roof areas in the chambers of the Red Ash bed, resulting from pillar-skipping, will probably cause caving of the roof that may extend to overlylng beds and ultimately to the surface. 
B-4-5 
Subsidence may be expected from bed areas where third ril!inf'ng·
·~ · was done in the Bottom Five Foot, Lance, Upper ·Baltimore, Lower -· Baltimore, Marcy, Ross, and Red Ash beds. Backfill a:rter third'' · 
·mining was not placed in quantities sufficient to deter ·or effec
. I
tively minimize subsidence. 
Subsidence may also occur where mlnlng was carried on under 
thin rock cover, as fmllows: In the Abbott bed, where the average
rock cover is 30 feet in second-mined areas under K. Dorrance Sfreet 
and Hedge Place, Kingston, where the voids we·re not ba·ckfilled; and 
in the Hillman bed, along the northern limit of the first-mined area 
under sections of Wyoming Avenue and adjacent areas in Kingston and 
Forty Fort,·.where the rock cover varies from 28 to 50 feet, 
·Workings in the Bottom Five Foot bed, which is the uppermost
bed mined subjacent to Toby's Creek impounding basin and pressur'e 
conduit, are at a minimum depth of 210 feet below the streambed,· 
under a minimum rock cover of 86 feet. The rock interval to the 
next underlying bed, Lance, is 58 feet. 
Folio B 
The total area o~ the surface plate, 289 acres, with the ex
ception of a small area that rises like a mound in the northeastern part of the plate, would be subject to inundation from the assumed flood crest. The Church Street-Rutter Avenue extension of the 'Kingston levee divides the plate roughly in half on a north-south axis·. 
The area on the land side of the levee, 202 acres, is flood plain;
that on the river side, 87 acres, is river-levee area. The flood ' 
plain normally protected by levees would be subject to inundation 
from the assumed flood crest in case of failures in the flood
protection levees. 
A portion of Kingston Borough occupies approximately threequarters of the plate area; a small part of Forty Fort Borough appears in the northeastern corner. 
The flooa~plain is pred0minantly residential, -except for the undeveloped terrain immediately west of the Church Street levee. A few warehouses are pres€nt in the Forty Fo~ portion of the flood pla:i,.n. 
Parts of the Dorrance, Pettebone, and Henry-Prospect mines are subjacent to the area. 
Eleven bedsJ having a combined thickness of 67 or 69 feet; depending on whether or not top coal was taken, have been mined to varying ·degrees of extraction. Workings in the uppermost bed, Abbott, are at a minimum depth of 131 feet below the-surface, with a 
B-4-6 

rock cov~r of 30 feet. Workings in the bottom bed, Red Ash, are at 
a maximum depth of 1,190 feet below the surface, or 653 feet below 
sea level. 
The pattern of mlnlng established during first mlnlng operationsvaries from slightly irregular to irregular, being irregular for the moQt part. Pi~lar widths vary from bed to bed, ranging from 20 to 50 feet on 40-to 70-foot centers. Safety pillars were left to some degree in all beds except the upper two, Abbott and Bowkley. Except in the Top Five Foot and Bottom Five Foot beds, where they are at regula;r intervals, they are distri'buted at irregular intervals. The pillars remaining a:fte r first mining in the Bowkley, Hillman, TopFive Foot, Bottom Five Foot, Lance, Upper Baltimore, Lower Baltimore, and river-levee area of the Red Ash bed are considered adequate for surface support. Subsidence, however, may be expected from bed areas that were mined 'beyond the limit of calculated safe pillar strength, as follows: Marcy bedp below 806 and 845 feet in the flood plain and :river-levee area, respectively; Ross bed, below 826 and 768 feet in the flood plair:. and river-levee area, respectively, which constitute the entire mined area in this bed; and Red Ash bed, below 1,133 feet in the flood plain. Backfill was placed in approximately 6 percent of the voids created. by first mining; however, the quantity placed in the Marcy, Ross, and Red Ash beds is not considered sufficient to deter or minimize subside~ce where indicated. 
Second mining was conducted in the Abbott, Bowkley, Hillman, Bottom Five Foot, and Upper Baltimore beds. While the-pillars remaining in all beds after second mining are considered adequate in ;:>trength to prevent their being crushed, excessively wide roof areas in the chambers, resulting from pillar-skipping in second mi ning, will probably cause caving that may extend to the surface. Backfill placed after second mining operations in all but the Abbott bed is not sufficient in quantity to deter or prevent but only to minimize surface subsidence that is caused by the collapse of excessivelywide roof areas, which is the result of this type of mining. In the Abbott bed, where backfill was placed in an area comprising 27 acres under the flood plain, subsidence hazards have been reC!-uced greatly. 
Subsidence may be expected from bed areas where third mining was done in the Abbott, Bowkley, Hillman, Top Five Foot, Bottom Five Foot, Upper Baltimore, Lower Baltimore, Marcy, and Red Ash beds. No bac~ill was plaQed in any bed in areas that were subjected to 
third mining. 
The subsidence potential in portions of second-and third-mined areas in the Bowkley bed is aggravated where mining was done under a rock cover thi~kness of only 42 to 50 feet. 
Subsidence may also occur from the Abbott bed along the northern extremity of the second-mined workings and under parts of 
B-4-7 
Charles, .Lathrop, and Vaughn Streets and Rutter Avenue, whe:re'' cham~· bers were driven under a rock cover that averages 30 feet in thickness and the voids were not backfilled. 
WorkL~s in the Abbott bed subjacent to the Church StreetRutter Avenue levee are at a minimum depth of 152 feet below the surface, under a minimum rock cover of 63 feet. The minimum 'rock inter'val to the next underlying bed, Bowkley, is 66 fe~t. Workings-' in the Bowkley bed subjacent to the levee are at a minimUm depth ·of -135 ,_ · f"eet below the surface, under a minimum rock cov-er of 49 feet. ·· 
·~· •j ., . 
·J '
Folio C 
The area of the surface plate that would be subject· to inunda~ · tion from the assumed flood crest comprises 220 acres~ of whicb -56 are flood plain and 164 are river-levee area. The remaining 69 acres lie above the horizon of the assumed flood crest. The flood plain normally protected by the levee system would be subject to inundation from the assumed f'lood crest in case of failures in. the flood-protection levees. 
The Susquehanna River crosses the plate from ndrtheas~ to south: west. 'Parts of Kingston and Forty Fort Boroughs are located on the west or right bank, and parts of Wilkes-Barre City and Piains ToWnship lie on the opposite bank. '' · · 
Portions ~the Dorrance, Pettebone, and Henry-Prospect mines are subjacent to the surface area. 
. ~' "".~ 
Eleven beds, having a combined thickness of 75 or 81 feet; ae.:. pending .on whether or not top coal was taken, have been mined to varying degreE;!S of extraction. The Snake Island and Al5bott are _the two uppermost beds in stratigraphic sequence, but are not mined ' to ··~ a great .ext~nt because of close proximity to the su·rfac'e'. ·Workings of these beds within the study area are at a minimum depth of 160 and 140 feet below the surface, respectively. Workings in 'the Bowkley bed, whieh. is the third bed from the top in stratigraphi·c ·· ' sequence, are at a mininn.tm depth of 78 feet below the surface, with 
· · 
~ 
· 
a ro.ck cover of 30 feet. Workings in the bottom bed, Red Ash, are 
at a maximum depth of 1,280 feet below the surface, or 697 feet 
below se~ level~ 
The pattern of :rrunlng establisl).ed during first :rrunlng operations varies from slightly irregular to irregular. Pillar width varies from bed to bed, ranging from 20 to 46 feet on 40-to TO-foot centers. Safety pillars, generally few at irregular intervals, are present in all beds except the Bowkley, where there are none. There is one safety pillar in each Of the Snake Island and Abbott beds. In the Top Five Foot bed, safety pillars are present at regular intervals. The pillars remaining_after first mining are considered. adequate for surface support in all beds except the Ross and Red Ash. Subsidence, however~ may be expected from bed areas that were first mined beyond depths at which overburden weight exceeds calculated safe pillar strength, as follows: In the Ross bed, below 883 feet, which comprises the greater part of t he mining area subjacent to the flood platn and all of the r~. ver-lev:ee area; and in the Red Ash bed, below 960 feet in workings subjacent to the entire flood plain and below 883 feet in workings subjacent to the river-levee area, except for 47 acres that were backfilled. Backfill was placed in 125 acres, or in approximately 12 percent of the first-mined area . The quantity of backfill pl~ced in the river-levee area of the Red Ash bed will stabilize the pillars and prevent or minimize the effects of subsidence due to mining below the critical depth in the area that was backfilled. 
Second mining, consisting of pillar-splitting-sk:ipping, was done in the Abbott, Bowkley, Hillman, and. Lower Baltimore beds. While pillars remaining in the Abbott, Bowkley, and Hillman beds are considered sufficiently strong to prevent their being ·crushed, excessively wide roof areas will probably cause caving that may extend to the surface. Pillars remaining in the Lower Baltimore bed are considered adequate to support the surface, especially since 12 of the 17 acres mined in this bed were bac~illed, thus minimizing the subsidence potential of excessively wide roof areas. No backfill was placed elsewhere after second mining, except in the area of the Abbott bed under the flood plain where the ~uantity placed was not considered sufficient to deter or minimize subsidence significantly. 
Subsidenc·e may be expected from bed areas where third mining was done in the Abbott, Bowkley, Hillman, Marcy, and Red Ash beds. The subsidence potential in a po·rtion of the third-mined area. of the Bowkley bed is aggravated by mining t~at was done under thin rock cover thickness, ranging from 30 to 50 feet. The extent of backfilling placed during and after third mining is not considered adequate to deter subsidence, 
Subsidence may also be expected from first-mined workings, as follows: In the Abbott bed, along the extremity of the workings under and adjacent to the Kingston levee where the rock cover 
B-4-9 
J 
thicknesa varies between 30 and 5® feet; . anQ. in the Hillman.. bed,_.,_~. 
near the Church Street levee, where an area o_f approx:i.mately. _3 ,,~cz:~f:l: . 
was mined under a rock cover thickness of 30 to 50 feet •: ·<· . , . 
Workings at the limit of the Snake Island bed subjacent t9 the confluence of the Susquehanna River and Mill Creek are at a min~
,1 
depth of 176 feet below the creekbed, under a minimum rock cover o;e., 
140 feet. The rock interval to the next underly:t~ bed, .f>.bbot:t, . '_is ·' 
82 feet4 · · •r 
--. ! v . --'· 
Workings in the Abbot't bed, 'Which ,is the uppermost bed mined.-, . : subjacent to the Kingston levee, Church Street pUJ!IPing station; .-~nd -.'. Susquehanna River are at minirirum depths of 147 f~~t pelow the sur.fac~e;c for the levee and pumping station and 168 feet below the riverbed, .. ·.·· under minimum rock covers · of 31 and 57 ·feet, respectively. The rock interval to the next underlying bed is 72 feet. . -.. 
Workings in the ]owkley bed, which is the upperniost bed m;Lned · . T subjacent to the Church Street levee; . are at a minimum depth. of-130 : . .,: feet below the surface, under a -minimum rock cover ·of 50 feet. The minimum depth below the bed of the Susquehanna River is 78 feet, under a minimum roc~ cover of 53 feet. 
Folio D 
The area of the surface plate that woul~ be subje~t to inundation from the assumed flood crest comprises 41 acres, all ,of which is river-levee area. The remaining 248 acres lie above the horizon of the assumed flood crest. 
The Dl8jOr portion of the plate area lies. in Wilkes-Barre;·· the remainder is a part ·Of Pla~ns Township, which occupies the no!,"them , .. corner of the plate. Mill Creek courses from northeast to sout~west and marks the boundary line between the two municipalities. 
The study area comprises 41 acres and consists of a narrow strip of ground( that straddles Mill Creek throughout -its reach -on·-this plate, then-veers south to include a built-up portion of Wilkes-Barre. 
A bridge carrying the main line tracks of t .he Lehigh Valley Railroad and a smaller bridge supporting Main Street span Mill . Cr~~~ in the study area. · 
Portions af the Henry-Prospect, :OOrrance, Baltimo-re, _and Peacb Orchard mine workings are subjacent to the area of this plate. 
Ten 'beds, having a combined ·thiclqless of 78 fee:t, h~ve be~n-,.. mined .to. varying degrees Elf extraction. Workings in the uppermost bed, Snake Island, are at a minimum depth of ~0 feet below the 
B-4~10 
surface, with a ro.ck cover of 24 ·feet. Workings in the bottom bed, 
Bed Ash., .are at a maxirrrum depth of 1,344 feet below the surface, 
or ?.14 .feet below sea level. 
.The pattern of mining e.stablished during first mining operations varies from irr.egule.r to regular. Pillar widths vary from bed to bed, ranging .from 26 to 58 feet on 45-to 83-foot centers. Safety pillars are ~resent in the Snake Islan~, Top Five FbGt, Marcy, and Red Ash beds, but there are n9ne in the six remaining beds. 
The pillars remaining after first mining are considered adequate for -surf.ac.e .support in all beds except in that part of the Red Ash t:ha.t li-es 'below a depth of 998 .feet, at which overburden weight exceeds the calculated safe pillar strength. Backfill was placed in approximately 5 percent of the first-mined area; it will provide little additional supper~ to the pillars. 
Second ..mining was done in the Snake .Island, .Abbott, Bowkley, and Hillman beds. Although the pillars remaining after second mining in th~se beds are considered adequate to prevent their being crushed, excessively wide roof areas tn tlle chambers will probably cause cavings tllat .may extend to the surface. No backfill was p_Iaced in the mine voids after second mining. 
su·bsidence may be expected from bed areas that were third mined in the Snake Island, Abbott, Bowkley, and Hillman beds. Third mining was do:ne to a very limited extent (less than 1 acre) in the Lower Baltimore bed and backfilled during the .mining operations; consequently, . subsidence from this source is not antici~ated. No backfill was placed in the mine voids after third mining, other than in the Lower Baltimore bed. 
The subsidence potential in areas of second and third mining is a~gravated by thin rock cover oyer portions of the mined areas, as follows: In the Snake Island bed, where the rock cover varies from 24 to 50 feet in second-and third-mined areas under the southern limit of Brooks.i.de Street and the cnannel of Laurel Run; and in the Abbott bed, where the rock cover varies from 15 to 50 feet in thirdmined areas under the channel of Laurel Run· 
Folio EE 
The total area of the surface ~late_, 289 acres, with the exception of a small prominence of a~proximately 5 acres in the eastcentral portion of the plate, would be subject to inundation from the assumed flood crest in case of failures in the flood-protection levees. The entire surface plate lies in the flood plain. 
B-4-11 
The greater portion of the surface area is situated in Sw9y~r-. sville BGrough; the remainder is in For:t;y Fo_rt, appearing in tlj.e .: eastern part of the plate. The area is predominantly r~sidential, with the uaual complement of churches, schools, public and commercial buildings, except at the western portion where the Harry E__ mine-refuse bank is located. Branche's of the Lehigh Valley _and' 
D. L. &W. Railroads cross the plate from south to northeast. A 
portion of the workings of the Harry E-Forty Fort mi:r:te is subjac~nt. to the study area. · 1 • • · -·-• · 
Nine beds, having a combined thickness of 44.5 or 46.5 feet, depending on whether or not top coal was ta~en:, have been_pri.ne.d _to. v~cying degre~s bf extraction. Workings in the three uppermost beds·, To;p Five Foot, Bottom Five Foot, and Upper Baltimore, are at a mipimum depth below the surface of 115, 134;r and 210 feet, respe_ctiv:ely; -.with rock covers of 30, 30, and 20 feet, respectively. Less than 1 acre . was mined in each of the t wo upper beds, and the Upper Baltimore bed was mined to a lesser extent than the underlying beds . Wor~ingg in the Lower Baltimore, the f ourth bed from the top iri ' stratig~apqic 1 sequence, are at a mininrun depth of 134 feet below the surface, with. a minimum rock cover of 1 foot . Workings in the bottom bed, Red Ash, are at a maximum depth of 1 33 f eet below the surface, or 189 S~et , 
below sea level. . . ,_.. 
The pattern of mining established during first mining :LR irregular in all beds except _n the Red Ash, where it is nea:dy' regqlar. . 1 Pillar widths vary from bed to bed, ranging from 24 to 40~eet on · 40-to 65-foot centers . Safet y pill ars are nonexistent in all 'bedli '' except in the Top Ross and Red Ash, where they are few, and in the . Ross bed, where scattered unmined areas can be considered as an . _ irregular pattern of safe"jy pi llars. Pillars remaining in all beds after first mining are considered adequate to support the surface. ': Backfill was placed in app roximately 12 percent of the areas first mined; it will provide some lateral support to the pillars.--. :. ·~ ....
~
Second mining was done in ali beds except in the Top Ross · and Ross. Although the pillar s remaining after second mining in all beds, with the exception of the Red Ash, are considered to be of .. · adequate strenStn to prevent their being crushed, excessively-wide _ roof areas in the chambers , resulting from second mining, aggravated by the noncolumnar position of the pillars in some beds and thin rock interval (5 to 20 feet)"between the Checker and Marcy beds, will probably cause cavings that may extend to the surface. Subsidence may be eXpected from second-mined workings in the ReA Ash bed, where the exposed roof in excessively Wi~e chambers will . cause cavings that may e:x-tend to the surface, and from workings that lie below a depth of 518 feet, where overburden weight exceeds calculated safe pillar str ength. · No backfill was· placed in the ' voids cr~ated by second mining. 
•• l.
B-4-12 
Subsidence may ·be expected from bed areas that we re third-mined in the Upper Baltimore., Lower .Baltimore, Checker, Marcy, Top Ross, Ross~ ana Red Ash beds . No backfill was placed in the workings that were third mined. 
Although backfill was not placed in the Ross bed after first or third mining operations, some pillar support may be obtained because the high refuse content of the bed indicates an extensive "gabbing" .practice , Gabbing designates the manual placement of excess mine rock and boney coal along the pillar walls of a chamber, which results when mining coalbeds of high refuse content . The placing of gob pr.ovides lateral stability to the pillars, thereby giving additional support to the roof areas. 
The subsidence pot ent ial in areas of second and third mining is increased by thin rock CJver over workings, such as is the case in the Top and Bottom El ve Foot beds , over second mining, whe r e the rock cover is 30 feetj over many chambers in the Upper Baltimore bed near the western limit of second and third mining areas, where the rock cover var.ies between 20 and 50 feetj and over most of the chambers in the Lower Baltimore bed, along the northwestern limits of second and third mir~ng areas, where the rock cover thicknes s varie s from 1 to 50 feet. 
Folio E 
The t otal ar ea of ~he surface plate , 289 acres, woul d be subject to inundati on from ~he assumed flood crest. The r iver-l evee area comp1~ses 68 a cres, and the f l ood plain 221 acres. The flood plain, normally protected by the flood-prevention levPe, would be subJect to inundation from the assumed flood cr est in case of failures in the levee , 
The greater portion of the sur.f'ace area is located in Forty Fort Boroughj that remaining is in .Plains Township , The area is predominant~y r esidential, including schools, churches, and public buildings, with the ex ception of the area in Plains Township that consists of farmland and some strip pits. Two main traffic arteries, Wyoming Avenue (Route 11) and River Street, Forty Fort, travers.e the plate • 
. The Susq1,1.ehanna River crosses the area, with the Forty Fort levee flanking the right bank. A primative earth levee, constructed by the Lehigh Valley Coal Company to protect strip mines in the area, flanks the left bank of the river. Portions of the Harry EForty Fort and Henry-Prospect mines are suojacent to the plate area. 
B-4-13 
Ten beds, having a combined thickness of 57.5 or 65.5 f~et, 
depending on whether or not top coal was· taken, have been mined to 
varying degrees of extraction. The mined areas in the uppermost
bed, Bowkley, are at a minimum depth of 105 feet below the surface,
with a rock cover of 50 feet . Workings in the bottom bed, Red Ash, 
are at a maximum depth of 920 feet below the surface, or 382 feet 
below sea level. 
The pattern of mining established during first mining opera-. tions is for the most part slightly irregular. Pillar widths ·varyfrom bed to bed, ranging from 24 to 46 feet on 50~ to 70-foot centers. 
Safety pillars are present to some degree in all beds, except in the 
Bowkley, Upper Baltimore, and Checker. They are present at regular
intervals in the Top Five Foot, Bottom Five Foot, and Marcy beds in 
the Henry-Prospect mine; however, none are present-in these beds in 
the Harry E-Forty Fort mine . They are on regular intervals in t~e 
Hillman and Red Ash beds, and on irregular intervals in the Lower Baltimore and Ross beds in both mines. The pillars remaining after first mining are considered adequate for surface support in all beds. Backfill was placed in 46 acres, or in 4 percent of the total firstmined area, mainly in the upper beds .where it will g:t.ve some lateral 
support to the pillars. 
Second mining was conducted in the Bowkley, Hillm~n, Top Five Foot, Bottom Five Foot, Upper Baltimore, Lower Baltimore, and Marcybeds. While the pillars remaining in all beds after second mining are consider ed to be of sufficient strength to prevent their beingcrushed, excessively wide roof areas in the chambers, resulting from pillar-skipping in second mining, will probably ca~ing tnat
cause . may extend to t he surface. The subsidence potential in areas of second mining is aggravated by thin rock cover over portions of the workings in the Hillman and Top Five Foot beds, where a number of -~ 
chambers along the northern extremity of the mining area were 
driven under a rock cover thickness that varies from 38 to 50 feet and 34 to 50 feet, respectively. Backfill was not placed in any
of the voids created by s econd mining. ' 
Subsidence may ·be expected from beds where third mining was done in the Bow$1ey, Hi~lman, Top Five Foot, Upper Baltimore, Lower Baltimore, Marcy, Ross, and Red Ash beds. Backfill was not pl~cedin any of the voids created by third mining. ~ 
Workings in the Bowkley bed subjacent to the Susquehanna. River and Forty Fort levee are at a minimum depth of 105 feet below the riverbed, under a rock cover of 60 feet. 
The rock int-erval to the next underlying bed, Hillman, is 66 feet. 
B-4-14 
Fol:io F' 
The arP.a of the sTrfa ce :plate tha t >wul,l b r-o;ul:jr·ct to inundat_wr. from the aSS'.imed flood crest comprises 28 1 acresj of which 47 are i n the flood :plai.YJ and 237 in the ri.ver-levee area. The remaini ng 8 acres He ab ove the horizon of the assumed flood crest. The greater :par •. of ~he surface area west of t~e river also lies above the horizon of t-he assumed flood crest and, although it is classed a s flo;:,d :plain from the standpoint of position, it is actually an island in the flood pla:i.n and will be consider ed as flood plain in 
•his report o 
The greater port;:;..on of the surface area lS located in Plains 
I'ownship; that remair;.i ng is i n Forty Fort Borough, and appears in 
':;he southwestern :part. of the plate , 

The Slls .:(Uehau.a R: ver <.: rosses the pla te fr-om the western border i.n_ a so-Jtherly d-:.r-e :•_ ~o~., The area on 1_he wes-s or right bank is pred::nnina Ltly res-::deL+_ial exc:e:p~ fer the American Stores Company warehouse in the wes-:;er..-. p a r+ , The are a on +:he e a st or left bank, known a~ +-he " :2:e~ry Fla: 5_, " 1o: uC!develo:ped a nd contains numerous strip pits, The Leh·!.5h \ all~y 'Railroa d crosses the extreme eastern corner of the plate, 
A :port::.or. of the workir.gs of the Henry-Frospect mine are sub
j acent -'::.o the pla-':;e a rea , 

Eight bed5 3 havi.ng a cJmbined t-hickness of 56.5 or 67 . 5 feet, dependi.r:g o::--. whe-+~her or nc: top coal was t a ken, h ave been mined to v a ryiYJ.g degrees of extract} on, lFne Bowkley, Hillman, and Top Five foot are ·the -':;h y·ee -_;:ppermo~:: beds :.n str-atigraphic seque nce_, tut are mined to a lesser ex-t:er, ~ t har. the ~nderlying beds . In the study area the wcrk'i.:r:g s in these lJpper 'beds a re a t a minimum depth of 95, 91, and 91 feet, respectivelyJ below t"he surface, Workings in the i'cl:.tom Five F'oct bed, which is the f ourth bed from the top in 2 tratigraphic sequence, are a t a mi.r1irm.un depth of 78 feet below the surface, with a rock c:::ver of 21 feet, Workings in the bottom bedJ Red Ash, are at a ma ximum depth of 98 0 feet below the surface, or 442 feet below sea level, 
The :pattern of mir1:i.n.g established during first m1n1ng operations varies from slightly irregula r to irregula r, being irregular in most beds. Pillar widths vary fr:::Jm bed to bed, ranging from 26 to 50 feet e n 50-to 70-foot centers. Safety pillars are generally few; however3 t hey are present a t irregular intervals in the Bottom Five Foot bed an.d at regular intervals in the Marcy and Red Ash beds, ~e :pillars r emain.i ng af+er first mining in all beds are considered adequate for surface support, Backfill was :placed in l e ss than 3 percent of the voids created by first m1n1ng , While providing lateral stabili1:y to indivi.dual pillars, it will be of little value f:Jr general roof support., 
B-4-15 
Seoond mining we.s done in the ::Bowkley, Hillman, Upper Balti
more, .Lower Baltimore, and Marcy beds. In the Hillman bed, pillar
splitt1ns occurred in 6 of the 43 acres during the second mining
operations and, although the pillars remaining are considered to be 

of sufficient strength to prevent their being crushed, excessively
wide roof areas in the chambers, resulting from second mining in the 
6-acre area, will cause cavings that may extend to the surface. 
The pillars. in the remaining 37 acres, also classed as second minipg 

· because of the high percentage of coal removed, are large with res
pect to pillar centers (pil lars are 20 feet wide on 35-foot centers);consequently, the relativel y narrow Chambers (15 feet wide) are not expected to be subjected to roof falls of sufficient magnitude to 
cause subsidence at the surface. While pillars remaining after sec
ond mining in the Bowkley, Upper Baltimore, and Lower Baltimore beds 
are considered to be of sufficient strength to prevent crushing, 

excessively wide roof areas i n the chambers, resulting_ from pillarskipping in second mining) will probably cause caving that may extend 
to the surface, especi ally in the Lower Baltimore bed where the pillar area is composed of many small pillars, locally termed "stumps."Subsidence may also be expect ed from second-mined areas in the Marcy
bed that are sit uat ed at depths at which overburden weight exceeds 
calculated safe pi llar strength, suCh as below 614 feet under the 
entire flood plain, and below 65 3 feet under the river-levee area. 
Excessively wide roof areas in the Chambers and crosscuis, resulting

from second mining in the Marcy bed, will probably cause caving that 
may extend to the surface. Backfill was placed in the voids in only 
one bed, Bottom Five Foot, after second mining in such limited quan
tities as to be insufficie t t o deter or minimize subsidence . 

Subsidence may be expe cted from areas that were third-mined in 
the Bowkley, Hillman, Top Five Foot, Bottom Five Foot, Upper Baltimore, Lower Baltimore, Marcy, and Red Ash beds. Backfill was of such negligible amount after third mining as to be ineffective in deterring 
or minimizing subsidence. 
Subsidence may also occur in the Hillman bed, along the nor
thern dip of the main anticline, where a number of chambers were 
driven under a 40-to 50-foot rock cover; in the Top Five Foot bed, 
along the limit 'Uf first mining ·in the eastern corner of the plate,
where chambers were driveri under 22-to 50-foot rock cover; and in 
the Bottom Five Foot bed, along the limit of first mining near the 

southeastern corner of the plate, Where chambers were driven under 
21-to 50-foot rock cover. 

Workings in the Bowkley bed subjacent to the Susquehanna River 
are at a minimum depth of 115 feet below ·the bed of the river, under 
a rock cover of 50 feet. The rock interval to the next underlying 
bed, Hillman, is 53 feet. 

B-4-16 

Folio G 
The are a of the 2urfa ce plate that would be subject to inunda t lon from the assumed flocd crest comprises 75 acres, all of which is r i ver-levee area. The remaining 214 acres lie above the horizon of t.he assumed flood e:res t. 
Most of the area shown on the plate is in Plains Township; a Emall portion of Forty Fort Borough appea rs in the western corner. The Susquehanna River crosses the western corner of the plate. The shoreline of the assumed flood cr est roughly parallels the Lehigh Valley Ra ;ilroa d a cross the wester n par t of the plate and separates the low-lying river-levee area from the higher ground in Plains Township, which ~s mainly residentia l except in the southern part which is undeveloped. Except fer the r a ilroa d, the terrain in the riverlevee a rea is 1.mdeveloped. S-l:;rip pits a re present along the left or easl: bank of tte river ~. :. the area Known locally a s the "Henry Flats." Workings of the ~~enry-Frospect m:.ne a :re subjacent to the entire plate area. A small part of the Delaware-Pine Ridge mine underlies the eastern cor:r:er i:r: -'::.he lower beds. 
Ei gh: beds, hav:.rJ.g a combined thi.ckness of 54.5 or 62. 0 feet, depending or; whetl·J.er or ~o·+_ t op coa l wa s t a ken, have been mined to varyi::-;.g degrees of exr;ra;::t-ion. I'he 3owkley bed is uppermost stratigraphicallyj but is not .rrC..ned in the shallowest part of the study area where rock cover was insufficient for underground mining. Worki:,_gs in tbi.s bed are a~ a minimum depth of 116 feet below the surface. We rk.:.r.gs in the -~illmar., wh':>:h i.s +;he seco:::1d bed from the top ::.n !:-rratigraphi.c sequen::e, underlie, approxi.mately 83 percent of the sur-face st.udy area at a mir:.J.mLim depth of 49 feet below the surface and ··.Hlde r a rock cover c:f 10 fee-s. Workings in the bottom bed, Red Ash, are at a maximum depth of 89 3 feet below the surfa ce, or 390 feet below sea level. 
I:he pattern of min~. r..g established durir.g first mlnlng varies from slightly irregular to irregular. Pilla r widths vary from bed to bed, ranging from 26 to 46 feet on 50-to 70-foot centers. Safety pillars are present on irregular intervals in the Top Five Foot, Marcy, and Red Ash beds. There a re no s a fety pillars in the Bowkley, :t'!..llman, Bottom Five Foot, Upper Ba ltimore, and Lower Baltimore beds; however, large unmined area s in the Bottom Five Foot bed provide s ::ability i:r; lieu of safety pilla rs. Pilla rs remaining in all beds after firs t mi r..ing a re considered adequate for surface support; however, some subsidence may be expected from the Top Five Foot bed where a few chambers were driven under relatively thin rock cover, ranging from 36 to 50 feet in thickness . Backfill was placed in 37 acres, or approx:i.mately 8 percent of the tota l first-mined area. It will provide some lateral support to the pillars. 
B-4-17 
Second mining was done in the Hillman, Upper Baltimore, and Red 
Ash beds. Although the pillars remaining after second mining are 
considered to be adequate to prevent their being crushed, small pil
lars (stumps), a condition that exists especially in the Hillman bed, 
and accompanying wide roof areas, together with excessively wide roof 
areas in the other two beds resulting from pillar-skipping iri second 
mining, will cause cavings that may extend to the surf'ace. The sub
sidence potential after second mining in the Hillman bed is aggravated . where a portion of the mined area extends under a thin rock cover, 
ranging from 10 to 50 feet in thickness . Backfill was not placed in 
a quantity sufficient to deter or significantly minimize subsidence 
after second mining, except in the Upper Baltimore bed where 6 or 7 
acres of first-mined areas were rock-packed, which will tend to give 
lateral support to t~e pillars and reduce vertical magnitude of any 
subsidence. 
Subsidence may be expected from bed areas where third mi~ing was 
done in the Hillman and Marcy beds. Although the third-mined area in 
the Marcy bed. covers only 1 acre, subsidence is anticipated because 
the workings are part of a much ·larf!er third-mined area lying outside 
the study area. No backfill was placed in the voids that resulted 
from third mining . 
Workings in the Bowkley bed, subjacent to the Susquehanna River, 
are at a minimum depth of 110 feet below the bed of the river, under 
a rock cover of 50 feet. The rock interval to the next underlying 
bed, Hillman, is 52 feet. Workings in the Hillman bed, subjacent to 
the river, are at a minimum depth of 86 feet below the riverbed, under 
a minimum rock cover of 60 feet. The rock interval to the next under
lying bed, Top Five Foot, is 83 feet. 
In 1892, workings in the Hillman bed in the Henry-Prospect mine 
broke through the rock cover into the sand of the buried valley. 

Folio H 
The area of the surface plate that would be subject to inundation from the assumed flood crest comprises 72 acres, all of which is river~levee area. The remaining 217 acres lie above the horizon of the assumed flood crest. 
The .major portion of the plate area is situated in the eastern part of Wilkes-Barre 'City; the smaller part in Plains Township. Mill Creek meanders through the longitudinal center of the plate. The study area straddles Mill Creek and its tributary, Laurel Run. The study area is sparsely buil tup, containing only a few houses. 
Workings of portions of the Henry-Prospect, Delaware-Pine Ridge, and Peach Orchard mines are subjacent to the plate area. 
B-4-18 

Elever. beds, hav:i.ng a combined thickness of 75,5 feet, have been mined to varying degrees of extraction, The Snake Island, AbbottJ and Flowkley are the three uppermost beds in stratigraphic sequence, and the workings are at minimum depths of 19, 32, and 29 feet, respectively, below the surface. Workings of the Hillman bed, however, which is the fourth ·bed from the top stratigraphically, are at a minJ.mum depth of 5 feet below the surface, with a rock cover of 1 foot, Workings in the bottom bed, Red Ash, are at a maximum depth of 1.9136 feet below the surface, or 581 feet below sea level. 
Tne pattern of mini ng established during first mining operations varies mainly from irregular to slightly irregular, being irregular 
i.n the upper beds and slightly irregular or regular in the lower four beds, Pillar width$ vary from bed to bed, ranging from 24 to 64 f e et on 45-to 90-foot cer"ters, Safety pillars are present in only four beds. They are few in the Top Five Foot, Lower Baltimore, and Marcy beds, and OYl regu.lar i .ntervals in the Red Ash bed, Pillars remaining after first miniEg are .:!ons:i.dered adequa te for surface support in all beds except the Marcy, Subsidence, however, may be expected from workings in the Marcy bed that were first mined below a depth of 845 feet:~ at wh:.e:b overburden weight exceeds ca lculated safe pillar strength, First mi.Y1:ing wa s done in a portion of the Ross bed that lies below !_t.e calculat .ed safe strength of pi.llars; however, the area mi.r.ed is very li.m.ited and amply buttressed by unmined areas. Consequently, subsiden(;e is not anticipated therefrom, Backfill was pla c.ed in very limited quantities i.n the voids after first mining; none was placed b. the area from whi ch subsi.dence may be anticipated . Therefore.? backfill will have no effect on the subsidence potential. 
Second mining was done in the Snake Island, Abbott, Bowkley, rtillmar1, Top Five I'oot, Upper Baltimore, and Lower Baltimore beds , Although the pillars -remair:ing after secor"d mining in all beds, except :.n a small portion of the Upper Baltimore, are considered to be of suffieient strength to prevent crushing, excessively wide roof areas resulting from pillar-skipping in second mining will probably cause caving that may extend to the surface. Backfill after second mining was not placed in a quantity sufficient to deter or prevent subsidence, 
Subsidence may be expected from bed areas where third mining was done in the Snake Island, Abbott, Bowkley, Hillman, Top Five Foot, Upper Baltimore, Lower Baltimore, Marcy, and Red Ash beds. No backfill was placed in the voids created by third mining, 
The subsidence potential in certain areas of second and third mining is aggravated by thin rock cover, as follows: In the Snake _sland bed, where the rock cover vari es from 4 to 50 feet, in second mining; in the Abbott bed, where the rock cover varies from 8 to 50 feet; in second and third mining; in the Hillman bed, where the rock cover varies from 1 to 50 feet, in second and third mining; and in 
B-4-19 

the Top Five Foot bed, where the rock cover varies from 1 to 50 
feet, in second mining. Subsidence is also indicated along a por
tion of the northern limit of the first-mined area in the Bowkley
bed, where Chambers were dr i ven under a rock cover that varies in 
thickness from 7 to 50 feet. 
Folio IT 
The area of the surface plate that would be subject to inunda
tion from the assumed flood crest in case of failures in the flood
protection levees comprises 109 acres, all of which is flood plain.
The remaining 180 acres l ie above the horizon of the assumed flood 
crest. 
The greater part of t he plate lies i n the northern portion of 
Swoyersville Borough; with a small stri p of Kingston Township appearing along the northwestern boundary. The shoreline o:: the assumed, flood crest meanders through the central part of the plate from southwest to northeast. The t errai n in the study area is mainly
residential, wit h Temple Israel Cemetery located at the eastern end 
and the former s i te of the Forty Fort col liery surface plant at the 
western end. A spur of t he Lehigh Valley Railroad crosses the study 
area from sout h t o north. 
Workings of portions of t he Harry E-Forty Fort and MaltbyWestmoreland mines are ~ubjacent to the study area. 
Six beds, having a combined t hickness of 26 feet, have been mined to varyi ng degrees of extraction. Workings in the uppermostbed, Lower Baltimore, are at a minimum depth .of 143 feet below .the surface, with a rock cover of 21 f eet. Workings in the bottom bed, Red Ash, are at a maximum dept h of 530 feet below the surface , or 12 feet above sea level. 
The pattern of mining established during first mining operationsvaries from irregular to slightly irregular. Pillar·widths vary from bed to bed, ranging from 25 to 34 feet on 40-to 60-foot centers. Safety pillars are few in all beds, except in the Lower Baltimore and Marcy, where there are none . The pillars remaining in all beds after first mining are considered adequate for surface support. No backfill was placed in the mine voids after first mining. 
No second minirig was done in any of the beds in this folio. 
Third mining was done in all beds in this folio, and subsidence may be expected therefrom. The subsidence potential is aggravatedwhere some of the workings in the Lower Baltimore bed extend under a 
rock cover that var:i.es  in thickness from 21 to 50 feet.  No backfill  
was  placed in the mine  voi ds  created by third mining.  
B-4-20  

In 1882, a rock plane being driven from the Marcy to the Lowe r Baltimore bed in tre Maltby-Westmoreland mine broke into sand and water of the buried valley, which, in a few hours, filled the mine and shaft to within 65 feet of the shaft collar, or to a vertical height of 90 feet in the shaft . It was assumed that the coalbed was eroded at the face of the plane. 
Folio I 
The total area of the surface plate, 289 acres, lies in the flood plain and would be subject to ~nundation in case of failure s in the flood-protection levees. 
Swoyersville and F'orty Fort Boroughs occupy the entire plate area. The D. L . &W. Railroad and Wyoming Avenue (U. S. Route ll) cross the plate from northeast to sout hwest . The area is mainly residential. The W: ~lkes-:Barre Day School fronts Wyoming Avenue in the sout:r1ern portion of the plate; buildings associated with the Sordoni Construction .::ompany are located along Murray Street in the central part. The terrain along the eastern side of Wyoming Avenue is farmland. 
'I.be Harry E-F'orty li'ort mine and the Maltby portion of the Maltby-Westmoreland mir1e underlie the major part of the surface area. A small part of the Henry-P rospect mine is subjacent to the southern corner. 
Seven beds, having a combined thickness of 31.5 feet, have been mined to varying degrees of extraction. Workings in the uppermost bed, Upper Baltimore, are at a mi!limum depth of 184 feet below t he surface, wil:;b rock cover of 30 feet. Workings in the bottom bed, Red Ash, are at a maximum depth of 736 feet below the surface , or 211 feet below sea level. 
The pattern of mining established during first mlnlng operations 
varies from irregular in the upper beds to slightly irregular in the lower beds. Pillar widths vary from bed to bed, ranging from 26 to 48 feet on 50~ to 70-foot centers. Safety pillars are present on 
regular intervals in the Marcy bed; there are a few in the Upper Baltimore, Ross, and Red Ash beds; but there are none in the Lower Baltimore, Checker, and Top Ross beds. The pillars remaining in all beds after first mining are considered adequate to support the surf ace. No backfill was placed in the voids created by first mining. 
Second mining was done in the Upper Baltimore , Lower Baltimore, and Ross beds. Although the pillars remaining in these beds after second mining are considered to be of sufficient strength to prevent crushing, the chamber width was increased to 35 feet on 60-foot centers in the Ross bed, resulting in excessively wide roof areas, which, 
B-4-21 
together with those in the Upper and Lower Baltimore beds, will probably cause cavings that may extend to the surface. No backfill was placed in the voids after second mining. 
Third mining was dorie in all the coalbeds i~ this folio, namely, 
Upper Baltimore, Lower Bal timore, Checker, Marcy, Top Ross, Ross, Red Ash, and subsidence of the surface may be expected therefrom. backfill was placed after third mining operations.  and No  
The subsidence potential is increased in areas  of second and  

third mining where some of the workings along the northwestern limit 
of mining in the Upper Bal timore bed extend under a rock cover thick
ness that va.'ries from 30 to 50 feet. 
j'". 
Folio J 
The total area of the surface plate, 289 acres, wo~ld be subject to inundation from the assumed flood crest . . The flood plain comprises 87 acres, and the river-levee area. 202 acres. The flood plain would be inundated in case of failures in the flood-protection levees .. 
The Susquehanna River flows from east to west diagonally across the plate. A part of Forty Fort Borough lies on the right or west bank of the river, and a part of Plains Township lies on the east or left bank. 
The area is undeveloped--that lying along the right or west bank of the river in Forty Fort is farmland, while that on the left or east bank in Plains Township contains strip pits and some farmland. 
A portion of the Forty Fort flood-p~tection levee flanks the 
river along the right bank. The Lehigh Valley Coal Company built a primative earth and mine-r efuse dike along the left bank of the river to protect strip pits in t his area. This dike is currently of negative value in case of a maximum flood crest, as its height is less than the altitude of the /(rmy Engineer's structures. 
Workings kt.the Henry-Prospect, Maltby-Westmoreland, and Number 14 mines are subjacent to the surface area. 
Eight beds, having a combined .thickness of 53.5 feet, have been mined to varying degrees of extraction. The Bowkley bed is uppermost stratigraphically, but has been mined to a lesser degree than the underlying beds. Workings are at a mdnimum d~pth of 122 feet below the surface, with rock cover of 37 feet. Workings in the Hillman bed, the second bed from t he top in stratigraphic sequence, are at a minimum depth of 116 feet below the surface, with a minimum rock cover of'50 feet. Workings in the bottom bed, Red Ash, are at a maximum depth of 895 feet below the surface, or 361 feet below sea level. 
B-4-22 
The pattern of m~m.ng established during first m~n~ng varies from irregular to regular. Pillars vary in width from bed to bed, ranging from 23 to 50 feet on 45-to 80-foot centers, and are considered adequate to support the surface. Safety pillars are either nonexistent or few in the upper beds, but are present on regular intervals in the two lowest beds, Marcy and Red Ash . Backfill was placed in 15 acres, or approximately 1 . 5 percent of the voids cr eated by first mining, which is not o.f sufficient quantity t o seriously affect the subsidence potential. 
Second mining was conducted in the Bowkley, Hillman, Uppe r Baltimore, and Lower Baltimore beds. Although the pillars remaining after second mining are considered to be of adequate strength to prevent crushing, excessively wide roof areas in the chambers, r esulting from pillar-skipping-blocking in second mining, will probably cause cav:i.ngs that may extend t o the, surface, except in a 6-acre basin area in the Bowkley bed that was backfilled, The subsidence pot ential in the nonbackfilled a r ea of second mining in t he Bowkley bed i s i n creased by !?-thin rock cover that varies from 37 to 50 feet i n thickness. Backfill placed in 13 acres in the Hillman b e d after second ml.ning is no t considered su.ff'icient to prevent or det er subsidence. 
Subsidence may be ex.Pected from bed areas that wer e third mined in the Bowkley, Hillman, ~rap Five Foot, Bottom Five Foot, Uppe r Baltimore, Lower Baltimore, and-Marcy beds. No backfill was place d in t he voids resulting from third mining. 
Subsidence may also ·be expected from the fi·rst-mine d area in t he Bottom Five Foot bed, under the flood plain in the we stern portion c f the plate, where the faces of a few chambers extend under a rock cover thickness that varie s from 46 to .50 feet , 
Workings in the Bowkley bed subjacent to the Su squehanna River are at a minimum depth of 122 feet below the riverbed, under a rock cover of 38 feet. The rock interval to the next underlying bed, Hillman, is 90 feet. 
Workings in the Hillman bed, which is the uppermost bed mine d subjacent to the Forty Fort levee, are at a minimum depth of 177 feet below the surface, under a rock cover of 72 feet. The r o ck interval to the next underlying bed, Top Five Foot, is 52 feet . 
B-4-23 

Folio K 
The area of the surface plate that would be subject to inunda
tion from the assumed flood crest comprises 128 acres, all of which 
is river-levee area. The remaining 161 acres lie above the horizon 
of the assumed flood crest. · 
The e~tire plate area is in Plains Township, with the study . area lying in the western part of the plate. The. study area is undeveloped for the most-part, consisting of strip pits and some farmland. The Lehigh Valley Railroad and a branch of the Central Railroad of New Jersey traverse the study area. 
The area lying above:·the assumed flood crest is mainly a residential portion of Plains Township. 
The Henry-Prospect mine is subjacent to almost the entire study area; a small part of the Number 14 mine underlies the north~rn corner. 
Eight beds, having a combined thickness of 58.0 or 60.5 feet, depending on whether or not top coal was taken, have been mined to varying degrees of extraction. The Bowkley bed is the uppermost bed in stratigraphic sequence, but it was mined to only a very small ex
tent in the stu.dy area. Its wo:rkings are at a mininmm depth of 107 feet below the surface, with a rock cover of 20 feet. Workings in the Hillman bed, the second from the surface in stratigraphic sequence, are at a minimum depth of 58 feet below the surface,.. with a rock cover of 11 feet. Workings in the bottom bed, Red Ash, are at a maxinmm depth below the surface of 849 feet, or 314 feet below sea level. 
The pattern of mining established during first mining .1Aaries f'rom slightly irregular to irregular. Pillar widths vary f'rom bed to bed, ranging from 20 to 36 feet on 40-to 60-f'oot centers. Safety pillars are either nonexistent or few in the upper six beds, but are present on regular intervals in the two bottom beds, Marcy and Red Ash. Pillars remaining in all beds after first mining are considered adequate to support the ·surface. Backfill was placed in less than l percent of the first-mined area. 
'--
Areas c~assed as second mining are found in the Bowkley, Hillman, Top Five Foot, and Upper Baltimore beds. Skipping apd blocking of pillars, normally considered as second mining operations, were not done in the Bowkley bed; however, the amount of coal removed during first mining operations, leaving wide chambers and crosscuts, places this bed in the second-mining category, and it is considered as such. Although the pillars remaining in the Bowkley and the other beds that were second mined a·re considered sufficiently strong to prevent crushing, excessively wide roof areas exposed in the chambers will probably cause cavings that may extend to the surface. Backfill placed in the voids after second mining is not of sufficient quantity to either deter or seriously minimize subsidence. 
B-4-_24 

• S~bsidence may be expected from bed areas t hat were third mined 
lr. the Bowkley, Hillman, Top Five Foot, and Fpper Balt i more beds. 
No backfill was placed in the voids duri.ng or after third mining. 
T:he subsidence pctential in areas of second and third mining is 
i.n;;reased ·oy ·thin rock-cover areas in the Bowkley bed, in the entire 
second-and third-miLed areas where the rock cove r thickness ranges 
from 20 t o j O feet ; and i n the Hillman bed, in the second-mined area 
in the southern por+~-i.on of t he Henry-Prospect mine, where the rock 
cover thickness varies from 11 to 50 feet. 

Subsidence may also be expected f rom a small area of first-mined workings"in the Top Five Foot bed, where a few chambers were driven under a r o ck cover t hickness varying from 40 to 50 feet under the Lehigh Valley Railroad tra cks in the s outhwestern portion of the mined area. 
In 1Bcr2, the rock strat a overlying the Hillman bed subjacent to the Sus quehanna River .:anal over -!:.he old Enterprise mine workings, a part of the :Ierrry-Prcspeo::t mine, collapsed. From then to the present,
subsequent caves have occurred in t.hi.s area, known locally as the 
"Henry F'lats_, " generally when the river was in flood and the load of 
water and overburden were too great to be sustained by the thin rock 
cover over the ~oalbed, 
Folio LL 
Ihe area of t he surfa ce plate that would be subject to inundation from t h e assu..med flood crest in case of f ailures in the flood-protection levees comprises 166 acres, all of which is flood plain. The remaining 123 acres lie above t he horizon of the a ssumed flood crest. 
A porti n of West Wyoming Borough occupies the major part of the plate area; parts of Swoyersville Borough a nd Kingston Township appear along t he southwestern border. The area is sparsely builtup, consi sting mainly of cemeteri es in the southern and central portions. Dennison Street, the main traffic artery in the area, appears in the southern portion of the plate area, and a spur of the Lehigh ValleyRailroad crosses the northern and western parts of the study area. 
Workings of a portion of the Maltby-Westmoreland mine are subj acent to the entire plate area. 
Five beds, having a combined thickness of 17.5 feet, have been 
mined to varying degrees of extraction. Workings i n the uppermost bed, Lower Baltimore, are at a mininmm depth of 78 feet below the surface, with a rock cover of 20 feet, Workings in the lowest bed mined, Ross_, are at a maxinmm depth of 412 feet below the surface, 
or 137 feet above sea level. 
j 
B-4-25 

The pattern of mining established during first mining operations varies from irregular to slightly irregular in the three upper beds to regular in the two lower beds. Pillar widths vary from bed to bed, ranging from 20 to 36 feet on 40-to 60-foot centers. Safety pillars are few in all beds except ·the uppermost, Lower Baltimore, where there are none. Pillars remaining in first-mined areas in all beds are considered adequate to support the surface. No b~ckfill was placed in the mine voids after first mining. . 
Second mining was done in the Lower Baltimore, Marcy, Top Ross, and Ross beds. Although the pillars remaining after second mining are considered to be sufficiently strong to prevent crushing, excessively wide roof areas in the chambers, resulting from second mining, will probably cause cavings that may exte!fd to .the surface. No backfill was placed in the inine voids created by second mining·. 
Subsidence may be expected from bed areas that were third mined in the Lower Baltimore, Ch~cker, and Marcy 'beds. No backfill was placed in the third-mined area after mining operations-. 
The subsidence potential in portions of the second-and. thirdmined areas in the Lower Baltimore bed i s increased by thin rock cover, which varies from 20 to 50 feet in thickness. 
I n 1884 and 1889, when slopes were being driven in the Lower Baltimore bed of the Malt by=Westmoreland mine, the workings broke into the water and wet sand of the buried valley fill. 
Folio L 
The area of the surf a ce plate that would be subject to inundation from the a ssumed flood crest in case of failures in the floodprotection levees comprises 277 acr es, all of which l ie in the flood plain. The remaining I2 acres lie above the horizon of the assumed flood crest. 
A portion of Wyoming Borough occupies the central and eastern part of the plate, with portions of West Wyoming, Swoyersville, and Forty Fort Boroughs lying in the northern, western, and southern parts, respectively. 
The-area is spa.rsely builtup, except for the U. S. Air Force and Marine Reserve buildings and a shopping center along Wyoming Avenue (u•. s. Route 11), the main traffic artery in the area. Runways of the Wilkes-Barre Wyoming Valley Airport -extend into the extreme southern part of the plate. A portion of Abraham1 s Creek levee appears along the northeast boundary of the _plate. The 
D. L. &w: Railroad crosses the plate from the southwe~t to north. 
B-4-26 

Workir.gs of part.s of the Maltby-Westmoreland mine are subjacent to the enti.re plat-.e area. 
Seven 'beds-" having a cmibined thickness of 27.0 feet, have been mined to varyi~g degrees of extra~ticn. Workings i n the uppermost bed~ 'Cpper 3ali:1IJ10re.? ar-e at a minirrr..:un depth of 124 feet below the surface~ with a rock cover of 40 feet. Workings in the Ross bed, which is t :he l :)west. bed mined stratigraphically~ are at a maximum depth of 385 feet below t he surface~ or 154 feet above sea levelj however~ the bed was only mined over a l illlited area of 8 acres , while the Marcy wc r·king a 1 third ·bed from the bottom stratigraphically, extend over nearly +.be entire plat.e area and are at a maxi mum depth of 441 feet ·below the surfa ce-" or 93 feet above sea l evel. 
fJ:'he pat.terr:. of mi·~;.i~g established during f irst mining operations varie s from sligh~ly ~. rregular to regt:tlar. Pillar widths vary from bed t0 bed., rangi'!':g :'r:.m 21 t -0 40 fee+ or: 4 S = to 60-foot centers . 3afet.y pillara ar-= mai::-.ly r~. :onexis-:. ent in all beds except the Marcy where they are few.? and i n _,~he Top Ross where t hey are on r egular 
i::;.tervals. 
Pillars remai:c:.ng :.-~" all bed.:;; af't,er fi:!:·st mining are considered adeqt<.ate to S'l.ppcr_; t -he ~rt.lrface. i'ne roc:k-strata interval between t he CJhecke r bed a nd the u::J.derlying Marcy bed is only 7 feetj however , 
the pillars in both beds are generally columr..ar and~ since the area mir.ed in the overlying ~!r:s :.;ker bed compr~. ses only 4 acres, subsidence i s not anti :;ipated i::-: e·;:."'.;!":er bed from this source. No backf ill was pla~ed in the v::lido: cr "'a•:-ed by first mining. 
Second mir.ing was :;::,:.dt:<.cted ir:c the ".Jpper Ba ltimore, Lower Balt :.more., Mar:;y.? Top Ross.? and Ross beds. Skipp:.ng and olocking o~ pillars., normal ly c::onsJ.d.ere'.i as second mir1ing operat i on, were not done i :n 7-he 'Upper Balt:imore9 Top Ross, and Ross beds j however, the amount of coal removed ~u~ing first mi~ing, l eaving wide chambers and crosscuts9 places these beds in the second-mining category and they are treated as such. Although the p :i.llars r emaining after second mining are considered 7-.J be sufficiently strong to prevent crushing, excessively wide roof areas in the chambers will probably cause 
cavings that may extend t o the su.rface . No backfill was placed in t he voids created by eitner fir st or second mining. 
Subsidence may be expected f r om bed areas that were third mined in the Upper Balt. imore;~ Lower Baltimore, Che cker, and Marcy beds . No ba~kfill was placed in the third-mined area during or after the mining cycle. Backf':.ll was placed in t he third-mined areas of the Lower Balt imore bed prior to third mining., bt<.t will offer little 
deterrent t o subsidence. 
The subsidence pot ential i n areas of second and third mining is increased by thi~ reck ~over over t he mined areas, such as in 
J 

B-4-27 

the Upper Baltimore bed where the rock cover varies from 40 to 50 
feet in the northern extremity of the second-mined area; and in the 
Lower Baltimore bed where the rock cover varies from 20 to 50 feet 
in much of the second-and third-mined areas~ 
Workings in the Lower Baltimore bed, which is the uppermost bed mined subjacent to Abraham's Creek levee, are at a minimum depth of 151 feet below the surface, under a minimum rock cover of 30 feet. At this point no mining was done in the next lower bed, Bottom Pittston; however, the rock interval is approximately 22 feet. 
Folio M 
The total area of the sur·face plate, 289 acres, would be subject to inundation from the assumed flood crest. The flood plaincomprises 134 acresp and the river-levee area 155 acres. The flood plain would be inundated from the assumed flood. crest in case of failures in the flood-protection levees. 
Tr1e Susquehanna River crosses the plate from east to southwest and occupies a large portion of the plate area. The eastern end of the Forty Fort levee flanks the right bar~ of the Susquehanna River, and a small part of Abraham1 s Creek levee appears in the northern ccrner of the plate. Parts of Forty Fort and Wyoming Boroughs lie along the right bank or west side of the river. A part of Plains Township occupies the left bank or east side. 
Runways of the Wilkes-Barre Wyoming Valley Airport occupy the greater part of the plate area. A part of the built-up section of Plainsville appears iri the extreme southern portion. 
Workings of par-ts of the Maltby-Westmoreland and Number 14 mines are subjacent to the surface area. 
Seven beds, having a combined thickness of 36.5 or 38.5 feet, 
depending on whether or not top coal was taken, have been mined to varying degrees of extraction. Workings in the uppermost bed, Hillman, are at a minimum depth of 100 feet below the surface, with 
a rock cover of 35 feet. Workings in the Top Ross, the lowest bed 
mined, are at a maximum dept h of 431 feet below the surface, or 108 feet above sea level; however, the workings of the Top Ross bed cover only· a limited area of 6 acres. In contrast, the Marcy bed, which is second from the bottom stratigraphically, was mined over nearly the entire plate area and the workings are at a maximum depth
of 531 feet below the surface, or 7 feet above sea level. 
The pattern of mining established during first mining operations varies from irregular to regular. Pillar widths vary from bed to bed1 ranging from 18 to 38 feet on 36-to 60-foo~ centers. Safety pillars are nonexistent in the top bed, Hillman; are few 
B-4-28 
i.n the 'Iop Five Foot. ~ Bottom Five Foot, Upper Baltimore, and Lower Baltimore bedsj and are present on regular intervals in the two bcttom beds;~ Mar.:':y and 'rap Foss. Pillars remaining in all beds as a result of fi.rst m:.ning are considered adequate to support the surface. Backfill was placed in approxlmately 19 percent of the firstmined area~ which wi.ll give additional lateral support to the pillars. 
Second mining was done in the Hillman, Bottom Five Foot, and Upper Baltimore beds. Although the pillars remaining after second mining are considered to be of sufficient strength to prevent crushing~ excessively wide r .:;.:;f areas in the chambers, resulting from second. mining, will prcbab.ly cause cavings that may extend to the surface. · Backfill was placed after second mining only in the Hillman bed, where 10 of the 1 5 acres were backfilled. Backfill will reduce the vert.i.:;al amplit ude of ar.:.r subsiden~e from workings in this bed. Thin-rock stra->;a .9 rar-..gJng in thickness from 3 to 8 feet and forming the interval 'bet-..reer. ·'-t:e 3ot-t.om Ft.ve Foot: bed and the underlying Upper Bal":.imore bed i:: the '2 e·:·.onQ.-mined area~ together with the partially noncolU111."1ar pcs :i:t.ior: of ':.he pillars in these beds, may increase the su:bsi.der,ce -potential. :::1~reased subsid·=nce potential also prevails _ver cert.ai:1. por<. J~.. :::> A .:= c. ::2:r:.d-mi::--.ed areas because of thin rock ·~over~ s~..::r-1 a s i n ·:.::-ie Hir.i..mar" bed;~ where rock cover varies from 35 t ;:; 50 fee '·. 1..:J tht' n•::-~oa .:kfilled area.; and in the Upper Baltimore bed, where ro~k ~;,ver varies from 40 to ) 0 feet along the northern ex~remity o:f· ~he workinge i n -'.:.he Maltby-Westmoreland mine. 
SU:bside:::.(!e may be expected from bed areas that were third mined ir. ·t-.he --:pper 3alt:i.mc.rt"'~ Lower ::SS.ltimcre,:. a:r.;d Marcy beds. No backfill was placed in the w·::> rkin~s dur:i.ng or after third mining _operations. 
Pothole su·bsidert:;e may develop over first-mined areas of the Top Five Foe+ bed along the-northeae':err, extremity of the workings near the ou.+:::rep.? ·wbere mine chambers were driven under a rock cover t.hat varies from 25 to 50 fee".:; in t hickness . 
Workings in t he Hillman bed subjacent to the Susquehanna River are at a minimum depth Gf 115 feet below the riverbed, under a minimum rock cover of 44 feet. The rock interval to the next underlying bed3 Top Five Foot~ is 50 feet . 
Workings i::-: t he Top Five Foot bed, which is the uppermost bed mined su'bjacen-t. t o the Forty Fort levee, are at a minimum depth of 164 feet below tr.e surface.9 under a minimum rock cover of 78 feet. 
Workings i n the Lower Baltimore bed3 which is the uppermost bed mined subjacent t.::J the Abraham's Creek levee, are at a minimum depth of 255 feet below th'=: surface, under a minimum rock cover of 120 feet.. 
B-4-29 
Folio N 
The area of the surface plate that would be subject to inunda
tion from the assumed flood crest comprises 82 ,acres, all of which 
is river-levee area. The r emaining 207 acres lie above the horizon 
of the assumed flood crest . 

The entire surface area of this plate lies in Plains Township.
A portion of the Susquehanna River appears in the northern corner 
of the plate.· The shoreline of the assumed flood crest crosses the 
northwestern portion and runs parallel to River Road and the Lehigh
Valley Railroad. The study area is undeveloped, except for a small 
builtup portio'n of Plainsville in the western corner of the plate.
The area outside the study area is likewise scantily developed, and 
cont ains numerous strip pit s. The main arteries of traffic are 
River Road and Main Street. 
·workings of part of the Number 14 mine are subjacent to the 
greater part of the plat e area; a small portion of the Henry-Prospectmine -~derliesthe remainder . 
Seven bedsp having a combined thickness of 41.5 ~eet, have been mined to varying degrees of extrac-tion. Workings in the uppermostbed_p Hillman_p are at a minimum depth of 63 feet below the surface, with a minimum rock cover of l foot. Workings in the bottom bed, Ross_p are at a maximum depth of 560 feet below the surface, or 20 feet below sea level. 
The pattern of mining established during first nun1ng operations
varies f'rom irregular to regular. Pillar widths vary from bed to bed_p ranging :from 16 to 26 feet on 40-to 55-foot centers. Safetypillars are present i n all beds_p mainly in irregular intervals, except in the Top Five Foot and Lower Baltimore beds where there are none. The pillars from f i rst mining are considered adequate to support the surface in all beds. The 38 acres of backfill in the Upper Baltimore bed is expected to prevent collapse of' the work
ings that might otherwise result from the improper columnization of pillars and the thin rock strata, ranging in thickness from l to 10 feet_p between the Upper Baltimore bed and the overlying Bottom Five Foot bed. Very lit~le backfill was placed in the mine voids after first mining in the other beds. 
Second mining was done in the Hillman, Top Five Foot, Bottom Five Foot_p Upper Baltimore, and Lower Baltimore beds. Although the pillars remaining in all beds after second mining are considered to be of sufficient strength to prevent crushing, excessively wide roof areas in the chambers, resulting from second mining, will probably cause cavings that may extend to the surface. Backfill 
after second mining was not placed in quantity sufficient to deter or seriously minimize subsidence. 
B-4-30 
----------------------------------------------------~---------------------------
Subsidence may be expected from areas that were third mined in the Hillman and Top Five Foot beds. No backfill wa9 placed in the workings before or after third mining operations. 
The subsidence potenti.al in areas o;f second and third mining is increased by thin rock cover over nruch of the mined areas, such as in the Hillman bed where the rock cover varies from 1 to 50 feet; and in the Top Five Foot bed where the rock cover varies f'rom 26 to 50 feet in thickness. 
Workings in the ':!:'op Five Foot bed, wl'lich is the uppermost bed mined subjacent to the Susquehanna River, are at a minimum depth of 105 feet below the riverbed, under a rock cover of 47 feet. The rock interval to the next underlying bed, Bottom Five Foot, is 120 feet. 
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~ANEL 5 WYOMING -PORT BLANCHARD SECTOR
. . . 
'I • 
CONTENTS 
Page 
Introduction----------------------------------------------------B-5-1 
Descri ption of panel 5------------------------------------------B-5-2 
Description of f ol i o s -------------------------------------------B-5-3 
A----------------------------------------------------------B-5-4 
B----------------------------------------------------------B-5-5 C----------------------------------------------------------B-5-7 D----------------------------------------------------------B-5-8 E----------------------------------------------------------B-5-9 F----------------------------------------------------------B-5-11 G----------------------------------------------------------B-5-12 H----------------------------------------------------------B-5-13 
1-----------------------------------~----------r----------~ &-5-14 J--------------------------~~------------------------------&-5-16 K------------------------------------------------------~---&-5-17 
L --------------------------------------
-----__ -____________ B-5-18 
M----------------------------------------------------------B-5-20 
N----------------------------------------------------------B-5-21 
TABLES 
l . Correlat i on of be ds in panel 5------------------------------Fol1owing B-5-2 
FIGURES 
l. Map of panel 5. 
2 . Typical cr os s section in fo l io N. 
INTROWariON 
Panel 5 comprises 15 fo~ios and covers the Wyoming -Port Blanchard sector of the study area. 
The topography within the confi.nes of the panel is shown on a map, 
scale 1 inch equals 21 000 feet, upon which the boundaries of the mines are s~perimposed. Pertinent features, such as th~ Susquehanna River and flood-protection levees, are shoWn in blue and green, respectively. The severity potentials of subsidence within the confines of the shoreline of the assumed flood crest normally identified wi~h the various 
types of mining are delineated by different patterns of markings and are . shown ~n red. A cross section, scale 1 inch equals 100 feet, through the ·center o~ folio N is shown as typical of the panel. The ~p and cross sec~ion are in~lud~d in this report. 
The altitude of' tpe shoreline of the assumed flood crest for the determination of the surface study area in this panel is 555 feet, which corresponds to altitude 561.67 feet, U. S. Coast & Geodetic Survey base. 
Correlation of beds in panel 5 is shown iit table 1." 
B-5-1 

DESCRIPTION OF PANEL 5 
The greater part of panel 5, Wyoming-Port Blancherd sector, covers an area north of the Susquehanna River. The northern limit roughly parallels Back Road-Slocum Street in West Wyoming and Exeter Boroughs . . The Susquehanna River and Lehigh Valley Railroad cross the panel near its southern boundary. Wyoming Avenue (u,. S. Route ll)roughly traver ses the central part of the panel from ea st to west. 
Municipalities in the area covered by the panel are portionsof Pittston City; Wyoming, West Wyoming, Exeter, and West Pittston Boroughs ; and Jenkins and Plains Townships. The central and southeastern parts of the panel are mainly residential; the remeinder being generally undeveloped. The terrain immediately adjacent to the northern shore of the Susquehanna River is mostly farmland. The extreme eastern end of the Forty Fort-Swoyersville levee appears in the western end of the panel . 
Workings of the Maltby-Westmoreland, Mt. Lookout, Schooley,Exeter, Stevens, Clear Spring, No. 9, Ewen, No. 6, and No. 14 mines are subjacent to the surface area. 
The site of the Knox mine disaster of January 1959, in which the floodwaters of the Sus quehanna River burst into the underground workings of the Ewen mine, is located along the southern shore of 
the river in folio J. 
B-5-2 

r 
e ,e 

TABLE 1. -Correlation of beds in panel 5 
Top Checker----1ITop Checker---1 ---------------!Top Checker---!Top Checker-!Top Checker---!Top Checker'---
General name of bed  I Na~t~-\·i estmorerena  No .  14  Mt . Lookout  No .  6  M I N E Schooley  S  Ewen  Exeter  Stevens  Cleiii-S:Pnng  He: 9  
Hillman-------- Hillman------- Hillman------- 
Diamond-------- Diamond------- Diamond------ 
-~------------- -1 -- 

Botto::: Checker-Bot tom Checker Bottom CheckeriChecker-----I Bottom CheckeriChecker----IChecker-------I Checker-------
------IPittston------IPittston-------IPittston------IPittston----IPittston------IPi ttston---IPittston------IPi t t ston-------IPittston------Bottom Pi t t ston Pitt ston-------IPittst on-----
Bottom PittstoniBottom Pittston----Bottom Pittston Top Marcy------ITop ~arcy----------1--------------ITop Mar cy------I--------------1------------I--------------I-----------I--------------ITop Marcy------ITop Marcy----!~arc:r----------1Marcy--------------!Marcy---------IMarcy----------IMarcy---------!Marcy-------!Mar cy---------1 Marcy------!Marcy---------1Marcy-------·---!Marcy---------
Top Clark------ITop Ross-----------I Clark---------ITop Ross -------!Top Clark-----!Top Clark---!Top Clark-----!Top Clark--I Clark---------ITop Clark------•--------------Bottcm Cl a r k---I Bottom Ross--------I Bottom Clark--I Bott orn Ross----IBottom Clark--I Bottom Clark iBott om Cla rk--IBabyl on----IBabylon-!Bottom Clark---IClark---------Bottom Clark 
Top Red Ash----I-------------------IBabylon------~I---------------!Babylon-------I------------I--------------1-----------IBabylon-------•---------------•--------------
Fi fth------IFifth---------IMiddle Red Ash-Botto~, Red Ash-Red Ash-------IRed Ash--------IRed Ash-------IRed Ash-----IRed Ash-------IRed Ash---~ISixth---------I Bottom Red Ash-I Bottom Red Ash l~iddle Red Ash-
II A'' --------1It A"----------
"P." -----------

DESCRIPTION OF FOLIOS 
Folio AA 
The area of the surface plate that i s subj ect to inundation from the assumed flood crest in case of failures in the Susquehanna River flood-protection levees or from water of Abraham' s Creek comprises 72 acres anq constitutes the flood plain. The remaining 217 acres l i e above the horizon of the assumed flood crest. 
The terrain in the study area is mainly undeveloped, except for the presence of a drive-in movie and tracks of the Lehigh Valley Railroad in the southern part. The surface lying above the shoreline of the a ssumed flood crest comprises the greater part of the folio, and consi sts mainly of the builtup portion of West Wyoming Borough 
and the surface plant of the abandoned Westmoreland section of the 
Maltby-Westmoreland mine. The workings of part of that mine are sub
jacent to the study area . 
Four beds, having a combined thickness of 16.5 feet, have b een 
mined t o varying degrees of extraction. Workings in the uppermost 
bed, Pittston, are at a minimum depth of 172 feet below the surfa ce , 
under a minimum rock cover of 79 feet. Workings in the bottom bed, 
Bottom Clark, are at a max imum depth of 375 feet below the surfa ce , 
or 181 feet above sea level. 
The pattern of mining established duri ng f irst mining operations i s regul a r. Pillars are 26 feet wide on 50~foot centers. A few safety pillars are present in the three lowe r beds, but there are none in t he top bed, Pittston. Pill~rs remaining in the Pittston and Marcy Qeds af t er first mining are considered adequate to support the surface . Backfill wa s not placed in quantity sufficient to aid in the support of the surface. 
Mining in the Top and Bottom Clark beds i s classified a s second mining because of the large amount of coal removed during initial operation rather than through pilla r -skipping or ~splitting. Although the pill ars remaining are considered adequate to prevent their being crushed, excessively wide roof areas in the chambers will probab ly cause cavings that may extend to the surface. No backfill was !Pl a ced in the voids created by this type of mining. 
Thir d mining, which is the extraction of pillars , was conducted i n the Pittston, Marcy, and Bottom Clark beds, and subsidence ma y be expect ed therefrom. No ba ckfill wes placed in the r esulting voids . 
B-5-3 
Folio A 
The area of the surface plate' that is subject to inundation from the assumed flood crest in case of failures in the Susquehanna River flood-p~otection levees or from waters of Abrahan's Creek comprises 212 acres, all of which. is in the flood plain. · The greater part Qf the study area .is l ocated in the Abraham1 s Creek basin, which is separated from the Susquehanna River river-levee area by a prominent ridge of considerable magnitude. Although this ridge area or high ground, comprising 70 acres· in this cfolio, rises above the altitude of the assumed flood crest, it is a.ctually part of an island, or . peak, in the flood plain and the subsidence potential of the subjacent mine .work:ings will al9o be ev-aluated, making the total surface study area 282 acres. The rem&ining 7 acres lie above the horizon of the a ssumed flood crest. 
Portions of Wyoming and West Wyoming Boroughs encompass the total area of the plate; however, the major part of the area is in Wyoming. The D. L. &W. Railroad is the dividing line between the two boroughs. A portion qf the Swoyersville-Forty Fort flood protection project, Levee Unit ·2, is shown on this folio. The part of the study area that would be inundated by the assumed flood crest is undeveloped for the most part; the part that is situate~ on the ridge area above altitude 555 feet consists of a large residential area of Wyoming. Workings of parts of the Maltby-Westmoreland and Mt. Lookout mines are subjacent to the study area. 
Six beds, having a combined thickness of 23.5 or 25 .5 feet, depending on Y?:hether or not top coal ..was taken down, }).ave been mined to varying degrees of extraction. Workings in the uppermost bed, Pittst·on, are at a minirrrum depth of 109 feet below the surface, with a minirrrum rock cover of 50 feet, although one chamber extended under a 20-foot rock cover. Workings in the bottom bed, Bottom Red Ash, are at a maxirrrum depth of 489 feet below the surface, or 77 feet above sea level. 
The pattern of mining established during first mlrnng operations is slightly irregular in all beds except in the Bottom ClaTk where it is regular. Pillar widths vary from bed to bed, ranging from 25 to 30 feet on 45-to 50-foot ~enters. Safety pillars were. left to some degree in. all .heds, mainly at irregular intervals; however, they are at regular intervals · in the. Bottom Pittston b.e.d. .. Pillars remaining in all beds after first. mining, namely, in the Bottom Pittston, Marcy, and Top Clark, are considered adequate to support the surface. The first-mined area in the Top Clark bed, subjacent to the Swoyersville-Forty Fort flood-protection project, Levee Unit 2, contains safety pillars and unmined areas that will add support to the overlying strata and the beds contained therein. No backfill was placed in the voids created by first mining. 
Mining in the Pittston, Bottom Clark, and Bottom Red Ash beds is classified as second mining because of the large amount of coal 
B..; 5-4 
removed rather than through pillar-skipping or -splitting . Although the p i llars remaining are consi dered to be of sufficient strength to prevent their being crushed, excessively wi de roof a r ea s in the chambers will probably cause cavings that may extend to the surface . The area in the Bottom Clark bed, subjacent to the northern end of the Swoyersville-Forty Fort flood-protection project, Levee Unit 2, contains unmined a reas and safety pillars that will t end to minimize the subsidence potential . Backfill was not placed in quantities sufficient to deter or effectively minimize subsidence . 
Third mining was done in all beds except the Bottom Pittston and Bottom Red Ash, and subsidence can be expected therefrom. No backfill was placed in the voids creai;.ed by third mining. 
On March 1, 1897, the roof of one chamber in the Pittston bed in the Mt. Lookout mine, while being driven under a rock cover supposedly greatP.r than 50 feet but that was actually 20 feet, collapsed and caused an inrush of sand, gravel, and water that filled a large area of the workings. No men were in the workings when the collapse occurred. The area wa s later sealed-off by construction of eight brick dams. 
Folio :E 
The area of the surfa ce plate that is subject to i nundation from the a s sumed flood crest comprises 216 acres, all of which is riverlevee area . A prominent ridge area of considerable magnitude occupies the northern part of the plate. This area comprises 73 acres in the folio and rises above the altitude of the assumed flood crest; it i s actually a pa rt of an island, or peak, in t h e flood plain and, therefore, is subject to the subsidence potential of the subject mine workings. 
The total surface study area comprise s 289 acres, of which 216 are in the r i ver-levee area and 73 in the flood plain. Wyoming Boroug~ occupies most of the surface pl ate area, with a small part of Jenkins Township appearing along the southern boundary. The Swoyersville-Forty Fort flood-protection project, Levee Unit 2, and Abraham ' s Creek di version channel lie in the southwestern portion of the plate. The western part of the Eight Street bri dge in Wyoming appears i n the eastern corner of the plate. 
The part of the study area that would be inundated by the a ssumed flood crest consists of undeveloped farmland and the channel of the Susquehanna River. The part that forms the ridge area is part of the i mpr oved residential area of Wyoming. Workings of parts of the Maltby-Westmoreland, Mt. Lookout, Number 14, and Ewen mines are subjacent to the study area . 
B-5-5 
Eight beds, h avi11g a combined thickness of 40.5 feet, have been mined to varying degrees _of extraction• .Workings in the uppermost bed, Top -Checker, are at a minirrrum depth of 140 feet below the surface, with a minirrrum rock cover o.f 50 feet. Workings in the lowest bed, Bottom Red Ash, are at ~ maxirrrum depth 9f 507 feet, or 33 feet above sea level. 
. ' 
The pattern of minin,g established during fi'rst num.ng operations varies from regular to irregular. Pillar widths vary from bed to bed, ranging from 20 to 40 feet on 45 -to 60-foot centers . Safety pillars are either nonexistent or few in number in all beds . except the Marcy, where they are on regular intervals. The pillars remaining in all beds after first mining, nam~ly, Top Checker; Bottom Checker, Pittston, and Marcy, are considered a de quate to support the surface . Backfill in conjunction with first mining was pla ced only in the Pittston bed, where it will give some additiona l support to the pillars. 
Second mining is considered to have been done in all eight beds in this fo~io, and ~s so classi fied in the Bottom Pittston, Top Clark, Bottom Clark, and Bottom Red Ash beds because of the large amount of coal removed rather than through pillar-skipping or -splitting. Although the pillars remaining are considered to be su fficiently strong to prevent their being crushed, excessively wide roof areas in the chambers and crosscuts will probably cause cavings that may extend to the surface. The subsidence poten~ial· is aggravated by thin rock strata, 4 to 10 feet, and imperfect columnization b etween the Top and Bottom Checker beds and by thin rock strata, approximately 10 feet, between the Top and Bottom Pittston beds . Backfill in second-mined area s was ,not placed in quantities sufficient to deter or effectively minimize subsidence. 
Third mining was done in the Pittston, Marcy, Top Clark, and Bottom Red Ash beds, and subsidence can be expected therefrom. No backfill was placed in the voids created by third mining . 
No mining was done subjacent to the Swoyersville-Forty Fort flood-protection proj ect, Levee Unit 2, and Abraham's Creek diversion channel in the Top Checker, Bottom Checker, Bottom Clark, and Bottom Red Ash beds . Third mining was done in the Pittston and Marcy beds, except for a small area at the eastern end of the Marcy. Second and third mining was done in a small area at the southwestern end of the Top Clark bed, wher~ large unmined areas will tend to minimize the subsi dence potential. 
First mining operations onl~ . are subjacent to the Susquehanna River and Mono canock Island in the Top and Bottom Checker, Pittston, and Marcy beds , under a minirrrum rock cover of 50 feet over the uppermost or Top Checker · ~ed. Thirty-two acres were backfilled in the Pittston bed. 
B-5-6 
Folio C 
The area of the surface p l ate that is subject to inundation from the assumed flood crest comprises 110 acres, all of which is riverlevee area. The remaining 179 acres lie above the horizon of the a ssumed flood crest . 
Jenkins Township occupies the major part o·f the total plate area. Pl ains Township occupies the remainder of the area and is located along the southwestern boundary of the plate. The Susquehanna River crosses the study area from the northern t o the western corner of the plate along the northwestern boundary. The eastern part of the Eighth Street bridge in Wyoming Borough appears in the northern corner of the plate. The built-up portion of Jenkins Township , known as Port Blancha rd, lies in the northern corner of the plate. The site of the dismantled surface installations of the abandoned Number 14 mine of the Pennsylvania Coal Company is located i r. the west-central part. Strip pits and undeveloped areas occupy the rest cf the plate . Workings of the Number 14 mine underlie the study area . 
Nine beds, having a combined thicknesE of 49 feet, have been mined to varying degrees of extractior, . Workings in the uppermost bed, Hillman, are at a minimum depth of 43 feet below the surface, with a minimum rock cover of zero feet. Workings in the bottom bed, Bottom Red Ash, are at a maximum depth of 651 feet below the surface, or 101 feet below sea level. 
The pattern of mining establi shed during first mlnlng operations varies from regular to irreg~lar. Pillar wi dths vary from bed to bed, ranging from 20 to 39 feet on 40-to 65-foot centers. Safety pillars are either _nonexistent or few in number in the upper beds, but are on regular intervals in the lower beds . The pillars remaining in all beds after first mining are considered adequate to support the surface; however, the rock cover over the uppermost bed, Hillman, ranges from 0 to 50 feet but is 20 to 32 feet thick under the bed of the Susquehanna River, creating a definite subsidence potential. Only l acre of backfill material was placed in the voids created by first mining, which will provide little if any l ateral support to the area . 
Second mining was done in the Diamond, Top Checker, Bottom Checker, Pittston, Marcy, and Bottom Clark beds. Although the pi llars r emaining after second mining are considered t o be sufficiently strong to prevent their being crushed, excessively wide roof areas in the Chambers, resulting from pillar-skipping-blocking, will probably cause cavings that may extend to the surface . Backfill wes not placed in sufficient quantities after second mining to deter or effectively minimize subsidence. 
Third mlnlng was done in the Hil l man, Diamond, Top Checker, Bottom Checker, and Pittston beds, and subsidence cen be expected therefrom . No backfill was placed in the voids created by third mining. 
B-5-7 
The subsidence potential in seGQn~ and third mining is intensified by thin rock cover, 7 to 15 feet, and imperfect columnization between the Top and Bottom Checker beds; and by thin rock cover, 0 to 20 feet, in third-mining areas of the Hillman bed. 
There is no mining subj acent to the Susquehanna River in the uppermost beds, Hillman and Diamond. Second mining operations were conduc t ed under the river in the Top and Bottom Checker and Pittston beds, under minimum rock cover of 60 feet, while first mining only was done in the Marcy and Bottom Clark beds under a minimum rock cover of 300 f eet. No effective backfill was placed in .any of the mining voids. 
Folio D 
The area of the surface plate that is subject to inundation in ca se of failure s in the Sus quehanna River flood-protect~on levees or f r om waters. of Abraham's and Hick's Creeks comprises 13-acres, all of which is flood plain. The anticline s eparating Abraham's Creek f r om Hick's Cre ek in this f olio does not rise above the altitude of the assumed 'f lood crest. The channels of. both creeks a!'e s eparated f r om the Susquehanna Rive r river-levee area by a ridge of considerable magnitude. Although this r i dge area, comprising 148 acr es in this foli o, r ises above the altit~de o f the assumed flood crest, virtually f orming an island in the flo"od pla'in, it' is subject to -';he subsidence potential of the subjacent mine workings . The total surface study area is 279 acres, all flood pl ain. The remaining 10 acres lie above t he h orizon of the assumed f -lood crest . 
Portions of W~st Wyoming and Wyoming Boroughs occupy the western and southern parts ·of the pl ate, respectively. A pa rt' of Exeter Borough occupi es the remainder, which is approximately 50 p e rcent. The areas in Wyoming and West Wyoming and in a sw.all part of Exet e r are mainl y residential; the remainder of the plate is undeveloped. The D. L. & W. and Lehigh Valley Ra ilroads cross the center of the plate from southwest to northeast. Wyoming Avenue (U. S. Route ll) crosse s t h e pl ate froin southwest to east. Underground ~,.;orkings of pa rts of the Schooley, Ewen, and Mt . Lookout mine s are subjacent to t he study area. 
Seven b e ds, having a combined thickness of 33 feet, have been mined t o varying degrees of extraction. Workings in the uppermost bed, Bottom Checker, . ar.e -at a minimum depth .o.f l40 feet below the su rface, with a minimum rock cover of 13 feet. Workings in the bottom bed, Bottom Red Ash, are at a maximum depth of 576 feet below t he surface, or 32 feet below sea level. 
The pattern of mining established during first mlnlng operations i s i r r e gular. Pillar widths vary from 26 to 32 feet on 50-foot cent e r s . There are· no safety pillars present. There is no first mining r emaining in any bed except the Bottom Red Ash . The pillars rema ining 
B-5-8 

...... 
j 

in the Bottom Red Ash bed after first ffillllng are considered adequate
to support the surface. No backfill wa s placed after first mining . 

There is no second ffilnlng remalnlng in the uppermost bed, BottomChecker. Second mining was done in all beds except the Bottom Ch ecker.
Although the pillars remaining after second mining are considered tobe sufficiently strong to p~event their being crushed, excessively wideroof areas in the chambers and crosscuts, resulting from second mining,will probably cause cavings that may extend to the surface . Only twoscattered acres of backfill was placed in the voids created by secondmining; it will neither deter nor effectively minimize the effects ofsubsidence. 
Third mining was done in all beds in the folio except in the
Bottom Pittston and Bottom Red Ash, and subsidence can be expected
therefrom. Th e subsider.ce potentia l is aggravated by thin rock cover

of 13 to 50 feet above the Bottom Checker bed. No backfill was pl acedin the voids created by third mining . 
The subsidence potential in second and third mining is aggravatedby thin-rock intervals between the Pittston and Bottom Pittston beds,20-foot average, and Top and Bottom Cla rk beds, 12 to 45 fe.et. 
Folio E 
The area of the surface plate that is subject to inundation from
the assumed flood crest comprises 177 acres, all of which is river
levee area . A considerable portion of the plate area lies above the

altitude of the assumed flood crest; however, this area, comprising
112 acres in this folio , i s part of an island in the flood plain and,
consequently, i s included in the evaluation of the subsidence poten

tial of the total surface study area, 289 acres, consisting of 177acres of river-levee area and 11 2 acres of flood plain. 
Wyoming and Exeter Boroughs each occupy approximately half ofthe plate area in the southwestern and northeastern parts, respectively, with a narrow strip of Jenkins Township lying a·long the southeastern border. Wyoming Avenue (U. S. Route 11), a main traffic a r tery, touches the northern corner of the plate; the Susquehanna Riverflows along the southeastern boundary. The part of the study are a that lies above the assumed flood crest and i s considered as floodplain contains residential areas of Wyowing and Exeter, with theusual complement of commercial and public buildings. The remainderof the plate is farmland or the Susquehanna River. Workings of partsof the Mt . Lookout and Ewen mines a re subjacent to the study area. 
Seven beds, having a combined thickness of 38.5 feet, have beenmined to varying degrees of extraction. Workings i n the uppermostbed, Pittston, a re at a minimum depth of 90 feet below the surface, 
B-5-9 
with a minimum rock cover of 5'3 feet. Workings in the bottom bed, 
Bottom Red Ash, are at a maximum depth of 564 feet below the surface, 
or 9 feet below sea level. 
The pattern of mining established 4uring first mining operations varies from slightly irregular to irregular. P~llar widths vary from bed to bed, ranging from 20 to 42 feet on 40-to 70-foot centers. Safety pillars are either nonexistent or few in number. Pillars remaining in all beds after first mining are considered adequate to support the surface. Backfill was placed in the Bottom Red Ash bed in only two of the 201 acres first mined, which wi l give very little additional ~upport to the ~illars. 
Second mining was done in all beds. Although the pillars remaining after second mining in all beds, except in t he Bottom Red Ash, subjacent to the flood plain are considered to be of sufficient strength to prevent their being crushed, excessively wide roof areas in the chambers, resulting from pillar-skipping-splitting, will probably cause cavings that may extend to the surface. Subsidence may also be expected from second-mined workings in the Bottom Red Ash bed underlying the flood plain. They lie below a depth of 480 feet, where overburden weight exceeds calculated safe pillar strength. The subsidence potential in second-mined areas is increased where a 4-acre tract of the Bottom Pittston bed, 3 feet thick, was. mined as bottom coal of the Pittston bed. Backfill p l aced after second mining in this area is not considered adequate to deter or effectively minimize subsiden~e . 
Third mining was done in the Pittston, Marcy, Top Clark, Bottom Clark, anO. Bottom Red Ash beds, and subsidence can be expected therefrom. No backfill was pl aced ~n the voids created by third mining. 
The subsidence potential in second-and third-mined area s is increased by thin rock strata between the Top Marcy and Marcy beds, ranging from 4.5 to 14 feet, and 18 feet between the Top and Bottom Clark beds. Imperfect columnization of pillars is general between the Top and Bot~om Clark beds. 
In the uppermost bed, Pittston, second mining operations are subjacent to the Susquehanna ,River, under a minimum rock cover of 69 feet. First and se·co:rid mining are subjacent to the river in the Marcy, Top Clark, and .Red Ash beds,.· under a minimum rock cover of 150 feet in the uppermost'·bed of this series, the Marcy. First mining only was conducted under the river in the Bottom Clark bed, under a minimum rock coyer of 260 feet. 
B-5-10 
.. 
Folio F 
The area of the surface plate that is subject to inundation from the assumed flood crest comprises 68 acres, all of which is river-levee area. The entire study area lies in Jenkins Township . The shoreline of the assumed flood crest crosses t he northwestern portion of the plate and is the dividing line between the riverlevee area and the higher ground rising ea stwardly. 
Main Street (River Road, Pa . Route 5) and the Lehigh Valley a nd Erie Ra ilroads roughly pa r allel the shoreline of the a ssumed flood crest. The Susquehanna River crosses the study area along the northwestern boundary of the plate. A resident:i,a l area of Jenki ns Township and t he Hoyt shaft of Ewen mine, Permsylvani a Coal Company, are s i tuated along River Road. The remainder of surface on the plate i s undeveloped. Workings of parts of the Ewen and No. 14 mines are subj a cent to the study area. 
Eight beds, having a combined thickness of 44.5 feet, have been mined to varying degrees of extraction. The uppermost bed in stratigraphic sequence, Top Checker, was mined only sparsely in the study area. The workings are at a minimum depth of 128 feet below the surface . Workings i:r: the Bottom Checker bed, the second bed from the top, reach a depth of only 50 feet below the surface, with a .min imum rock cover of 21 feet. Workings in the bottom bed, Bottom Red Ash, are at a maximum depth of 598 feet below the surface, or 58 feet below sea level. 
The pattern of mining established duri ng first mining operations varies from regular to irregular, being regula r in the t wo upper beds and irregula r in the lower beds . Pilla r width va ries from bed to bed, ranging from 18 to 52 feet on 40-to 70-foot centers . Safety pillars are present to some extent in all beds except the Top Checker where there are none . They are present on regular intervals in the Bottom Checker and few in the remaining beds . The pillars remaining in all beds after first mining are considered adequate to support the surface . Backfill was not placed in sufficient quantities after first mining t o give any additional support to the pillars . 
Second mining was done in all beds in the folio except in the Top Checker. Although the pillars remaining after second mining are considered to be sufficiently strong to prevent their being crushed, excessively wide roof areas in the chambers, resulting from p i llarskipping-blocking, will probably cause cavings that may extend to the surface. No backfill was placed in the voids created by second IDln~ng. Subsidence potentials. in t he second-mined area s are increased by thin IDCk cover of 21 to 50 feet over some area s of the Bottom Checker bed; by 3 acres in the Top Marcy bed tha t were mined a s top coal of t he Marcy bed; and by thin rock strat a of 23 feet between the Top and Bottom Clark beds and imperfect columnization of pillars in these beds. 
B-5 -11 
Third mining in the Top Checker; Bottom Checker, Pittston, and Marcy beds may cause subsidence inasmuch a·s no backfill was placed in the voids created by third mining. 
First and second mining operations were conducted subjacent to the Susquehanna River in the Pittston, Marcy, Bottom Clark, and Red Ash beds, under a minimum rock cover of 140 feet in the uppermost or Pittston bed. Second mining was conducted under the river in the Top Clark bed, under a minimum rock cover of 270 feet. No efficient backfill was placed in these areas. 
·Folio G 
The area of the surface plate that is subject to inundation from the assumed flood crest, i n case of failures in the flood-protection system of levees and from waters of Hick's Creek, comprises 44 acres, all of which is flood plain. The remainder of the plate, 245 acres, lies above the altitude of the assumed flood crest. The . entire plate area covers parts of Exeter Borough and the Hick's Creek drainage basin. The latter is separated from the Susquehanna River and riverlevee area by a ridge that rises above the altitude of the assumed flood crest in the form of an island, or peak, in the flood plain . and, therefore, is considered a part of it for the stu<iy of subsidence. potentials. 
Two traffic arteries, Slocum Street (Back Road) and Schooley Avenue, traverse the plate . The terrain in the study erea is undeveloped. Workings of parts of the Exeter and Stevens mines are sub-· jacent to the study area. 
Seven beds, having a combined thickness of 35.5 feet, have been mined to varying degrees of extraction. Workings in the Checker bed, the uppermost bed in stratigraphic sequence, are at a minimum depth of 66 feet below the surface; however, this bed is mined to a very limited extent in the study area. Workings in the Pittston bed, which is the second bed from the top in stratigraphic sequence, rise to a depth of only 42 feet below the surface, with a minimum rock cover of 17 feet. Workings in the bottom bed, Bottom Red Ash, are at a maximum depth of 493 feet below the surface, or 59 feet abov~ sea level. 
The pattern of mining established during first rnQnlng oper~tions varies from slightly -irregular t.o regular. Pillar width varies from bed to bed; ranging from 19 to 36 ·feet on 43-to 60-foot centers. Safety pillars are present in only two of the seven beds in the folio one in the Top Clark, and several on irregular intervals in the Middle Red Ash. The pillars remai ning after first mining in all beds ar~ considered adequate to support the surface. No backfill was placed in the voids created by first mining. 
B-5-12 
Se cond m1.n1.ng ,,,a~ done in the Ghe, ker and Bottom Re d Ash beds . Alt hough t he pillars remaining af t er se·.-:-or;d mining a r e cons i dered to be su fficiently strong to prevent their bci.ng crushed, excessively wide roof a r e a s exposed in the chamber; , resulting from p i lla r -skipping and b l o cki ng i n second mirLing, will pro ba bly cause cavings that ma y extend to the surfa ce . No b a ckfill wa s I' l ac:e d 1.n ·the voids after second 
mining . 
Third mnl.ng wa s d:me lr! t h e Pit-t.·' (,n, Marcy, Top C!lark, Middle Re d Ash, and Bottom Red Ash beds , and su_b<:.iderice may be expect ed ther ef rom. No ba ckfill was pla ced in 1. he volds created by third mining. 
The subsidence poter::tia l is i n crea sed in t he Checker bed where second mining wa s done under a ro~k .:-over r a nging f r om 0 t o 36 feet ; in the Pittston l·ed in i'irs-t. mi ning wb (·re .~hambers were driven to a rock cover r a nging from 17 ·t.o 50 feet & 1,-,:c,g ...-~.H'': ~•. :J t·thern limit o f the mining a rea; and in -.;~'1 e Marcy bed ir. -:-:r .Lrd mi!".ing where t h e rock cover i n a small area along the northern lim:i': of' mining r anges f r om 32 to 50 feet . 
Folio :.:: 
The are a of the surface plate -+:.hat; is subj ect to i nun dation from the assumed flood crest in ca se o f fail1,;,res i!'l t he flood-protection levees, or f rom wat er of Hick s Creek comprises 102 a cres , all of which i s flood plain . 'Ihe :Hck's rreek dra :.nage b a s-in 1.s separated from the Susquehanna River river-levee a rea by a ridge that rises a-bove t h e altitude o1" the a s sumed flood ·.::re:;-;t. This r i d.ge area, comprisirig 176 a cres in this f olio, is Birnply a n isla!ld i!:: the flood plain and, therefore, is incb.ded in t :-: e ev a luation of the subsidence potenti als. The total s1~rface st-.ldy a rea , comprising 278 a cres, is flood plain. The remaining 11 a cres Ee m1tside -the flood plain above the hor izon of the a ssumed flood crest . 
A p a rt of the residentia l area of Exeter Borough , wit h the usual complement of commercial and public buildings, occupies a major portion of t he ridge a rea in the central and southea s tern part of the plate . The remainderof the surface shown on the plate is undeveloped. The Lehigh Valley and D. L. & W. Ra ilroa ds cross the plate f rom southwest t o nort h and southwest to ea st, respectively. Workings of p a rts of the Schooley and Exeter mines underlie the st udy area. 
Nine beds, hav i ng a combined thi ckness of 45 or 48 feet, depending on whet her or not top coa l wa s t aken, h ave been mined t o varyi ng degrees of extraetion. Working s in. the uppermost bed, Top Che cker, a re at a minimum depth of 42 f eet bel~w the surfa ce, ·wit h a minimum 
rock cover of 19 f eet. Workings i r, the bottom bed, "A", are a t a ma ximum depth of 610 feet below the surface, or 45 feet bel ow sea level . 
B-5-13 

The pattern of mining established during first mining operations varies between slightly irregular and irregular. Pil lar width varies from bed to bed, ranging from 18 to 40 feet on 45-to 65-foot centers. Safety pillars are present to some degree in all beds except in the three uppermost beds --Top Checker, Checker, 'and Pittston. Pillars remaining after first mining in all beds are considered adequate to support the surface. Backfill was not placed after f irst mining in quantity sufficient to increase stability of the pillars. 
. ' 
. . 
Second mining was done in all beds except in the Middle Red Ash and "A," namely, Top Checker, Checker, Pittston, Marcy, To:r; Clark, Bottom Clark, and Bottom Red Ash. Although the pillars remaining after second mining in all beds except the Bottom Red Ash are considered to be sufficiently stron~ to prevent their being crushed, excessively wide roof areas in the chambers and crosscuts, resulting from second mining, will probably cause cavings that may extend to the surface. Subsidence may also e expected from the entire second-mined area in the Bottom Red Ash bed, all of.which lies below a depth pf 499 feet, where overburden weight exceeds calculated safe pillar strength. Backfi ll was not placed after second mining in quantity sufficient to prevent or deter subsidence. 
Third mining was a l so done in all beds except the Bottom Clark, Middle Red Ash, and "A," and s bsidence may be expected therefroiJt. No backfill was placed in the voids created by third mining. 
The subsidence potential in second-and third-mined .areas is aggravated in the Top Checker bed, where mining was done under a rock cover ranging from 19 to 50 feet, and in the second-minad area of the Checker bed under a rock cover ranging from 0 to 50 feet. 
Folio I 
The area of the surface plate that is subject to inundation from the assumed flood crest contains a ridge that rises above the altitude of the assumed flood crest in the form of an island ih the flood plain. Consequently, the subsidence potential of the subjacent ~ne workings will be evaluated with respect to the total surface study area of 289 acres, consisting of 160 acres river-levee area and 129 acres flood plain . 
A po rtion of Exeter Borough occupies all of the plate area _except for a very small part of enkins Township that lies along the southeastern edge. The ridge area lying above the altitude of the assumed flood crest t~at is included with the flood plain is part of the r esidential area of Exeter; the remainder of the surface is undeveloped. .. The Susquehanna River crosses the study area from the eastern to the southern corner along the southeastern edge of the plate. Wyoming Avenue (U. S. Route ll) crosses the plate along the northwestern boundary . Workings of parts o~ the Schooley, Exeter, and Ewen mines are subjacent to the study area. · ' 
B-5-14 
Eight l.leds, having a combined thickne s s of 41 or 44 feet, depending on whether or not top coal wa s tal~en, have been mined to varying degrees of extraction. Workings in +.he upp ermost bed, Bottom Checker, are at a minimum depth of 109 feet below the surface, with a minimum rock cover of 29 feet; however, workings in the Pittston bed, the second bed from ·the surface in stratigraphi c sequence, ar e more extensive than in the Bottom Checker bed and rise to a minimum depth of 70 feet below the surface, with a minimum rock cover of 26 feet, Workings in the bottom ·bed, "A, " are at a maximum depth of 591 feet below the surface, or 33 feet below sea level. 
The pattern of mining established during f irst mlnlng operations i s mainly irregular. Pilla r width varies from bed to bed, r anging from 21 to 37 feet on 45-to 60-foot centers . Safety pillars a r e present, mainl y on irregular intervals, in the lower beds, namely, Bottom Checker, ·pittston, Top Marcy, and Marcy . Pillars r emaining in al l beds after f i rst rr..ining are · ~on<:i .1er·ed. a dPctJ ate t o support the surface . Backfill \-ra s not placed afc;er fir;:ot mining in quantities sufficient to give substantial l ateraJ support t o the pillar s . 
Second mining was done ln all beds l;: i;he folio except in the "A" bed. Although the pillars remaiL1ng after second mining a r e considered to be sufficien::.ly stror::.g to p reven": -:;Leir being crushed, excessively wide roof area s in the chambers ar1J c::r.·(::sscuts, I'esulting from se·cond mining, will probably cause cavings that may extend to the surface . Backfill was not placed aft.er second ITllnlng in quantities sufficient t o deter or mini mize the subsidence pot ential . 
Third mining was done in the Bot~om Che,:ker, Pittston, Marcy, Top Clark, and Bottom Red Ash beds, and subside!!ce can be expected therefrom• . No ba ckfill was placed in the vc ids created by third mining. 
The subsidence potential in seco1d-mined area s i s increased in a small a r ea of the Bottom Q1ecker bed near the north eastern boundary of the plate where mining wa s done under a rock cover r anging from 29 to 50 feet, and in a small area of the Pittston bed in the southern corner of the plate under a rock cover ranging from 26 to 50 feet . The subsidence potentia l is also increa sed in the second-mined areas of the Top Marcy and Marcy beds where the rock interval between them ranges from 6 to 13 feet . 
Sub'jacent to the Susquehanna River first and second mining oper ations were conducted in the Pittston, Marcy, Top Clark, and Red Ash beds, under a minimum rock cover of 26 feet in the uppermost, or Pittston bed, second-mined area. First mining only wa s conducted in t he Bottom Cl ark bed under a minimum rock ccver of 200 feet , and second mining only was conducted in the Top Marcy bed under a minimum rock cover of 60 feet. No effective backfill wa s pla ced in these a r eas. 
B-5-15 
Folio J 
The area of the surface plate that is subject to inundation from the assumed flood crest comprises 65 acres, all of which is riverlevee area. The remainder of the plate, 224 acres, lies above the horizon of the assumed flood crest. 
Portions of Exeter Borough, Jenkins Townsh~p, and Pittston City, including the Susquehanna River bed and the east bank of the channel, occupy the study area. The shoreline of the assumed flood crest crosses the plate along the northwestern edge, paralleling the Lehigh Valley Railroad,, which runs just inside the study area. A part of the Ewen mine is subjacent to the study area. The River Slope.mine of the Knox Coal Company, a lessee of a portion of the Ewen mine, underlies a part of the study area and is the site where the Susquehanna River broke into the Pittston bed workings on January 22, 1959, causing what became known as the "Knox Mine Disaster," wherein 12 fatalities occurred and several mines were inundated. 
Seven beds, having a combined thickness of 38 feet, have been mined to varying degrees of extraction. Workings in the uppermost bed, Bottom Checker, are at depths ranging from 5 to 25 feet below the surface, with a rock cover ranging from 0 to 20 feet; however, only 1 acre was mined in the Bottom Checker bed in this folio. Workings in the Pittston bed, second from the surface in stratigraphic sequence, are at a minimum depth of 28 feet below the surface, with a minimum rock cover of 9 feet. Workings in the bottom bed, Bottom Red Ash, are at a maximum depth of 430 feet, or 94 feet above sea level. 
The patt~rn of rr.Qnlng established during first mining operations ranges from irregular to slightly irregular. Pillar width varies from bed to bed, ranging from 18 to 28 feet on 40-to 55-foot centers. Safety pillars are present at regular intervals in the three lower beds, Top Clark, Bottom Clark, and Bottom Red Ash, but are nonexistent in the upper beds. Pillars remaining in all beds after first mining are considered adequate to support the surface. No backfill was placed in the voids created by first mining. 
Second mining was done in all beds in the folio except in the Bottom Checker and Bottom Red Ash. Although the pillars remaining in all beds after second mining are considered to be sufficiently strong to prevent their being crushed, excessively wide roof areas in .the chambers, resulting ·from second mining, will probably cause cavings that may extend to the surface. Backfill after second mining was placed in only two scattered acres and in quantities insufficient to prevent or deter subsidence. The subsidence potential in secondmined areas is increased where workings in the Pittston bed were extended under a rock cover ranging from 9 to 50 feet in thickness. This thin rock cover occurs under the bed of the Susquehanna River near the east bank in the area where the river broke into the Pittston 
B-5-16 

bed workings of the River Slope mine, Knox Coal Company, on January 22, 1959 , causing 12 fatalities . The subsidence potential 
is increased in another area where 3 acres of the Top Marcy bed were mined where the rock strata between the Top Marcy and Marcy beds is 
4 feet thick. 
Third mining wa s done in only l a cre of the Bottom Checker bed, and subsidence can be expected therefrom. No backfill was placed in the voids created by third mining. The subsidence potential is further intensified a.s third mining was done under a. rock cover ranging from 0 to 20 feet. 
Subjacent to the Susquehanna. River first and second mining operations were conducted in the Pittston, Marcy, Top Clark , and Bottom Clark beds under a minimum rock cover of 9 feet in the uppermost or Pittston bed. This point was the scene of the Knox mine disaster, as previously noted herein. Sec.:ond mirring was conducted in the Top Marcy bed under a minimum rock cover of 78 ieet, while first mining was only conducted in the Bottom Red Ash bed u.rlder a mir.imum rock cover of 290 feet . No effective backfill was placed in these area s , except inside the seals placed in the Pittston bed after the disaster. 
Folio K 
The area of the surface plate that is subj ect to inundation from the assumed flood crest in ca se of failures in the flood-protection system of levees or from waters of Hick's Creek comprises 87 acres, all of which is flood plain. 
The entire plate lies in tbe Hick's Creek drainage basin. The basin is sepa r ated from the Susquehanna River river-levee area by a ridge comprising 26 acres that rises above the altitude of the a ssumed flood crest. I t 'is considered a.s part of a.n island in the flood plain; consequently, it is included in the evaluation of the subsidence potentials of the subjacent mine workings, making the total study area. 113 acres, all of which is flood plain. The remaining 176 acres l i e above the horizon of and outside the a ssumed flood crest. 
An undeveloped portion of Exeter Borough occupies the entire plate, of which the study area occupies a small strip along the southeastern edge. A branch of the Lehigh Valley Railroad crosses t he study area in a.n east-west direction. Workings of pa rts of the Exeter and Stevens mines are subjacent to the study area.. 
Eight beds,with a combined thickness of 33.5 feet, have been mined to varying degrees of extraction. Workings in the uppermost bed, Pittston, are at a minimum depth of 44 feet below the surface, with a minimum rock cover of zero feet. Workings in the bottom bed, "A," are at a maximum depth of 370 feet below the surface ; however, 
B-5-17 
less than l acre was mined in that bed in this folio. Workings .in the Bottom Red Ash bed, second from the bottom stratigraphically, are at maximum depths of 461 and 457 feet below the surface,·or 139 and 99 f eet above sea l evel, respectively. 
The pattern of mining established during first mining operations i s irregul ar. Pillar widths vary from bed to bed, ra~ging from 20 to 36 f eet on 40-to 60-foot centers. There are no safety pillars present, 
except for a few in the Top Clark and Middle Red Ash beds. The pillars remaining in all beds after first mining are considered adequate to support the surface ex cept a s noted below. No backfi: l was placed in the voids created by first rrun~ng. Subsidence may develop after first mining in the Pittston bed where a great number of workings extend 
under a rock cover ranging from 0 to 50 feet, and in that portion of t h e Marcy bed where workings are under a rock cover varying from 33 to 50 f eet. 
Second mining conditions are found only in the Bottom Clark and Bottom Red Ash beds. · In the Bottom Clark bed chambers were dr;i.ven on na r r ow centers and wide crossctlts, leaving pill ars of insufficient stab i l ity. I n the Bottom Red Ash bed pillars remaining after first mi ning were skipped and/or split. Although the pillers in the other beds r emaining after second mining are considered to have adequate strength to prevent their being crushed, excessively wide roof areas in chambers and crosscuts will probably cause cavings that may extend to the surface . The smal l extent of workings in the Bottom Clark b ed, compri s ing an area of 3 acres, is surrounded by extensive unmined areas and large pillars i n the first-mined areas, which will tend to minimize the subsidence potential from this bed. No backfill was placed in the voids created by second mining. 
Third mining was done in al l beds in the folio except the Bottom Cla rk and "A," and subsidence can be expected therefrom. No backfill was placed in the voids created by third mining. 
Folio L 
The area of the surface plate that is subject to inundation from t he assumed flood crest in case of failures in the flood-protection system of l evee s or from wat e rs of Hick's Creek comprise s 8 acres, all of which is flood pl ain. 
The Hick's Creek drainage area in this folio is separated from t he Susquehanna River river-levee area by a prominent ridge that rises above the altitude of the a s sumed flood crest . This ridge, comprising 281 acres in this folio, is part of an island in the flood plain; consequently, it is included in the evaluation of the sub sidence potential of the subjacent mine workings, making the total stu dy area 289 acres, all of which is flood plain. The major portion 
B-5-18 

of the plate is occupled by a part of Exeter; a pa rt of West Pittston lies in the eastern corner. 
Small r esidenf;la], area s of Exeter and West Pittston occupy the northeastern and southeastern portions of the plate. Ine Fox Hill CountryClub occupies the major central portio!". ; the remaining area is undeveloped. The Lehigh Valley and D. L. ·~ W. Railroads cross the southern corner of the plate. Workings of pa rts of the Stevens, Exeter, and Clear Spring mines are subjacent to the study area . 
Eleven beds, having a combined thickness of 52 or 59 feet, de pending on whether or not top coal was taken, have been mined to varying degrees of extraction. Workings in the uppermost bed, Bottom Chec~er, are at a minimum depth of 64 feet below the surface, with a minimum rock cover of 14 feet. Workings i!'l the bottom bed, "A," are at a maximum depth of 580 f.eet below the surface, or 7 feet below sea level. 
The pattern of mlnlng established during first mlnlng operations vari es from irregular to regular.P generally being irregula r in the upper beds and more r<::gtlla r in the lo·..rer beds. Pillar widths vary from bed to bed, r anging fr.:)m 24 -':;c 41 f eet on 45-to 60-foot centers . Safety pillars are present t0 some degree :ir, all beds except the Bottom Checker~ Top Mar ·:y, Middle Re u A~ t,, and "A. , " Pillars remaining in all beds after first mining are considered adequate to support the 
surface, except in the Bottom CheckeY b~d where mining was done under a thi n rock cover r angl.ng from 14 t c !•7 feet in the western corner of the plate , Backfill af'ter first min:i.ng was placed in only two beds -2 acres in the Pi ttsto!'l, and ')6 acres H l the :Bottom Red Ash . The backfill placed in the Bottom Red As t1 bed will give additional l atera l support to the pillars. 
Second mining was done in all beds i n the folio except in the Top Red Ash, Middle Red Ash, and "A. " Although the pillars remaini ng after second mining are considered to be of sufficient strength to prevent their being crushed, excessively wide roof area s in the chambers, resulting from second mining, will probably cause cavings that may extend to the surface. Backfill was not placed in sufficient quantities after second mining to prevent or minimize subsidence. 
Third mining was done in the F0tt0m Checker, Pittston, Marcy, Top Clark, Bottom Clark~ Middle Red Ash, and Bottom Red Ash beds, and subsidence may be expected therefrom. No backfill was placed in the voids created by third mining, 
Subsidence potentials are aggravated in second mining in the Pittston bed by thin rock cover r angi ng from 30 to 50 feet in the northern corner of the plate~ and by thi n rock strata ranging from 10 to 15 feet between the T:op Marcy and Marcy beds; and by thin rock strata, 10 feet, between the Middle Red Ash and Bottom Red Ash beds in second and third mining. 
B-5-19 
Folio M 
The area of the surface plate that is subject to inundation from the assumed flood crest comprises 53 acres, all of which is riverlevee area. A ~rominent ridge, comprising 236 acres, occupies the remainder of the plate. Although this ridge area rises above the altitude of the assumed flood· crest, it is considered merely as part of an i sland in ~he flood plain and, consequently, is included in the evaluation of the subsidence potential of the subjacent mine workings, making the total study area 289 acres, of which 53 are river-levee area and 236 are flood plain. 
West Pittston Borough occupies the major portion of the plate; a part of Exeter Borough lies along the southwestern edge of the plate. The entire area is residential, except a small portion along the west bank of the Susquehanna Ri ver. Wyoming Avenue (U. S. Route ll) and Tunkhannock Avenue are the main traffic arteries that cross the plate. Portions of the Exeter and Clear Spring mines are subjacent to the study area. 
Eight beds, having a combined thickness of 41.5 or 48 feet, depending upon whether or not top coal was taken down, have been _mined to varying degrees of extraction. Workings in the uppermost bed, Bottom Checker, are at a minimum depth of 113 feet below the surface, with a minimum rock cover of 29 feet. Workings in t)+e bottom bed, "A," are at a maximum depth of 550 feet below the surface, or 20 feet above sea level. 
The pattern of ID1nLng established during first mini ng operations varies from irregular i n the upper beds to regular in the lowe r beds. Pillar widths yary from bed to bed, ranging from 24 to 40 f eet on 50-to 60-foot centers. Safety pillars are present to some degree in all beds except the Pittston, where there are none. The pillars remaining in all beds after first mining are considered adequate to support the surface. Backfill placed after first mining in the Pi ttston and Bottom Red Ash beds will give additional lateral support to the pillars in th~se areas. 
Second mining was done in some portion a.f all beds in this folio except the "A" bed. Although the pillars remaining after second mining in all beds are considered sufficiently strong to prevent their being crushed, excessively wide roof areas in the chambers and crosscuts and small unstable pillars resulting from second mining will probably cause cavings that may extend to the surface. Backfill was placed in only the tw upper beds and in quantities insufficient to prevent or minimize t he subsidence potential. 
Third mining was done in certain areas in all beds except the Top Marcy, Top Clark, and "A,'' and subsidence may be expected therefrom. No backfill was placed in the voids created by third mining. 
•
B-5-20 
• The subsidence potential may be increased in first-mined workings 
in the Pit tston bed that extend under a rock cover ranging from 31 to 
50 feet; in second and third mining iri the Bottom Checker bed where the workings were driven under a rock cover ranging from 22 to 50 feet; in second mining where workings in the Pittston bed were driven under a rock cover of 45 feet under the Susquehanna River; and in secondmined areas in the Top Marcy and Marcy beds where the intervening rock strata is 10 feet thick. 
Folio N 
The area of the surface plate that is subject to inundation from the a ssumed flood crest comprises 108 acres, all in the river•levee area. The remaining 181 acres lie above the horizon of the assumed flood crest. 
Portions of Exet er Borough, West F ittston Borough, and Pittston City, including the Susquehanna River bed, occupy the study area. The shoreline of the assumed flood crest crosses the plate from north-· east to southwest, approximately parallel to the northwestern plate boundary and coincidental to the roadbed of the Lehigh Valley Railroad. 
Six beds, having a combined thickr1ess of 38 feet, have been mined to varying degrees of extraction. In the uppermost bed, Bottom Checker, four chamber s only extend a few feet into the study area at a depth of 20 to 25 feet below the surface, under a rock cover of 15 to 20 feet. Workings in the Pittston bed, which is the second from the surfa ce in stratigraphic sequence7 are at a minimum depth of 88 feet below the surface, with a minimum rock cover of 36 feet under the east end of the Water Street bridge. Workings in the bottom ·bed, Bottom Red Ash , are at a maximum depth of 454 feet below the surface, or 70 feet above sea level. 
The pattern of ffilnlng established during first mlnlng operations was slightly irregular. Pillar widths vary from bed to bed, ranging from 22 to 40 feet on 40-to 64-foot centers . Safety pillars are present regul arly in the Bottom Red Ash bed --a few are present in the Marcy and Bottom Clark beds,. and there are none in the Pittston and Top Marcy beds. Pillars remaining in all beds after first mining are considered adequate to support t he surface. No backfill was placed in the voids created by first mining. 
Operations classed as second mining were conducted in the Top Marcy, Marcy, and Bottom Red Ash beds only. Although the pillars remaining in these areas are considered to be sufficiently strong to prevent their being crushed, excessively wide roof areas were exposed, which will probably cause cavings that may extend to the surface. No backfill was placed in these areas. 
B-5-21 
Third mining operations were conducted in an area comprising 8 acres in the Bottom Red Ash bed, and subsidence can be expected therefrom. No backfill was placed after third mining. 
The subsidence potential may be increased by special conditions in the following areas: I n the Bottom Checker bed where four chambers were extended under a rock cover of 15 to 20 feet; in the Pittston bed where three chambers were extended under a rock cover of 36 feet, under the east end of the Water Street bridge; in the total first-and second-mined areas, comprising 14 acres, Where the Top Marcy bed was mined over the Marcy bed, with a rock•strata separation between these beds of 4 to 10 feet thick; and in the Marcy bed where second mining operations were conducted under a rock cover of 16 to 23 feet, located about 11 000 feet south of the Water Street bridge. 
First mining operations only are subjacent to the Susquehanna River in all beds except the Bottom Checker, which is unmined in this area. . The minimum rock cover over this mining ranged from 50 feet in the Pittston bed to 215 feet in the Red Ash bed. 
B-5-22 

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PANEL 6 
PITTSTON ~ DURYEA SECTOR 

CONTENTS 
Page 
Introduction---------------------------------------------------B-6-1 
Description of panel 6-----------------------------------------B-6-2 
Description of folios------------------------------------------B-6-3 A---------------------------------------------------------B-6-3 B---------------------------------------------------------B-6-5 C---------------------------------------------------------B-6-6 D---------------------------------------------------------B-6-8 E---------------------------------------------------------B-6-10 F---------------------------------------------------------B-6-11 G---------------------------------------------------------B-6-13 H---------------------------------------------------------B-6-14 1---------------------------------------------------------B-6-15 
J---------------------------------------------------------B-6-17 
TABLES 
1. Co rrelation of bed s in panel 6-----------------------------Following B-6-2 
FIGURES 
1. 
Map of panel 6 . 

2. 
Typical cross section in f olio G. 



INTRODUCTION 
Panel 6 comprises 10 f olios and covers the Pittston -Duryea
sector of the study area. 

The topography within the confines of the panel is shown on a map,scale l inch equals 2,000 feet, upon which the boundaries of the mines
are superimposed. 
Pertinent features, such e.s the Susquehanna and Lacka
wanna Rivers and flood-protection levees, are shown in blue and green,respectively.. The severity potentials of subsidence within the confines
of the shoreline of the assumed flood crest normally identified with the
various types of mining are delineated by different patterns of markingsand are shown in red. A cross section, scale l inch equals 100 feet,through the center of folio G is shown as typical of the panel. The mapand cross section are included in this report. 
The altitude of the shoreline of the assumed flood crest for the
determination of the surface study area in this panel changes in accor d
ance with the steeply rising gradient of the streambed of the Lackawanna
River and is as follows: 
Altitude, feetFolio This report U.S.C.&G.S. base 
A, B, c 560 566.67
D, E 
565 571.67
F, G, H 580 586.67

I, J 
600 606.67 
Correlation of beds in panel 6 is shown in table l. 
B-6-1 
DESCRIPTION OF PANEL 6 
Panel 6, Pittston -Duryea sector, consisting of 10 folios, lies at the extreme eastern end of the study area in the Wyoming Basin. The Susquehanna River flows through the western part of the panel in a southerly direction. The Lackawanna River traverses the central portion of the panel in a westerly direction to its confluence With the Susquehanna River. Principal highway traffic arteries are U. S. Route 11, which crosses the extreme southern corner of the panel; Pennsylvania Route 92 (Sullivan Trail), which crosses the western corner; and Main Street, which parallels the La ckawanna River between Pittston and Duryea . Railroads in the panel are the Lehigh Valley and D. L . & W. 
The Susquehanna River is crossed by the Fort Jenkins highway bridge, carrying U. S. Route 11, and by two railroad bridges that carry the 
D. L. &W. and Lehigh Valley Railroads, respectively. The discharge portal of the Pittston water tunnel, which drai ns portions of the workings of the Pennsylvania Coal Company in this area, is located on the east bank of the Susquehanna River, approximately 350 feet upstream from the Fort J enkins bridge. 
The Lackawanna River is crossed by the Lehigh Valley Railroad bridge and three highway bridges, namely, Pa. Route 35011 leading to Coxton; Stephenson Street bridge; and Connell Street bridge. 
Political subdivisions in the area are Pittston City ; West PHtston, Exeter, Duryea, Hughestown, and Old Forge Boroughs; and Ransom 'Township . The Luzerne-Lackawanna County line pa sses through the eastern end of the panel area. 
Principal residential areas are Pittston, West Pittston, ·and Exeter at the southern corner of the panel, and Duryea at the eastern corner; elsewhere, the terrain is generally undeveloped. 
Workings of portions of the Stevens, Clear Spring, ~umber 9, William "A, " Seneca, Old Forge, Hallstead, and Central mines underlie the panel area covered by the 10 folios. 
B-6-2 
• 
e • 

TAllLE 1. -Correlation of beds in panel 6 
M I N E S
General nameof bed Stevens Clear Spring Seneca No. 9 William "A" Railstead Central Old Forge Checker--------IChecker-----IChecker--------IChecker----IChecker-------Pittston-------IPittston----IPittston-------IPittston---IPittston------Bottom Pittstoni------------IBottom Pittston•-----------·--------------
Top Mar~------ITop Mar~---ITop Mar~------ITop Marcy--JTop Marcy-----·--------------·-------------·----------·-------------Marcy----------IMarcy-------IMarcy----------IMarcy------IMarcy---------IMarcy---------IMarcy--------IMarcy-----1----•--------
Clark----------IClark-------ITop Clark------IClark------IClark---------IClark---------IClark--------IClark-----·--------------Bottom Clark---IBottom ClarkiBottom Clark---Top Red Ash----IBabylon-----1---------------ITop Red Ashi--------------ITop Red Ash---INo. 1 DunmoreiNigger----ITop Red Ash---Middle Red Ash-lFifth-------lMiddle Red Ash-lFifth------IMiddle Red Ash!Middle Red AshiNo. 2 DunmoreiMined 'WithlMiddle Red AshRed Ash Bottom Red Ash-ISixth-------IRed Ash--------ISixth------IRed Ash-------IBottom Red AshiNo. 3 DunmoreiRed Ash---IBottom Red Ash 
DESCRIPTION OF FOLIOS 
Folio A 
The surface area of this folio that is subject to inundation from the assumed flood crest through failure of the flood-protection levee in th'e western part of the folio and from natural overflow elsewhere comprises 243 acres, of which 64 is flood plain and 179 river-levee area. Eighteen acres of the flood plain are on a ridge rising above the assumed flood crest and are part of a larger area extending from an adjacent panel. This· ridg-e is part of an island, or mound, in the flood plain and will be included in the evaluation of its subsidence potentials. The remaining 46 acres lie above the horizon of the assumed flood crest· and study area. 
The surface area lies in West Pittston, Exeter, and Duryea Boroughs, with the major portion being in Exeter. The Susquehanna River flows in a southeasterly direction through the folio from the northern corner, and when Scovell Island is included occupies approximately half of the surface area. The area west of the Susquehanna River is mixed residential and commercial, but rather sparsely developed. Hick's Creek, at its confluence with the Susquehanna River and Levee Unit 3 of the flood-protection system, is located near the center of the plate. Scovell Island and the area east of the river are undeveloped. The Exeter and West Pittston Railroad, a private railroad that hauls fuel and supplies to the Pennsylvania Power & Light Company power plant at Harding, parallels the west bank of the river. A spur of the Lehigh Valley Railroad crosses the western part of the· area. The western abutment of the railroad bridge spanning the river and-leading to the Coxton Yards of the Lehigh Valley Railroad just touches the folio area. Pennsylvania Route 92, known as "Sullivan Trail," traverses the western portion of the area. Workings of parts of the Stevens and Seneca mines are subjacent to the area. 
Nine beds, having a combined thickness of 42 feet, have been mined to varying degrees of extraction. Workings in the uppermost bed, Checker, are at a minimum depth of 37 feet below the surface, including a rock cover of 8 feet. Workings in the lowest bed, Bottom Red Ash, are at a maximum depth of 462 feet below the surface, which is 69 feet above sea level. 
The pattern of mln1ng established during first mln1ng varies from regular to irregular in the upper beds, but is mainly regular in the lower beds. Pillar widths vary from bed to bed, ranging from 21 to 38 feet on 40-to 60-foot centers. Safety pillars or unmined areas are present to some degree in all beds except in the Checker, Pittston, and Top Red Ash. 
Pillars rema1n1ng in all beds after first mining are considered adequate to support the surface. No first-mined area remains in the Checker bed. Pothole subsidence, however, may develop in an area in the Marcy bed subjacent to Scovell Island where mining was done under a rock cover ranging from 38 to 50 feet. 
Subsidence potentials exist where first mln1ng was done under thin rock cover in the following places: Pittston bed, under 30 to 50 feet 
B-6-3 

of rock, along the northwestern limit of mining in the flood plain, 
and under 33 to 50 feet of rock in a small area subjacent to the channel of the Susquehanna River west of Scovell Island; and in the Top Marcy bed, under a rock cover of 46 t o 50 feet, at the face of two chambers 
subjacent to Scovell Island. No backfill was placed after first mining. 
Certain areas in the Checker, Pittston, Marcy, and Bottom Red Ash beds, wherein an unusually large percentage of coal was removed in first mining operations, have been cl assified as second mining. Although the pillars remaining are considered to be sufficiently strong to prevent their being crushed, excessive roof areas exposed between the pillars will probably induce cavings that may reach to the surface. 
The subsidence potentials resulting from second mining are in-· creased where mining was done under thin rock cover as follows: Checker bed, under 17 to 28 feet, subjacent to the southern end of the floodprevention levee and less than 50 feet in .several other places under the flood plain; also in the Pittst on bed, under rock cover of 17 to 50 feet, ..: at the limit of mining along t h e southwestern boundary of the plate in the flood plain. No b~ckfill was placed in the voids created by second . mining. 
.~
Third Illlnlng was done in t he Checker, Pittston, Top :t-1arcy, Marcy, 
Clark, and Bottom Red Ash beds, and subsidence may be expected therefrom. The subsidence potential is i _creased where workings in the Checker bed were advanced under a rock cover ranging in thickness from B to 50 feet under the flood plain at the s outhern corner. No backfill was placed 
subsequent to third mining. 
The second-mined area in the Checker bed subjacent to the southern end of Levee Unit 3 of the flood-protection system is at a minimum depth of 59 feet below the surface, with a rock cover of 17 feet. This bed is not mined subjacent to the Susquehanna River. The rock interval to the next underlying bed, Pittston, is 39 feet. 
The mined area (first mining) in the uppermost bed, Pittston, sub~ jacent to the Susquehanna River is at a minimum depth of 84 feet below the riverbed, with a rock cover of 33 feet. The mined area (first mining) subjacent to the levee is 87 feet below the surface, with ro~k.
a 
cover of 51 feet. The rock interval to the next underlying bed, Top 
Marcy, is 100 feet. The mined area in the Top Marcy bed (first mining) 
subjacent to the Susquehanna River is at a minimum depth of 144 feet 
below the riverbed, with a rock cover of 56 feet. The mined area (first 
mining) subjacent to the levee is at a minimum depth of 201 feet below 
the surface, with a rock cover of 181 feet. The rock interval to the 
next underlying bed, Marcy, is ll feet. 
The western end of the Lehigh Valley Railroad bridge, spanning the Susquehanna River at the northern corner of the folio, is outside the cropline of the lowest coalbed. 
B-6-4 
Folio B 
The surface area in this folio that is subject to inundation from the assumed flood crest comprises 280 acres, of which 64 are flood plain and 216 river-levee area . The remaining 9 acres lie above the altitude of the assumed flood crest at the eastern corner of the folio. The 64 acres allocated to flood plain are on a ridge that is part of a larger area extending from an adjacent panel. This ridge is part of an isl8nd of higher ground within the flood plain and will be included in the analysis of it. 
A portion of West Pittston Borough, including residential and commer
cial areas, occupies the western part of the folio . A part of Pittston, undeveloped except for a small area known locally as "Upper Pittston," occupies most of the remainder. A small undeveloped area of Duryea Borough lies at the northern corner. 
The Susquehanna River, including the southern tip of Scovell I sland, 
traverses the surface area from northwest to southeast, with the confluence of the Lackawanna River appearing near the northern corner. The D. L . &W. Railroad, including a bridge across the Susquehanna River, traverses the area from east to west . The principal traffic artery is Exeter Street, which is part of Pa. Route 92. The main line of the Lehigh Valley Rail road crosses the eastern corner of the surface area; the southern terminus of the Exeter-West Pittston Railroad appears in the western portion. 
Portions of the workings of the Clear Spring, Stevens, and Seneca mines are subjacent to the plate area . 
Nine beds, having a combined thickness of 49 feet, have been mined 
to varying degrees of extraction. Workings in the uppermost bed, Checker, are at a minimum depth of 75 feet below the surface, with a minimum rock 
cover of l foot at one location. Workings in the bottom bed, Bottom Red 
Ash, are at a maximum depth of 477 feet below the surface, which is 85 feet above sea level . 
The pattern of mining established during first mlnlng operations varies from regular to very irregular. Pillar widths vary from bed to bed, ranging from 21 to 58 feet on 40-to 80-foot centers. Safety pillars 
or unmined areas are present to some degree in all beds. The pillars remaining in all beds after first mining are considered adequate to support 
the surface, however, some subsidence potential is indicated throughout most of the area where mining was done under a rock cover ranging from 
6 to 50 feet with some pothole subsidence likely along the southeastern bo~der of the -plate. This area is subjacent to the Susquehanna River, the D. L. &W. Railroad bridge, and the unimproved terrain on the eastern 
side of the Susquehanna River. No backfill was placed following first mining operations. 
Except in the Middle Red Ash, certain areas in all beds wherein an unusually large percentage of coal was removed in first mining have been classified as second mining. Although the pillars remaining are considered to be sufficiently strong to prevent their being crushed, 
B-6-5 
excessive roof areas exposed between the pillars will probably induce 
cavings that may reach to the surface. The subsidence po~ential in the 
major part of the Checker bed is increased where mining was done under 
a thin rock cover ranging fron 1 to 50 feet and in the Pi~tston bed sub-' 
jacent to the western abutment of the D. L . & W. Railroad bridge under a 
rock cover of 31 to 50 feet . Backfill was not placed in quantity suffi-·•· 
cient to deter or minimize ex~sting subsidence potentials . 
Some third mining was done in the Top Marcy (1 acre), Marcy, Clark, and Middle Red Ash beds, and subsidence may be expected therefrom. A portion of the Pittston bed was strip-mined. No backfill was placed in the voids created by third mining. 
The mined area in the Checker bed (second mining) subjacent to the Susquehanna River is at a min~um depth of 79 feet below ~he riverbed, with a rock cover of 34 feet. No mining was done in this bed subjacent to the D. L. &W. Railroad br~dge spanning the Susquehanna River or under the Lackawanna River. The mined area in the Pittston bed (first mining) subjacent to the Susquehanna River is at a minimum depth of 74 feet below the riverbed, with a rock cover of 18 feet. The area subjacent to the 
D. L. &W. Railroad bridge (f~rst mining) is at a minimum depth of 94 feet below the riverbed, with a rock cover of 44 feet. No mining was done in this bed subjacent to the Lackawanna River. No mining was done in the Bottom Pittston bed subjacent to the Susquehanna River, the D. L. &W. Railroad bridge, or the Lackawanna River. Mining in the Top Marcy bed · (first mining) subjacent to the Susquehanna River is at a minimum depth of 163 feet below the riverbed, with a rock cover of 121 feet. No mining was done in this bed subjacent to the Lackawanna River or the D. L . &W. Railroad bridge . The mined a~ea in the Marcy bed, which is the uppermost bed mined subjacent to the Lackawanna River (third mining) is at a minimum depth of 188 feet below the r~verbed, with a rock cover of 144 feet . 
The extent and character of mining subjacent to the Susquehanna River, the D. L. &W. Railroad bridge, or the Lackawanna River varies in beds lower stratigraphically than ~hose listed previously. 
Folio C 
The surface area of this folio that is subject to inundation from the assumed flood crest compr~ses 146 acres, all of which is river-levee area. The remaining 143 a cres lie above the altitude of the assumed flood crest. 
Portions of West Pittston Borough and Pittston City occupy practically the entire surface area, with Hughestown Borough touching the eastern corner. The Susquehanna Rive~ crosses the area in a southerly direction in the west-central portion, with the Fort Jenkins bridge (U. S . Route 11) at the southern end. The Lehigh Valley Railroad and N. Main Street, a principal traffic artery, traverse the area from north to south on the east side of the river; · Exete~ Avenue (Pa. Route 92) lies on the western 
B-6-6 

side of the river at the western corner of the area. The area on the west side of the river in West Pittston is residential; that on the east 
side in Pittston is mixed residential and commercial, with considerable undeveloped terrain along the river and at the eastern corner. 
Workings of parts of the Clear Spring, No. 9, and Seneca mines are subjacent to the area, with the discharge portal of the Pittston water tunnel of the No. 9 mine located approximately 350 feet upstream from the Fort Jenkins bridge along the east or downstream shore of the river. 
Seven beds, having a combined thickness of 39 feet, have been mined to varying degrees of extraction. Workings in the uppermost bed, Checker, are at a minimum depth of 33 feet below the surface under a rock cover of 2 feet. Workings in the bottom bed, Bottom Red Ash, are at a maximum depth of 481 feet below the surface, which is 119 feet above sea level. 
The pattern of mining established during first mining operations varies from irregular to regular. Pillar widths vary from bed to bed, ranging from 19 to 30 feet on 35-to 60-foot centers. Safety pillars or unmined areas are present to some degree in all beds except in the Checker and Clark. 
Pillars remaining in all beds after first mining are considered adequate to support the surface; however, pothole subsidence may develop where mining was done in the Pittston bed under rock covers ranging from 28 to 50 feet in three areas adjacent and subjacent to the Susquehanna River. In another area where mining was done subjacent to the riverbed and the Pittston water tunnel, concrete dams were placed in the two gangways connecting this area to the main body of workings. This information, although not indicated on the mine map, was obtained from coal company engineers. Backfill after first mining was not placed in quantity sufficient to deter or effectively minimize subsidence. 
Except in the Middle Red Ash, certain area s in all beds wherein an unusually large percentage of coal was removed in first mining operations have been classified as second mining. Although the pillars remaining are considered to be sufficiently strong to prevent their being crushed, excessive roof areas exposed between the pillars will probably induce cavings that may reach to the surface . The subsidence potential is increased in the Checker bed where mining was done under a rock cover ranging from 2 to 36 feet along the northern limit of mining in the vicinity of the Susquehanna River and N. Main Street in Upper Pittston; however, this area is isolated from other workings by three reinforcedconcrete dams, and under a rock cover of 32 to 50 feet at the western corner of the plate in West Pittston, and in the Pittston bed under a rock cover of 32 to 50 feet at the northern limit of mining between the Susquehanna River and N. Main Street in Upper Pittston . Backfill was placed only in the top two beds, but not in quantity sufficient to deter or minimize subsidence. 
B-6-7 
Third mlnlng was done only in the Checker and Marcy beds, and subsidence can be expected therefrom. The subsidence poter_tial is increased in the Checker bed where_mining was done under a rock cover ranging from 2 to 35 feet at the northern limit of mining between the Susquehanna River and N. Main Street in Upper Pittston. This is adjacent to ~he area mentioned under second mining, which is isolated by three reinforced-concrete dams. No backfill was placed in the voids created by third mining. 
No mining was done in the Checker bed subjacent to the Susquehanna River or the Fort Jenkins bridge spanning the river except where two wide chambers were driven adjacent to the south bank of the river at a mlnlr:'lm depth of 87 feet below the surface and under a rock cover of 33 feet. 
Workings in the uppermost bed, Pittston, s'ubjacent to either ~he Susquehanna River or Fort Jenkins bridge, are .first mined and at a minimum depth of 92 feet below the riverbed under a rock cover of 32 feet; no mining was done in this bed subjacent to the Fort Jenkins bridge. 
No mining was done in the Top Marcy bed subjacent to the Susquehanna River or the Fort Jenkins bridge. 
The mined areas (first mining) in the Marcy bed subjacent to the Susquehanna River and the Fort Jenkins bridge are at minimum depths of 147 and 165 feet below the riverbed, under rock covers of 65 and 76 fee~, respectively. 
The stratigraphically lower beds subjacent to the river andthe Fort Jenkins bridge were either not mined or are of depths greater than those cited previously. 
The mined area (first mining) in the Pittston bed, the uppermost bed mined, subjacent to the Pittston water tunnel is at a minimum depth of _, 96 feet below the surface at the tunnel portal, under a rock cover of 87 feet. 
In some of the beds lying stratigraphically below the Pittston bed no mining was done in the vicinity of the tunnel portal. 
Folio D 
The surface area of this folio subject to inundation from the assumed flood crest comprises 168 acres, all of which is river-levee area. _The · remaining 121 acres lie above the altitude of the assumed flood crest. 
The entire area lies in Duryea Borough, and the terrain is -mainly undeveloped or farmland. The main line of the Lehigh Valley Railroad traverses the area from northwest to southeast. The Susquehanna Riv~r touches the western corner. 
B-6-8 
Workings of portions of the William "A" and Seneca mines are subjacent to the area. 
Five beds, having a combined thickness of 21 feet, have been mined to varying degrees of extraction . Workings in the uppermost bed, Top Marcy, are at a minimum depth of 213 feet below the surface, however, only 1 acre was mined in this bed. Workings in the next two stratigraphically lower beds, Marcy and Clark, are at minimum depths of 70 and 31 feet below the surface, respectively, with no rock cover in the Marcy bed and mininrum rock covers of 6 and 15 feet in the Clark bed, along the croplines of both beds. Workings in the bottom bed, Bottom Red Ash , are at a maximum depth of 472 feet below the surface, which · i s 71 feet above sea level. 
The pattern of mQnlng established during first mlnlng is regular except in the Bottom Red Ash bed where it is slightly irregular. Pillar widths vary from bed to bed, ranging from 25 to 36 feet on 50-to 59-foot centers. Safety pillars and unmined areas are present to some degree in all beds . 
Pillars remalnlng in all beds after first mlnlng are considered a dequate to support the surface; however, subsidence potential exists along the outcrops of the Marcy, Clark, and Bottom Red Ash beds whe r e mining was done under rock covers of 0 to 50 feet, 15 to 50 feet, and 1 to 50 feet, respectively. No backfill was placed after first mining. 
Certain areas in the Marcy, Middle Red Ash , and Bottom Red Ash beds, wherein an unusually l a rge percentage of coal was removed in first mining operations, have been classified as second mining. Although the pillars remaining are considered to be sufficiently strong to prevent their being crushed, excessive roof area s exposed between the pillars will probably induce cavings that may reach to the surface. The sub sidence potential is increased in areas along the outcrops of the Marey, Clark, and Bottom Red Ash beds that were not strip-mined, but where workings exist under rock covers of 16 to 50 feet, 6 to 50 feet, and 23 to 50 feet, respectively. No backfill was placed after second mining. 
Third mining was done in the Marcy, Clark, Middle Red Ash, and Bottom Red Ash beds and subsidence may be expected therefrom. No back fill was placed a f ter third mining . 
No mining was done subjacent to the Susquehanna River in this folio . 
B-6-9 

Folio E 
• 
The surface area of this folio subject to inundation from the assumed flood crest comprises 165 acres, all of which is river-levee area. The remaining 124 acres lie above the altitude of the assumed flood crest. 
Portions of Pittston City and Duryea Borough occupy the southern and northern parts of the area, respectively. A residential area of Pittston lies at the southern corner; elsewhere, the terrain is undeveloped or far.mland. 
The Lackawanna River traverses the area from east to west. The main line of the Lehigh Valley Railroad and a branch of the D. L. &W. Railroa d cross the area. Main Street is the principal t raffic arte r y between Pittston and Duryea. A highway bridge leading from Main St . to Coxton and a Lehigh Valley Railroad bridge cross the Lackawanna River . A WPAbuilt levee flanks the right bank of the Lackawanna River in the northeastern portion of the area. 
11 A, 11
Workings of portions of the Seneca, William and No. 9 mines are subjacent to the area . 
Seven beds, having a combined thickness of 34 . 5 feet, have been mined to varying degrees of extraction . Workings in the uppermost bed, Checker, are at a mini mum depth of 27 feet below the surface, with a rock cover of 2 feet . Workings i n the bottom bed, Bottom Red Ash , are at a maximum depth of 468 feet below the surface, which is 74 feet above sea level. 
The pattern of IDlnlng est ablished during first IDlnlng operations 
is regular in all beds except the Top Marcy, where it i s irregula r . Pillar widths va ry from bed to bed, r anging from 17 to 39 feet on 35to 62 -foot centers. Safety p~llars and/or unmined areas are present to some degree in all beds . Pil ars remaining in all beds after first mining are considered a de quate to support the surface ; however, workings in the Checker and Pittston beds were extended under rock covers of 2 to 44 feet and 24 to 50 feet, respectively, near the cropline of the northern l imit of mining, which creates definit e subsidence potentials. This area in the Pittston bed is subjacent to the bed of the Lackawanna River. 
No backfill was placed after :'irst mining. 
Certain areas in the Checker, Pittston, Marcy, Middle Red Ash, and Bottom Red Ash beds, wherein an unusually l a r ge percentage of coal was removed in first mining operat ions, have been classified as second mining. Although the pillars remaining are considered to be sufficiently strong to prevent their being crushed, excessively wide roof areas exposed between the pillars will probably induce cavings that may r each to the surface. The subsidence potential is intensified in the ·=:hecker, Pittston, and Marcy beds where mining wa s done under rock covers varying from 2 to 30 feet, 0 to 50 feet, and 10 to 50 feet, respectively, a l ong the outcrops 
B-6-10 

of the beds at the northern limits of mining. The area in the Pittston bed is subjacent to the bed of the Lackawanna River. Backfill after second mining was not placed in quantity suffici ent to deter or minimize 
subsidence. 
Third mining was done in the Pittston, Top Marcy, Marcy, and Clark beds, and subsidence may be expected therefrom. 
There i s no mining in the Checker bed subjacent to the Lackawanna River, WPA levee, Lehigh Valley Railroad bri dge , or highway bridge . 
In the Pittston bed, which is t he uppermost bed mined subjacent to the Lackawanna River, the mined area (second mining) is at a minimum depth of 75 feet below the riverbed and the highway bridge, with a rock cover of 41 feet under the bridge. I n another area the depth is 79 feet below the riverbed, with no rock cover; however, reinforced-concrete dams were placed in the three chambers at this point . The mined area subjacent to the WPA levee ( second mining) is at a minimum depth of 110 feet below the surface, with a rock cover of 27 feet. No mining was done subjacent to the Lehigh Valley Railroad bridge . 
The mined area (first mining) i n the Top Marcy bed subjacent to the Lackawanna River is at a minimum depth of 174 feet below the riverbed, with a rock cover of 147 feet. There is no mining in this bed subjacent to the WPA levee, Lehigh Valley Railroad bri dge, or highway bridge. 
The mined area in the Marcy bed (second mining) subjacent to the Lackawanna River is at a minimum depth of 113 feet below the bed of the river, with a rock cover of 64 feet . The .mined area (second mining) subjacent to the WPA levee is at a minimum depth of 110 feet below the surface, with a rock cover of 50 feet. The mined area (second mining) subjacent to the highway bridge i s at a minimum depth of 174 feet below the riverbed, with a rock cover of 142 feet . Workings in this bed, which is the uppermost bed mined subjacent to the Lehigh Valley Railroad bridge, are at a minimum depth of 213 feet below the riverbed, with a rock cover of 116 feet. The stratigraphically lower beds have been mined to various degrees of extraction. 
Folio F 
The surface area of this folio subject to inundation from the assumed f lood crest comprises 44 acres, all of which i s river-levee area. The remaining 245 acres l i e above the horizon of the assumed flood crest. The entire area lies in Duryea Borough, and the terrain consists of undeveloped land containing numerous mine-refuse banks . A spur of the Lehigh Valley Railroad crosses the southern corner. 
• 
Workings of portions of the William "A," Seneca, and Hallstead mi nes underlie the surface area. 
B-6-11 
Five beds, having a cpmbined thickness of 22 feet, have be~n. mined 
to varying degrees of extraction. Workings in the uppermost bed, Marcy, 
are at distances below the surface of 56 to 150 feet, under rock 

·covers 
ranging from 0 to 50 feet. Workings in the bottom bed, Bottom Red Ash, 
are at a maximum depth of 268 feet below the surface; however, workings

in the Middle Red Ash bed lying stratigraphically above the Bottom .Red 
Ash have been mined over a larger area and are at a maximum depth of 296 
feet below the surface, which is 244 feet above sea level. 
.-
The pattern of mining established during first IDln1ng is regular in all beds except in the Top and Middle Red Ash beds where it is irregular; however, first mining remains only in the Clark and Bottom Red Ash beds. 
' Pillar widths are 19 and · 25 feet on 42-and 46-foot centers. ·There a:r.e no safety pillars present. Pillars remaining after first mining are considered adequate to support the surface. No backfill was placed after first mining. 
Certain areas in the Marcy, Clark, Top Red Ash, and Middle Red Ash 
beds, wherein an unusually large percentage of coal was removed in first mining operations, have been classified as second mining. Although the pillars remaining are considered to be sufficiently strong to' prevent
their being crushed, excessive roof areas exposed between the· pillars -will 
probably induce cavings that may reach to the surface. The subsidence potential is intensified in the Marcy bed as the entire area underlies a rock cover ranging from 0 to 50 feet; this area is small and scattered, 
amounting to ·only l acre. No backfill was placed after second mining. 
Third mining was done in all beds in this folio, and subsidence may be expected therefrom. The subsidence potential is aggravated in the Marcy bed as the entire mined area underlies a rock cover rangingfrom 0 to 50 feet, and in the Clark bed where the workings extend under . a rock cover of 0 to 50 feet al ong the outcrop of the bed. Backfill after third mining was not placed in quantity sufficient to deter or effectively minimize subsidence. 
In 1936, while the Lackawanna River was at floodstage, pothole sub
sidence developed along the out crop of the Marcy bed in the Hallstead mine subjacent to the flooded area, allowing the riverwater to enter the mine. The floodwaters spread t o several adjacent mines and, although 
no lives were lost, approximately 6,000 workers were made idle for a considerable time and all pumping equipment was lost. 
B-6-12 
• 
Folio G 
The surface area of this folio subject to inundation from the assumed flood crest comprises 234 acres, all of which i s river-levee area. ·The remaining 55 ·acres liE:; above the altitude of the assumed flood crest. The entire surface area of the folio lies in Duryea Borough and is gener a lly undeveloped terrain except for a residential area at the eastern corner. 
The Lackawanna River crosses the centre.l part of the area in a westerly direction, flanked along the north or right bank by a WPA levee for most of its length in this folio. The Stephenson Str eet bridge crosses the river near the northeastern border. The Lehigh Valley and 
D. L. &W. Railroa ds appear in the area. Main Str eet, the principal highway between Pittston.and Duryea, crosses the southern corner. 
Workings of parts of the WilJ_iam "A," Seneca, Hallstea d, and Number 9 mines are subjacent to the surfac~ area. 
Seven beds, having a combined thickness of 43 feet, have been mined t o varying degrees of extraction . Workings i n the uppermost bed, Checker, are at a minimum depth of 42 feet below the surface , with a rock cover of 10 feet. Workings in the bottom bed, Bottom Red Ash, are at a maximum depth of 415 feet below the surface, which i s 186 feet above sea level. 
The pattern of mining established during first mining varies f r om regular to slightly irregular. Pilla r widths vary from 22 to 32 f eet on 45-to 52-foot centers . There are a few s afety p i llars in the two bottom beds, Middle Red Ash and Bottom Red Ash . In the other beds there are none; however, some unmined area s remain in the Marcy and Clark beds. Pillars remaining after first mining are considered a dequate to support the surface. However, subsi dence may occur from first-mined areas in the Marcy bed where mining was done under a rock cover ranging from 0 to 50 feet. Pothole subsidence may develop in this s ame area where the mining was extended under a rock cover of 30 to 50 feet . Small portions of these areas are subjacent to the south or l eft bank of the Lackawanna River. Backfill was placed in only 1 acre after first mining in the Bottom Red Ash bed. It will offer l ittle if any support t o the pillars. 
Certain area s in all beds in the folio, wherein an unusually l a rge percentage of coal was removed in first mining operations,have been classified as second mini ng . Although the pillars remaining are considered to be sufficiently strong to prevent their being crushed, excessive roof areas exposed between the pillars will probably induce cavings that may reach to the surface. 
On October 12, 1962, subsidence from the Marcy bed occurred beneath a houpe at 115 S. Main St., Duryea, causing considerable damage . The rock cover at this point is approximately 40 feet . The subsidence potential is intensified where mining was done under thin rock cover, a s follows: 
J 

B-6-13 

Checker bed, 23 to 50 feet; Pittstoi1 bed, 2 to 50 feet; Marcy bed, 25 to 50 feet; and Clark bed, 0 to 50 feet. None of these areas are 
subjacent to the Lackawanna River except in the Clark bed for a short distance along the south bank of the river near the east ern corner of the plate. Backfill was not placed after second mining in sufficient quantity to deter or effecti vely minimize subsi dence. 
Third mining .was done i n all beds in this folio, and subsidence may be expected therefrom. The subsidence potential is greatest where mining was done under thin rock cover, as follows: Checker bed, 10 to 50 feet; Pittston bed, 2 to 50 feet; Marcy bed, 0 to 50 feet; and Clark bed, o. to 50 feet. None ~f these areas are subjacent to the river. No backfill was placed after third. mining. 
No mining was done in t he Checker and Pittston beds subjacent to the Lackawanna River, WPA levee along the Lackawanna River, or the · Stephenson Street bridge. 
Workings in the Marcy bed; the uppermost bed mined subjacent to the Lackawanna River and the levee, are at minimum depths of 54 feet below the riverbed and 50 feet bel ow the surrounding surface, under rock covers varying from 17 to 29 feet, over first-and third-mined areas respectively. However, prior to the construction of the levee, the Marcy bed was~ stripmined in _an area approximately 100 feet distant f~om that mentioned previously; consequently] no rock cover exists subjacent to the levee in this area. No mining _was done in :the Marcy bed subjacent to the Stephenson Street bridge·. · · 
.. 
Workings in the Clark bed, the uppermost bed mined subjacent to the Stephenson Street bridge, second mining, are at a minimum depth of 97 feet below the riverbed, under a rock cover of 54 feet. Workings in this bed subjacent to.the Lackawanna River and .the levee a,re at· greater depths than those stated for the overlying beds. Workings in the strat~graphically lower ·beds suhjacent to the river, levee, or Stephenson ' Street bridge are either_greater than stated previously or are nonexistent. 
Folio H 
The surface area subject to inundation from the assumed flood crest comprises 48 acres, all of which is river-levee area. The remaining 241 acres lie above the attitude of the assumed flood crest. The entire surface area of the folio l i es in Duryea Borough, and i s mairily residential, with some undeveloped terrain in the sout hern corner·.. 
The Lehigh Valley, Erie, and D. L. &W. Railroads cross the folio area in an east-west direction. Main Street, t he principal traffic artery between Pittston and Duryea, crosses the _northern corner. 
Workings of portions of the S~neca, No. 9., Hallstead, and Central mines underlie the surface area of the folio. 
B-6-14 
Six beds, having a combined thickness of 36 feet, have been mined to varying degrees of extraction. Workings in the uppermost bed, Pittston, are at a minimum depth of 66 feet below the surface, under a rock cover ranging from 2 to 19 feet; however, workings in this bed a r e limited in extent (approximately 1 acre), extending from an adjoining folio. Workings in the stratigraphically lower bed, Marcy, are at minimum depths of 59 and 72 feet below the surface, under rock covers of 22 and 15 feet, respectively. Workings in the bottom bed, Bottom Red Ash, are at a maximum depth of 365 feet below the surface , which is 248 feet above sea level. 
The pattern of mining established during first mining is regular. Pillar widths are 25 feet on 45-foot centers. There are no safety pillars. First mining r emains only in the Top Red Ash bed, and the pillars are considered adequate to support the surface . No backfill was placed after first mining. 
Except the Pittston and Top Red Ash beds, certain areas in all beds wherein an unusually large percentage of coal was removed in first mining operations have been classified as second mining. Although the pillars remaining are considered to be sufficiently strong to prevent their being crushed, excessive roof areas exposed between the pillars will probably induce cavings that may reach to the surface . The subsidence potential is intensified in the Marcy and Clark beds where mining was done under rock covers of 15 to 35 feet and 0 to 35 feet, respectively, along and subjacent to Main Street. Only 1 acre was backfilled after second mining, which is insufficient to deter or effectively minimize the subsidence potential. 
Third m1n1ng was done in all beds in the folio, and subsidence may be expected therefrom. The subsidence potential is intensified where mining was done in the Pittston, Marcy, and Clark beds under rock covers of 2 to 19 feet, 22 to 50 feet, and 0 to 50 feet, respectively. This area in the Clark bed is subjacent to Main Street. No backfill was placed following third mining . 
Folio I 
The area of the surface subject to inundation from the assumed flood crest comprises 166 acres, all of which is river-levee area. The remaining 123 acres lie above the altitude of the a ssumed flood crest. 
Portions of Duryea and Old. Forge Boroughs and Ransom Township occupy the surface area. The Luzerne-Lackawanna County line passes through the folio in a northwest-southeast direction, with Duryea in Luzerne County and Old Forge and Ransom Township in Lackawanna County. 
The Lackawanna River traverses the southern corner of the folio. A branch of the Lehigh Valley Railroad crosses the area from northeast 
B-6-15 
to southwest. Small residential areas app.ear a.t the southern and 
eastern corners of the plate; elsewhere, the terrain is undeveloped, 
containing numerous culm banks. 
Workings of porti ons of the William "A," Hallst ea ci, and Old Forge mines underlie the area. 
Five beds, having a combined thickness of 35 feet, have been mined to varying degrees of extraction. Workings in the uppermost bed, Marcy, are at a minimum depth of 36 feet below the surface, with a rock cover of 22 feet . However, very little mining (2 acres ) was done in the Marcy bed. Workings in the Clark bed, lying beneath the Marcy stratigraphically, are at minimum depths of 6 to 87 feet below the surface, with '· · r ock covers of 0 to 63 f eet. Workings in the bottom bed, Bottom Red-: Ash, are at a maximum depth of 270 feet below the surface, which is 73)1 feet above sea level. 
The pattern of mining estab ished during first mining operationB varies from regular to irregular. Pillar widths vary from 20 to 34 feet on 42-to 54-foot centers. No safety pillars are present; however, · large unmined ar·eas remain in the Bottom Red Ash bed. The pillars remaining in all beds after first mining are considered adequate for surface support . However, subsidence may develop a l ong the outcrop of the Clark bed where mini ng was done under rock covers ranging from 0 to 36 feet. No backfill was placed in the voids created by first mining. 
Except the Marcy, certain areas in all beds wherein an unusually large percentage of coal was removed in first mining operations have been classified a s second mining . Although the pillars remaining are consi dered to be sufficiently strong to prevent their being crushed, excessive roof areas exposel between the pillars will.probably induce cavings that may rea ch to the surfa ce. The subsi dence potential is intensified in the Clark bed where mining was done under a rock cover that varies in thickness from 19 to 50 feet along and subjacent to the Lackawanna River. No backfill was placed after second mining. 
Third mining was done in all beds in the folio, and subsi dence may be expected therefrom. The subsidence potential i s aggravated in the Marcy bed where the entire mined area lies under a rock cover of 22· to 29 feet, and in the Clark bed where pillars were removed over most of the mined area under a rock cover of 0 to 50 f eet . No backfilling ;was done after third mining. 
No mining was done in the Marcy bed subjacent t o the Lackawanna· River. 
The mined area (second mining) in the Clark bed subjacent to the Lackawanna River is at a minimum depth of 60 .feet below the riverbed, with a rock cover of 35 feet . 
B-6-16 
No mining was done in the Top Red Ash bed subjacent to the Lackawanna River. 
The mined areas(first and second mining) in the Middle Red Ash bed subjacent to the Lackawanna River are at minimum depths of 172 and 193 feet below the riverbed, with rock covers of 125 and 122 feet, respectively. 
The mined areas in the Bottom Red Ash bed subjacent to the Lackawanna River are at greater depths than those listed previously. 
Folio J 
The surface area that is subject to inundation from the asqumed flood crest comprises 79 acres, all of w·hich is river-levee area. The remaining 210 acres lie above the al titude of the assumed flood crest. 
The Luzerne-Lackawanna County line passes through the folio in a northwest-southeast direction. Duryea Borough in Luzerne County occupies the southern part, and Old Forge Borough in Lackawanna County occupies the northern part. The southern portion of the folio (Duryea) is mainly residential; the northern part (Old Forge) is sparsely builtup. 
The Lackawanna River traverses the northwestern portion of the ar~a, with the Connell Street bridge appearing in the northern corner. The D. L. &W. Railroad roughly parallels the Lackawanna River. Matn Street is the principal highway in the area. 
Workings of portions of the Hallstead, William "A," Old Forge, and Central mines underlie the surface area. 
Four beds, having a combined thickness of 24.5 feet, have been mined to varying degrees of extraction. Workings in the uppermost bed, Clark, are at a minimum depth of 31 feet below the surface, with no rock cover. Workings in the bottom bed, Bottom Red Ash, are at a maximum depth of 250 feet below the surface, which is 391 feet above sea level. 
The pattern of mining established during first mining operations varies from regular to irregular, being regular in the upper beds and irregular in the lower beds. Pillar widths vary from bed to bed, ranging from 15 to 41 feet on 32-to 60-foot centers. There are no safety pillars present except a few in the Bottom Red Ash bed; however, some scattered unmined areas are present in all beds except the Clark. Pillars remaining in all beds after first mining are considered adequate to support the surface. However, subsidence may occur from two 8reas in the Clark bed where mining was done under a rock cover ranging from 0 to 50 feet at the northwestern limit of mining between Main Street and the Lackawanna River; and in the western portion of the plate, under a rock cover of 0 to 32 feet, subjacent to the D. L. &W. Railroad. No backfill was placed after first mining. 
B-6-17 
Certain areas in the Middle and Bottom Red Ash beds, wherein unusually l arge percentages of coal were removed in first mining operations, have been classified as second mining . Although the pi·llars remaining are considered to be sufficiently strong to prevent their being crushed, excessively wide roof areas exposed between the pillars will probably induce cavings that may reach to the surface . Backfill after second mining was not placed in quantity sufficient to deter or minimize subsidence. 
Third mining was done i n all beds mined in this folio, and subsi dence can be expected therefrom. The subsidence potential is intensified where mining was done under a rock cover ranging from 0 to 50 feet at the western portion of the plate , part of which is subjacent to the D. L. &W. Railroad. No backfill was placed in the voids created by third mining. 
No mining wa s done in t he Clark bed, the uppermost bed mined in the study area in this folio, sutjacent to the Lackawanna River or the Connell Street bridge . 
Workings in the Top Red Ash bed (first mining) subjacent to the 
Lackawanna River are at a miLimum depth of 117 feet below the bed of the river, with a rock cover of E4 feet. Third mining subjacent to the river is at a minimum depth of 135 feet below the riverbed, with a rock 
cover of 119 feet. No mining was done in this bed subjacent to the 
Connell Street bridge. 
Workings in the Middle Red Ash bed (first mining) subjacent to both 
the Lackawanna River and the Connell Street bridge are at a minimum depth of 108 feet below the riverbed, with a rock cover of 102 feet. Third mining subjacent to the river is at a minimum depth of 164 feet below 
the bed of the river, with a rock cover of 142 feet. 
Workings in the Bottom Red Ash bed (first mining) subjacent to the· Lackawanna River and the Connell Street bridge are both at minimum
a 
depth of 124 feet below the riverbed, with a rock cover of 121 feet. 

B-6-18 

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APPENDIX C 
U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY REPORT 
REPORT ON THE GEOLOGY OF THE 
WYOMING VALLEY, NORTHERN ANTHRACITE FIELD, 
LUZERNE AND LACKAWANNA COUNTIES, 
PENNSYLVANIA 

PREPARED BY 

U.S. 	DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 
DECEMBER 1963 

CONTENTS 

Page 
Abstract--------------------------------------------1 
Introduction----------------------------------------4 

Location------------------------------------------4 
Purpose and objectives----e·----------------------5 Sources of data and methods of study--------------5 Personnel and acknowledgments---------------------9 Geology---------------------------------------------10 Bedrock stratigraphy------------------------------10 Surficial deposits--------------------------------13 Structure-------------------------------------------15 Buried Valley of the Susquehanna River--------------18 Relation of subsidence to mining and geology--------22 Summary and conclusions-----------------------------30 Recommendation s---------------~ ---------------------32 
References cited~-----------------------------------34 
L 


ILLUSTRATIONS 
Followspage 
Plate l. 	Map of Pennsylvania showing location of area
of report-----------------------------------------4 
Plate 2. 	Preliminary geologic map of the Kingston and Pittston quadrangles, Luzerne and .I&ckawanna Counties, Pennsylvania----------------------------4 
Plate 3. 	Preliminary geologic map of the Wilkes-BarreWest and Wilkes-Barre East quadrangles, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania------------------------4 
Plate 4. 	Preliminary correlation and nomenclature ofanthracite beds i n coal mines of the WYoming Valley (in 2 sheets)------------------------------8 
Plate 5. 	Preliminary outcrop map of coal beds in the 
WYoming Valley (in 2 sheets; 5A and 5B)-----------12 
Plate 6. 	Preliminary str-acture contour map of the Red Ash coal bed in the WYoming Valley (in 2 
sheets; 6A and 6B)--------------------------------16 
Plates 7A-7D. 	Preliminary maps showing contours on the bedrock surface beneath the glacial fill in the Buried Valley of the Susquehanna River, Pennsylvania (in 4 sheets ) -----------------~----------20 
Plates 8A-8D. 	Preliminary maps showing thickness of glacial 
fill in Buried Valley of the Susquehanna River, 
Pennsylvania (in 4 sheets)------------------------22 


PRELIMINARY REPORT ON THE GEOLOGY OF THE 
WYOMING VALLEY, NORTHERN ANTHRACITE FIELD, 
LUZERNE AND LACKAWANNA COUNTIES, PENNSYLVANIA 
(an administrative report to the 
Corps of Engineers, U. S. Army) 
by 
M. J. Bergin and J . F . Robertson, U. S. Geological Survey 
Washington, D. C. and Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania 
December -1963 
ABSTRACT 
A geologic study in the Wyoming Valley of the Northern Anthracite field in northeastern Pennsylvania was undertaken by the 
U. S. Geological Survey at the request of the Corps of Engineers, 
U. S. Army Engineer District, Baltimore, Maryland. The Geology was studied in four 7% minute quadrangles, namely Kingston, Pittston, Wilkes-Barre West , and Wilkes-Barre East, that cover parts of Luzerne and Lackawanna Counties. The investigation was done to provide geologic background to aid in planning construction and maintenance of flood-control inst allations that protect the metropolitan areas and the anthracite mines along the Susquehanna ·River. Data for this report were collected~ 1) by field geologic mapping by personnel of the U. S. Geological Survey, 2) from maps, cross sections, and drill-hole records furnished by coal companies, and 3) from published information and unpublished files of the U. S. Bureau of Mines . 
The Wyoming Valley occupies the southwestern half of the Northern Anthracite field. The Susquehanna River flows southwestward through the valley. Longitudinal ridges flank the valley on both the northwest and southeast sides . Topographic relief in the mapped area is about 1,575 feet, with altitudes ranging from 510 feet to 2,148 feet above sea level . 
Bedrock in the area consists of, from oldest to youngest~ the Catskill Formation of Devonian age, the Pocono Formation of Mississippian age, the Mauch Chunk Formation of Mississippian and, in part, possibly of Pennsylvanian ages, the Pottsville Formation of Pennsylvanian age, and the Llewellyn Formation of Pennsylvanian age . The economically important coal beds in the Northern Anthra
1 

cite field are contained in the Llewellyn Formation. Unconsolidated surficial deposits of Quaternary age that overlie the bedrock have been mapped as undifferentiated glaciofluvial deposits, older and younger terrace deposits, alluvial fans, alluvium, mine waste, and strip mine waste. 
The Wyoming Valley lies within a northeast-trending structural downwarp or synclinorium, flanked by large, gentle asym~ metric anti.clines that are flanked in turn by minor undulations in the :surrounding 'Pocono plat eau. The coal-bearing beds of the Llewellyn Formation in the core of the synclinorium are comple~ly folded and fault ed, wi h few subsidiary structures extending into t he older underlying rocks . The multitude of folds are subparallel, disharmonic, h<llve amplitudes from 100 t o 600 feet, and range from a few hundred~ of feet to 12 mile~ long. The Red Ash coal bed at t he base of t he Ll ewellyn Formation descends to a dept h of 1500 feet below ae~ l evel in t he axial part of t he Askam syncline. The vast ma jority of faults closely parallel t he trend of fold~; a great number are s t eep reverse fault s, some are por= mal faults, and & few are low~angle t hrust fault s. Displacements generally amount t o l ess than 200 feet of strat igraphic throw, a l t hough one fault near Nant icoke ha s a throw of about 500 feet . 
The a.nces:tr &l Sus quehanna River valley was overdeepened by glacis ·ion during Pleistocene t ime, but when t he glacier receded the va lley was filled wit cl ay, si l t~ sand, gravel, cobbles, and boulders. This ancient valley, known as the Buri ed Valley of the Su~queh~nna River, has been explored for many years because the coal comp~nies have had t o det ermi ne the posi tion of t he bedrock surfa e &nd the l ine of i n t er ection be t ween the ant hracit e beds a.:1d t:he uncon s ol i dated valley-fill deposi tec The bedrock sur~ face ~ · t he bott om of the ancient valley at one l ocalit y is about 300 feet boelow t he presen l and ~urface ~ a t ma.ny loc.a.li· ies it is more than 200 feet below he surfac e . 
A ontour map on the buri ed bedrock surface s'hows t hat: t he ancient va.lley has a tt~ain hannel and several t ribut ary 
h.annel • The main channel i s relatively str aight and t rends generally southwestwa1rd as d o ·2S the channel of t he present Sus~ queh.etnnal River~ however ~ t he c0ur s e of t he present river me~ anders b~ck ~nd f or t h across the t rend of t he buried channel. The t ribu t ary channels m8.y represent i c e deepened valleys of preexisting tribut~rie~ t o the anc estr al Susquehanna River. The deepes . eroded part of the ancient va l l ey is l ocated ne4r the , midd~ of it~ lengt h, jus ~outb. of Plymout h, Pennsylvania. The f l oor of the ancient v8l l ey r ise$ a l ong i~s lengt h bot h to the southwes t and northea~t f r om the deepest point , a fac t t hat 
2 

favors the hypothesis that the Buried Valley originated as a glacial trough developed from a preglacial stream valley. 
' 
The bottom of the ancient valley is not a smooth surface with an even gradient, but rather an -irregular surface compo~ed of shallow depressions, mounds, and ridges, all of which have a variety of shapes and sizes. Isopachous or thickness maps of the valley-fill deposits show that the deposits are thickest in the main channel of t he ancient valley and thin toward the edges of t he valley. The maximum thickness of valley fill is 319 feet, underlying the flood plain of the Susquehanna River just south of Plymouth; more than 200 feet of fill is present in several depressions along the main channel of the ancient valley. No attempt was made to correlate sediment zones within the valley-fill deposit s because of the lack of time to adequately synthesize and appraise the data. 
Subsidence of the surface has occurred at many places in the Wyoming Valley and has resulted in cost ly maintenance repairs to houses, buildi ngs, bridges, highways, railroads, utility lines, and flood control levees. Subsidence has been most pronounced and of mos t concern i n the Kingston and Forty Fort area and in the northwes t ern part of Wilkes-Barre. Failure of underground workings i n the anthracit e mines is the basic cause of surface subsidence i n t he Wyoming Valley. The amount of subsidence and the rate at which i t occurs depends on many interrelated factors t hat are controlled by the mining practices, the strength of the rock materials, and the geology of the area. Such factors include he intensity of mining, t he t ype and amount of roof suppor used in the underground workings, the thickness and number of coal beds mi ned, he composition and thickness of strata overlying t he mi ned coal b eds, t he water content of the overlying strata and its accessibil ity to the mine workings, and structural features such as the s t eepness of dip on the coal beds and the presence of surfaces of weakness such as inclined bedding planes, joints, fractures, and faults. Each instance of subsidence is unique because these factors are individually variable and may be combined i n a variet y of ways . Detailed investiga ions of the conditions surrounding individual mine areas must be made to determine all the factors that might influence subsidence. In addition, some basic research is necessary to learn more about the strength of t he rocks involved. Much more qualitative and quantitive data must be collected before predictions can be made as to what localities in the Wyoming Valley are likely to subside and the amount of subsidence that might be expect ed. 
3 

1NTRODUCTION 
Location 
The area studied for this report includes most of the southwestern half of the Northern Anthracite field in northeastern Pennsylvania (pl " 1), and covers ·four 7\ minute quad
rangles, namely Kingston, Pittston, Wilkes-Barre West and 
Wilkes-Barre East. The quadrangles lie within Luzerne County except for the northeast t ip of the Pittston quadrangle that extends into Lackawanna County. The portion of the coal field 
included in this area is 5 miles wide at the widest and 17 
miles long. The coal field stretches across the four quadrangles from northeast to southwest, and occupies the core of the Wyoming Valley. The Susquehanna River enters the Wyoming Valley from the north through a large gap in the ridge northwest of Pittston near the north central edge of the Pittston quadrangle. The river then flows through the coal field in a southwesterly direction, passing through the common corner of the quadrangles. The river leaves the Wyoming Valley abruptly by turning to the west and passing through another prominent gap just north of Nanticoke, at the west edge of the Wilkes-Barre West. quadrangle (pl. 2 and 3). 
The Wyoming Valley is flanked on the northwest by a prominent longitudinal ridge that is variously called Larksville Mountain, Bunker Hill, Pet erson Mountain, or Lookout Mountain, 
after local summits along its crest. Wilkes-Barre Mountain is one of two subparallel ridges on the southeast side of the valley. The second ridge is the higher one and is called Wyom
ing or Penobscot Mountain. Topographic relief in the area 
amounts to about 1,575 feet, with altitudes ranging from 510 
feet above sea level on the Susquehanna River near Nanticoke 
to 2,148 feet above sea level at the radio and fire watch 
towers on Penobscot Moun ain. 
The ridges are underlain by.. bedrock except for local de
posits of glacial drift. The Wyo~ing Valley was scoured and 
deepened during glaciat ion of the area in Pleistocene time, 
then largely refilled wi h unconsolidated deposits of clay, 
sand, gravel, and boulders that reach a depth of 300 feet in 
places. The now buried ancestral valley drainage is referred 
to as t.he Buried Valley of the Susquehanna River. 
The Wyoming Valley is densely populated; the -many ·small cities, towns, boroughs, and villages form a metropolitan area 
• 
' 
0 25 50 75 MILES 
I 	7rF.0 
----·--·-----·-----------------·-------------..:..1.--------·,
'··, 
) 
\ 
NORTHERN ANTHRACITE 
\.. 
'--... 
KINGSTON 	PITTSTON /
I 
WILKES-BARR~ EAST /
.I 	,, 
• 
(
I 	• 
I 	I
. 	' 
,
r
•I 	i
I 	·~, 
• 	PITTSBURGH ·-\ ' s HARRISBURG 
,./' ./' 
•I 
_../
..---....,.
.'
l 	-------··-::r.·o--1
-------------·:··----------------·----------------716 J 
I 

PLATE 1-Map of Pennsylvania showln~ location of c:1rea of report. 
~ 
PLAT E 2 
Bo s e mop by Top ograph ic Divisio n 
U.S. Ge o lo gi co! Survey, 1947-1950 
PRELIMINARY GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE KINGSTON AND PITTSTON QUADRANGLES, LUZER~ 
By 
J.F. Robertson and M. J. Berg in 
CONTOUR INTERVAL 20 FEE T OATVM IS MEAN SEA LEVEL 
EXPLANATION 
Alluvium 
Alluvial fan 
Younger Terrace 
Older Terrace 
~ 
Glaciofluvial deposits undiffe:tentiated 
Llewellyn Formation ~ 
~ J~ 
~ ~ 
Pottsville Formation 
Hauch L~°FoLtioJ! 
~ ~ 
Pocono Formation 
~ Ji
Catskill Format ion ~ 
Contact Dashed where approximately located, dotted where concealed 
--~ --' 
I ndefinite ·or inferred contact> 
Outcrop line of cos 1 bed at base of 
Llewellyn For111ation. Dashed where approximately located, dotted where concealed. Hachure shows direction of dip. 
~---· 
D 
Fault, showing dip Dashed where approximately located, dotted where concealed; U, upthrown side; D, downthrown side. 
Anticline, showing trace of axial plane and bearing and direction of plunge of axis. Dashed where approximately located, dotted where concealed. 
Syncline, showing trace of axial plane and bearing and direction of plunge of axis . Dashed where approximately located, dotted where concealed. 
Plunge of minor anticline 
_.e" 
Plunge of minor syncline 
Strike and dip of beds 
Horizontal beds 
Strike of vertical cleavage 
Portal of mine adit or slope 
){ 
Quarry or gravel pit 
Mlne waste Includes silt of tailings ponds and settling basins, rock refuse of mine dumps and culm at breaker sites. 
_,---
' • ••· ··, SW 
Strip mine waste 
Includes strip pits, cast piles 
and back fi11 

Geoloqy mopped in 1961 -19 63. Mop no l ed iTed 
to r co nform i ty wi th U.S .G S. stondord s. 
LUZERNE AND LACKAWANNA COUNTIES, PENNSYLVANIA 




~ os~ mop by Topogroph i c Oiv i~ioro 
I. S. G~ol ogicol Surv~y, 1 947~ 1 950 
PLATE 3 PRELIMINARY GEOLOGIC MAP OF THE WILKES-BARRE EAST AND WILKES-BARRE WEST Ql 
By 
J.F. Robertson and M. J . Bergin 
CONTOUR INTERVAL 20 FEET DATUM I S MEAN SEA LEVEL 
EXPLAIIATICII 
Alluvilml 
~ 
Alluvial. fan 
-~ 
Younger Terrace 
Older terrac e 
~ 
Glaciofl.uvial. deposita undifferentiated 
Llewe l.lyn Formation ~
G:J J~ 
GJ ~ 
Pottsville Formation o. 
Mauch L:FoLtioJ ~ 
~ ~ 
Pocono Foraation 
~ J~ 
Catskill Fonaation ~ 
---···· 
Contact Das hed where approximately located, dotted where conc•aled 
Ind•finite or inferred contaca 
Outcr o'P line of coal bed at ba se of 
Ll ewellyn Formation. Dashed where approximately located, dotted wh•r• concealed. Hachure ahowa dir•ction o! dip. 
"+----· 
Fault, ahowin& dip Dashed where approximately located, dotted where concealed; U, upthrown side; D, downthrown aide. 
Anticline , showing trace of axial plane and bearing and d:!. rection of plunge of axis. Dashed where approximately located; dotted where concealed . 

-<-t----
Syncline , showing trace of axial plane and bearing and direction of plunge of axis. Dashed where approximately loca ted, dotted where concealed. 
Plunge of minor anticline 
Plunge of minor syncline 
Strike and dip of beds 
Horizontal beda 
Strike of vertical cl•avage 
/ 
Portal of mine adit or slope 
~ 
Qu.a.rry or aravel pit 
..-···· ~, 
( mw : 
···-.-·· 
Mlne vute 'lacl..._ allt of Cailta&a poa.da end ..-c:'tl!JI& buina. rock. refuae of aine 
dualpa and culm at breaker alt... 
aut, alae weece 
lac~• atrip pit:a, c-t pll.. 
-Mck fill 

Geoloty tno,ped in 1961·1963. Mep not Hitttd for co"forrnity with U.S.G.S. st•"dords.
EST QUADRANGLES, LUZERNE COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA 



along the Suaquehanna River. Minin& of anthracite hal been the main indu1try in the valley, but it i1 being gradually aurpaaaed by growing number• of manufacturing. industriea. 
Purpose and Objectives 
The study of the geolo&y of the Wyoming Valley of the Northern Anthracite mining re&ion w~s undertaken by the U. S. Geological Survey at the request of the Corp! of En&ineers, U. S. Army En&ineer District, Baltimore, Maryland, in connection with the program of flood cont rol studies in areas affected by hurricane floods of 1955 in compliance with a resolution of the Senate Public Works Committee, adopted September 14, 1955 . This investigation was done t o provide geolo&ic data to aid in planning construction and maint enance of flood control improvements along this part of the Susquehanna River. At t he out set of the investigation the followi ng specific objectives were out lined to be studied if enough pertinent data could be obtained~ 
1) map the surface geolo&y of the area, 2) determine the 
stratigraphic ~equence and charact eristics of bedrock in 
the area, 3) det ermine t he thicknes~ , di~tribution, and 
sedimentary zone~ of the glaciofluvi~l deposit! that fill 
the Buried Valley of the Susquehanna River, 4) de t ermine 
the configuration of the bedrock ~urface beneath the gla~ 
cial fill in the Buried Valley 5) locate the outcrop trace 
of the coal beds on bedrock a t the surface of the &round 
or at the interface with buried v~lley deposits, 6) det er
mine the struct ure of the coal~bearin& rock sequence, and 
7) relat e t he ge~lo&ic f~ctors determined in 1 thru 6 (abov~ 
to the problem of flood control, ~urface subsidence, and 
engineerin& geology. 
Source ~ of data and methods of s t udy 
Data were obtained by field &e~lo,ic mappin& by personnelof the U. S. Geolo&ical Survey; from map~ , eros~ sections, and drill~hole records furnished by coal companies that have oper= ated in the area9 and from published information and unpublished files of the U. S. Bureau of Mines . I t was realized soon after the investigation be&an that a tremendou$ amount of geologic and minin: data had to be collected and proces$ed for the studies . Upon con!iderin: the va$t ~ount of data, the manpower assigned to do the studies, and t he t ime allotted to do the inve~tigation, it was clear that the compilat ion of data would have to be done 
5 

rapidly and in a general rather than detailed manner. Compilation scales and sizes of illustrations were chosen that would adequately show the geologic data yet facilitate rapid compila
tion. 
A study of t he extent and density of the underground coalmine workings in t he Wyoming Valley, their ability to support 
overlying loads, and, therefore, their relationship to potential land surface subsidence, which. would affect the flood-control installations and the area subject to floods, has been carried 
on by the U. S. Bureau of Mines concurrently with this investigation by the U. S. Geological Survey. In order to avoid duplication of investigations by the two agencies, parts of the study 
that would normally be included in a geologic report such as thiE 9 for example, the detailed cross sections showing stratigraphy and structure of the bedrock and surficial deposits that underlie the Wyoming Valley, have, instead, been included in the 
U. S. Bureau of Mines st udies and reports . 
Field mapping consist ed of obt aining att itudes and charact eristics of the rocks a t hundreds of natural outcrops and artificial exposures such as road cuts and strip mines. The field work was done during t he spring and fall months of 1961 and 1962. The field observations were plotted on aerial photographs, the most accommodat ing medium for recording field data in the area, a t a scale of 1 ~ 20~000. The t opographic base maps, which were available at a scale of 1 ~ 24,000 were enlarged t o a scale of 1 ~ 20,000 t o facilitate a di rect t ransfer of geologic field data from t he aerial photographs without scale conversion. The geologic maps then were reduced to a scale of 1 ~ 48,000 (1 inch equals 4,000 feet) for inclusion in this report. 
Approximat ely 1400 maps a t a scale of 1 inch equals 100 feet were obtained f r om the coal c~panies f or use in determining the structure of the coal-bearing rocks and the out
crop of coal bede or the tr~ce of the coal bed at the inter
face be tween t he buried=valley fill and the bedrock. Both 
surface maps and mine maps of individual coal beds were in
cluded in the m~terial ob ained from the coal companies. The 
surface maps depicted, in addition to the cul t ure and drain
age, the locations of ~trip mined areas~ bore-holes, and 
company grid lines . Dat a shown on t he mine maps of t he in
dividual coal beds included~ 1) location and distribution of 
undex·ground mine workings, 2) altitude of the bed, 3) direc
tion and amount of dip of the bed, 4) thickness of the coal, 
6 

5) the approximate outcrop of the bed, or the intersection of 
the bed with the buried-valley fill, 6) areas where the bed is faulted, pinched out, or "rolled," 7) areas of surface stripping along the bed, and 8) coal company grid lines. Illustration of the structural features and the stratigraphic 
sequence in the coal-bearing rocks was not considered to be adequate at the scale of 1~20,000; a scale of 1 ~ 10,000 was used because it was more adaptable to the compilation of de
tailed mine information. 
AS the mining data were collected, t he individual coal bed maps had to be correlated with those of adjacent mines . During the history of mining in the Northern Anthracite field, the coal beds. have been given various names by the company personnel at the 55 different collieries within t he mapped area;therefore, a particular coal .bed may be known by several dif~ ferent names throughout the coal basin . The coa l bed names as known at each colliery in this area , the suggested correlations of beds from mine to mine, and a recommended standard of nomenclature as is used in this report are shown in plat e 
4. The data for plat e 4 were compiled by T. M. Kehn from his interpretation of the information contained in a U. S. Bureau of Mine s report on the barrier pillars of the Wyoming Basin (Ash, 1954) . 
The lines of outcrop of the coal beds, or their trace at the interface of the buried-valley fill and bedrock (pl . 5), were obtained by~ 1) interpreting and drawing the outcrop or trace of each bed on the individual mine map at a scale of 1 inch equals 100 feet, 2) t ransferring t he lines from the individual bed maps onto the mine surface map at a scale of 1 inch equals 100 feet, thus forming a composite map depicting outcrops or traces of all beds underlying a particular surface section, 3) photographically reducing the composite mine surface maps to the compilation scale of 1 ~ 10,000 and 4) tracing the lines of outcrop or trace for each bed from the photographs onto topographic base maps at a scale of 1 ~ 10,000, using any duplicated culture or drainage and the company grid lines for control . aerial photographs were helpful in t racing coal outcrops in are~s not covered adequately by mine company maps . The outcrop map (pl. 5) then was reduced to a scale of 1~24,000 (1 inch equals 2,000 feet) for this report. 
M..~.JP~~ depicting the structure of the coal..bearing rocks (pl. 6) were compiled by~ 1) drawing lines connecting point s of equal altit ude on the mine map~ of t he lowest coal bed (the Low
7 

er Red Ash coal bed) at a scale of 1 inch equals 100 feet and making appropriate interpretations of fold and fault structures; 2) photographically reducing each of these mine rn~ps to the compilation scale of 1 ~ 10,000; and 3) tracing the structure-contour lines from the photographs onto base maps at a scale of 1~10,000, again using as control, any duplicated culture and drainage along with the company grid lines that had previously been plotted on the base maps. Topography was eliminated from the base maps for the sake of clarityo Inference and extrapolation were necessary to reconstruct some coal~bed s.tructure where underground information was not available. The structure contour map of the Red Ash coal bed (pl.6) then was reduced to a scale of 1 ~ 24,000 (1 inch equals 2,000 feet) for this report. 
Logs of approximately 12,000 drill holes were obtained from the U. S. Bureau of Mines and the coal companies for use in the study of the buri ed-valley deposits and the t opography of the underlying bedrock. A scal e of 1 ~ 6,000 was picked to adequately compile the mass of drill-hole dat a and t o illustrate the vari able thickness of the vall ey-fill as well as the configuration of the bedrock surface. The locations of the drill holes were shown on the mine surface maps at a scale of 1 inch equals 100 feet o Tracings were made of these maps and the thickness of the valley-fill and the alt itude -of the t op of the bedrock were plott ed at each hole locati on from the information shown on the logs . The tracings were photographically reduced to the compilation scale of 1 ~ 6,000. Topographic maps on the bedrock surface (pl. 7A-7D) and isopachous maps of the buried-valley fill (pl. 8A-8D) were compiled on mozaics of the photographs at a scale of 1 ~ 6,000 and were transferred to the t opographic base maps usi~g drainage, culture, and coal company grid lines for location and control. These maps of the bedrock surface and buried valley fill (pl. 7A-7D and pl. 8A-8D) were reduced to a scale of 1 ~ 24,000 (1 inch equals 2,000 feet) for t hi s report. 
Obt aining the coal company mine maps and bore-hole data proved t o be a problem throughout the investigation, not because of any reluctance on the part of the companies t o release the data, but because of the lack of-time, personnel, and facilities on the part of both the U. S. Geological Survey and the coal companies to reproduce the material. Because of the curtailed or suspended operations of most of t he mining companies, the enginee~ing and clerical staffs were not large enough to spare personnel to get the information from the company files or to make reproductions. Naturally, the companies were reluctant to loan file copies because of t he fear of loss or destruction, nor could they allow other than company personnel to search in the 
PLATE 4 PRELIMINARY CORRELATION AND NOMENCLATURE OF ANTHRACITE BE 

TM  
UGGESTED  COR RELATION  MINE-COMPAN--Y  NOMENCLATURE  
NO  NOMENCLATURE  NO 7  BLISS  LOOMIS  AVONDALE  GRAND TUNNEL  TR UESDALE  SUGAR NOTCH  HUBER  INMAN  NOTTINGHAM-BUTTONWOOD  BUTTONWOOD  LA  
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Cool Bed A  Cool8td A  

OS IN COAL MINES OF THE WYOMING VALLEY, NORTHERN ANTHRACITE Fl ELD, PENNSYLVANIA 
By 
. Kehn and J.F Robertson 
DODSON SOUTH STANTON HARRY " E'' ~cE GAYLORD LOREE WOODWARD WILKt:.~ BARRE EMPIRE FRANKLIN REO ASH HOLLENBACK BALTIMORE DORRANCE PETTEBONE KINGSTON EAST BOSTON BLACK DIAMOND FORTY FORT 
I 
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by m1ne comoony mops and sect1ons 
PL ATE 4 PRELIMINARY CORRELATION AND NOMENCLATURE OF ANTHRACITE BEDS IN COAL Ml 
(continua t ion) 
T 
MINE COMPA NY NOMENCLATURE
~UGGESTED CORRE LATION 
_PEACH DELAWARE
ND NOMENCLATURE 

HE:-:-
PROSPECT MINE R S MILLS ORCHARD PINE RIDGE 
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By T M. Kehn and J F Robert so n 
MINER AL SPRINGS CO NLON NO. 14 MALTBY WEST MORELAND MOUNT LOOKOUT SCHOOLEY E W EN NO 6 
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Sub"A"  




~ 

NES  OF  THE  WYOMING  VALLEY,  NORTHERN  ANTHRACITE  Fl ELD,  PENNSYLVANIA  
MINE COMPANY  NOMENCLATURE  
LArLIN  PACKER  KEYSTO NE  BUTL E R  NO q  FXFTER  S T EVENS  CLEAR SPRINGS  SENECA  HEIDEL BE RG  CENTRAL  HALLSTE AO  WILLIAM "A"  OLD FORGE  

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Chorr preporeo '" t96t-63 from Octo'" Ash, S H, 
Borr~er pillars '" Wyom.nq Boson, Northern l•eiO 
US Bureau of M•nes Bull 538, ono os mod•f•ed 
by mrn e company maps and sect•ans 
GEOLOGY 

The Northern Anthracit e field occupies a large, arcuate synclinorium in the middle section of the Valley and Ridge province (Fenneman, 1946), (pl. 1) . Bedrock in the area has been classified on the geologic maps (pl. 2 and 3) from the oldest to youngest as follows ~ the Catskill Formation of Devonian age, the Pocono Formation of Mississippian age, the Mauch Chunk Formation of Mississippian age and possibly of Pennsylvanian age, and the Potts
ville and Llewellyn Formations of Pennsylvanian age. The LlewellynFormation contains t he co~l beds that have been mined in the Northern Ant hracite field. Na t ural exposures of bedrock occur only 1~
cally in the Wyoming Valley because unconsolidated surficial ma
terial of Quat ernary age effectively covers surface outcrops. The area is near the southern margin of con inental glaciat ion, so cont ains much glaci ofluvial mat erial a s well as older and younger ter
race deposits , alluvial fans , alluviQm , and deposits of man-made 
mine wast e and strip mine wast e . Bedrock is well exposed on the 
resist ant ridges where the glacial deposits have been largely removed by erosion and in art ificial cuts for roads and strip mines . The rock format ions and surficial deposits are described from old
est to youngest in t e following sect ions . 
Bedrock St rat igraphy 
Catskill Formation -Only the upper 1800 feet of the Catskill Formation is exposed i n t he mapped area. The formation is est imated to b e about 6,000 feet thick i n this part of Pennsylvania, bu t the base does not crop out in this area. The Ca skill Formation is exposed over large areas i n t he north
western on e-half of the Kingst on and t he northwestern one-quarter 
of the Pi t tston quadrangles (pl. 2} , and t he sout hern one-half 
of the Wilkes~Barre West and the sou t heastern three-quarters of 
t he Wilkes-Barre East quadrangles (pl. 3). It is composed of~ 
dark grayish-red to reddish-brown shale, clayst one, and silt 
stone ; greenish-gray and dark grayish-red, fine~ t o medium
grained sandst one ; and yellowish~ to greenish-gray, medium-to 
coarse-grained sandstone and conglomerat e. Lesser amounts of 
grayish-brown calcareous conglomerate and greenish-gray con
glomeratic mudst one are present locally. Cross-bedding, channel
ing, and cut-and-fill feat ures are t ypi cal of t he sBndstone and 
conglomerate unit s . Bedding is not distinct in t he shale, 
claystone, and siltstone unit s . About 50 percent of the 
10 

files. The problem was solved t:o some extent by combining the 
U. S. Bureau of Mines and the U. S. Geological Survey requests for mine maps. The requests were submitted to the coal companies by the Bureau of Mines in Willkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, to be filled simultaneously as time and manpower permitted. As a result, there was a shortage of data to study in the early phases of the investigation. Later, the backlog of information to be compiled was so large that tentative deadlines had to be postponed and some planned objectives had to be eliminated. Organization and filing of this enormous amount of information in a way that it would be usable also proved to be a problem. Each map received from the coal company was given two numbers, one an individual map number, the other a number assigned to the mine and to the filing tube in which it was stored. These numbers were entered, along with the mine name and the coal-bed name, into a cross indexed card catalog. Thus, an individual map or a series of maps could be located and obtained from the files in a matter of minutes. 
Personnel and Acknowledgments 
M. J . Bergin, who was assigned to the project throughout the study, did the field mapping in the Kingston and WilkesBarre West quadrangles ; Jacques F . Robertson, who joined the project staff in September 1961, mapped the Wilkes-Barre East quadrangle and part of the Pittston quadrangle; Thomas M. Kehn, who left the project staff in December 1961, mapped in the Pittston quadrangle. John T. Howells and Dorothy W. Narcovich, scientific illustrators, assisted the geologists in the collection and compilation of coal company dat a, and drafted the illustrations for the report. Lewis M. McNay, scientific technician, compiled and draft ed the data on t he buried-valley deposits and top of bedrock contours . The authors wish to thank the officials of the coal mining companies who permitted access to their properties during field mapping and released the company file data t hat has been incorporated in this report. Thanks are also given to the personnel of the U. S. Bureau of Mines at Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, who aided in obtaining data from the coal companies . 
9 

• 
formation exposed in t his area contains sandstone and conglomerate and about 50 percent involves finer grained rocks; in general, more coarse sandstones and conglomerates occur in the upper part and finer grained rocks predominate in the lower part:. . The top contact of the Catskill Formation is usually well defined and appears to be <Conformable to t he overlying rocks . 
Pocono Formation ~ The Pocono Formation is about 600 feet thick in the mapped area. I t crops out in two belts. One belt extends northeastward from near· the nor t:hwe5J t:ern corner of the Wilkes-Barre West quadrangle along t he s out h flank of Larksville Mountain through Bunker Hill and Mt . Lookout and across the Susqueham;ta River at Campbell Ledge near the north central edge of the Plttston qua drangle. The other extends from the west-central edge of the ~ilkes=Barre West quadrangle northeastward along t he northern flank of Penobs cot and Wyoming Mount ains to t he eastern edge of Lhe ~LrtsLon quadrangle just north of the Mill Creek Reservoir. The Pocono Formation is composed mainly of yellowish-gray , light olive-gray, and light grayish-green sandst one, conglomerate~ and conglomeratic sandstone. Some yellowish=grcmy and light greenish-gray siltstone and shale are interbedded with the coar ser grained rocks. At the base of the Pocono Format ion is a conglomerate as much as 150 feet thick made up of subrounded t o rounded pebbles and cobbles of white quarr-.z, light -gray and light-green quartzite, and light-gray sandstone in a mat.rix of coarse sand. When fresh, the conglomerate is yellowish-gray t o light-gray, but when weathered, it ha5> a very light:=gray to alm st white appearance. It is probably the Gri swold Gap Conglomerate of the Pocono Formation des cribed by Wb.it:e (1881~ p . 57). 
Mauch Chunk Form<a\tion ~ AS mapped for this report~ the Mauch Chunk Forman::. ion ranges in thickness from a few feet (pos~ sibly 5 feet) a t Campbell Ledge bJ a.boct 1 ~ 000 feet along U. S. Highway 309 on Penobscot MI()Juntain , ou~h of Wilkes~Barre. The belts of outcrop of the f orm<ettion p~r~llel those of t he Pocono Formation on t he sout h flank c·f Larksville Mountain and along the valley between Penobsc:ot and Wilke~=Barre Mount ains. The Mauch Chunk Format i on is made up of light greenish~gray and dark grayish-red to reddish-brown shale, siltstone, and fine~ to medium=grained sandstone and light-gray to dark grayishbrown, medium to coarse~grained sands tone, conglomeratic sandstone, and pebble conglomerate. lr1 general, the dark grayishred and reddish-brown r ocks predom~nate over the lighter colored rocks . The stratigraphic relationships to explain the 
11 
extremely ·variable thicknes s of the formation are yet to be determined by more detail~d study. ·41r 
Pottsville ·Formation -The Pottsville Formation ranges from 200 to 300 feet thick in t his area. The lowest 50 feet crop out as almost a continuous ledge of conglomerate that parallels the outcrops of the Pocono and Mauch Chunk Formations on the south flank of Larksville Mountain and the north flank of Wilkes-Barre Mountain. All of the beds of the Pottsville Formation in this area are tentatively correlated with the Sharp Mountain Member of the Pottsville Formation at the type locality (Wood and others, 1956). The conglomerate consists of silica-cemented quartz pebbles that range from one-fourth inch to two inches in diameter. The weathered surface of the conglomerate is very light-gray to almost white, although fresh exposures show the conglomerate to have a dark carbonaceous groundmass . The remainder of the P~ttsville Formation is composed of comparatively finer grained and s ofter rocks such as small pebble conglomerate, fine-to coarsecgrained sandstone, siltstone, and locally, thin beds of carbonaceous shale and coal, At many exposures the ·base of the Pot tsville Formation is marked by a black, carbonaceous, fissile shale that ranges from 0 to 10 feet thick and contains thin coal lenses and stringers. The shale was called the Campbell~s Ledge Black Slate by White (1883, 
p. 39) . The top of the Po t tsville Formation is marked by the base of the shale that underlies the lowest ptirsistent econom~ ically important anthracite bed, the Red Ash bed or, if the coal is split, the Lower Red Ash bed. 
Llewellyn Formation -As much as 2200 feet of coal~bearing strata tentatively correla ed with the Llewellyn Formation (Wood and others, 1962) are present above the P~ttsville Formation in the Northern Anthracite field. The Llewellyn Formation underlies the Wyoming Valley and the lower slopes of the bordering mountains . The strata are poorly exposed because they are largely covered by soil mantle, glacial debris, and buried-valley deposits . The positions of t he coal bed crop lines are reflected at the land surface by s t rip pits, exploratory trenches, and subsidence over underground workings . The Llewellyn Formation is composed of interbedded and variably thick strata of~ light-gray, yellowishcgray, ·and greenish-gray, quartz-granule and pebble conglomerate; light to medium-gray and yellowish~gray, fine-to coarse-grained and finely conglomeratic sandstone; light-gray to dark-gray siltstone; medium~gray claystone; light greenish
gray to dark~gray shale; dark-gray to very dark~gray carbonaceous shale; coal beds. Crossbedding, truncated bedding, 
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Base mop by Topographic Divi sion 
U. S. Geolog ica l Sur vey , 1947-1949 
.I 
By 
M.J.Bergin and J.F Robertson 
SCALE I, 24,000 

1000 0 1000 2000 3000 FEET 
CONTOUR INTERVAL IS 20 FEET 
DATUM IS MEAN SEA LE VEL 

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~~................... . 

Tr.fJce of coo l bed on bedrock surface • 
Long dashed where approximately located, short dashed I 
~~;;;,;:~':~~ :'x~~~~;~~ ~~O.:o~1E~~~; ::C~'fto~ 
-.....!:!.... ___ _
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Fault, showing dip 
Long dashed where approximcJiely locoted,shorldashed where inferred; U, uplhrown s1de;0,downlhrown S1de 
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Anricll ne, show ing trace ofo~tr ?l plane. 
LO:fe:ea~~~:r;:;re approximately locOted, shortdashed 

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Sy nc ll ne,showmg t race of Oll rOI plane 
Long dashed wl'!ere approximately located, shor t dashed where 1'nferred 
.l..-..-·-·-. -------· -·--
Cool bed oulcrops prepa red in 19 6 2-19 6 3 f rom mops 
suppl1e d oy Glen Al de n Corporahon, Leh,gh Valley Coo l Co, 
Sul livan Tro d Cool Co Pennsylvon10 Cool Co. ,o:~ o othe r s , 
sup~l emenl etl by ' •cld mopp1nq and modif,cottons by !he 
oulhors. Mop net ed1ted for con formity w1th t.:. SG S standards 
Base map by lopogrophic Division 
U.S. Geological Survey, 19 47-1949 
PLATE 58 PRELIMINARY OUTCROP MAP OF COAL BEDS IN THE WYO~J11NG VALLEY, NORTHERN ANTHRACITE FIELD, PENNSYLVANIA 
• 
cut-andfill structures, and channel outlines are common in 
most of the strata. The coal beds are the most persistent
units; strata between the coal beds are typified by extreme 
lateral changes in thickness and lithology. At least 26 coal 
beds are represented in the Llewellyn Formation in the mapped 
area (pl. 4) . Thickness of the coal beds range from 0 to 27 
feet. 
Surficial depo~its 
The relatively unconsolidat ed surficial deposits of Quaternary age that overlie the bedrock in the Wyoming Valleyconsist of the rock debris that fills the buried valley, the t errace deposits, the stream alluvium, and mi ne waste . On the basis of their location ~nd gurface expression the de~ posits have been mapped geologi cally (pl . 2 and 3) . as ~ un~ 
differentiated glaciofluvial deposits, older terrace depos
its, younger terrace deposit ~, alluvial f ans, alluvium, and 
mine waste or s t rip mine waste. 
The undifferentiated glociofluvia.l deposit s i nclude those areas of ground moraine and glacial drift that have not been relat ed to specific terrace levels or t o other physiographic features t ypical of glaciated areas . The deposits consist of mixt ures ©f clay, silt , sand, gravel, cobble , and boulders 
and may be stratified or unst r a tified. Such deposits are lo~ cat ed both in the valley and on the mountain~ and may underlie large areas or be f ound a s i sol ated remnants in local areas. 
Remnants of the older terr~ce deposits occur bet ween altitudes 600 and 800 feet above s e 81 level along t he northwestern side of the Wyoming Valley bet ween Duryea and Plymouth.
The t errace deposit s c.ontain clay~ silt, quartz sand, gravel,and cobbles. The gravel and cobble~ are well rounded and are composed predominantly of locally derived sedimentary rocks such as red and gr.tty siltstone ~ oa.nd~tone , and conglomerate . Less than t en percent of t he gravel is made up of crystalline
and metamorphic rocks such as pink, gray, and green granite
and gneiss and whit e, gray, and pink quartzit e that according to Peltier (1949) probably were derived from the Mohawk Valley and Adirondack Mountains of New York. At most localities 
the terrace deposits are st ratified ; much of t he material is crossbedded, wit h t he dip of the beds being in various directions . As proposed by Itter (1938} t he older t errace de
1;3 

posits are thought to have been formed by stream deposition be:-·'"' • tween the ice and the valley walls during the waning stages of .· glaciation when the glacier was melting in the valley. The older terrace deposits are well exposed in the strip mines and in the sand and gravel pits along the road that is located at the edge of the valley and extends from West Pittston to Plymouth through the communities of Happy Valley, West Wyoming, Swoyersville, Edwardsville, and Larksville. Strip mining for coal, quarrying for sand and gravel, construction, and erosion have destroyed most of the original surface and incised the face of the terrace at many places . 
The younger terrace deposits occur between altitudes 540 and 600 feet above sea level in the Wyoming Valley. Remnants of the younger terrace deposits are .preserved along the Lackawanna River, along the northwest bank of the Susquehanna River in the vicinities of West Pittston, Exeter, Sw-9yersville, Forty Fort, and Kingston, and on the southeast side of the Susquehanna River at Wilkes-Barre and Lynnwood. Where the younger terrace deposits are ·exposed, they consist of stratified and unstratified deposits of silt, sand, gravel, and cobbles that are similar to the rock debris in the older terrace deposits . In addition they contain beds and lenses of clay, such as are exposed in the floor of the gravel pits near Kingston. 
Alluvial fans have formed where the larger tributary streams issue from the ridges and enter the Wyoming Valley. The principal ones are on Toby Creek at Luzerne, near the mouths of Wadham and Brown Creeks in the vicinity of Plymouthand Larksville, on Abrahams Creek at West Wyoming, and on Hicks Creek northwest of Exeter. The fans are composed of a -mixture of clay, silt, sand, and gravel derived from reworking of the glacial deposits and from erosion of bedrock in the area. 
Stream alluvium covers the flood plain of the Susquehanna River. Like the alluvial f ans, the alluvium is composed of mixtures of clay, silt, sand, and gravel derived from reworking of the glacial deposits, from reworking of mine waste, and from erosion of bedrock. 
On the geologic maps, the mine waste has been subdivided into strip mine waste and mine waste. Strip mine wast e includes both the dump piles and the pits in those areas where coal has been mined by open-pit surface excavations. Many of 
ltf. 
the larger areas shown as strip mine waste are in reality many closely spaced strip pits and dump piles that could not be shown individually at the map scale. Backfilled strip mines have also been included where they could be distinguished during the mapping. Mine waste includes the rock refuse piles at portals to underground workings, the dumps of rock, culm, and cinders at coal cleaning and preparation plants , and the clay, silt, and 
sand in settling basins. 
STRUCTURE 
The Wyoming-Lackawanna Valley of the Northern Anthracit e field is not only a large physiographic feature, it is also a great structural trough or synclinorium, here called the Wyoming synclinorium. This structural depressi on trends generally 
N. 50° E. and diagonally bisects the four quadrangles mapped for this report. The portion of the Wyoming synclinorium underlain by rocks of Pennsylvanian age is 56 miles long ; the synclinorium is nearly 8 miles wide at its widest, in the vicinity of Wilkes-Barre and Kings t on . The synclinorium tapers t o a point at each end and is crescent-shaped in plan, bei ng concave on t he northwest side. The midpoint of the crescent is near the nort he as t corner of the Pittston quadrangle where the Lackawanna River meets t he Susquehanna River. I s southwest end is at Shickshinny, 9 miles sout hwes t of the town of Nanticoke at the wes t edge of t he Wilkes-Barre We~t quadr~ngle. 
The core of the synclinorium i s occupied by the Llewellyn Formation of Pennsylvani an age, which i s l argely covered by unconsolidated deposit of Quaternary age. The Po tsville Formation underlies the sides of the valley and the surrounding ridges. The successively older Mauch Chunk, Pocono, and Cat~ skill ·Formations flank the Llewellyn and Pot t sville Formations, with beds t hat dip modera t ely t eeply toward t he central axis of t he valley. Dips become ·eeper on he outheast s i de of the synclinori um oward ~he tapering west end, ranging from about:. 20° NW. near Llewellyn Corners to soo ~ 60° NW. near the wes t edge of the Wilkes-Barre West quadrangle (pl . 3) . 
The Wyoming synclinorium is bordered on the nort hwes t by t he Milt on anticline, a large but gen l e , northeast trending, asymmetric fold in t he Cat skill Forrna l'.::i on (pl 2). The north
0 
• 
wes t limb of the Milton anticline dips from 2° t o 7° NW. ; the anticline becomes more gentle towards the northeast along the strike of its axis . Sout heas t of t he Wyoming synclinorium sev
15 

eral subsidiary folds are present in the Pocono and Catskill 
Formations. The larger folds, which measure several miles ~ in length, include the Bald Mountain syncline, 'the Oliver Mills anticline, and the Pine Creek syncline (pl. 3) . Their axes 
strike N. 70° E. , a divergence of about 20° from the trend of 
the Wyoming synclinorium. Farther to the southeast in the vi
cinity of Glen Summit and Crystal Lake the crest of the Berwick 
anticline trends about N. 60° E. through the Catskill Formation 
(pl. 3). The Berwick anticline is a major structural feature 
to the southwest, but in the mapped area it appears to become 
indistinct toward the northeast in the direction of plunge.
Beds dip generally S0 to 1S0 SE . on the southeast flank of -the 
Berwick anticline; several smaller folds lie to the north of 
the anticline. 
The Wyoming synclinorium would appear, from casual inspec
tion, to be struct urally simple in gross aspect. The rocks that rim the valley and underlie the high ridges have a fairly regular strike and their beds dip almost homoclinally toward the central axis of the valley, suggesting a simple sort of trough. On close inspection, however, the coal-bearing Llewellyn Formation within the valley is found to be complexly folded and faulted, and the synclinorium is distinguished by unusual structural features . For instance, the synclinorium is not defined by a single synclinal axis, but con ains a multitude of subpar
allel synclines, anticlines, and related faults . These structures are not continuous t hroughout t he length of the synclinorium, but are developed for a few miles, then die out as other folds and faults come in o exist ence and take their place. The structure of the Wyoming synclinorium is displayed in detail on the outcrop map of t he coal beds (pl. S) , and by the structure 
contour map of the Lower Red Ash coal bed (pl . 6) . 
The Lower Red A~h coal bed, which defines the base of the 
Llewellyn Format ion, plunges t o a depth of more than lSOO feet below sea level in t he A kam syncline 1 mile east of Nanticoke,. and lies at 1200 feet below sea level in the neighboring Gas Works syncline (pl . 6). Thes e alti udes are 2,000 to 2,200 feet 
below the surface of the ground. This deepest part of the syn
clinorium is termed a 11 S ruct ural depression" . The trough of the synclinorium becomes ~h8llower both t o the northeast and the southwest of the depression. To t he northeast the Lower Red Ash coal bed is SO feet above sea level near Pittston and 4SO feet 
above sea level at Avoca. The t rough reaches a high point,termed a "structural culmination", inmediately to the east of the mapped area at Moosic and Old Forge. This culmination, 
• 
16 

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PLATE 68 
---~
--...-.~-~~--
:\. \ .--:. 
Outcrop trace of cool be·a-;::_..... \ 
Lonq dashed where approximately located, short dashed where inferred. Hachures show direction of dip./ 
~~-~--=-=-
~··
';,_~: ..
.
',, ;?-····---' 
........ :;-.:'"..__•~o .... __ 

Contours on bottom of contoured cool bed 
Lonq dashed where approximately located, short dashed where inferred; in those places where a part of the bed lies beneath another port of the same bed, very short dashes are used for the lower bed. 
~-
~-::.---'_______ ::::::-:.-
Re verse fou!t, showing dip of fault plane 
Lonq dashed where approximately located, short dashed where inferred1 U,upthrown side; D,downthrown side. The trace of the fault in the downlhrown and overridden block i s shown by very short dr.. shes. 
--------~---
Anticline, showing trace of ax ial plane 
Long dashed where approximately located, short dashed where inferred. 
Syncline, showing trace of ax ial plane 
Lonq dashed where approximately located, short dashed where inferr ed. 
PRELIMINARY STRUCTURE CONTOUR MAP OF THE LOWER RED ASH COAL BED 
IN THE WYOMING VALLEY, NORTHERN ANTHRACITE FIELD, PENNSYLVANIA 

By 
CONTOUR INTERVAL 50 FEET
M.J:B'ergin and J. F Robertson 
DATUM IS MEAN SEA LEVEL 
SCALE 1'24,000 
_JI 
----'-"----------------·
called the Moosic saddle by the coal miners, in effect divides the Northern Anthracite field into two structural depressions. The second depression is northeast of the mapped area in the general vicinity of Scranton. 
Large, open, doubly~plunging folds are more common in the central part of the valley; smaller folds, and asymmetric folds increase in number on the steeper flanks of the synclinorium. the largest fold is the Gas Works syncline that enters the mapped area at Nanticoke from the southwest and extends 12 miles northeast to the eastern edge of Wilkes-Barre where it dies out (pl. 5, 6) . The Inman anticline and syncline that closely parallel the Gas Works syncline are more than 8 miles long . The Askam syncline extends from the west edge of the mapped area to Ashley, a distance of about 5 miles . The large Ont ario anticline and syncline extend for 9 miles from near the community of Luzerne to the east edge of the Pittston quadrangle near Avoca. The No . 2 Slope syncline extends about 6 miles from near Forty Fort to Yatesville where it dies out (pl. 5) . The larger folds such as these have amplitudes, vertical relief from trough of syncline to crest of adjacent anticline, of 400 to 600 feet; five or more of these folds occupy the valley in any one section across it perpendicular t o strike. Lesser folds 7 from a few miles to several hundreds of feet long, are superimposed on or closely associat ed with the larger folds; their amplitudes range from 100 t o 350 feet . 
Practically all fold axes and longicudinal faults strike diagonal t o the trend of the Wyoming synclinorium instead of parallel t o it. Whereas t he valle6 trends about N. 50° E. , the s trike~ of fold axes average N. 70 ~ 75° E. Fold axes are commonly sinuous in detail, but they have a remarkably consistent s ·r i ke in their entirety. Most of the faults are longitudinal or s trike faults, for they closely parallel the fold axes. Cross faults are very few and minor. In addition to the general structural trend, the foldB and faults in the coal-bearing Llewellyn Formation die out rapidly as they approach the contac with the underlying Po tsville Formation. Those few structures that extend into the Pottsville Format ion terminate within short distances. The fading out of structures along the margin of the coal field seems to demonstrate that compressive forces were readily transmitted to the Llewellyn Formation with its many relatively incompetent layer of coal and shaley sediments causing numerous folds and longitudinal faults to develop 
• 
in it, wherea~ the highly competent conglomerate and sandstone beds of the Pottsville Formation resisted such forces • 
1~ 
Faults are abundant in the Llewellyn Formation, but are relatively few in the older formations. The vast majority are longitudinal faults that closely parallel the trend of fold structures. They are relatively abundant where folding is tight 
• 
and the dip of beds are steep as in the southwestern part of the valley. Comparatively few faults are associated with the open shallow folds and gentle dip of beds in the northeastern part of the study area. The faults on the structure contour map {pl . 6) and outcrop map (pl . S) were determined mainly from the relationships of the coal beds found on the mine maps . The amount and direction of dip i s not shown for many of the faults on the preliminary maps because time did not permit adequate research on this subject. The descript ions and classifications of faults, therefore, are generalized to some ext ent. 
A great number of faults are steep reverse faults, some are normal faults, and a few may be classified as low-angle thrust faults ~ Cross faul ts are surprisingly scarce. There are several rotary faults, characterized by rotation of the fault blocks about an axis perpendicular to the fault trace, resulting in a reversal in the sense of dip-slip movement from one extremity to the other of the fault line . Displacement along the faults is relatively small, with stra t i graphic throw generally amounting to less t han 200 feet . The greatest displacement recognized is on a reverse fault having a throw of about 500 feet, located onehalf mile south of Nanticoke in the Blis s Colliery {pl. 6) . 
Faults are mostly l ongitudinal or slightly diagonal to the fold struct ures and are located predominantly on the flanks of t he folds . Few faul ts have been t raced on t he crest s or troughs of folds , and t hos e t hat do are shown t o be reverse or rotational t ype . The lack of t ens ional faults on the axial portions of folds , t he preponderance of revers e faul t s, and their longitudinal character suggest t hat t he fault s formed in response to, and as an extension of, he compres s i onal forces that developed the folds . 
BURIED V~LEY OF THE SUSQUEHANNA RIVER 
Throughout most of i ts course in t he Wyoming Valley, the Susquehanna River flows on glacially derived deposits that fill a deeply-eroded ancient valley c~rved into the Llewellyn Formation. The eroded badrock surface that forms the bottom of this 
ancient valley i s at one place as much as 300 feit below the present land surface, and a t many places is more than 200 feet 
• 
16 

below the surface. Itter (1938) at·tribute~ the origin of the ancient valley to the over'deepening of t he Susquehanna River valley during Pleist ocene glaciation by the plucking and gouging action of the ice and the as~ociated erosive action of s t reams flowing beneat h the ice. A iSl the ice melted and the glacier receded, t he deeply-eroded anci ent valley was filled with an accumulation of rock debris carri ed by the ice itself and by streams flowing t hrough t he valley. 
The Buri ed Valley of the Sus quehanna Ri ver ha s been studi ed f or many year s becaus e of its relation shi p t o the economic~lly important coa l bed in t he Nort hern Ant hracite field. The mini ng compani es have drilled t housand$ of test holes to det ermine t he confi guration of t he bedrock surf~ce at t he bottom of t he anci ent valley and to loc~te preci s ely the point of i n t ers ection of t he mi nabl e coal bed with t he valley~ fill. The Buri ed Valley has been descr ibed by several writ ers ; the most comprehensive ~tudy was made by personnel of t he U. S. Bureau of Mines (.A.sh, 1950) who used the basic da t a f r om t he test hol es to compi le genera l i zed thickness maps of t he valley fill, a~ well as cont our maps of the buri ed bedrock surface and cross s ecLions. The report al o summarized the exi t ing literature on the des cription and or i gi n of the Buri ed V~lley and discussed at lengt h t hos e problems encount ered in mi ni ng of coal beds that coul d be attribu ed to its presenc e . 
Pl ate 7.A. t hrough 7D show he configuration of the bedrock surface at t he bottom of the ancien valley, and plates 8A t hrough 8D show the t hi cknes s of the deposit s t hat fill the an~ cient valley. The form~r are cont ur maps of the bedrock, whereas the l atter are i s opachous maps , t hat is , maps that dis~ play variations i n t he thicknes of f i ll with lines drawn t:hrough poi nt s of equal t.hicknes!\1 , known as isopach lineso Thes e maps were compi led by using t he basic data shown on maps, eros , sections , and logs of t est holes obtained from the mini ng compani es and t he U. So Bureau of Mi nes . Al luvi um and mine waste have been i ncluded a s va l l ey-f i ll mat erial, but broken rock, c a l beds , and soft sha le at t he cop of the bedrock, which were i ncluded as val l ey=fill i n t he study by t he U. S. Bur eau f Mi nes, were con i dered 6 be bedrock i n this geo~ logic s t udyo I n order that t he buri ed bedrock surface and the t hickne$S of t he valley-f i ll coul d be di rectly relat ed to surf~ce topography and to l ocation of .he flood cont rol levees along the Sus quehanna Ri ver , the da t a were compiled on enlarged c pi es of the topographi c base map publ ished for t he area in 1947 and 1949 . One should exercise c~ution, however, when 
19 

interpolating differences in altitude on the land surface and altitude on the ancient valley bottom because recent changes in ·altitude of the land s4rface ·have been made by man during mining_ ·and ·construction ·since ·the ·base ·maps were compiled. The configuration of the buried bedrock surface shown on ·maps in this report agree in general with that shown in the u. S. Bureau of Mines study (Ash, 1950), but the geologic interpretation here outlines more clearly a drainage pattern and other erosional features on the ancient surface. By showing the thickness of t he vall ey-fill with isopach lines, the areas of irregularly thick fill are readily apparent, and because surface topography is shown on the maps also, these areas can be directly interpreted as fill in eroded depressions in the ancient valley floor or as hills on the present land surface. In the compilation t he solid lines represent areas where data was abundant ; dashed l i nes represent areas where data was scarce to moderate; no l i nes were drawn in areas where data was lacking such as those areas under the cities of WilkesBarre and Nanticoke . 
The configuration of the ancient valley resembles that described as a glacial trough developed from a preglacial 
s , s·tream valley, in t hat the deepening of the valley is not uniform throughout its lengt h, but is greater in the middle part (Lobeck; 1939, p . 269). The deepest eroded part of the ancient valley is located south of Plymouth; from this deepest point the floor of t he ancient valley rises along its length both to the east and to t he west . As is shown by the contours on the buried bedrock surface (pl . 7A~7D) , t he main channel of the ancient valley is relat ivel y straight and trends southwestward roughly parallel to the axis of the Wyoming Valley. The ancient Susquehanna drainage entered the Wyoming Valley by the same wat er gap through which the river passes today northwest of Pittston, and wa$ j oined near Pitt ston Junction by the ancestral drainage of the Lackawanna river from the northeast. From Pittston Junct ion sout hward to t he vicinity of West Pittston the main buried channel is relat ively shallow, with bedrock les s than 50 feet below the present river bed. The buried channel lies just nort h of, and roughly parallel to the present course of the Su quehanna River from West Pittston to Kingston, through the communi t ies of Exeter, Wyoming,Swoyersville, and Forty Fort. The buried channel continues fairly straight down the valley in a southwestward direction from Forty Fort through Kingston and Wilkes-Barre to Nanticoke, 
passing through the communities of Lynnwood and Breslau, whereas the present course of the Susquehanna R~ver meanders back and forth across i t . 
• 
2~ 
,--------------------
~=======>=========o'==================i' 
MIL< 
PLATE 7A-PRELIMINARY MAP SHOWING CONTOURS ON THE BEDROCK SURFACE BENEATH THE GLACIAL FILL IN THE BURIED VALLEY OF THE SUSQUEHANNA RIVER, PENNSYLVANIA
., 

M. J . BerQin , J . F. Robertson, and L . M. MCNay 1963 

'==============~=============! Mil.[ 
PLATE 7B-PRELIMINARY MAP SHOWING CONTOURS ON THE BEDROCK SURFACE BENEATH THE GLACIAL FILL IN THE BURIED VALLEY OF THE SUSQUEHANNA RIVER, PENNSYLVANIA
., 

M. J . Bergin, J . F. Robertson, and L. M. MCNay 11163 
I 
PLATE 7C-PREL.NINARY MAP SHOWNG CONTOURS ON THE BEDROCK SURFACE BENEATH THE GLACIAL 
FLL N THE BlJ£0 VALLEY OF Tt£ SUSQl£H~ RIVER. PEtft>YLVANIA 

M. J. Bergin, J. f. Robertson, -L M. MCNoy 
1963 
--·LIKII,_.,
1'\.UIIU.-ro 
'==========================~========================~IM~l
O 
PLATE 70-PRELIMINARY MAP SHOWNG CONTOURS ON THE BEDROCK SURFACE BENEATH THE GLACIAL FILL IN THE BURIED VALLEY OF THE SUSQUEHANNA RIVER, PENNSYLVANIA 
M. J.Bar;ln, J.F. Roberta on, oiMI L. M. MCNay 
IUS 
At the deepest eroded site along the trend of the ancient valley, just south of Plymouth, the surface of the bedrock is ac an altitude of 201 feet above sea level. Depressions have been eroded into the bedrock surface at numerous other localities along the trend of the ancient channel. Tributary channels in the vicinity of West Wyoming and Happy Valley may represent ancient courses of Abrahams Creek and Hicks Creek. Other tributary channels are developed· on Mill Creek, on Warrior Creek, on Nanticoke Creek, and on two streams in the vicinityof Pittstono 
Itter (1938, p o 23) has described potholes near Archbald, 
Pennsylvaniao The term pothole is generally restricted to 
t hose holes that are cylindrical in shape, have a depth equal 
co or greater than their width, and have been formed by the 
erosive force of sand, gravel, and stones s pun around by strong 
wacer currents (American Geological Institute, 1960)o Potholes,
by this definition, do not appear to be major erosional features 
on the bedrock surface of the ancient valley in the 41area of this 
report o Numerous circular and ellipt ical depressions much shal
lower than wide are present on t he bedrock floor of the buried 
valley both in the main channel and in i$olat ed areas outside 
che main channel o Such depres ions probably formed by the gouging and plucking action of glacial ice and by abrasion of debrisloaded screams flowing beneat h the ice; some may have formed byenlargement of plunge pools or basins at the foot of water falls where streams dropped off the ice o 
AS is shown on the thickne~s maps (pl o 8A~ 8D) the valleyf~ll deposits are thickest i n ~he m~in channel of the buried valley. The fill has a maximum thl ckness of 319 feet under the flood plain of the Susquehamna River in the bedrock depressions sout:h of Plymoutho The valley~ fill i.s more than 200 feet thick in other depressions along t he main chcatnnel of the buried valley1n the vicinities of Lynnwood, Ki ngs on, and Forty Fort o In t he v1cinity of Duryea, fill 100 to 120 ie~t ~hick is present in two depressions who e floors are at al itude~ of 527 and 551 feet 
a.bove sea level o The 120 f eet of fill shown in a circular area at Upper Pittston i~ actually a hill of glacial mat erial whose summit is 680 feet above sea level ~ the underlying bedrock is at an altitude of 560 feet above sea level, which is above the level of the present river. Similarly~ t he two areas of thick fill (120 and 140 feet thick) in the vicinit y of Pittston are hills of glacial mat erial o Valley~fill deposits as much as 120 feet thick are preserved in sever~l small depressions in the 
21 

vicinity of West Pittston and Exeter. AS much as 120 feet of fill is present in the elongated depression near Plainsville. Numerous ·small depressions occur in the southeastern part of Kingston; over 100 feet ·of fill is present in many of them. The small areas of thick fill in the vicinity of Wilkes-Barre represent hills of glacial deposits. The area of thick fill north of Plymouth Junction is a mine dump. AS much as 120 feet of fill is present in a depression north of Sugar Notch. 
The glacial and fluvial deposits that fill the Buried Valley of the Susquehanna River are composed of clay, silt, sand, gravel, cobbles, and boulders. The composition of the valleyfill deposits could be obtained only from descriptions of test holes drilled by the mining companies and from short stratigr-aphic sections in a few strip mine pits. Many of the mine shafts penetrated the valley-fill deposits, but these were cribbed to keep the unconsolidated material from caving. During the early stages of the investigation for this report, an attempt was made to correlate sediment zones in the valley-fill deposits by using the log descriptions. It was found that in local areas some zones could be traced from hole to hole with 'a £air degree of certainty when the holes had apparently been drilled by the same company and logged by the same person. The :sediment zones could not be correlated readily over large areas 
however, because the material recorded on many logs is gener
alized into thick units of mixed sediment, and in many other 
cases the records show only a thickness, but no descriptions, 
for the valley~fill deposits. The study of the composition of 
the -valley-fill deposits was abandoned for this report when it 
became apparent that bet er data would be necessary, and that 
much more time and manpower than were allotted would be re· quired for this investigation. 
RELATION OF SUBSIDENCE TO MINING AND GEOLOGY 
Subsidence of the land surface has occurred at many places in the Wyoming Valley. Evidence of the sinking is apparent in the many cracked and crooked walls and foundations of buildings, the broken piers and abutments of bridges, the uneven highways, the crooked and undulatory railroad beds, and the short, steep grades of streets at railroad crossings. Work crews frequently have to raise and realign railroad tracks to maintain the grades and have to shim between the foundations and spans on railroad and highway bridges. Many ruptures in buried utility lines have 
22 

'============== ==='============ ======:;;' MIL[ 
PLATE SA-PREUMINARY MAP SHOWING THCKNESS OF GLACIAL FILL IN THE BURIED VALLEY OF THE SUSQUEHANNA RIVER. PENNSYLVANIA
., 

M. J. BtrQ in, J. F. Robertson , ond L. M. M'Nay 
IIU 


COMTCMMI IM TUI\I A L an 'l(f Oo\TUIII tt•UM IU L.IYit..  
-... l O( A1-Wn • • n u-to  
~======~======~================'! Mllf:  

PLATE 88 -PREUMINARY MAP SHOWING THCKNESS OF GLACIAL FILL IN THE BURIED 

VALLEY OF THE SUSQUEHANNA RIVER, PENNSYLVANIA 
., 

M J Ber9 in, J F Robertson, ond L . M. M'Nay 

PLATE 8C -PRB..MNARY MAP SHOWWG THCKNESS OF GLACIAL FILL IN THE atRED 
VALLEY OF THE SUSQU~ RIVER, PE~SYLVANA

., 

M. J . Ber9in, J . F. Robertson, ~..L M. M.GNay 
IS63 

CO NT OUI'I I NTUI Vil l tO r[[l DATUIII IS M(AN S U L [\' ( :_ 
=================''===================='' MILE 
PLATE 80-PREUMINARY MAP SHOWING THCKNESS OF GLACIAL FILL IN THE BURIED VALLEY OF THE SUSQUEHANNA RIVER. PENNSYLVANIA
., 

M. J . BtrQin , J . F Robertson, and L. M. M'Nay 
• 
been caused by subsidence. Several instances have been reported 
in which motor vehicles have sunk into cavities that opened up 
below streets, roads, and highways; houses and other buildings 
have collapsed or have been tilted by caving under their found
ations, and gaping holes have appeared overnight in the surface of the ground. nsh (1950) describes depressions on the land surface as much as 200 feet long, 175 feet wide, and 90 feet deep that formed when the Jalley-fill deposits caved into underground mine workings that were driven to the interface between che bedrock surface and the valley-fill deposits . The flood control levees along t he Sus quehanna River have subsided differentially since their construction by the U. S. army Corps of Engineers in the early 1940s, as can be seen by the uneven t ops of the levees. Interlocking sheets of steel have been driven inco the tops of t he levees to counter their general subsidence below safe levels " 
Surface subsidence in the Wyoming Valley is caused basica.lly by underground mining of anthracite beds . The strata overlying underground mine workings have a t endency to cave, and in mosr cases will cave eventually to fill the void, unless the ~orkings have been b~ck-filled with tamped materials. If caving occurs underground, subsidence may occur ultimately at the scrface of the groun4 . ~alyses suggest many interrelated factors that have a bearing on the amount of surface subsidence and the rate at which ~ubsidence occurs in a particular locality. These factors derive from mining pract i ces, strength of rock macerials, and the geology of the area and include the i n t ensity ~nd depth of mining, the type and amount of roof support pr ovLded in the underground workings ~ the thickness and number of coal beds mined, the composition, thickness , and consolidation of che ~trata overlying the mined coal beds , the water con t ent of the overlying strata and i t s accessibility to the mine workings, and struct ural feat ures such as t he steepness of dip of : Ge coal bed~ and the presence of surfaces of weakneS$ (i. e . , 1nclined bedding planea , joint s, fract~res, and faults) . Each lns cance of subs i dence i s almos t unique because the factors enumE:rat:ed above are: not only individua lly variable, but may be c-:.m"Dined in a variety of ways . Possibly some theoretical lim~ l LS of subsidence f or surface areas in the Wyoming Valley may be determined from the detailed underground data compiled by the Bureau of Mines i n which the dept h of mining and the volume and span of empty s pace left by mined out coal are equated to the empirically derived strength and geometry of supporting co~umns of coal and rock. Some empiric formulas and simple mechanics may be appli ed with significance to determine the ap
23 

prqximgte amounts of stress and potential subsidence within a given block of ground providing that roek conditions are uni--~ form, the eoal beds are relatively flat, mining has been fair-~ ly regular, and the forces involved are related to simple gravity loading. ·Conditions more commonly depart from the simple case, however, with variations from place to place in thickness of coal, in ratio of pillars to void spaces, and in the characteristics of superposed rock (including the height and weight of the rock column) that vastly complicate the problems of subsidence. Furthermore, most blocks of ground in the Northern Anthracite field include inclined beds, simple and complex folds, fault planes, and such things as mine water pools and barrier pillars that, combined with the above elements, multiply the number of factors to be considered and make the problem exceedingly difficult to evaluate or predict. As difficult as it is to calculate the quantitative and spatial aspects of subsidence, it is practically impossible to establish rate of subsidence, that is, to determine how subsidence will behave with time. It is apparent that each locality, with its individual set of conditions, has to be studied separately and carefully in detail in order to predict whether subsidence will take place and, if so, how much. Such studies are beyond the scope of the present investigation; a few generalities concerning the mechanics of subsidence, the type of mining, and the geologic relationships, however, can be mentioned to aid in dealing with the problem of subsidence. 
According to S. A. Tyler (in McKinstry, 1948, p. 525), the mode of failure of mine workings varies with depth. Failures at depths less than 3000 feet generally take place along surfaces of weakness and occur as collapse of the overlying and adjacent material under its own weight. Failures at depths greater than 3000 feet generally are of a crushing nature from pressures exerted from all directions ~ thus the failure may occur from t he sides and floor as well as from the roof of the workings o Since mi.ning in the Northern Anthracite field is limited to depths less than 2500 feet, failure of the workings will normally occur as collapse of t he overlying materials. Subsidence at the surface may reflec more or less directly the amoun of collapse of the workings if they are relatively close to the surface. 
At great er depth, the caving of roof rock into the mine openings may, in the manner of stoping, develop an arch that gradually migrates upward toward the surface. If the volume of mine workings is small, the increase in volume of broken rock (assuming that rock when broken takes up more volume, at roughly a 3 ~ 2 ratio) may be sufficient to fill the developing arch before it reaches the surface, and thus prevent subsidence 
24 

altogecher or cause only minor settlements. If the mine workings are extensive, the caving will eventually migrate all the way to the surface and result in general surface subsidence. dnother possibility is that instead of caving, the roof block may break down as a unit and cause subsidence directly. 
Studies have shown (McKinstry, 1948, p. 527; Lewis, 1941, 
p. 67) that the area affected by subsidence over underground mine workings increases upward so that the area of subsidence at the ground surface is larger than the area of the mine workings. In the simplest case where the rock is fairly homogeneous and free of planes of weakness, the bounding cracks caused by subsidence at the surface are commonly vertical to one-half the depLh to the caved workings, then curve inward to the bottom edge of the ~1orkings. The dip of a straight line between the edge o l the workings and the bounding cracks at the surface ranges mainly from 65 to 75 degrees. In the Northern field, however, which · is laced with inclined planes of weakness such as bedding planes, joints, and faults, the pattern is altered considerably. Planes of weakness generally tend to enlarge the area of subsidence, but locally their dist~ibution might serve to limit the zone of subsidence. 
In the Northern Anthracite field as much coal is extracted as is safely permissible for mining operations. The coal is mined underground by room and pillar methods in three stages, popularly referred to as first, second, and third degree mining. ln the first stage intersecting tunnels, usually arranged in a grid pattern, are driven along the coal bed; rectangular pillars of coal as wide or wider t han the tunnels are left intact. During the second stage many of the coal pillars are tunneled through and additional coal is taken from their sides. In the third stage, also popularly referred t o as "robbing'', the coal remaining in the pillars is complet:ely extracted and the overlying strata is left to cave. Pillars of coal ranging in width from 30 to 230 feet are left as barri ers between adjacent mines . In many cases these barrier pillars are also removed during nrobbing". During the course of mining t he overlying s t rata is supported by pi llars of coal, by wooden post s placed as props in the tunnels , and by roof bolts. small amount of backfilling has been done locally.
fi 
Fa1lure of t:he mine workings and the result ing subsidence of t he land surface is liable to happen soonest and most completely in those areas where the coal has been wholly extracted, as in third degree mining. Similary, i n those areas where mining has not progressed to t he third degree, subsidence will be faster and grea er 
25 

where relatively smaller or widely spaced pillars of coal, rather 
than larger and closely spaced ones, are left to support the over-.~ 
lying strata. ...., 
From one to as many as 21 coal beds may underlie a particular surface locality in the Wyoming Valley. The coal beds range from zero to 27 feet in thickness. Overburden on the coal beds ranges from zero feet at the outcrop of the bed to as much as 2200 feet on the lowest coal bed in che deepest part of the basin. The various rocks that comprise the overburden, any one of which ·may directly overlie a mined coal bed , include shale, siltstone, sandstone, conglomerate, and t he unconsolidated clay, sand, gravel, and boulders of the valley-fill deposits . In general, potential surface subsidence should be greatest over areas where the thickest coal beds have been mined; similarly, potential surface sub-· sidence should be greater over areas where a number of coal beds, rather than one, have been mined. Soft strata, such as shales, tend o cave within a short time after being undermined and tend to crumble to fine mat erial that comple ely fills the void spaees; hard strata, such as well-cemented sandst ones or conglomerates, tend to bridge the void space for long periods of time, and when caved, may form blocky rubble that contains void spaces . Consequently, surface subsi dence sh ·uld be more rapid and greater over mine workings where the roof rock is thick shale. 
The problem of predicting surface areas in the Wyoming Valley that are likely to subside and the magnitude of such subsidence will be complica ed by the presence of the unconsolidated valley-fill deposit s. Good mining practice requires that a bedrock cover of 30 to 80 feet be maintained between the underground mine workings and the overlying valley-fill deposits (Roos, 1945). In general, surface subsidence at localities underlain by valleyfill deposits tends to be distributed over a larger area than would be affected if underlain only by bedrock. ash (1950) cites an instance in which a large, heavy, masonry building, resting on 200 feet of valley-fill was damaged by subsidence when no mining had been done directly under it, but when pillars were being 
•;robbed" in coal beds 600 t o 800 feet below the surface at dis= tances of 500 feet to the north and 300 feet to the west. Several case~ have been cited by ash (1950) where subsidence of the surface resulted when the valley=fill deposits broke into underground mine workings eit her because he workings intersected the int erface between the bedrock and the valley-fill or because of the failure of t he rock cover be tween the workings and the valley
fill deposits. Under such condit ion a funneling action may be establi8hed in t he unconsolidated sediments with the diamet er of 
• 
26 

~he area affected increasing upward. Subsidence will continue 
until the underground mine workings are filled or until equi
librium is established by which the material funneling into the 
workings can support the overlying load. Subsidence may be re
newed if this bQ;lance is disturbed5 for example, by the addition 
of w&t er. 
The water cont ent of t he overburden, especially of the valleyflll deposits, influences the conditions of subsidence. Water in Lhe anthracite mines of t he Northern Field has always been a problem, and has been one of t he main factors in curtailing or abandcnlng underground mi ning operation~ . Many of the mines are now practi cally filled wit h wat er. St rat a below the level of the Sus-· queh~nna Ri ver are probably water saturated. Perched water tables, however, might:: be present over impervious shale beds in the Llewellyn Formations a~ well a~ ~ver clay beds in t he valley~fill deposits. If tf.e imperv1ous l a yers are brt~ken by frac(u.re::: induced by subSldence, t:he perched wa ter table wi ll be t:apped and the water will descend r:o l ower levels . Wat er nat:urally f l ows toward surface de::pressi ons over subsiding are~s " The added weight of water and its lubricating effect on the strata may induce additional subsidence. Oversaturation of t he unconsolidat ed valley-fi ll deposits, such dS m1g~t: be brough r a bouL ~y flooding or prol onged periods of prec1p1r:ation, could i nduce r api d movement of r:he unconsolidated mat~rial through t he breached strat~ and inLo the underground mine workLngs whi ch would r esult in pronounced r Api d subsidence at the ground surface . 
Coal beds in t:he wyoming Valley have been s t rongly folded and f aulted (pl ., 6) . Surface ~ubsidence is infl uenced by structural f ea!"ur es t ha t c.:>nt:rol t:o a great ext ent , the mining in t he an t hr a. -· ci t e beds o l n general, r:he coa l is not mined i n t he vicinit y of major f ault s or tight. folds, not ~nly because it is re~ognized as an un:saf e pract i ce, bu t al fo' o becaus e the coal is commonly badlysheared and , at l eas t. in t:he past , hitis had 1i ttle economic value. In most: case~ t he areas, t r .':i.versed by fault s have betn left as sup~ por~ing pi llar £ i n t he mine~ ~ i n ~orne case~ the m~in barri er pil
lars: left: bet~.weren mines c.on train l arge f aults 0 The f ault ed areas are re~ognized a::; po1nts .:>f pot en::ial weakne.:t:::: 9 the rock.. and coal 1n r-he f aul ed zo• ne~ may crumble r~pidl y urider rhe increased pres~ 5ure-caus ed b y mi n1ng on e~ther or buLh ~ 1d~~·, The area under= lain ~y a fault should be considered a an area of potent ial sur= f ace s:uosidence o 
Folds v~stly complicate t he problem of predicting subsidence. Mi ning of cval beds along bot h t he flanks and t he core or apex of 
27 

folds produces different s t resses on the supporting columns of coal and rock than occur on essentially flat beds. The weight of overlying rock on the pi llars along the flank may be partly resolved into a tangenti al force par allel to the bedding. This tangential component is a shearing stress that increases with the sine of the inclinati on of t he beddi ng. Moderately to steeply inclined workings may collapse more readily under shearing stresses than horizontal workings would under corresponding amounts of load. When coll apse takes place in inclined workings at one point, the sheari ng stress is t ransmitted up and down the dip, which tends t o precipitate further collapse, and collapse of workings a t t he core or apex of t he f old i s great ly enhanced as a result. Fol ds also gr eatly increase t he pot ent ial collapse of workings by increasing t he number and direction of planes of weakness, not only by presen ting beddi ng planes and weak shaley beds at varying dips but by producing t ensi on fractures and joints along their axes . 
Other minor s t ructural f eat ures such as fissures, fractures, and joint systems in t he s t r ata serve as planes of weakness along which subsidence may t ake place. They may also provide channelways for wat er t o gai n access to t he mi ne workings . An ant hracite bed a t the int erface be t ween bedrock and valley-fill deposit s is normally inclined a t an angle to the horizont al. Mining of t he coal bed up to i t s i n t ersect ion with valley-fill establishes favorable condition s for surface subsi dence t o occur. 
&lthough subsi denc e of the l and surf ace has occurred a t many sites throughout t he Wyomi ng Va lley, the t wo large areas where localit ies of subsi dence have been mos t pronounced and have caused the most concern are~ 1) i n Ki ngston and Fort y Fort bet ween t he Susquehanna River on t he sou t h and t he Delaware, Lackaw~nna and Western railroad t racks on t he nort h, and 2) i n the nort hwes t ern part of Wilkes-Barre bet ween t he Susquehanna r iver and South Main Street , from Division St reet on t he wes t t o Sou t h Street on the east. I n the first area evi dence of t he subsidence can be seen at many point s along Wyomi ng avenue where t he road has sett led to various levels. Local depressi ons coveri ng an area of several lots can be seen along t he city blocks. Many f rame houses are t~isted and tilt ed out of shape ; cracks i n foundat ions and in walls of masonry buildings is common; a parochial school is reported to have tilt ed several degrees soon after construction. Similarly, in the second area s t reets have settled to various levels, foundations and walls of buildings are cracked, and frame houses are twist ed. The tops of t he levees along the south bank of the Susquehanna River have had t o be raised t o their original 
28 

e 	grade by the addition of sheets of steel. Intensive underground mining has been carried on in the anthracite beds that underlie both areas . The subsidence is undoubtedly directly related to 
the caving of strata into the workings of the underground mine. 
This relationship can be seen along Wyoming Avenue which is underlain in part by the barrier pillars between the Dorrance mine and the Kingston and East Boston mines and bectYeen the Henry mine and 
avenue
the Harry E~Forty Fort mine. ·At many places along the onehalf of the road has subsided, but the other half, which is under-· lain by the barrier pillar has not subsided, Buried-valley deposi t s overlie the bedrock in both the subsiding areas; the deposits range from 40 to 200 feet in thickness in the two areas and are over 100 feet thick under at least 50 percent of each area (pl. 
8B-8C) . 
Coal beds that intersect the buried-valley deposits in the area of subsidence in the Kingston and Forty Fort vicinities include the Hillman, Kidney, Abbott, and Snake Island (pl. 5)-. The 
beds have been folded into a series of east-and northeast-trending synclines and anticlines, some of which are named the Mill Creek syncline, the Henry syncline, and the Henry anticline (pl. 5). I11 addition to the subsidence that will eventually take place upon 
failure of any mine workings under the area, conditions are present by which rapid subsidence will occur if the buried-valley deposits gain access to the mine workings t hrough failures in the buffer zone of bedrock near the intersection of the valley-fill deposits and the coal bed. Several generally east-trending faults cut he bedrock below the valley-fill deposits in the subsided areas of Kingston and Forty Fort (pl. 5). The faults constitute planes of weakness and they should be considered as important fac
tors in potential subsidence . 
Mining data could not be obtained for the complete area of subsidence in the northwestern part of Wilkes-Barre. The Abbott, Snake I sland, No. 3, and probably some sLratigraphically higher coal beds intersect the valley-fill deposits in that area. The beds are folded into synclines and ant:iclines, and faults tran-· sect the area; therefore, favorable conditions for subsidence, similar to those in Kingston-Forty Fort area, are pr~sent here (pl. 5), 
29 

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 
The essential contribution of this report and its maps and illustrations to the -flood ·control study in the Northern Anthracite ·field is the geologic framework it provides ·of the Wyoming Valley. It 'includes~ (a) maps at a scale of 1 ~ 48,000 that show the areal distribution of rock formations and of surficial deposits in the Kingston and Pittston -7\' quadrangles (pl. 2) and in the Wilkes-Barre West and Wilkes-Barre East 7~' quadrangles (pl. 3); maps on a scale of 1~ 24,000 -that· show (b) the trace of outcrop and the structural configuration of the coal beds ·on ·the bedrock surface (pl. 5) and (c) structural configuration of the Lower Red ASh coal bed (pl . 6); which defines the stratigraphic base of the coal fields; ( d) contour maps at a scale of 1 ~ 24,000 . on· the bedrock surface beneath the valley fill in the Buried Valley of the Susquehanna River (pl. 7A-D) ; (e) isopachous maps ·at a scale of 1 ~ 24,000 that outline the thickness of the unconsolidated valley fill (pl. BA-D); (f) a cor~elation chart for the 26 anthracite beds in the 55 anthracit e mines in the Wyoming Valley (pl. 4). 
Planned objectives that had t o be abandoned for lack of time included~ (g) structure contour maps for two other coal beds of intermediate stratigraphic positions that together with (b) and 
(c) above would have provided a complete three dimensional model of· the structural features in the Wyoming Valley; (h) a number of cross sections that would have depicted the structural features in the vertical plane at pertinent intervals along the valley, but the -construction of which depended upon the completion of (g);· cross sections of the coal-bearing strata are included as a part of the U. S. Bureau of Mines report prepared concurrently with this study. (i) a definitive stratigraphic study of the unconsolidated valley fill sediments. The deferred parts of the study would have given considerably more geologic substance to the report and a greater underst anding of the structural complexities in -the Wyoming Valley. 
Alt hough no appraisal was made of the relationship between particular geologic components evolved in this study and the problem of. subsidence in specific .areas, some criteria concerning the study of subsidence were examined. The findings are briefly summarized below~ 
1. It is exceedi ngly difficult to evaluate or predict the quantitative and spatial aspects of subsidence,and practically impossible, with present means, to determine how subsidence will behave with time. Each i nst ance of subsidence i s almost unique 
30 

because of the great number of factors that musr be considered, each of which is individually variable and may be related to the others in a variety of ways. The factors include~ 
a . intensity and depth of mining, 
b . the t ype and amount. of roof support provided in the underground workings . Man~made supports may be discounted, except as a t emporary influence, 

c ~ the thickness and number of coal beds mined, 

d . the composit.i on, thickness, and consolidation of the strata and of the valley-fill deposits overlying the -mine workings, and t he stres~ characteristics of the rock, 

e. structural features such .as dip of coal beds and other strata, simple and complex folds, faults, fractures , and Joints, 

f . the character of the groundwat er in the overlying rocks and its acce aibility to the mi ne workings, 

g . mine wat er pools, barrier pillar s, and t he movement of mine water drainage . 


2. 
Surface subsidence i n the Wyoming Valley is caused basically by underground mining of anthracite beds . Collapse of mine workings and consequent subsidence of t he land surface is likely to happen soonesr and t o a greater degree where the ratio of coal mined t o coal remaining (or void space to coal pillars) is greatest. ·subsidence is prac t ically cert ain where the coal has been wholly extract ed under a given area . The chances of subsidence increase with the increase in number of coal beds mined below a given area. 

3. 
The area affected by subsidence over underground mine workings increases upward so that the area of subsidence at the ground surface is larger ~han t he area of the collapsed mine workings , The angle of draw, that is t he angle made between a vertical line and a st raight: line from t he margin of t he workings to the edge of the area of subsidence, has been found to range 'generally from 15° t o 25° in simple cases . Inclined planes of weakness , such as bedding planes, faul~s , frac ures, and joints, t end to enlarge t his angle ~nd cons equent ly the area of surface subsidence. Loca lly, a faul t , bedding plane, or a barrier pillar might ·serve ro limit r:he angl e · f draw. 


4o Modera t ely t o s~eeply inclined working& may collapse more readily under she~ring t res s es than horizont a l workings would under corresponding amounL£ of 1 ado When collap~ e takes place in inclined workings at one poin , : he shearing sr.ress is transmitted up and down the dip, which tends to precipitate further collapse, and coll apse of workings a t t he core or apex of t he fold is thereby incre~sed, 
5. Surface subsidence, in areas underlain by more than a 
superficial amount of valley-fill deposits, tends to cover a 
larger area than would be affected if underlain only by bed-~ 
rock. Subsidence may be intensified if the interface between valley fill and bedrock is breached so that unconsolidated ma~ 
terial funnels into underground workings . Groundwater might 
contribute substantially to this action. 

6 . It is apparent that each locality, with its individual set of conditions, has to be studied separately and minutely in order to predict whether or not subsidence will take place and, if so, how much. The maps accompanying this report will provide some of the geologic framework for such detailed analyses. 
RECOMMENDATIONS 
This report provides a generalized geologic framework of the Wyoming Valley .that is intended to assist in the more detailed studies of subsidence and foundation problem~ that arise in spe~ cific areas. All phases of geology should continue t o be studied to f i ll in the frameworkp emphasis should be plac~t~n'detailed investigations at specific localities in order to--learn more about the relation or reaction of geologic conditions to collapse of mine workings and t heir effect on surface subsidence. In order to adequately predict pot entially subsiding areas, the extent and amount of subsidence, and, therefore, the effects of such subsidence on the flood control levees and other related installations, a program of detailed investigations in known subsiding areas should be initiatedo Only ~y relating t he known subsidence to the mi ning conditions and to the stratigraphic, structural , and other geologic factors involved, and then, in turn, applying these relationships to other localities, can the answers to t he questions of where, when, and how much subsidence might be expect ed. Phases of the investigations that are critical in det ermining pot en ial subsidence and phases in which additional study i required include~ 1) a s t udy of the extent and conditions of t he underground coal mine workings , 2) a detailed study of the unconsolidat ed valley-fill sediments, 3) a study of both regional and local geologic structure, and 4) a detailed study of the bedrock strat igraphy in the coal-bearing str~ta. 
The extent and conditions of the underground mine workings and their relat ion to potential sub~idence have been studied and repor ed by the U. S. Bureau of Mines concurrently wit h this geologic study. By coordinating their findings with the geologic factors described in this report, a more complete picture of t he relationships at subsiding areas and po ential subsiding areas will be obtained. 
32 
The unconsolidated valley-fill sediments should be stud
ied to define and correlate sedimentary layers in the deposits . 
This may be accomplished by systematic detailed plotting of t he 
stratigraphic data from the existing drill hole records, but 
probably would have t:o be supplemented by drilling additional 
holes at select ed localities . Effort::s should be made to estab
lish relationships of ~urface subsidence t o individual types of 
sedimentary layers, for example, clay beds or sand beds. Stud
ies need t.o be made on the strength of materials in the uncon
solidated sediments and t·heir reactions t o s t resses induced by
collapsing underground mine workings . Ground water studies in 
these unconsolidated valley~fill sediments may define addition
al relationships in subsiding areas , and would be useful in un
derst anding problems of flooding in the Wyoming Valley, 
Additional study is required to obtain a more precis e t hree dimensi onal picture of ·he geologic structure in t he coal~~earingrocks t hat underlie the Wyoming Valley. The s t ructure at the 
base of t he Llewellyn Formation is depicted by the st:ructure contour map on t he Red ASh coal bed. St ructure cont our map should be compiled for two more beds wit hin the formation, such as the Pit s t on coal bed in t he lower one-t hird of the stra ·igraphic se
quence and the Hillman coal bed in t he upper one-third. Cross 
sections should be compiled t o show~ 1) the positions of the coal beds and their relationshi ps one t o another, 2) the variations in character and thickness of rock strata between coal beds,
and 3) the position, nature, and extent of folds and faults . Detailed s t udies in the vicinity of the flood control levees and associated inst allations should seek 
co establish the relationships between subsidence or pot ential subsidence and the degreeof inclinat ion of the underlying strata and the fractures and faults tha · transect chem. 
Stratigraphic studie s of the coal-bearing bedrock should include detailed descrip ions and thickness measurements of rock types in t he Llewellyn Formation. A s t udy of the lithologic
charact er and its variations in t he formation should include the 
construction of columnar seccions from a number of localities in the coal field that would indicate beds or a series of beds, of actual or pot ential weakness, as well as develop data on the var
iabilit y in thickness of the coal beds and of the interveningbeds of various rock t ypes . In subsiding a~eas an attempt should be made t o det ermine the structural charact eristics of particular rock t ypes, such as shale, sandst one, or conglomerate, and of various strata, such as coal beds or series of coal beds, thick beds of shale, or thick sequences of thi nly i nt erbedded coal, 
33 

shale, and sandstone. Special attention should be given to the characteristics of rock t hat form the roof in the mine workings . Test s shoul d be conduct ed to determine the strength ~ of various rock t ypes, their reactions to loads related to depth of burial, and their react:ions to stresses induced bycaving of mine workings . 
Alt hough t hey would cont r ibut e only a small part to flood 
control and surface subsidence studies, similar stratigraphic

studies in t he older underlying geologic formations would solve 
several correlat ion prob lems . Facies changes that occur within 
t he Mauch Chunk Formation as it thi.ns progressively from south
west to northeast need t o be more clearly defined. More work is 

needed t o determine i f t he Mauch Chunk Format ion actually in
tertongues wit h t he Pocono Formation. The Gri swold Gap Con
glomerat e of t he Poc ono Formation should be t r a ced t o more clear
ly define i t s charact er and distr ibution i n t he deposit ional 
sequence. An unconformity descr i bed a t t he base of t he Pocono 

Formation in che Western Mlddl e and t he Sout hern Ant hracite 
fields (Trexler and ot hers , 1961) ha s no yet been recognized
in t he Nort hern field, bu t addit ional de ai led geologic mapping 
may uncover i t . 

The Nort hern Anthr a cite field present s an opportunity for 
a long range study of the geology and coal resources of an en
tire coal basi n. Ampl e dat a f or such a s t udy can be obtained 
from coal company records and by geologic mapping. The objec
t ives of such a s t udy woul d be o 1) de t a i led geol ogic coverage
of the coal field and a dj acent areas , 2) det ailed s t rat igraph
ic and s rue ural st udi es of Lhe coal-bear i ng rocks, 3 ) a phys
iographic study of bot:h t:he Wyomi ng and the Lackawanna Valleys,
and 4) de t ermi na t ion of coal reserve i n the Nort hern Ant hra
cite field. 

REFERENCES CI TED 
American Geological I n s t itute , 1960, Glossary of geology and relat ed sciences~ Washi ng t on , D. C., Kaufmann, 72 p . -Ash, S. H. , 1950, Buried val"ey of the Susquehanna Ri ver, ant hraci e regi on of Pennsyl van i a g U. S. Bur. Mines Bull 494, 27 p. , 1954, Barrier pi llars i n Wyoming basin, northern 
--~~~
field, an hra c ite regi on of Pennsylvania~ U. S. Bur. Mines 
Bull. 538, 251 p . 
34 

Darton, N. H., 1940, Some structural features of the northern anthracite coal basin, Pennsylvania~ U. S. Geol. SurveyProf. Paper 193-D, 81 p. 
Fenneman, N. M. , 1946, Physical divisions of the United States: 
U. S. Geol . Survey Mi sc . Map . Itter, H. A., 1938, The geomorphology of the Wyoming-Lackawanna region~ Pa. Geol . Survey 4th ser. , Bull. G9, 82 p. Lewis, R. S. , 1941, Element s of Mining~ New York, John Wiley
& Sons, 579 p . 
Lobeck, A. K. , 1939, Gemorphology~ New York, McGraw-Hill, 731 p. 
McKinst ry, H. E. , 1948, Mining Geology~ Prentice-Hall, Inc . ,New York, p . 523-541 
Peltier, L. C. , 1949, Pleistocene terraces of the SusquehannaRiver, Pennsylvania~ Pa. Geol. Survey 4th ser. , Bull . G23, 158 p. 
Roos, G. A., 1945, Mi ne drainage in the anthracite region~ Min. Cong. Jour. , vol. 31, no . 6. 
Trexler, 	J . P. , Wood, G. H. , Jr. , and Arndt, H. H. , 1961, Angular unconformity separates Catskill and Pocono Format ions in western par t of Anthracite region, Pennsylvani a,
U. S. Geol . Survey Prof. Paper 424-B, Art . 38, p . B84-B88 . White, I . C. , 1881, The geology of Susquehanna County and Wayne County~ Pa . Geol . Survey 2d, Rept. G5, 243 p . 
----~--~' 1883, The geology of the Susquehanna River regionin the six countie~ of Wyoming, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Columbia, Mont our, and Northumberland~ Pa. Geol. Survey 2d,Rept . G7, 464 p . 
Wood, G. H. , Jr. , and ot hers, 1956, Subdivision of the Pottsville Formation in the Sout hern Ant hracite field, Pennsylvania~ Amer. Assoc . of Pet roleum Geol . ~ v . 40, no. 11, p. 26692688 . 
Wood, G. H. , Jr., Trexl er, J . P. , and Arndt , H. H., 1962, Penn
sylvanian rocks of t he sout hern part of the anthracit e region of ea s t ern Pennsylvania in Geological Survey Research, 1962~ U. S. Geol . Survey Prof . Paper 450-C, 
p. C39-C42 . 
35 

APPENDIX D 
DETAILED COST ESTIMATES FOR LEVEE RESTORATION, ANNUAL BENEFIT COMPUTATIONS 
AND 
PROJECT FORMULATION 

APPENDIX D 
DETAILED COST ESTIMATES FOR LEVEE RESTORATION, 
ANNUAL BENEFIT COMPUTATIONS 
AND 
PROJECT FORMULATION 

TABLE OF CONTENTS 
PURPOSE BASIS FOR ESTIMATES DESIGN DETAILS DETAILED COST ESTIMATES 
FORTY FORT BOROUGH KINGSTON BOROUGH EDWARDSVILLE BOROUGH WILKES-BARRE HANOVER TOWNSHIP ENGINEERING AND DESIGN 
SUPERVISION AND ADMINISTRATION ANNUAL BENEFIT COMPUTATIONS PROJECT FORMULATION 
TABLES  
Ntunber  
D-1  STAGE DAMAGE RELATIONS  
D-2  AVERAGE ANNUAL DAMAGE COMPUTATIONS  
D-3  PROJECT FORMULATION DATA  

Page 
D-1 
D-1 
D-1 
D-3 D-4 D-4 D-5 D-6 
D-6 D-6 D-10 
Page D-8 D-9 D-11 
D-i 

APPENDIX D 
DETAILED COST ESTIMATES FOR LEVEE RESTORATION ANNUAL BENEFIT COMPUTATIONS, AND PROJECT FORMULATION · 
PURPOSE 
The purpose of this appendix is to present all pertinent data concerning the proposed improvement, its costs, annual charges, and benefits which are not considered necessary for inclusion in the main report. The cost estimates and average annual benefits computations included in this appendix are at June 1970 price levels (Engineering News Record Construction Index = 1368.66 and ENR Building Index= 830.14, respectively). The figures given in the main report have been adjusted to reflect July 1971 pr~ce levels and conditions (ENR Construction Index= 1587.88 and ENR Building Index= 950.08). Project formulation is also presented in this appendix. 
BASIS FOR ESTIMATES 
Average unit prices for items of construction during June 1970 form the basis for estimating costs of the plan of improvement. Unit prices were obtained by a study of bids made by contractors for similar types of work and from cost figures for work performed for, or supervised by, the Corps of Engineers. Prevailing wage schedules, current prices quoted for materials, and local rates for rental of equipment were also utilized to make 'cost estimates. Quanities of materials needed and volumes of excavation and earthwork were computed in accordance with the design requirements. The cost estimates are believed to be reasonably accurate and realistic. 
DESIGN DETAILS 
Subsidence throughout the Wyoming Valley area, as a result of anthracite mining, has made necessary the raising and reconstruction of approximately 4-3/4 miles of levee and flood wall to meet Corps of Engineers standards for protection from a design flow of 232,000 cubic feet per second. The design protection equals the greatest flood of record, that of March 1936, with 3 feet of freeboard. The loss of protection from that provided by the original construction was determined to be approximately 1-1/2 feet in each of the areas protected. Areas which are more than 6 inches below design grade would be restored with an additional 2 feet above design, as would the areas repaired as emergency measures, to compensate for future settlement. The total freeboard in the reconstructed areas will be 5 feet to compensate for potential subsidence. In those areas now having a minimum of 2-1/2 feet of freeboard, no remedial action is proposed at this time. Such small amountsof settlement may be due, in part, to normal consolidation of the embankment, and are not indicative of significant mine subsidence in these areas. 
a 

~-2 D-1 
10-71 
Levees requiring repair will be stripped of sod, riprap, and any objectionable material. A levee slope of 1-vertical on 2-1/2-horizontal on the riverside and 1-vertical on 2-horizontal on the landside have been adopted to keep additional land acquisition to a minimum. A top width of 10 feet is proposed for all levees. Where the existing concrete wall in Wilkes-Barre is below grade, protection would be restored by driving steel sheet piling on the riverside of the existing wall and placing compacted fill between the two walls. Where the existing steel sheet piling wall in Forty-Fort is below grade, protection would be restored by welding the specified extensions on the existing wall and driving the modified wall to design grade. Closure at street crossings, such as Market and Pierce Streets, will be made with sandbags when necessary. Street elevations at these crossings are close to the design flow lines, and closure would be needed only during a major flood. 
D-2 

APPENDIX D DETAILED COST ESTIMATES FOR LEVEE RESTORATION 
FORTY FORTY BOROUGH The detailed estimate of cost for restoration of the levee system 
in Forty Fort Borough is as 
Item 
Care and diversion of water Stripping Excavation-common Excavation-borrow 
(a) Pervious 
(b) 
Impervious Embankment 

(a) Pervious 

(b) 
Impervious Seeding Slope protection Riprap toe Steel sheet piling Drainage structure 


follows: 
Unit  Quantity  
ls  job  
cy  4,650  
cy  3,700  
cy  24,840  
cy  13,685  
cy  21,600  
cy  11'900  
acre  1.5  
sy  7,940  
cy  2,120  
ton  326  
ls  job  

Contingencies 
Real estate and right-of-way costs 
Item  Unit  Quantity  
Estimated land and/or  
improvements Mapping & surveying  ls tracts  job 17  
Appraisals  tracts  17  
Title evidence  tracts  17  
Negotiating & closure  tracts  17  
Condemnations  (avg.  3  or  
18%)  
Contingencies  

Unit Price  Total Cost  
1.45 1.40  4,500 6, 740 5,180  
1.45 1. 50  36,020 20,530  
1.10 1. 25 800.00 10.00 5.75 260.00  23,760 14,880 1,200 79,400 12,190 84,760 11 1 000 $ 300,160 591 840 $ 360,000  
Unit Price $  Total Cost $  
225.00 225.00 112.00 225.00  12,400 3,830 3,830 1,900 3,830  
560.00  1 1 680 $ 27,470 61 130 $ 33,600  

a 

R-2 
D-3
lU-71 
KINGSTON BOROUGH 
The de tailed estimate of cost for restoration of the levee system in Kingston Borough is as follows: 
Unit  
Item  Unit  Quantity  Price  Total Cost  
$  $  
Stripping Excavation, Excavation, Excavation,  common existing riprap borrow  cy cy cy  18,705 11,500 695  1.45 1.40 2.25  27,120 16,100 1,560  
(a) Impervious Embankment, impervious Seeding Slope protection Riprap toe  cy cy acre sy cy  64,610 56,180 11.5 1,835 360  1. 50 1. 25 800.00 10.00 5.75  96,920 70,230 9,200 18,350 20 2 700  

$ 260,180
Contingencies 
51 2 820 $ 312,000 
Real estate and right-of-way costs 
None 
EDWARDSVILLE BOROUGH 
The detailed estimate of cost for restoration of the levee systemin Edwardsville Borough is as follows: 
Unit Item 
Unit Quanti!Y Price Total Cost $ $ 
Stripping 
cy 1,375 1.45 
1,990
Excavation, common 
cy 900 1.40 1,260
Excavation, borrow 
(a) Impervious 
cy 6,300 1. 50 9,450
Embankment 
cy 5,480 1. 25 6,850
Seeding 
acre .9 800.00 
720 $ 20,270 Contingencies 
31 730 
$ 24,000 
Real estate and right-of-way costs 
None 
D-4
R-2 10-71 
WILKES-BARRE The detailed estimate of cost for restoration of the levee system 
in Wilkes-Barre is as follows: 
Unit Item Unit guantit~ Price Total Cost $ $ 
Stripping cy 9,320 1.45 13,510 
Excavation, common cy 4,200 1.40 5,880 
Excavation, borrow 

(a) Impervious cy 30,860 1.50 46,290 Embankment, impervious cy 26,840 1.25 33,550 Seeding acre 6.1 800.00 4,880 Slope protection sy 7,030 10.00 70,300 
Steel sheet piling ton 578 260.00 150,280 Concrete Wall lf 900 80.00 72,000 Removal of existing handrailing lf 980 .60 590 $ 397,280 Contingencies 79z720 
$ 477,000 
Real estate and right-of-way costs 
Unit Item 
Unit Quantity Price Total Cost $ $ 
Annual estimated rental value (one year) ls job 900 Restoration of land ls job 
1,125
Appraisals tracts 1 225.00 225 Negotiating & closing tracts 1 225.00 225 Condemnation tracts 1 
560.00 	560 $ 3,035 
Contingencies 	365 $ 3,400 
R-2 	D-5 

HANOVER TOWNSHIP 
The detailed estimate of cost for restoration of the levee system in Hanover Township is as follows: 
Unit Item Unit Quantity Price Total Cost 
$ $ Stripping cy 9,605 1.45 13,930 Excavation, common cy 4,400 1.40 6,160 Excavation, borrow 
(a) Impervious cy 36,850 1.50 55,280 Embankment, impervious cy 32,030 1. 25 40,040 Seeding acre 5.5 800.00 4,400 Slope protection sy 1,250 10.00 12~500 
$ 132,310 Contingencies 26 2 690 $ 159,000 
Real estate and right-of-way costs 
This area of land will be furnished at no cost to the government. 
ENGINEERING AND DESIGN -SUPERVISION AND ADMINISTRATION 
The engineering, design, supervision, and administration costs for all of the above improvements are: 
Engineering and design $ 73,200 
Supervision and administration 79,800 
Total $153,000 
ANNUAL BENEFITS COMPUTATIONS 
The degree of protection lost from subsidence is estimated to be 1-1/2 feet at each of the communities affected. While the loss in most instances is in the freeboard zone, the average annual benefits justifying the project were taken only to the flow line of 232,000 cfs, the 1936 flood flow. Since 3 feet of freeboard is required to assure protection from the desi gn flow, any loss of freeboard reflects a comparable loss of protection below the stage of the 1936 flood flow. The average annual bene: its from restoring the subsided freeboard would be the elimination of t he average annual damages occurring from flows in the range of 1936 flood to 1-1/2 feet below this flow. The average annual damages prevented i n this range were computed using the existing 
R-2 D-6 
and modified damage-frequency curves derived from the stage damage
relations shown in Table D-1 and discharge-frequency and stage-dischargerelations shown in Table D-2. The discharge-frequency relations incorporate the effect of five existing upstream flood control reservoirs
(Almond, Arkport, Easy Sidney, Stillwater, and Whitney Point) and thetwo that are in the preconstruction planning stage (Cowanesque andTioga-Hammond). 
Average annual damages for existing conditions arerepresented by the area under the existing damage-frequency curve.Similarly, the area under the modified damage-frequency curve representsthe average annual damages that can be expected after the proposed improvement. The area between the existing and modified damage-frequency curvesin the range of the 1936 flood stage to 1-1/2 feet below this stagerepresents the average annual damages that would be prevented by restoringthe subsided freeboard. The average annual benefits are $26,500 atSwoyersville-Forty Fort, $150,000 at Kingston-Edwardsville, and $233,500at Wilkes-Barre and Hanover Township. The average annual damage computations are shown in Table D-2. 
D-7 
j 
Table D-1 
STAGE DAMAGE RELATIONS WITHIN PROTECTED AREAS WITH PROTECTION REMOVED JUNE 1970 CONDITIONS 
Referenced Swoyersville-Kingston1936 Flood Wilkes-Barre Forty Fort Edwardsville Gage* X $1,000 X $1,000 
-5 28.07 $ 600 $ 8, 300 -4 29.07 944 11,180 -3 30.07 1,808 15,160 -2 31.07 2,690 19,640 -1 32.07 4,120 23,230 1936 33.07 5,090 27,130 +1 34.07 6,360 32,6 70 
* 	Zero Datum 512.07 1 msl 
Wilkes-Barre-
Hanover Twp • 
X $1,000 

$ 	14,990 19,100 23,980 29 ,590 
35 '9 70 
43,080 
50,580 
D-8 

• 

TABLE D-2 

AVERAGE ANNUAL DAMAGES WITHIN PROTECTED AREAS
WITH PROTECTION REMOVED
JUNE 1970 CONDITIONS 

Swoyersville-Forty Fort Kingston-Edwardsville Wilkes-Barre-Hanover Twp.Frequency Damage Incremental Damage Damage Incremental Damage Damage Incremental DamageStage Flow (cfs) Percent Increment X $1,000 X $l,b00 Avg Annual
t:j X $1,000 X $1,000 Avg Annual X $1,000 X $1,000 Avg Annual
I 
\.0 1936 Wilkes-Flood BarreGa ge* 
-2 31.07 214,000 
1. 70 $2,690 $19,640 $29,590
0 . 20 $3,050 $ 6 I 100 $20,530 $41,060 $31,180 $62 , 3 70
-1~ 31.5 7 219,000 1. so 3,400 
21,430 32 , 780 
0 . 30 3, 770 11,310 22,330 66,980 34,370 103,120
-1 32 . 07 224,000 1. 20 4,120 
23,230 35,970
0.33 4,610 15 > 210 25 > 180 83,090 39,520 130,430
1936 33 . 07 232,000 0.87 5,090 2 7> 130 
43,080
0.43 6,000 25,800 28,705 123,430 "47,090 202 , 49 0
+2 35 . 07 256,QOO 0.44 
---------_Z,l_1() 32,4_30 54,510 
* Ze ro Da tum 51 2 . 07' ms1 
PROJECT FORMULATION 
Several degrees of flood protection in Wyoming Valley were considered in the project formulation phase of this study. Pertinent data for each level of protection are given in Table D-3. The effect of existing and anticipated future upstream flood control structures is reflected in the table. The proposed plan of improvement will provide protection from the 115-year flood on the Susquehanna River under existing conditions and from correspondingly less frequentfloods as upstream control increases. If the flood protection systemfailed during a recurrence of the 1936 flood of record, the resultingflood waters would cause approximately $80,000,000 in damage in the highly developed areas of the Wyoming Valley. Failure of the protection system was assumed to occur when the design discharge of 232,000 cfs was exceeded although, in fact, the freeboard would provide a somewhat higher degree of protection. An evaluation of higher levels of protection show that while it is economically feasible to provide a greaterlevel of protection, local costs would be of such a magnitude as to preclude local interests from fulfilling the requirements of local 
cooperation. Bridge and utility alterations and the additional land 
required for increasing the design protection two feet, all of which are local cost, would exceed the total cost of the recommended levee restoration improvements. It would not be prudent to assume that local interests could satisfy the requirements of a more costly alternative. 
D-10 
R-3 3-72 
TABLE D-2 

AVERAGE ANNUAL DAMAGES WITHIN PROTECTED AREAS 
WITH PROTECTION REMOVED 
JUNE 1970 CONDITIONS 

Swoyersville-Forty Fort Kingston-Edwardsville Wilkes-Barre-Hanover Twp .Frequency Damage Incremental Damage Damage Incrementa 1 Damage Damage Incremental Damage 
t:1 Stage Flow (cfs) Percent Increment X $1,000 X $1,000 Avg Annual X $1,000 X $1,000 Avg Annual 
X $1, 000 X $1, 000 Avg AnnUB 1 
I 
\.0 1936 Wilkes-Flood Barre Gage* 
-2 31.07 214,000 
l. 70 $2,690 $19,640 $29,590
0 . 20 $3,050 $ 6' 100 $20,530 $41,060 $31,180 $62,370
-1\ 31.5 7 219,000 l.50 3 , 400 
21,430 32,780
0 . 30 3' 770 11,310 22,330 66,980 34,370 103,120
-1 32 . 07 224,000 l.20 
4,120 23,230 35,970
0.33 4,610 15,210 25' 180 83,090 39,520 130,430
1936 33 . 07 232,000 0 . 87 5,090 
27' 130 43,080
0.43 6,000 25,800 28,705 123,430 47 '090 202,490
+2 35.07 256,000 0.44 
7,310 32,430 54,510 
*Zero Datum 512 .07' ms1 
L 
PROJECT FORMULATION 
Several degrees of flood protection in Wyoming Valley were considered in the project formulation phase of this study. Pertinent data for each ~evel of protection are given in Table D-3. The effect of existing and and anticipated future upstream flood control structures is reflected in the table. The proposed plan of improvement will provide protection from the 115-year flood on the Susquehanna River under existing conditioqs and from correspondingly less frequent floods as upstream control increases. If the flood protection system failed during a recurrence of the 1936 flood of record, the resulting flood waters would cause approximately $80,000,000 in damage in the highly developed areas of the Wyoming Val~ey. Failure of the protection system was assumed to occur when the design discharge of 232,000 cfs was exceeded although, in fact, the freeboard would provide a somewhat higher degree of protection. An evaluation of higher levels of protection show that while it is economically feasible to provide a greater level of protection, l ocal costs would be of such a magnitude as to preclude local interests from fulfilling the requirements of local cooperation. Bridge and utili ty alterations and the additional land required for increasing the design protection two feet, all of which are local cost, would exceed the total cost of the recommended levee restoration improvements. The District Engineer's recommendation that restoration of the subsided protection be accomplished at Federal expense is based on the premise that local interests are unable to meet these costs. It would not be prudent to assume that local interests could satisfy the requirements of a more costly alternative. 
D-10 

Table D-3 
PROJECT FORMULATION DATA 
Occurrence Stage Upstream Flow Interval 1936 Wilkes-Barre Flood Control Percent of Modified in Flood Gage* Development cfs Standard Project Flood** Years 
-1-1/2 31.57 	Existing Conditions l/ 219,000 50.4 67 1980 Plan 2/ 219,000 54.5 95 2000 Plan ]/ 219,000 57.6 124 
1936 33.07 	Existing Conditions l/ 232,000 53.3 115 1980 Plan 2/ 232,000 57.5 140 2000 Plan ll 232,000 60.7 190 
t::l 
t-' 
I +2 35.07 Existing Conditions ll 256,000 58.8 	228 
t-' 	1980 Plan 2/ 
256,000 63.5 300 2000 Plan ll 256,000 67.0 400 
* Zero Datum 512.07' msl 
** Modified due to upstream reservoirs 

ll Includes Almond, Arkport, East Sidney, Stillwater, Whitney Poit, Aylesworth Cowanesque and TiogaHammond Reservoirs. 11 Includes existing plus Davenport Center, Fabius, South Plymouth, Five Mile Creek and Mud Creek Reservoirs. ]/ Includes 1 and 2 plus East Guilford Reservoir. 

APPENDIX E 
ADDITIONAL PROTECTION CONSIDERED 

APPENDIX E 

ADDITIONAL PROTECTION CONSIDERED 

LOCATION EXTENT AND CHARACTER OF FLOOD DAMAGES SOLUTION CONSIDERED ANNUAL CHARGES ANNUAL BENEFITS PLAINS TOWNSHIP 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 
E-1 FLOODED AREA E-1 E-1 E-2 E-2 E-2 
E-i 

APPENDIX E 
ADDITIONAL PROTECTION CONSIDERED PLAINS TOWNSHIP 
LOCATION 
At a public hearing held by the District Engineer in June 1946, and at subsequent meetings, the Board of Commissioners of Plains Township indicated a desire for flood protection for Plains Township in Luzerne County. The Township, with a population of approximately 11,400, borders the left or east bank of the Susquehanna River immediately upstream from Wilkes-Barre for a distance of about 3-1/2 miles, and extends an average of about 5 miles landward from the river. The easterly two-thirds of the Township is a sparsely populated, mountainous area largely owned or leased by coal-mining companies. The westerly strip of the township, a roughly triangular area about 2 miles long and approximately 1/2 mile broad at its widest part, lies within a bend in the river, and, except for a knoll at the upstream end, is subject to inundation by flood waters. 
EXTENT AND CHARACTER OF FLOODED AREA. 
The area flooded, with the exception of a portion of Plainsville, is almost entirely agricultural and contains about two percent of the population of the Township. The river overflows low-lying portions of its banks in the area almost yearly at a stage of approximately 18 feet on the Wilkes-Barre gage. The farm area is completely inundated on the average of about once in 10 years; however, more than 90 percent of the high flows occur during the period November through April and cause little farm damage. The ground surface at the edge of the flood plain rises rapidly, and very little additional area is inundated by higher, less frequent floods. 
FLOOD DAMAGES 
The flood of record occurred in March 1936, reaching an elevation of approximately 551 feet above mean sea level at Plainsville and producing a gage reading of 33.1 feet at Wilkes-Barre. Other severe floods, in order of magnitude, were May 1946 (32.0 feet), March 1964 
(30.2 feet), and April 1960 (29.6 feet). At the June 1946 public hearing the Board of Commissioners of Plains Township submitted a report on damages incurred during the floods of March 1936 and May 1946. The report states, " ... in 1936 the amount in dollars of flood damages to rural and farm properties was in the neighborhood of $40,000. The 
E-l 
amount in dollars of flood damages to urban and private properties was in the neighborhood of $15,000. In 1946, the amount in dollars of flood damages to rural and farm properties was in the neighborhood of $85,000 and the amount in dollars of flood damages to urban and private properties was in the neighborhood of $15,000." A report on the flood damage to railroad property and operations, submitted at the same time, indicated damages in the area of $17,000 in 1936 and $15,000 in 1946. The estimated total damage from the 1946 flood is $115,000, the majority of which was agricultural. The damages caused by the 1946 flood were exceptionally large by comparison. The flood came at the end of May and is the only large flood of record occurring so late in the growing season as to cause extensive damage to crops. Damages decrease sharply for flood crests ranging to 4 feet below the 1936 flood level or 29.1 feet on the Wilkes-Barre gage. Only seven floods have crested at or above this level since the period of continuous record began in 1891. Below a stage of 29 feet, damages decrease gradually for flood crests ranging to a stage of 24 feet, at which point damages are negligible. Average annual flood damages for this area, based on June 1970 prices, are $14,200. 
SOLUTION CONSIDERED 
To protect the Plainsville area from discharges equal to the flood of record, a levee 6,420 feet long with an average height of 18 feet would be required. Three major closure structures and one pumping station would also be required as part of the plan. Based on the history of subsidence in the area and the report by the U.S. Bureau of Mines included in Appendix B, two feet of "subsidence" freeboard in addition to the normal three feet of freeboard has been included in establishing the top of protection. Based on preliminary estimates, the current first cost of such a project at June 1970 prices, would be $2,052,000, of which $2,027,000 would be Federal costs and $25,000 would be non-Federal costs. 
ANNUAL CHARGES 
The estimated annual charges, based on a project first cost of $2,052,000 and amortized over a project life of 100 years at 5-1/8 percent interest, is $109,900, of which $104,600 would be Fede ral costs and $5,300 non-Federal costs. The non-Federal costs include $4,000 annual maintenance and operation charges. 
ANNUAL BENEFITS 
The average annual flood control benefits accruing to the plan of improvement, based on June 1970 prices, are $4,900. Despite recent industrial construction adjacent to Plainsville, the . inclusion of enhancement benefits from flood protection does not appear to be appreciable because of the threat of subsidence in the area and the availability of suitable areas for development on adjacent high land. The benefit-cost ratio for the considered plan of improvement is less than 0.1 to 1.0. 
E-2 
APPENDIX F 
LOCAL COOPERATION 

,.........--------------

INI'RODUCTION 
Number 
F-1 
F-2 
F-3 
F-4 
F-5 F-6 F-7 F-8 
APPENDIX F 
LOCAL COOPERATION 

TABLE OF CONTENTS 
FIGURES 
Title 
Copy of letter from Balttmore District to local agencies 
Resolution of assurance from City of WilkesBarre, Pennsylvania 
Copy of letter from Baltimore District to City of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania 
Resolution of assurance from Borough of Kingston, Pennsylvania 
Copy of letter from Baltimore District to Borough of Kingston, Pennsylvania 
Resolution of assurance from Borough of Edwardsville, Pennsylvania 
Resolution of assurance from Hanover Township, Pennsylvania 
Resolution of assurance from Luzerne County, Pennsylvania 
F-i 

APPENDIX F 
LOCAL COOPERATION 
INTRODUCTION 
The purpose of this appendix is to present data showing that the agencies which will represent local interests in fulfilling the terms of local cooperation have indicated a willingness to participate in the restoration of the levee system along the Susquehanna River in the Wyoming Valley, Pennsylvania. These same agencies, the City of WilkesBarre, the Boroughs of Kingston and Edwardsville, Hanover Township, and Luzerne County, supplied acceptable assurances of local cooperation for the original flood control improvements in the Wyoming Valley. 
F-1 
.
..
.. 
8 October 1970 
!!..lyC:l" ~nd Couucil of City of ';{illws-B<irre Cic:y Jjall \-!il!~e:::; -Barrc, rcnnsylvnnia 18701 
Gentlc;::eu: 
Dy rc::olution of the Cor:I:nittee on Public ~-lorks of th~ United States Senate, adopted 14 Scpte~ber 1955. the il:lltil!'.orc JJ13trict \iao ::uthorizcd to rcvil~'-' previous n:)C>rts on tl;·.:l !>usque::l~.:!r.nn I'.lver to .:tt.:tcrmin~.:~ t !1c need for tnodifying t i;c report rccornncnclat:ions pcrtRining to c1.:c:as uff~ctcd hy the hm·ri cauc flood of f:.u<::n:; t. 1955. 'iii'.~ ·!'ublic Work~; :'..pproprintion !.ct for i.~i~c.:1l y , -:-:.r 1961 c.uthc!::i.::cd t he J..::..lti~orc lHr.:t;:ic t to c:·=~' ; : r. d the atudy to inclu~:c ~.;ubni.dr.uc(~ probl~t ~s r~:;uJ.tiug £x-OtJ. J<Li.rd_;.ig uul:..:r ti1e £lood plRlu of ti.1c Su~qu'-:::: ~nna ~dv'.~ r in r: 1r~ Wyo::-1ii:tg Valley. 
Our ~; tudic~ in r.:c;::;ponsc to t l ,c :H! authorizatiOl~fl hr:·ve fcund tl:~:t r(::> t:m::;lion of t i1e Gu0~:tdP<l an.:~s o.~: th~ \.'yorr.ius \".::llc:y loc::l flood prott~ ction projec.:t:::; .:-,t. S-;loycr: 
ville-l-'crty Fort, ::iu~~cton-Luh' <:rL· ,_ :.:;villc, and t'j_ ]_l ·.cn-J~;\rr•;-!Llnovcr 'l'o< ::-. ~_. ~d.!1 io i c;.:.;d.blc il3 n ~-<~<.;t.' r<'ll ~~-l:c ~(, :.:taking. I D.N ir..closin:;; a c.htlliled t!c>c)::i.r) tic.n ef our pro1) 0~:i -:•d il.~~rov.:·:;<'2 nt:l, to~·~tiH.:.l" ,,·it;l iiVC! ;;l.:1tcs sll0·.-.-lu~ t :l'.! loc-'ltion and l'lnns for tl .:-:co~':"l lir;hin,-; t:llc con~; i_c :(!'J:"£:d rc~toration. The c.<J tirwtcd co:.;t l Jf. ti:c 1.~ · :):-ovc.::: ~nts is n,::.I.)3,00D of "''i;! r.:.h ~1,5LtG,000 is :;:·.:.Jeral cc~t c, :ul ~37 ,000 i:i nonFCL1. e~~;:; l coo-; t. ·~:he non-Fcclcr·al coot L; for the D.c\·;.; i tional L.1 q._\ rcqui:ced to }·;;i_::; {! the p;_·otccticn iu f:,·("::y Fo'-·t j;r) :r.ou;:)1 and :i.n tr, ~ Cit:' of ·KilJ...;;~;-~<n:rl!, D.nd in iu tl1G! <..counto of $33,600 «n..: ~>j)I,QO, rc[•P'~cth•cly. 
To pc.n:dt t il0 ::.>is t-::1 ct: Er.gir;.'-'•: r to r:~cc::·..-.wrd c -:n :::-, i::n.:.,-: ti0n o.[ t; ; :(:S~ ir~pt·o\~:' ·~:'~:!ll.tn f· .. .-. t:h·:--! Cou~rc~ ..:.: , i t i~ l:.cce3Brtry •:h:~t I 1::---.vc ~n i1 ·.:.J ic.~t:ton fr;·u > ·:-· .:;pr~ .. · -.i..L1lc.: l0c.:~l uu\:1 -. c·..::!. tics t i1::.:: tncy ~ri'• l"O'-' · "! t !1c pro~: r.-· .__.,J pl:m &.:.nd t:l · . 1. the:/ \J.i.ll f tilflll tL~ t::cr:.::; ui: local ~'-l::) ;)i_~ i:J. tion, slt.->lld tk.! i•:Cr.,_;..-•.:t b~! ;;ut: :l~ i: l:'..;:d Ly t l:c I_C•ll!-;rC:i~ . r [J ;'Q i~-~cJ_:)_; i:.~~ <l GCL1plc t"l!SClutio\1 1 r ~: ich :; t;i1:·_,~ t he rc.:;u.i.n.:: •:r~;l t~ of :tPc.:>l C•:'lc ~-L~ r.-c.U.on. A sh.ilur rerwb Lion by tit::: City Coc.ncil \,'ill L::: ::.:ttisf.:.c l.:o::·y. 
Figure F-1 
l~A~Pi-B ~ October l'J70 
llayor and Council of City of \-lilkes-Bane 

T::c:J·~ con~d.•_i.;.: r.ed Jt1prove:.,1cnts are prcli:.dnary until tl1ey have bc~n :lp~: r~;v~d !.:y :;i;--,h.cr authority ~o:ithin the Corps of ! : ~ginecrs, at \lhic.h tJ;;,c t h e iJJ.-. blon Et:g:ln ~cr in :.;cw York, }!.ajor General Cltarlf::g ;-t . :Uuk~, ·.:ill. 1.--..f c. n ; you of th0 r .:: cowncnd(!d pl.:m. '..i.'l.c inforr.l<ltion prc3cntca IWl:'(•:i n is ll<•t for r~lc:~se to the public Ht thi!J time. 
:>itoulci you 11r:vc any questions concerning these propo:;cd improve!· ·~Hl::;, ple.:1s c call ' l thcr !~r. ;;,avid Lacici or i·ir. '.Lhowas \-[nclley of thiu office, nrca code 3Cl-9GZ-2652. 
~iucerely yours, 
~ Inc.losurvu G. H. ~Ul.LLR 
1. )j,·:;crip t.i.0 :l C!liP.f, l:;ngineerin~ Division 
2. 
Plates (.J) 

3. 
Sanple >;solution 


Same letter sent same day to: 
Board of Commissioners of Hanover Townsh i p Municipal Building, 104 Lee Park Avenue Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania 18702 
County Commissioners of Luzerne County County Courthouse Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania 18702 
Mayor and Council of Borough of Kingston 
P.O. Box 1229 Kingston, Pennsylvania 18704 
Mayor and Council of Borough of Edwardsville Borough Hall Edwardsville, Pennsylvania 18704 
Figure F-1 
IS 'lO CERTIFY That the followi ng reeolution was adopted by
t~<=,'lrv THIS 
the 	City Council of' the Ci t y of Wilkes-Barre 
Wilkes-Barre, Pa..........~~9..Y.~Y.~t>.~.r....!:h....J:.9..ZQ___

· ~ ·: c 	r--(
\ ~ ~c;;·
. N 0 .... ... ..... ...................:...... : ......... .

Resolutwn 
BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Wilkes-Barre: THAT 

City Council hGs reviewed the proposed plan of improvement for the 
Susquehanna ~-(i ver in ~lyo·:.il;;r '/alley, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, 
shown on drav1in;::;s of the uepart:·aen:.. of the Army, plates 2 throue:h 6 

dated ~ovember, 1970, and consider the plan generally acceptable, and that if a Federal pro ject for i n: provemcnt of this waterway is author
tf;e 	~ .a:,~ur ar:d Coun cil of the City of Hilkes-Barre,ized by Cor1. ·:o:· n~s , 
the 	required
Pennsyl','.:lfJ in , v;i ~ ~-D.~' 3U.!. ia r,: ~' ~~", l L~> i·uili GY for furni sl1inr:: 
i teffiS Of :l_ o C.'J ~-!;(>:_; 0'~ 1'<1 v iL•l ; a~: :._~uJ.lvWS : 

.ct . F' i·o.,.I ici · ~ , ~/~r.i. : ~( i t,: cc:.:~L. to tl19 United States , all lands, ; _: :E.t r :L ._·) ,:, s -ui'-Hay ne cess ary for reha~ilitation
': [.<'' ·. :. ::i: ~ s l 
u J. 
u . i:clcl ;uJ. s~ve ·~ he Ur _;_ ted St.:,ales free fro1.1 clama~:~ es due to L:I"; cclsL:cuc:. ion worl(s; 
c . ;_.::tin ,ai n and operate the rehabilit~ted projects, without cusL ~o ~h~ United States, in accordance with reg ulations pr·2~criLed by tl-1e Se cretary of the A1 ·n.y; 
d. 	J.ake periodic i~spections and leveling surveys alonG eubankmont and :celat ed structures to determine if and wher e subsidence has occurred a nd the a r:1ount thereof; 
e . 	Assune Jnaintl:?nan ce responsibility for restorint; the 
prot(·: ct iv t' Horks to desi.~n conditions , including the c~xtconslon of t he pro tective works to tie to hi .=; h :?' r ound \ ·1h2n necessary; 
f . :.:akc (;\'t? ry effort to pre vent encroachr:1 ent and rez. ulnte thus e aspec"vs of mining activities vThich mi1.)1t interf.3re 
v:i t h pr oper' funcl:.ioning of the projects; 
.c_· . 	Provide:' p; uidance and leadership in preventinc; unwise future develop&~nt of the flood plain by use of appropriatt.:; flood plain manag ement techr,iques to r e duce f.Loocl losses . 
n . The financial responsibility of the City of Hilkes-Sarre for the above described Project shall not exceed 83 ,400 .00. 
Figure F-2
L 
.
-·-------.._ .. 
~·--
----· 
NABPL·P lS JDnuary 1971 : 
Hr. Robert S. Foote 
City Clerk 
City of Wilkes-Barre 
City Hall 
Will~f.l-Barre, Pcnasylvania 18701 

Den r Ur. Foote 2 
• 
We h:::va received a copy of the City Council Resolutiot\ No. 31657, adopted 4 Nover:tbcr 1970, \lhich st{]tes that the City Council of the City of HilkesJ.Wrrc finds our plnn £or restoring the subsided areas of the Uyor:1ing VDlley local flood protection projects generally acceptable, ond uill assume responsibility for furnishing the re.quired items of local coop<n:ation described in items "a" tht'Ough "g'' of the resolution. 
Item "h" of the resolution fitlltes: '"l'lte financial respon~ibility of the City of H:i.lke:;:-Bnrrc for the above described Project shall not exceed eJ,400.00." 'l'he {]tn.OUllt quoted is the estimated non-Federal co&t for tho additionlll land re~1uired to raise the protection in l·lilkcs-lklrrc. This cost 1.£ prel:Uninary and subject to revidon and, as cuch,$3,400.00 may not ba tho limit of financial rcr;ponaibility for Llcquisition of tl-.e land at the titna of construction of tho ir.lprovec-.ent. It B·houl.d also be noted that otl:er items of assurnnco may e~eetl the $3,400.00 limit stated in item "h'' of the Council 1 G Resolution. 
A more acceptable :3tOtement on non-Federal fin.andal responsibiHty t~oulu read: ''tie undcrr.tand that by pzwsing t:hio rcsoludon we do not COWUlit tiie City of \>Tilkco-Barre to any financial oblll;Lition at this time." 
·He woul.d t!ppred.nte receiving within the next rnonth a neu resolution "1ith item "h'' changed ns indicated or o;:1itted completely. 
Sincerely yours, 
l1ILLVJ·1 E. TrtiE~: Cmlf.N• Jr. Cld.c.: f , Pl~nr.~.nz, Divir::io~ 
rc: Planning Division 
Figure F-3 

MEMOCRS OF COUNCIL CHARLES A. BANKES
BOROUGH OF KINGSTON

RALPH ~-BROWN 
MayorPresident 
WM. J . FAHEY
Ht:NRY T. BILLMAN 	LuZERNE CoUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA 18704 
SolicitorVice-President 
WILLLU!: R. .JA~IES
FRANK J. O'CoNNELL. JR. 500 WYOMING AVE. -P. 0. Box 1229 Treasurer
HENRY AVERY 

W. J. PETTEBONE
PHoNE 288-4576 AREA ConE 717
SPUUGEON HANDLEY 	Secutary 
RonE:R':'SLAFF JOHN BURKE ANDREW MARKo EngineerNovember 12, 1970 PAUL B. SACHS
Aut. Eng. 
L s.SPAULDING
. Elec. Eng. 
G. M. Miller1 Chief Eng i neering Division
Department or the Army
Baltimore District, Corps. of Engineers

P. 0. Box 1715
Baltimore, 1-!aryland 21203 
Dear 	Mr. Miller: 
Pursuant to your letter of October 8, 1970, weare enclosing herewith copy of Resolution which was adoptedby the Town Council of the Borough of Kingston at an
adjourned regular meeting held on November 6, 1970. 
Very 	truly yours, 
~~TON 

W. J. PETTEBONESecretary 
WJP:cu 
Enc. 
CC: 	Department of Water &
PO\-Ier Resources Board 

Figure F-4 
Council !t1ccts First Monday of Each Month at 7:30 !O..
P~.!t~f.:..-	--------------
R E S 0 L U T I 0 N 
WHEREAS, a Resolution duly adopted by the Mayor and 
Council or the Borough of Kingston on November 6, 1970 
that 	they have reviewed the proposed plan or improvement for 
the Susquehanna River in Wyoming Valley, Luzerne County, 
Pennsylvania, shown on your ~rawings, plates 2 through 6 date'1 
November 1970, and consider the plan generally acceptable, and 
That if a-Federal project for improvement of this 
waterway is authorized by Congress, the Mayor anrf Council of the 
Borough of Kihgston, Pennsylvania, will assume responsibility for 
furnishing the required items of local cooperation ~hich we 
understand to be as follows: 
(a) 	Provide 2 without cost to the United States,all l~ncts, easements1 and rights-of-~ayneces~ary for rehabilitation of theprotective system; subject to participation
ana share of the costs by the Water and PowerResources Board of the Jepartment of Forests &Waters of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; 
(b) Hold and save the United 3tates free fromdamages due to the construction works; 
(c) 	l4aintain and operate the rehabilitated projects,withou: cost to the United States, in accor
dance with regulations prescribed by the
Secretary of the Army; 
(d) 	Make periodic inspections and leveling surveysalong embankment and related structures todetermine if and where subsidence has occurred
and the amount thereof; 
(e) 	Assume maintenance responsibility for restoringthe protective works to design conditions,including the extension of the protective worksto tie to high ground when necessary; 
(f) 	Make every effort to prevent encroachment andregulate those aspects of mining activitieswhich might interfere with proper functioning
of the projects; 
Figure F-4 
· ADOPTED as a Resolution of the Town Council of the Borough or Kingston, Pennsylvania this 6th day or November, 1970. 
ATT~ST: 
APPROVED this 6th day of November, 
Mayor 
1970. 
I 
i 
r 
,t 
t 
I. 
' 
Figure F-4 
-----. ·--... 
-.~'-----
NABEN·B 19 November 1970 } I 
Hr. t~. J. Pett~bone 
Secretary. Borou~b Council 
500 t:yocting /~venuw 
P.O. Box. 1229 Kingston, PennY-ylvania 18704 
• 
Dc!ar 1-lr. Pettebone& 
Reference 1s mnde to your letter of 12 November 1970 forwarding ~ copy
of tha reoolution adopted 6 November 1970 by the Hayor end Council of 
the Bo1-ou~h of l~:i.ngston .npproving the pro!'olled plan of ittprovcmcnt for 
the Su:H1uehannn River in t,yoming Valley, Luzerne County, Pcnnoylvania, 
t:mu giving at:.&un mcee of local cooperDtion in th~ construction, main• 
tennnce, end op~ration of the improvement. 
It is noted tlwt the required aaeumnce to "Provide guidance and leadcr
shil> in prev~ntin,~ unwise future devalotxncnt of the flood plain by use of ~ppropri&te: Hood plll in management techniques to reduce flood loscea" wac omitted from the .nrwurllnceo epprovcd by the action of tl!e l!nyor end Dorou~jil Council. I·inilo it ia not tlllnd~tory that cu affirmative resolution 
covet·ing this item be furnished at t h in time, it is 1mportcnt that the Hayor and Borour,;h CoWlcil uaderfJtsnd t h$t this £;nsurance will be requiredprior to initilltioo of construction plmming for tha project. 
Thic item of 4\osurance i s hrou~ht to th~ nttcmt:i<_•n of t he Hnyor end 
Dot\')ugh Council t:lt this time so that t hoy will i ully Wtuerctaud their responsibility for all itL~5 of local cooperstion. 
Sincerely you:rs, 
j 
c. u. t-m.um 
Cltf.c f. Ensinet!ring Division 
Figure F-5 
EDWARDSVIllE BOROUGH COUNCIL 
O FFICE OF SECRETARY 
BOROUGH BUILDING • MAIN STREET 
EDWARDSVILLE, PA. 18704 

RESOLUTION 
WHEREAS a resolution dul y adopted by the Mayor and Council of the Borough of Edwardsville on -y-11-7/ , that they have reviewed the proposed plan of improvement for the Susquehanna River in Wyoming Valley, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania , shown on your drawings, plates 2 through 6 dated November 1970, and consider the plan generally acceptable, and 
That if a Federal project for improvement of this waterway is authorized by Congress, the Mayor and Council of the Borough of Edwardsville, Pennsylvania, indicate their willingness to fulfill the required items of local cooperation which we understand to be as follows: 
a. 
Provide, without cost to the United States, all lands, easements, and rights-of-way necessary for rehabilitation of the protective system; 

b. 
Hold and save the United States free from damages due to the construction work; 

c. 
Maintain and operate the rehabilitated projects, without cost to the United States, in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary of the Army; 

d. 
Make periodic inspections and leveling surveys along embankment and related structures to determine if and where subsidence has occurred and the amount thereof; 


e. Assume maintenance responsibility for restoring the protective 
works to design conditions, i ncluding the extension of the protective works to tie to high ground when necessary; 
f. Make every effort to prevent encroachment and regulate those aspects of mining activities which might interfere with proper functioning of the projects; 
g. Provide guidance and leadership in preventing unwise future 
development of the flood plai n by use of appropriate flood plain management techniques to reduce flood losses. 
We understand that by passing this Resolution we do not commit the Mayor and Borough Council of Edwardsville to any financial obligation at this time. 
Figure F-6 
Com missioners 
J C~FPH HA . E~FY 
JOH N J KUC HARSKI 
JAI'ES F YOURRFN JAMES CU SIC K THOMAS PHI LLIPS V'JSEP H MERA WAL fER DUGAN 
EMilY M[!rAL~ 
S e rrrl o ry 
'i t.MUEL A SORRER 
Tr• o ~ u ' (· r J• , HN I McDONALD 
IJHN X ! CALLAHAN 
t1 TLj Rf J IlPPI 
Arrhifcct 
· · ~ E R 
~· ~~0 
104 Lee Park. Ave .. Wilkes· Barre. Pa. 18702 Phone: 82211 58 
November 2, 1970 Mr. G. M. Miller, Chief, Enginee ringDivis ion Department of the Army Baltimore District, Corps of Engineers 
p. 0. BOX 1 71 5 Baltimore, Maryland 
Dear Mr. Miller: 
Attached find certified copy of a resolution adopted by the Board of Commissioners of the Township of Hanover at their meeting held October 12, 1970 indicating their cooperation in the restoration of the subsided areas of the Wyoming Valley local flood protection projects by the Federal authorities. 
Kindly inform us when the cons ide red improvements have been approved by the Corps of Engineers. 
Very truly yours, 
, ~. 
( ) -----,, b I l { i; I/li Ld'.fc{j 
EMI Lft METCALF ~ Township Secretary 
EM:e 
_j 
Figure F-7 

WHEREAS, a re1olutloD duly adopted b' the Beard of Commi11io~aer1 of Hanover Town1hip on October lZ, 1970 that tbey have reviewed the propo1ed 
plan of improvement for the Su1queba~au River lD WyomlDI Valley; Luzerne County, Penn1ylvanla, 1hown on your drawlna•• plate• 2·throuah 6, dated 
November 1970 and con1ider the plaD pDerally acceptable, aad 
That lf a Federal project for improvement of thl1 waterway i1 authorized by Congrea1, the Board of Commi11looer1 of Hanover Town1hip Pennaylvania, will asaume re1ponelbllity for fur~ai1hing the required ltem1 of local cooperation which we under1talld to be &I follow•: 
a. 
Provide without colt to the United St:ate1, all landa, ea1ement1 and rights-of-way nece11ary for rehablllt:atlon of the protective ayetem; 

b. 
q()ld and 1ave the United State1 free from damage• due to the conatruction work1; 


c. Maintain and operate the rebabllltated project•, without coat to 
the United State1, in accordance with re1ulatlone pre1cribed by the Secretary of the .Army; 
d. 
Make periodic inspection• and levellna Iurvey• along embankment and related structures to determine if and where 1ub1idence ha1 occured and the amount thereof; 

e. 
A11ume maintenance re1ponsibility for restoring the protective wot>kl to design condition•, including the extenaion of the protective work• to tie ·to high ground when neceaaary; 


£. Make every effort to prewent encroachment and regulate those 
aapects of mining activitie1 which might interfere with proper functioning of the projects; 
g. Provide guidance and leaderahip in preventing unwile future development of the flood plain by u1e of appropriate flood plain management technique• to reduce flood lo11ea. 
CERTIFICATION 
1 hereby certify that the foregoing re1olution waa duly adopted by the Board of Commiaaionera of the Townahip of Hanover 
~ 1-{~ (_~~ /;1/i{):-;~_/ 
at their regular meeting held October lZ,  1970.  
·-----::::,  7  ,1  
~·  

.&,-·. . Y } i Townahip stlcretary / Figure F-7 
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS RALPH ]. JOHNSTON 
Solicitor
FRANK P. CROSSIN, Chairman 
P. ]. CLARKE 
EDMUND C. WIDEMAN, JR. 
Chief Clerk 
ETHEL A. PRICE 
DOROTHY P. DRUGAN 
Deputy Chief Clerk 
WILKES -BARRE , PENNSYLVANIA 
February 8, 1971 
1
EXCERPT FROM CO}~ISSIONERS MEETING HELD FEBRUARY J, 1971 
A regular meetin~ of the Board of Commissioners of Luzerne County was 
held on the above date w·i th the following present: Frank P. Crossin, Chairman, E. C. Wideman, Jr., and Ethel A. Price, Commissioners; 
P. J. Clarke, Chief Clerk; \villiam Curwood, Treasurer; Steve Yanoshak, Controller; B. J. Gallagher, County Engineer; Ralph Johnston, Solicitor; Robert Edgerton, Purchasing Agent. 
1-ir. Crossin, Chairman, called the meeting to order. 
ROAD & BRIDGE-B. J. Gallagher 
Communication from B. J. Gallagher, P.E., County Engineer, stating that on January 19th a letter was sent to the Forty Fort Borough Council regarding the proposed plan of rehabilitation of the Flood Control System in Swoyersville and Forty Fort. Hr. G. 1-1. Hiller, Chief Engineering Division, Department of the Army, Baltimore District Corps of Engineers, in a letter to the Luzerne County Commissioners explained in detail the proposed restoration o~ the present Flood Control System in Swoyersville, Forty Fort, Kingston, Edwardsville, Wilkes-Barre, and Hanover Township. The estimated cost of the improvement is $1,58),000, of which $1,546,000 is Federal cost, and $)7,000 is non-Federal cost. The non-Federal cost is for the additional land required to raise the protection in Forty Fort Borough and in the city of Wilkes-Barre; and is in the amount of $)),600 and $),~00 respectively. 
Before this proposal can be presented to the Congress for the required 
appropriation, it is necessary that each municipality involved, be made 
aware of this proposed resolution, and that each governing group, by 
resolution approve this proposal. 
At the regularly scheduled meeting of the Forty Fort Borough Council 
on r' ebruary 1, 1971, the Board approved the restoration of the Flood 

Figure F-8 
EXCERPT FROM COMMISSIONERS' MEETING HELD FEBRUARY ), 1971 Page 2 
Control System within the Forty Fort Borough area, and also agreed to provide the necessary land for this project. It remains now for the Luzerne County Commissioners to approve the rehabilitation of the Flood Control System which is presently maintained by the County. Attached hereto is a copy of a proposed resolution whereby the County Commissioners will agree to maintain the rehabilitated Flood Control Project in conjunction with the present maintenance agreement. 
Motion made by Mr. Wideman, seconded by Mrs. Price to adopt the Resolution pending the approval by the County Solicitor, Mr. Ralph Johnston, that the clause to hold and save the U.S. free from damages due to the 
construction works be ammended with the added phrase with the understanding 
that the contractor will hold and save Luzerne County free from damages due to the construction work. 
"Ayes" Crossin, Wideman, Price 
RESOLUTION IS AS FOLLOWS: 
R E S 0 L U T I 0 N 
w~EREAS a resolution duly adopted by the County Commissioners of Luzerne County on February ), 1971, that they have reviewed the proposed plan of improvement for the Susquehanna 'River in Wyoming Valley, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, shown on your drawings, plates 2 through 
6, dated November 1970, and consider the plan generally acceptable, and 
That i f a Federal project for improvement of this waterway is authorized by Congress, the County Commissioners of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, indicate their willingness to fulfill the required items of local cooperation which we understand to be as follows: 
a.  Hold and save the United States free from damages due to the construction works; with the understanding that the Construction Contractor will hold and save Luzerne County free from damages due to the construction works;  
b.  Maintain and operate the rehabilitated projects, without cost to the United States, in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary of the Army;  
c.  Make periodic inspections and leveling surveys along embankment and r elated structures to determine if and where subsidence has occurred and the amount thereof;  

Figure F-8 
EXCERPT FROM CO~liSSIONERS' MEETING HELD FEBRUARY 3, 1971 Page 3 
d.  Assume maintenance responsibility for restoring the protective works to design conditions, including the extension of the protective works to tie to high ground when necessary;  
e.  Make every effort to prevent encroachment and regulate those aspects of mining activities which might interfere with proper functioning of the projects;  
f.  Provide guidance and leadership in preventing unwise future development of the flood plain by use of appropriate flood plain management techniques to reduce flood losses.  
g.  We understand that by passing this resolution, we commit the County Commissioners of Luzerne County financial obligation at this time.  do to  not any  

LUZERNE COUNTY C01'>11v1ISSIONERS 
/s/ Frank P. Crossin 
/s/ E. C. Wideman, Jr. ATTEST: /s/ P. J. Clarke 
/s/ Ethel A. Price
CHIEF CLERK Adopted: February 3, 1971 
CERTIFICATION 
I hereby certify that the above is a true and correct copy of an excerpt from the Commissioners' minutes of February 3, 1971. 
CL&fii 
Figure F-8
DATED: FEBRUARY 8, 1971 
J 


APPENDIX G 
; 
COMMENTS BY OTHER AGENCIES 

INTRODUCTION 
Number G-1 
G-2 
G-3 
G-4 
G-5 
APPENDIX G 
C<11MENTS BY OTHER AGENCIES 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 
FIGURES 
Title 
Copy of letter from Baltimore District to 
U.S. Geological Survey and U.S. Bureau of 
Mines 

Correspondence from U.S. Bureau of Mines 
Correspondence from U.S. Geological Survey 
Copy of letter from Baltimore District to · Soil Conservation Service and u.s. Fish and Wildlife Service 
Correspondence from Pennsylvania Department of Forests and Waters 
G-i 

APPENDIX G 
COMMENTS BY OTHER AGENCIES 
INTRODUCTION 
The purpose of this appendix is to present the correspondence between the Corps of Engineers and other agencies having an interest in water resources related projects. Copies of pertinent correspondence are included in this appendix as Figures G-1 through G-5. 
G-1 

-:---..._
--.,· 
25 Septftlb« 1970 
Xr. i:lc:.har4l P. Shel~m\ 
I
A!t"i.·'tnnt Chief ~ologut
U.:;. C:·olog1c~l ~rv~
D.oot!l t ! ~3U G.~.A. nuHdt.q
W~f.bington, D.C. Z~241 

tncloc~d ts ~ de~criptlaa of our proposed ieprov~t for tlood c.ostrol • 
on the .:/u $qUdl.ttWl=t K!v~r its V}"'eio3 Vdl.~y, Pamtrylv.~ni-3. tonce.b~tr 11ith
five p t.' l!litaiWiry pl£'. tQ~ t:tbOI!.rin~ ella generJll1 pl41l, profile, &IN typi·cal
section of tba propo~Q~ project. 

I ~oalJ :~pr~ei~te ~ec~ivf.n3 ~ltbia tbG aext aon~ any c~t~ yau ~J
Clllrc t.o A\k.e 01l tb.'! prupo~ed improv~ta. 

Tb.a rll'~ort oa the gc~_;lt)zy of tb.a ~tog Vdloy North~ra .A.D.-tbrad.t<~
fiel.J, Lu~cme sn-:.1 L!lck~umlrul Countie!J, P'cnn·· ylvanta. prepared by the

u.s. c~oloi:ic:al Surv~y for th1!< off1ee. \.•ill be tAc.lua~ as •a app~ndix
to our r~nt roeOtiCteJl<ji.J::I;g th~e ~rov~t!l• 

.should yC'U b~ve nn7 c;uel'\"tio0;9 eos:aeernins tbo projc~t. pla&t~ro c.1t1
Hr. Thc-::1'"'~ hbelley or Hr. D..wi4 Ladd of thb cffice, area code 3i}l
9C.2•2650. 

C!~~tr..n H. n.oro
Ac6 Incl ~ tntc.d. L'£C, {.; (>t1J" o! En~to~~rs
tc?ut y b!r trtct Lr0in~ar
C!'~Y fu<:-nt dl~u v.i:.::h i.nclo~ures:
Mr. H. J. ~~..-;-~ 1.\'l

U.S. Cr:olf;~ic:.al :.;t.al"VeJ
Buil.:l.!n:: l".l 
Same letter sent same date to:Mr. J.A. CorganChief, Division of Environment
U.S. Bureau of MinesInterior Building18th and E Streets
Washington, D. C. 20240 
Figure G-1 
UNITED STATES 
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 
BUREAU OF MINES 
WASHINGTON . D.C. 20240 

October 20, 1970 
Lt. Colonel Gerald M. Boyd Deputy District Engineer Baltimore District, Corps of Engineers 
P. 0. Box 1715 Baltimore, Maryland 21203 
Dear Colonel Boyd: 
This is in response to your letter of September 25, 1970, requesting Bureau of Mines comments on the proposed improvements to the Susquehanna River flood control system in the Wyoming Valley, Pennsylvania. 
Bureau engineers have reviewed the subsurface conditions underlying the locations of the proposed levee improvements, and determined that the degree of support and the subsidence potential outlined in the Bureau of Mines 1963 report to your office has not materially changed. 
No mining has occurred under the proposed repair areas since 1963. All of the abandoned mines underlying the area have become inundated to an elevation approximating that of the river, which might cause some underground water flow through cracks and fractures in the rock overlying the beds into the fill of the Buried Valley. While the pools have reached a stable elevation, with some variation due to rainfall, this change of condition may have contributed to some levee subsidence, and may be a factor contributing to subsidence in the future. 
Sincerely yours, 
C!77r~:~(/ 
T. P. Flynn, ~~~ng Chief Division of Environment 
Figure G-2 

United States Department of the Interior 
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY 
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20242 

October 20, 197r 
Gerald M. Boyd LTC, Corps of Engineers Deputy District Engineer Baltimore District 
P .0. Box 1715 Baltimore, Maryland 21203 
Dear Colonel Boyd: 
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the proposed program for improvement of the flood-control installations on the Susquehanna River in the Wyoming Valley, Pennsylvania. 
The engineering aspects of the proposed reconstruction appear to be well planned. Our review of your proposal has been an attempt to relate subsidence of the reconstruction areas to geologic features and mine voids. We note that several conditions that influence subsidence are present in each of the reconstruction areas. Such conditions are: 1) thick, relatively unconsolidated valley-fill deposits, 2) one or more contacts between mined coal beds and the overlying valley-fill deposits, 3) extensive mine voids in several underlying coal beds, L.) faults, dipping strata, and rock tunnels that constitute zones of weakness, and 5) relatively low topography that facilitates seepage of surface water into underlying strata. 
The above observations emphasize your conclusion that the areas of reconstruction are susceptible to further subsidence. We agree with your recommendation that periodic surveys of the entire levee system should continue to be made after reconstruction because the amount and time of subsidence cannot be predicted. 
Please contact us if we may be of further assistance. 
Sincerely yours, 
~j?~ 
Richard P. Sheldon Assistant Chief Geologist Office of Mineral Resources 
Figure G-3 

, 
15 ~epteaber 1970 
I· 
lfr. 1\.. H. Davi~ 
s~~to c~~crv~tiouer.t 

Sci.l Con!'!ervat1011 Service 
U. :~ . Ve>j)~l't!':!C t~': etf ·"~riculture 
Fcdc.·o:•l ilutlJ tn:; end O.S. C«.n.•tbowte 
»ex ~t5, Foda~~l S~uare Station 
H.!n:isburg, Penn~;ylvaul.a 17108 

Dear Ur. DaviR: 
Incloz~d 1s a u~scd.ption of our propo9~ ~ro\•cment for flClod control 
ctn t~~~ S'.J.!.':~j t\ ::h ~nna ~!vor in ' !yoming Vd l"Y• Fcnn~· ylvnn1.1, tt•::ctl1er with 
fiv·
.! prcUmin...l ;,')" pl.ute:1 sh•Nin0 the C~r•l pl:m, pt-Qfile• .!SoU typical 
8ection of the propoBed project. 

I vould ~ppreciate receiving within tbe next month your con~tn on the r; oU con.~erv4t:ion aspect" of the prCIJ)o~r&d i."!i> rovi.~nt:!t. Should you hrv·~ nny <:; tl3r. tion.~ concerning thea project, pl~MC c;:ll ltt. ThOfQu ~fu~tley or Mr. David Ladd of this office, area coJo 301•Y62-Z650. 
S!ncerel~ youra, 
6 Iocl 
GmVtJ) H. !OYn
AI etated 
L't'C, Corps of ~ntinacrfl Deputy Dirtr!.ct E:a.:;inaer 
Same letter sent same date to : 
Regional Director 
Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife 

U.S. 
Fish and Wildlif e Servi ce 

U.S. 
Post Office and Courthouse 
Boston, Massachuse t ts 02109 



L 
Figure G-4 
COMMONWEALTH Of" PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT Of" F"ORESTB AND WATERS In reply refer to 
HAAPII8.UPIG 
WCE 
17120 
THE SECRETARY F 40:1 F 40:2 
P. 0. Box 1467 F 40:3 F 40:4 
July 28, 1970 
Col. William J. Love 
District Engineer 

U. S. Army Engineer District, Baltimore 
Corps of Engineers 

P. 0. Box 1715 
Baltimore, Maryland 21203 

Dea~ Colonel Love: 
This is in regard to the Corps of Engineers tentative plan for restoration of the Wyoming Valley levee system along the Susquehanna River, as discussed by Messrs. Thomas P. Wheeley, Jr. 
and David Ladd, of your office, with C. H. McConnell, Chief Engineer, of the Department of Forests and Waters, on June 11, 1970. 
We have reviewed this project and we are in favor of the basic plan to raise all sections of the levee which have subsided more than six (6) inches to design elevation, then add two (2) feet to the design elevation. The plans to raise the entire levee system by two (2) feet or five (5) feet, which would involve the replacement or modification of several highway and railroad bridges, appear to be too costly. The present design elevation in the WilkesBarre area is the discharge for the 1936 flood with three (3) feet o£ £reeboard. Taking int o consideration the dams that presently exist upstream of the wat ershed plus Cowanesque and Tioga-Hammond Reservoirs, the 1936 flood would be decreased by 2.8 feet. This means that with these dams in place the tentative project with subsidence areas only raised would provide protection against repetition of the 1936 flood plus 5.8 feet of freeboard. 
If the plans for this project are approved, we will be pleased to assist the Corps to present the project to the local people for their consideration. 
Figure G-5