Wow! I wouldn't want to be in there when that happened!!!
I've been in a couple coal mines like that. As a teen we thought we were going to explore one. I was after a cart and "train"! after crawling through a hole I could barely get through at the newly dug open "entrance", I made it in about 20 to 30 ft and realized I was walking on what use to be the ceiling. That was enough for me! I went back out...
Another was just a Vein(?) mine, that's what I was told anyhow.... just about 3 ft tall and they picked the coal out, little short rooms. I made it in far enough to look around and that was spooky, you couldn't stand up straight in it.
In both of those, the shale(?), clay mix kind of stuff. was saturated with water and was very unstable, you could pick pieces off in small sheets, it was real loose!!! Those mines closed around 1920 and had been blown shut. But........."some kids"..decided to dig them back open...Looking for the mine coal or small steam train and carts that my grandfather claimed he saw in there as a kid. I wanted it real bad after he told me about it being in there.
I should look that up and even see if there is even such a thing. haha Grandpa was pretty straight forward and didn't tell too many stories...but...
That was in the mid to late 90's....Since we were in there, they have collapsed under an interstate (interstate 77) and some of the side roads around them. A house even partly fell in one, in that neighborhood (N. Canton Oh) yards and house's occasionally collapse.
You could not pay me enough to go in one of those holes today! Glad I did though! It was cool to see...But...not today!
