H. Res. 752 

In the House of Representatives, U. S., 

November 4, 2009. 

Whereas the St. Paul Mine Company Mine in Cherry, a town 

in Bureau County, Illinois, began operation in 1905; 

Whereas the mine supplied the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. 

Paul Railroad with 300,000 tons of coal annually for its 

locomotives; 

Whereas coal remains an abundant source of energy in Illinois and across the country; 

Whereas the majority of Cherry miners were immigrants 

working to achieve the American dream; 

Whereas 490 men and boys were working in the mine on Saturday, November 13, 1909; 

Whereas 10 of the Cherry miners were boys under the age 

of 16, including one who was 10 years old, were hired illegally; 

Whereas United Mine Workers represented miners at the 

Cherry Mine in 1909 and continue to represent workers 

throughout the United States and Canada; 

Whereas according to the Mine Safety and Health Administration, there were 2,642 coal mining fatalities in the 

United States in 1909; 
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•HRES 752 EH 

Whereas the main and secondary shafts of the Cherry Mine 

contained wooden stairs and ladders; 

Whereas an electrical outage at the Cherry Mine caused the 

workers to light kerosene lanterns and torches; 

Whereas a torch caught fire 500 feet below the surface in the 

Cherry Mine; 

Whereas the efforts to redirect the fire caused flammable material such as wood to ignite and rapidly spread the fire; 

Whereas two shafts were closed to smother the fire; 

Whereas the shaft closings cut off oxygen to the workers, and 

allowed ‘‘black damp’’, a mixture of deadly carbon dioxide and nitrogen to spread through the mine; 

Whereas over 200 miners managed to make their way to the 

surface to escape the fire; 

Whereas a group of miners, lead by John Bundy, showed incredible courage by journeying down the mine shaft 6 

times to rescue their fellow miners; 

Whereas on the seventh attempt the miners caught fire and 

burned to death; 

Whereas a group of 21 miners, who later became known as 

the ‘‘eight-day men’’, sealed themselves from the fire; 

Whereas the ‘‘eight-day men’’ exhibited behavior that can 

only be described as selfless when helping each other survive; 

Whereas a team rescued these men after 8 grueling days underground in torturous conditions; 

Whereas 259 miners, including 4 children, perished in what 

became known as the Great Cherry Mine Disaster; 
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Whereas the United Mine Workers pressed successfully for 

mine safety reforms following this and other disasters 

like it; 

Whereas the United States Bureau of Mines was created in 

1910 as a result of disasters like the Great Cherry Mine 

Disaster; 

Whereas the State of Illinois reacted by passing stronger 

mine safety regulations; 

Whereas those mine regulations included requiring mine owners to maintain firefighting equipment and require certain workers to pass safety tests; 

Whereas the Illinois’ Worker’s Compensation Act of 1911 

recognized the dangers that mine workers faced and continue to face today; and 

Whereas November 13, 2009, marks the 100th anniversary 

of the Great Cherry Mine Disaster: Now, therefore, be it 

Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

(1) honors the 259 miners lost in the tragedy 

known as the Great Cherry Mine Disaster on its 100th 

anniversary; and 

(2) supports the important safety measures that 

were enacted as a result of this terrible incident and others around the country like it. 

Attest: 

Clerk.