IV 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 752 
Recognizing the tragic loss of life that occurred at the Cherry Mine in 
Cherry, Illinois, on its 100th anniversary and the contributions to worker 
and mine safety that resulted from this and other disasters. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 17, 2009 
Mrs. HALVORSON (for herself, Mr. HARE, Ms. BEAN, Mr. QUIGLEY, Mr. FOS-
TER, and Mr. COSTELLO) submitted the following resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on Education and Labor 
RESOLUTION 
Recognizing the tragic loss of life that occurred at the Cherry 
Mine in Cherry, Illinois, on its 100th anniversary and 
the contributions to worker and mine safety that resulted 
from this and other disasters. 
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 Illi-
nois and across the country; 
Whereas the majority of Cherry miners were Italian immi-
grants working to achieve the American dream; 
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•HRES 752 IH 
Whereas 490 men and boys were working in the mine on Sat-
urday, 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 il-
legally by the St. Paul Mine Company; 
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 Adminis-
tration, there were 2,642 coal mining fatalities in the 
United States in 1909; 
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 ma-
terial 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 diox-
ide 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 in-
credible courage by journeying down the mine shaft 6 
times to rescue their fellow miners; 
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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 sur-
vive; 
Whereas a team rescued these men after 8 grueling days un-
derground in torturous conditions; 
Whereas 259 miners, including 4 children, perished in what 
became known as the Great Cherry Mine Disaster; 
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 own-
ers to maintain firefighting equipment and require cer-
tain workers to pass safety tests; 
Whereas the Illinois’ Worker’s Compensation Act of 1911 
recognized the dangers that mine workers faced and con-
tinue to face today; 
Whereas the United Mine Workers have been an important 
and consistent ally in promoting workplace safety and 
fair wages and compensation for United States workers, 
as has organized labor as a whole; 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— 
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•HRES 752 IH 
(1) honors the 259 miners lost in the tragedy 
known as the Great Cherry Mine Disaster on its 
100th anniversary; 
(2) supports the important safety measures 
that were enacted as a resulted of this terrible inci-
dent and others around the country like it; and 
(3) recognizes the important role organized 
labor has played in protecting the physical and eco-
nomic security of workers in the United States. 
Æ 
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