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 Illi-
nois 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 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; 
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;
•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 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; 
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;
•HRES 752 EH 
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 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; 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 oth-
ers around the country like it. 
Attest: 
Clerk.