The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1909-11-18
Mine Disaster Sweeps
Nearly Four Hundred
Illinois Miners Into
Eternity.
Entrance to Shaft Sealed
to Save the Property,
booming theWorkers.
Officials of the United
Mine Workers Rushed
to Scene and are Doing
Heroic Work.

Another death dealing coal mine dis
aster has startled the civilized world.
On last Saturday coal dust explosion
in the mines of the St Paul Coal Com
pany, ut Cherry, Illinois, and the raging
flames which followed, snuffed out the
lives of 3S4 miners.
The first explosion occurred shortly
after o clock, and in some unknown
manner it was communicated to other
sections of the mine and the entrance
to the mine was boarded over in an effort
to check the flames raging in the in
terror. This shut off all hope of escape
to the surface by the imprisoned miners.
When the airshaft was closed up Act
ing Chief of Police McFadden, one of the
last men to leave the mine alive on Satur-
day, declared he believed that with the
closing of all the shafts went the last
vostige of hope of saving the entombed
men.
While smoke and even Jets of flame
swept up through the entrance of the
mlnc, the cage which carried the miners
to their work continued to ascend and
descend The first loads were about a
worse injuries than burns or bruises, re-
ceived in the rush for safety.
The last trip of the cage was made
when the bodies of the mine superiu
tendent and his assistants arose. The
mon were dead when the car reached
the surface Those about the pit month
expressed the belief that they were dead
or dying when placed in the cage. None
survived to tell the story of the trip.
a half hour after the explosion oc.
CURED the mouth of the shaft was sur.
rounded by hundreds of frantic women.
children and men. Many tried to enter
the mine, but gave up after the first eff
fort, or were carried away unconscious
from the smoke and escaping fumes, by
their companions.
Officials Of the United Mine Workers
of America were on the ground as quickly
as steam would carry them, notably, Ed
win Perry, International Secretary-Treas-
urer, and President Duncan Mcdonald.
of the Illinois Miners. The National or
ganization Immediately instructed Secre.
tary Perry to contribute toward the relief
fund. The miners officials are doing
everything in their power to minister to
those who have been stricken with grief
and affliction and are being ably assisted
by f. p. BickneH. of Washington. Direc-
tor of the National Red Cross, and Prof
Graham Taylor, of the State Mine Inyes.
tigating Committee.
President Mcdonald estimates tha.
there will be over 200 widows and 1000
orphans. He says that "almost two.
l hiric of tI,n
of them have from three to five children.
saw one woman here who has nine chill.
dren, all under IL years old. She has not
enough ahead to pay for a week s pro.
visions. In n month from now the dis.
tress in these families will be pitable
/ Whatever the public has to give should
be offered now, so we can plan ahead to
take care of these poor people for the
winter
He also announced that his district or.
ganization had contributed $4,000 for i'm.
mediate relief in addition to death bene
fits which will reach $55,0OO.
The American Federation of Labor con.
vention sent the following resolution tc
Secretary Perry:
'The delegates to the twentv-nintl
''''"''i S'hNeh'loh oI tne American Fed
Grafton of Labor Mt this morninq.s sos
! sion, adopted the following resolutions
Whereas, we, the delegates to tn,
twcnty-ninth annual convention of the a
F. of L.. have learned with deep regret
that, rs result of fire in coal mine Al
Crerry, Ill, on Saturday, November 13
more than 400 miners, r-embers of TIN
) United Mine Workers of America. los
their lives, and,
Whereas, the information of the ca
tastrophe concerns the people of the who'll,
country, and especially the organized
workmen, whose efforts have been eve