[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 752 Introduced in House (IH)]

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. 
Foster, 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 Illinois and across the 
        country;
Whereas the majority of Cherry miners were Italian 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 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 Administration, 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 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;
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;
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--
            (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 incident and others 
        around the country like it; and
            (3) recognizes the important role organized labor has 
        played in protecting the physical and economic security of 
        workers in the United States.
                                 <all>