[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 37 (Thursday, March 20, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S2724]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF CENTRALIA, IL, MINING DISASTER

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I rise today to memorialize 111 miners 
from the town of Centralia, IL, who died nearly 50 years ago on March 
25, 1947, in one of the worst coal mining disasters in U.S. history.
  On that day, 142 men were working in mine No. 5 of the Centralia Coal 
Co. Only a few minutes remained before the end of their shift when 
there was an explosion in the mine. The blast raced through the tunnels 
beneath the town of Wamac on the southern edge of Centralia, leaving 
debris and poisonous fumes in its wake.
  Thirty-one men managed to escape, but 111 of their coworkers were 
trapped 540 feet underground. For 4 days, rescuers worked to save them, 
but they could not reach the miners in time. In a tragic discovery, the 
searchers found notes next to some of the miners' bodies that they had 
written on scraps of paper and cardboard as they lay dying. ``Tell Dad 
to quit the mine and take care of Mom,'' wrote one miner. ``Tell baby 
and my loving boys good-bye and I am feeling weak. Lots of love.'' 
Together, the men left behind 99 widows and 76 children under the age 
of 18.
  But the real tragedy for Centralia was that the disaster could have 
been prevented. As early as 1942--and continuing right up to the time 
of the explosion--State and Federal inspectors warned about dangerous 
conditions at the mine. In fact, when the blast occurred, the latest 
State and Federal reports were thumbtacked to a bulletin board outside 
the mine's wash house.
  While the inspectors found numerous safety violations, they were 
particularly concerned about the combustible coal dust which was so 
thick that it would collect in the miners' shoes as they worked. The 
miners themselves knew how dangerous the dust could be, and more than a 
year before the disaster, four of them sent a letter to Illinois Gov. 
Dwight H. Green warning that it might explode one day. ``This is a plea 
to you,'' they wrote, ``to please save our lives, to please make the 
Department of Mines and Minerals enforce the laws at the No. 5 mine, 
before we have a dust explosion.''
  But neither the governor nor Federal officials nor the Centralia Coal 
Co. took any significant action. Investigators later determined that 
one of the main causes of the explosion was the dust the miners had 
feared.
  Three days after the disaster, Governor Green ordered State 
inspectors to close all unsafe coal mines. In Washington, Congress held 
hearings and launched an investigation. But for Centralia, IL, it was 
too late.
  As we near the 50th anniversary of this disaster, our thoughts are 
with the people of Centralia and the families of those who lost their 
lives. We are reminded that too often, we react to disasters rather 
than taking steps to prevent them.
  The greatest tribute we can give to the Centralia mine explosion 
victims is to ensure that critical worker safety and health protections 
are not weakened or destroyed. We must be vigilant in our efforts to 
make sure workers don't risk their lives simply by going to 
work.

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