[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 163 (Wednesday, November 4, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H12331-H12332]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1615
RECOGNIZING THE TRAGIC LOSS OF LIFE THAT OCCURRED AT THE CHERRY MINE IN 
                            CHERRY, ILLINOIS

  Mr. BISHOP of New York. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution (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, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 752

       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 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;
       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 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 
     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; 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 others 
     around the country like it.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Bishop) and the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Cassidy) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.


                             General Leave

  Mr. BISHOP of New York. Madam Speaker, I request 5 legislative days 
during which Members may revise and extend and insert extraneous 
material on H. Res. 752 into the Record.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BISHOP of New York. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 752, 
memorializing the 100th anniversary of the Cherry Mine disaster of 
November 13, 1909, in Cherry, Illinois.
  This landmark mine disaster, which took the lives of 259 men and 
children and left 600 grieving widows and orphans, should not be 
forgotten. I commend Representative Halvorson for bringing this 
important chapter in labor history to the Nation's attention.
  The fire began in the Cherry Mine after an electricity outage, when 
burning fuel from a makeshift torch dripped on an underground hay bale. 
With no firefighting equipment in the mine, workers tried to douse the 
flames with water from an underground mule stable. The flames grew and 
the timber structures lining the mine quickly ignited. Some diggers in 
the lower level noticed the smoke and suggested to their supervisors 
that they get out. They were told to continue working. Other workers 
were reluctant to leave for fear of losing income as they were paid on 
a piecework basis. Company supervisors waited about an hour before 
making a systematic attempt to alert workers about the fire. Some of 
the immigrant workers spoke little English and could not understand the 
orders to evacuate. No fire drill had ever been practiced. At some 
point, the mine fan reversed, sucking flames further up the shaft. The 
ventilation system broke and the escape stairway was consumed in 
flames.
  The 259 deaths from this 1909 mine disaster, coupled with 362 killed 
from the Monongah disaster in West Virginia in 1907, spurred Congress 
to create the Bureau of Mines in 1910 as a research agency. However, 
without enforcement powers, the bureau failed to produce significant 
changes.
  In 1947, amidst fierce industry opposition, the bureau was finally 
given the power to inspect mines. A mine explosion in West Frankfort, 
Illinois, which took 119 lives, spurred Congress to give the Bureau of 
Mines the power to close mines for safety violations in 1951. Many more 
accidents followed until Congress created the Federal Coal Mine Safety 
and Health Act of 1969. That law requires quarterly mine inspections 
and authorized fines for violations.
  In 2006, miner deaths soared to a 10-year high with disasters at Sago 
and Aracoma Mines in West Virginia and the Darby Mine in Kentucky. 
Congress responded by passing the Mine Improvement and New Emergency 
Response Act, the MINER Act, which requires mine operators to provide 
caches of air, have rescue teams organized, develop wireless 
communications, and install tracking systems to locate miners who are 
trapped underground.
  This resolution also recognizes the pioneering work of the United 
Mine Workers in pressing successfully for mine safety reforms in the 
wake of the Cherry Mine disaster and other disasters like it.
  It is often said that our mine safety laws had been written with the 
blood of miners. That is, it is only after horrific disasters like the 
Cherry Mine or Sago that progress is made because of the ensuing public 
outcry.
  While improvements have been made in recent years, more work needs to 
be done to make sure miners return home safely to their families at the 
end of each shift. Preventable disasters still occur, like the tragic 
loss of life we saw at Crandall Canyon Mine in Utah in 2007. Although 
there have been nearly 100 years of effort in Congress since the Cherry 
Mine disaster to protect underground miners, this resolution reminds us 
that our work is far from over.
  Madam Speaker, once again I express my support for H. Res. 752. I 
thank Representative Halvorson for bringing

[[Page H12332]]

this forward. I urge my colleagues to support this measure.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CASSIDY. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I rise today in support of House Resolution 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.
  On November 13, 1909, 400 miners went to work at the Cherry Mine in 
Cherry, Illinois. This mine was one of the first to have electric 
lighting, but on the day of the disaster, the system was not working. 
Instead, miners were using torches to light their way. Mules were being 
used to bring coal to the mine elevator, and the hay to feed those 
mules provided the fuel that started the fire that ultimately killed 
263 miners. Miraculously, 200 miners working that day escaped. Even 
more amazing, though, 21 miners survived for 8 days underground with no 
food and little water.
  In order to suppress the fire, those above ground sealed the mine. 
Conditions below ground deteriorated rapidly. Led by mine manager 
George Eddy, the 21 miners who survived went into the recesses of the 
mine to escape the fire and seek good air. Ultimately, the miners 
barricaded themselves deep in the mine, attempting to block out the bad 
air. They were able to pool water from seepage in their shelter.
  The tragedy of the Cherry Mine has sadly been repeated in one form or 
another throughout the history of mining. With this resolution, we 
honor those lost in the mine. We also honor those who demonstrated 
their courage and resolve in the face of the tragedy. Just as we see in 
today's miners, those trapped in the mine fought hard to stay alive. 
The men above ground did everything they could to put out the fire with 
the hope of saving their fellow workers.
  I rise today to recognize the loss at the Cherry Mine and to honor 
those who work in our mines today. I ask my colleagues to support this 
resolution.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BISHOP of New York. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 5 
minutes to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Halvorson), the sponsor 
of this legislation.
  Mrs. HALVORSON. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 752, a 
resolution I introduced to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 
Great Cherry Mine Disaster.
  The Great Cherry Mine Disaster was a tragic coal mining accident that 
took place in Cherry, Illinois, which is a small town in Bureau County 
in my district. House Resolution 752 recognizes the historical 
significance of this mining accident, which led to the passage of 
landmark mine safety and worker safety legislation both in Illinois and 
at the Federal level.
  I want to thank Chairman George Miller and Ranking Member John Kline 
for bringing my resolution to the floor. And I also want to thank Calla 
Brown, Jody Calemine, and Richard Miller from the majority staff on 
Education and Labor for working with my staff on this resolution.
  Madam Speaker, on Saturday, November 13, 1909, 419 employees of the 
St. Paul Mine Company showed up to work at the company's coal mine in 
Cherry. The majority of them were immigrants working to achieve the 
American Dream. Most were Italian or Slovenian, but others were German, 
Greek, French, Irish, and British. These workers were represented by 
the United Mine Workers of America.
  In 1909, coal mining was an extremely dangerous line of work. In that 
year alone, there were 2,642 recorded coal mining fatalities in the 
United States. Two years earlier, coal mining disasters in West 
Virginia and Pennsylvania resulted in over 200 deaths. These deaths and 
disasters were often the result of inadequate workplace safety 
regulation, which was the case in Cherry.
  On November 13, 1909, the workers at Cherry were using kerosene 
lanterns and torches because of an electric outage in the mine. About 
500 feet below the surface, one of the torches ignited some flammable 
material and the fire spread rapidly. Two shafts were closed in an 
attempt to smother the fire, which cut off oxygen to many of the 
workers. The lack of oxygen created a mixture of carbon dioxide and 
nitrogen known as black damp, which made its way throughout the mine, 
suffocating many of the workers.
  Two hundred of the miners quickly made their way to the surface, but 
the rest were trapped in the mine. One of the mine managers, a man 
named John Bundy, led a courageous group of miners back into the mine 
to rescue their fellow workers. On the seventh trip, Bundy and his 
rescue group caught fire and burned to death. Another group of 21 
miners, who became known as the ``eight-day men,'' managed to survive 
in the mine for 8 days before they were rescued. When the disaster was 
over, 259 miners had died, including four children.
  The Great Cherry Mine Disaster was the third deadliest mine disaster 
in American history. The Great Cherry Mine Disaster and other similar 
mine disasters moved lawmakers to enact landmark mine safety and worker 
safety reforms. In 1910, the Illinois General Assembly passed 
legislation requiring mine operators to maintain firefighting equipment 
and certain mine workers to pass safety tests. Also that year, Congress 
passed legislation creating the U.S. Bureau of Mines. In 1911, Illinois 
enacted its first worker compensation law.
  The United Mine Workers and organized labor played a very important 
role in pushing for these reforms. Over the last century, we have made 
great progress on mine safety, but we still have more work to do. We 
learned this the hard way with the tragic Sago Mine disaster in West 
Virginia in 2006, which killed 13 coal miners.
  As we move forward, we need to continue to update and improve our 
Nation's mine safety laws. House Resolution 752 honors the memory of 
those who lost their lives in the Great Cherry Mine Disaster and 
recognizes the important mine safety reforms enacted as a result of 
this and similar disasters. As we look into the future, it's important 
that we always remember the important lessons of the past.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting House 
Resolution 752.
  Mr. CASSIDY. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. BISHOP of New York. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Bishop) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 752, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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