The 1909 Cherry Mine Disaster
by This year marks the 100th anniversary of one of America’s deadliest mining disasters that occurred in the small town of Cherry, Illinois one hundred years ago on November 13, 1909 when 259 miners lost their lives.
Image via Wikipedia
Image via Wikipedia
One of America’s deadliest mining disasters occurred in the small town of Cherry, Illinois one hundred years ago on November 13, 1909 when 259 miners lost their lives.
Located in Bureau County Illinois-approximately 90 miles southwest of Chicago-Cherry was a newly erected town built near the mine named after James Cherry who was superintendent of the St. Paul Coal mines and owned by the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad (C.M. & St. P) railroad that had opened the mines in 1905 to supply coal for its trains.
The mine below consisted of three levels or “veins”. The first level was 165 feet below the surface, the second level was 315 feet below the surface and the third level was about 500 feet below. The veins were connected vertically by two shafts 100 yards apart from one another. The main shaft was capped by an 85-foot steel tower which was used to lower and raise a hoisting cage. Located in a fan house off the secondary shaft, a large fan was used to push fresh air into the mine.
Once the mine was fully operational approximately 1500 tons of coal were mined daily (the first vein was not mined because the coal had little commercial value) and used for the railroad. Life was hard for the miners who were paid a fixed rate of $1.08 per ton; a good day was about 5 tons from two miners. A majority of the miners were Italian immigrants many whom could not speak very much English. Additionally, boys as young as 11 years also worked in the mine.
On Saturday, November 13, 1909 like most days in the mine, 500 men and boys and three dozen mules were working the mine. The tragedy began all because of a lapse of safety precautions and a simple accident. Earlier in the week there had been a power outage; as such kerosene torches were used to illuminate the mine shafts. Shortly after noon on that fateful day, the mine and town’s fate were sealed forever when a mine car filled with six upright bales of hay to feed the mules was pushed in a spot where one of these kerosene torches was hung. Tragically and initially unbeknownst to any of the miners, either a spark or burning oil from the torch ignited the hay below.
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Post CommentTlchimes
On September 22, 2009 at 10:17 am
Shame so many more lessons were lost since tragedies are still happening in mines.
Thank you for a good read. I love a good history story.
Darla Cooke
On September 22, 2009 at 10:36 am
Very interesting article.
CHAN LEE PENG
On September 22, 2009 at 10:40 am
This was a sad tragedy. Thanks for the story and have me clicked you “liked it”
Yovita Siswati
On September 22, 2009 at 10:44 am
What a tragic disaster! Hope it similar incident won’t happen again in the future.
Papa Sparks
On September 22, 2009 at 11:02 am
Thank you all for your kind comments. I appreciate them so much.
Oh, and one more thing…I grew up in Cherry and back in the early 60s, I could see the two slag piles from the window of my grandparents house (that had once been a miner’s home) and some of the old mine equipment.
Ruby Hawk
On September 23, 2009 at 7:28 pm
What a tragedy and it still happens today.
Payge
On September 29, 2009 at 7:34 pm
What a fantastic well written story and a tragedy at the same time.stumbled accrost it and it was worth reading.A great job.
ken bultman
On November 14, 2009 at 6:41 am
At your November 14th invitation I visited this informative post. I either was unfamiliar with this mine disaster or had forgotten it. I wonder if Jimmy Dean’s song “Big John” was inspired by the man in your article.