Thousands of onlookers quickly gathered around the mine property, which had to be guarded by units of the Illinois National Guard to prevent violence. Get the print version of Putnam County Record. The events have been recorded in numerous books. Some of the hundreds of bodies remained underground through the summer of 1910. It was the … It was a relatively safe mine with little likelihood of a gas explosion. The dead were buried in the Cherry Cemetery, some in mass graves. Cherry Mine Disaster. A Deep & Deadly Fire: The Story of the Cherry Mine Fire Disaster by Michael L. Kuk, Ph.D. The miners who lost their lives were never forgotten by the residents of Cherry, where annual observances are held. Centralia, Pennsylvania was once a bustling mining center, but a hidden, underground fire has turned it into a smoldering ghost town. Eight days after the fire, twenty men emerged in a miraculous tale of survival. On November 13, 1909, a terrible mining disaster occurred in the small town of Cherry, Illinois. This article was published in the November 2009 edition of Firehouse magazine, looking at … It was initially thought the fire started from the flames of a miner’s lamp or an overhead torch. Highland Park Historical Society will host ‘1909 Coal Mine Fire in Cherry, Illinois, One of Illinois’ Worst Disasters, Brought Agonizing Death to 259,’ with Jeffrey Stern.via Zoom at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, September 9, 2020. Olive in central Illinois in hopes conditions would be … The 1909 Cherry Mine disaster was a fire that occurred in Cherry, Illinois on November 13, 1909 in the Cherry Coal mine. In 2009, Illinois constructed a special exhibit in the Lincoln Library in Springfield to commemorate the centennial of the tragedy. body {margin: 0 0 0 0;} Get text messages on your mobile phone or PDA with news, weather and more from bcrnews.com. By 7:00 a.m. that morning 481 men and boys had descended the shaft to reach the coal, in some cases more than 500 feet below the surface. It was the second worst mine … The details of the rescue attempts were well documented in the local papers. Like so many local coal mines, it provided the main source of income for the majority of residents. Cherry Mine… The mine at Cherry was just a few years old, and it was considered the safest mine in America. Water and hay were needed for the animals. But the workers at Cherry Mine in Cherry, Illinois, which included some underage workers as young as 10, never expected a disaster on the scale of the 1909 fire that killed 259 miners. In 1911, a 14-foot granite memorial was erected in the Cherry Cemetery by the United Mine Workers. Like so many local coal mines, it provided the main source of income for the majority of residents. More unsettling was the tedious recovery of the bodies of those who could not be saved. .navigation {FONT-SIZE: 11px; COLOR: #FFFFFF; FONT-FAMILY: helvetica, arial;} Shaft Sealed to Stop Flame and Men Perish by Smoke and Flame - Heroes Give Lives In Vain to Save Others - Explosion Starts Holocaust. All rights reserved. Just after the noon hour, six bales of hay were sent down for the mules. The Cherry Mine disaster was a fire in the Cherry, Illinois, coal mine in 1909, and surrounding events, in which 259 men and boys died. There, in Cherry deep below the surface, miners suffered deaths unimaginable to the human mind. A.nav:hover {COLOR: #000000; TEXT-DECORATION: none; background-color: lightyellow} Albert and the other miners were caught in the middle of one of the most devastating coal mine fires in … In any case, in less than an hour the entire car was on fire and the flames were spreading. The mine had also been electrified for lighting, but the system shorted out only two weeks previously so they had to resort to kerosene torches and carbide lamps. The disaster stands as the third most deadly in American coal mining history. This is the story of how a small mining town about 100 miles southwest of Chicago became a scene of indescribable tragedy when fire broke out 320 feet below ground, resulting in the … The coal mine in Cherry, Illinois, caught fire on November 13, 1909. Ironically, the electrical repairs for the lighting system were scheduled for this same day. The museum closes for the year on Nov. 12 but is scheduled to reopen next spring. Cherry, Illinois Mine Disaster of 1909 (The shorter version w/photos) In November 1909 the St. Paul Coal Company, which owned the mine, employed a total of 481 men and boys. The exact details of how the fire started were not learned for weeks afterwards during an official inquest. I believe Grandpa Magelli, a young coal miner in the area at the time, moved to Mt. But tragically, it would be so different that the events that transpired would be recorded in newspapers around the world. A.nav:active {COLOR: #ffffff; TEXT-DECORATION: none} However, within hours, a fire in the mine would take the lives of 259 men and boys. A few men survived even after being trapped for a week. Heavy timbers had been installed to prevent cave-ins. The Cherry mine also provided a livelihood for miners from other towns in Bureau, Putnam and LaSalle counties. A.nav:link {COLOR: #ffffff; TEXT-DECORATION: none; padding: 3px;} However, within hours, a fire in the mine would take the lives of 259 men and boys. The mine eventually reopened for a time but eventually closed during the Depression. Of the approximately 500 miners who reported to work that day, 259 men and boys (some as young as 10 years old) lost their lives. On Saturday, November 13, 1909, the mine caught fire. ul.nav ul.nav {margin-top: 6px; margin-left: 1.2em; padding-left: 1.2em; line-height: 24px; COLOR: #ffffff;} The Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad was the major consumer of the coal produced at the mine. Another anniversary will soon be observed in the little village of Cherry, Ill. It would make widows of more than 100 women and orphans of 500 children. The mine at Cherry was just a few years old, and it was considered the safest mine in America. In 1909, a tragic fire in the St. Paul coal mine took the lives of hundreds of men and young boys. This disaster was the worst coal mine fire in U.S. history and is the third worst coal mine … .navigation1 {FONT-SIZE: 12px; COLOR: #FFFFFF; FONT-FAMILY: helvetica, arial;}. The mine at Cherry was a large one, considered clean, safe, and well run. All of this torment because of a mine car loaded with hay was carelessly pushed to rest under a dripping kerosene torch. Just north of town of Cherry , Bureau County, Illinois are remnants of the Cherry Coal Mine, where 259 miners lost their lives in one of the worst mine disasters in United States history. 400 Miners Trapped by Fire: all thought Dead - Awful Catastrophe in St. Paul Railroad Mine at Cherry Due to Miner's Lamp - No Escape for Workers. A.nav:visited {COLOR: #ffffff; TEXT-DECORATION: none} Trapped below, looking for an escape before the smoke and fire caught up with them. The museum is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. The coal mine in Cherry caught fire and, after all men were accounted for, a total of 259 lost their lives. For those interested in learning more details about the tragedy, Ron Bluemer, noted local author and historian, will give a presentation in the Granville Public Library at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 16. There were 40 mules housed underground to pull the heavy mine carts. li.nav {text-indent: -8px; list-style-type: square; font-family: arial, helvetica; FONT-SIZE: 12px; color: #ffffff;} But today, disaster had struck. The 1909 Cherry Mine disaster was a fire that occurred in Cherry, Illinois on November 13, 1909 in the Cherry Coal mine. Published in Granville, IL, USA, by Shaw Media. One of the worst took place on November 13, 1909 in a mine near the little town of Cherry, just a few miles north of La Salle, Ill. on Illinois Highway 13. There was no reason to believe this day would be out of the ordinary. The Cherry mine also provided a livelihood for miners from other towns in … Copyright © 2020 Putnam County Record. We'll send you the latest headlines and in-depth stories weekday afternoons. Of the approximately 500 miners who reported to work that day, 259 men and boys (some as young as 10 years old) lost their lives. On Nov. 13, 1909, about 480 men and boys went to work at the mine, some working above ground and others descending on the mine’s two cages to depths of several hundred feet to reach the coal veins. ul.nav {margin-top: 6px; margin-left: 12px; padding-left: 8px; line-height: 24px; COLOR: #ffffff;} The Cherry Mine is where Albert—and nearly 500 other miners—spent their days, hundreds of feet underground, digging out coal from deep inside the earth. The tragedy at Cherry, along with the 1907 explosions at Monongah, West Virginia and Darr, Pennsylvania, reshaped the course of mine safety in the United States. The Cherry Mine Disaster Fire of November 13, 1909 1, 8 This appalling calamity, which took place at Cherry, Bureau County, in the mine owned and operated by the St. Paul Coal Company, as reported by Thomas Hudson, State Inspector for the Second District, is described as follows: The fire that broke out in St. Paul Coal Company Mine No. Where it is. Sunday Morning, November 14, 1909. This Mine Fire Has Been Burning For Over 50 Years. A large portion of that exhibit has been saved and is now on exhibit in the LaSalle County Historical Museum in Utica. Others were buried in Ladd and surrounding cemeteries. In 1909, a tragic fire in the St. Paul coal mine took the lives of hundreds of men and young boys. A panel discussion was held to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Cherry mine disaster in which 259 men and boys died. 2 in Cherry, Illinois on November 13, 1909, took the lives of 259 men. So many of them were from the Streator area that Cherry was known as a Streator "colony." The old timers' voices turned to whispers when the Cherry Hill coal mine disaster became the topic of conversation.

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