The document summarizes the 1909 Cherry Coal Mine disaster in northern Illinois that killed 259 miners. It provides background on the mine, owned by a Saint Paul mining company, which employed around 480 miners. On November 13, 1909, a fire started from a kerosene lamp attached to a mine cart and quickly spread. Rescue efforts were unable to save most of the miners trapped underground. The disaster revealed deficiencies in safety regulations, emergency planning and training. It led to new regulatory changes, including worker compensation laws and stricter fire codes, to prevent future mining accidents.

1. Harrison
DuBosar
THE 1909 CHERRY COAL
MINE DISASTER

2.  Written in a reporter’s style
 Author Karen Tintori, granddaughter of miner
 Takes various personal accounts
TRAPPED: THE 1909 CHERRY MINE
DISASTER

3.  A Saint Paul mining company
 Generally electrically operated
 Opened in 1905
 Additional vein (3rd) added in 1908
 Roughly 450-500 Miners would report for work
 Jobs included Engineers, Managers, Operators, Miners,
Electricians
 Average 1500 tons of coal mined each day
 Miners paid by the ton
 $1.08 per ton
 The Cherry Mine was approximately 7000 acres
 Constant inspection
GENERAL PRODUCTION

4. THE CHERRY COAL MINE

5.  Approximately 480 miners, men and boys showed for work
 Electricity problems
 12:30pm feeding time for the mules
 Kerosene lamps attached to the cart sparked a fire
 Miners Francesco and Dhesse associated
 The fire continued to blaze and attracted attention from the
town
NOVEMBER 13TH, 1909

6.  Rescue teams were formed from escaped miners and
surrounding townspeople
 12 heroes turned martyrs
 The vent fan was ordered to reverse in an attempt to suffocate
the fire
 259 Miners were pronounced dead
 21 Miners barricaded themselves
 The fire was not extinguished until days later

7.  Tintori: Not enough direction being given or fire planning,
regulations outdated, access to water, poor education of
engineers on the vent, lack of crowd control
 Personal: Too many miners with no real escape plan, young
boys put in place as operators and controllers, no fire rescue
department within at least 3 miles, ignorance of workers
WHAT WENT WRONG

8.  Illinois Worker Compensation Act of 1910
 Child Labor Law of 1910
 Stricter Fire Codes
 Increased Disaster Planning
REGULATORY CHANGES

9.  Tintori, K. (2002). Trapped: the 1909 cherry mine disaster.
New York: ATRIA Books.
 Joyce, R. (2010). Early days of coal mining in northern illinois.
Illinois labor history society, Retrieved from
http://www.illinoislaborhistory.org/articles/166-early-days-of-
coal-mining-in-northern-illinois.html
 Stout, S. (1979). Tragedy in november: the cherry mine
disaster. Informally published manuscript, Digital Library,
Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, Retrieved from
http://dig.lib.niu.edu/ISHS/ishs-1979february/ishs-
1979february57.pdf
 Worker's compensation. In (2013). Legal-dictionary: the free
dictionary. Retrieved from http://legal-
dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Workers' Compensation
REFERENCES

10.  Tutaj Jr., R. [Web log message]. Retrieved from
http://guitarjourney.tripod.com/cherrycoalminedisaster/id6.h
tml
 Illinois labor history society. (2013). Cherry mine disaster.
Retrieved from http://www.illinoislaborhistory.org/cherry-
mine-disaster.html
REFERENCES