What Is The Cherry Coal Mine Disaster?

Down, down the men go, descending into the mine to go to work. Little do most families know, they might not see the important men in their life again. The Cherry Coal Mine Disaster is greatly known as one of the worst mine disasters in America taking the lives of over 200 people and leaving many families devastated. As a result, mine safety regulations were regarded. Being a miner was a very common occupation for men back in the 1900’s, over 500 men and boys went to work at the Cherry Coal Mine, located in Cherry, Illinois, and owned by the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul railroad. A large number of these men were immigrants, mainly Italian. Boys as young as 11 years old relied on this mine to make money. In the early years of mining, very
This group of about 22 men survived by building up a wall made of mud, rocks, and timbers. This wall was built to block out poisons, like the black damp. The men stayed there in total darkness, with only a small pool of water, leaking from a coal seam, to drink from. These men were trapped without food, only water. Many of the men trapped in the mine wrote letters to their loved ones in case they never made it out. George Eddy, mine manager, wrote a letter to his wife telling her where to bury him. The letter reads “Well Elizabeth, if I am found dead, take me to Streator to bury me and move back.” It turns out, George Eddy’s wife didn’t need the letter because the men made it out of the mine and they survived. On the day of the rescue, volunteers had gone down in to the mine to bring up the dead, but instead they brought up the living. News of the men spread through the town quickly. The whole community was shocked. Up until that point, all hope had been abandoned that any men could still be alive in the mine. Once the men were out of the mine, they were taken to sleeping cars in the village and were immediately taken care of by nurses. Their heads were covered with canvas to protect them from bright sunlight. The men were also fed small quantities of soup to help them regain their strength and respirators were also provided. Because there was no way to mark the passing of time, most men thought they had only been imprisoned for a single day. After the rescue, doctors said that the minds of the men were temporarily unbalanced by the horrors they had just experienced. Many families in the town of Cherry refer to this rescue as a miracle and thank God for