1909 Cherry Mine Disaster

I recently received an email from Ray Peacock. Many of you know him from his website HeartlandRails.com and his contributions to this blog. Here is part of the email he sent me:

I went to our NRHS chapter meeting in Rockford, Illinois Saturday night, the presenter was from LaSalle IL by the name of Ray Tutaj Jr. He put on a 25 minute program about the Cherry IL mine disaster, which happened in November 1909 and killed 259 coal miners in North Central, Illinois.

There was a mine at Cherry that pulled coal out and Milwaukee Road tapped it for coal reserves for their system, using the Janesville, Wisconsin gateway. Ray Tutaj Jr. spent 10 years researching this and put together an entire HO layout of the Cherry Mine, featured on display in Cherry IL. Library.

*********************

The Cherry Mine had been opened in 1905 by the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Railroad to supply coal for their trains. The miners included a large number of immigrants, heavily Italian, many of whom could not speak English. Boys as young as 11 years old also worked the mine.

On Saturday, November 13, 1909, like most days, nearly 500 men and boys, and three dozen mules, were working in the mine. Unlike most days, an electrical outage earlier that week had forced the workers to light kerosene lanterns and torches, some portable, some set into the mine walls.

Shortly after noon, a coal car filled with hay for the mules caught fire from one of the wall lanterns. Initially unnoticed and, by some accounts, ignored by the workers, efforts to move the fire only spread the blaze to the timbers supporting the mine.

The large fan was reversed in an attempt to blow out the fire, but this only succeeded in igniting the fan house itself as well as the escape ladders and stairs in the secondary shaft, trapping more miners below.

The two shafts were then closed off to smother the fire, but this also had the effect of cutting off oxygen to the miners, and allowing the “black damp,” a suffocating mixture of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, to build up in the mine.

Some 200 men and boys made their way to the surface, some through escape shafts, some using the hoisting cage. Some miners who had already escaped returned to the mine to aid their coworkers. Twelve of these, lead by John Bundy, made six dangerous cage trips, rescuing many others.

The seventh trip, however, proved fatal when the cage operator misunderstood the miners' signals and brought them to the surface too late - the rescuers and those they attempted to rescue were burned to death.



One group of miners trapped in the mine built a makeshift wall to protect themselves from the fire and poisonous gasses. Although without food, they were able to drink from a pool of water leaking from a coal seam moving deeper into the mine to escape the black damp.

Eight days later, the 21 survivors tore down the wall and made their way through the mine in search of more water, but came across a rescue party instead.

Photo: Jeremy Oehlert - June 14, 2007

LINK: Photographs Courtesy of the Library of Congress

LINK: Ray Tutaj Jr. Bio and Videos on YouTube

1909 Cherry Mine Disaster

I recently received an email from Ray Peacock. Many of you know him from his website HeartlandRails.com and his contributions to this blog. Here is part of the email he sent me:

I went to our NRHS chapter meeting in Rockford, Illinois Saturday night, the presenter was from LaSalle IL by the name of Ray Tutaj Jr. He put on a 25 minute program about the Cherry IL mine disaster, which happened in November 1909 and killed 259 coal miners in North Central, Illinois.

There was a mine at Cherry that pulled coal out and Milwaukee Road tapped it for coal reserves for their system, using the Janesville, Wisconsin gateway. Ray Tutaj Jr. spent 10 years researching this and put together an entire HO layout of the Cherry Mine, featured on display in Cherry IL. Library.

*********************

The Cherry Mine had been opened in 1905 by the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Railroad to supply coal for their trains. The miners included a large number of immigrants, heavily Italian, many of whom could not speak English. Boys as young as 11 years old also worked the mine.

On Saturday, November 13, 1909, like most days, nearly 500 men and boys, and three dozen mules, were working in the mine. Unlike most days, an electrical outage earlier that week had forced the workers to light kerosene lanterns and torches, some portable, some set into the mine walls.

Shortly after noon, a coal car filled with hay for the mules caught fire from one of the wall lanterns. Initially unnoticed and, by some accounts, ignored by the workers, efforts to move the fire only spread the blaze to the timbers supporting the mine.

The large fan was reversed in an attempt to blow out the fire, but this only succeeded in igniting the fan house itself as well as the escape ladders and stairs in the secondary shaft, trapping more miners below.

The two shafts were then closed off to smother the fire, but this also had the effect of cutting off oxygen to the miners, and allowing the “black damp,” a suffocating mixture of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, to build up in the mine.

Some 200 men and boys made their way to the surface, some through escape shafts, some using the hoisting cage. Some miners who had already escaped returned to the mine to aid their coworkers. Twelve of these, lead by John Bundy, made six dangerous cage trips, rescuing many others.

The seventh trip, however, proved fatal when the cage operator misunderstood the miners' signals and brought them to the surface too late - the rescuers and those they attempted to rescue were burned to death.



One group of miners trapped in the mine built a makeshift wall to protect themselves from the fire and poisonous gasses. Although without food, they were able to drink from a pool of water leaking from a coal seam moving deeper into the mine to escape the black damp.

Eight days later, the 21 survivors tore down the wall and made their way through the mine in search of more water, but came across a rescue party instead.

Photo: Jeremy Oehlert - June 14, 2007

LINK: Photographs Courtesy of the Library of Congress

LINK: Ray Tutaj Jr. Bio and Videos on YouTube

EBONY Jan 1960

Preview of 1960 Swim Suits - A Southerner Looks at Predjudice, Talullah Bankhead - How Negroes Live in Russia.

"My beer is Rheingold..." says Cab Calloway - Tune in Jackie Robinson on Radio.

Jessie Owens for White Owl Cigars, "It's the tobacco inside that counts, says Jesse." - Only ten cents.

"My beer is Rheingold..." says Louis Armstrong - The Jackie Robinson Show, See your newspaper radio log for time and and stations.

Dodge DART: Selling like hotcakes... and no wonder! - America's 1st Fine Economy Car.

LINK: Lots of cool stuff at vieilles_annonces' photostream on Flickr

EBONY Jan 1960

Preview of 1960 Swim Suits - A Southerner Looks at Predjudice, Talullah Bankhead - How Negroes Live in Russia.

"My beer is Rheingold..." says Cab Calloway - Tune in Jackie Robinson on Radio.

Jessie Owens for White Owl Cigars, "It's the tobacco inside that counts, says Jesse." - Only ten cents.

"My beer is Rheingold..." says Louis Armstrong - The Jackie Robinson Show, See your newspaper radio log for time and and stations.

Dodge DART: Selling like hotcakes... and no wonder! - America's 1st Fine Economy Car.

LINK: Lots of cool stuff at vieilles_annonces' photostream on Flickr

EBONY July 1960

Claudinette Fouchard, Beauty Who Doesn't Want to be Queen - The Problems of Second Wives.

"My beer is Rheingold..." says Dorothy Dandridge - Tune in Jackie Robinson on Radio.

Hank Aaron - This real pro smokes Camel, a real cigarette. "Can't beat 'em for flavor," Hank says, "and Camels sure are mild."

What every young girl should know is this, "Boys like girls who make Seven-Up Floats".

Dodge DART: So much fun for so little money! - America's 1st Fine Economy Car.

LINK: Lots of cool stuff at vieilles_annonces' photostream on Flickr

EBONY July 1960

Claudinette Fouchard, Beauty Who Doesn't Want to be Queen - The Problems of Second Wives.

"My beer is Rheingold..." says Dorothy Dandridge - Tune in Jackie Robinson on Radio.

Hank Aaron - This real pro smokes Camel, a real cigarette. "Can't beat 'em for flavor," Hank says, "and Camels sure are mild."

What every young girl should know is this, "Boys like girls who make Seven-Up Floats".

Dodge DART: So much fun for so little money! - America's 1st Fine Economy Car.

LINK: Lots of cool stuff at vieilles_annonces' photostream on Flickr

Knott's Book Signing

The Buena Park Library District will be hosting a book talk featuring author Jay Jennings at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 7, 2009 in the Downstairs Community Room of the Library.


Jay will be speaking about his newly published book: Knott’s Berry Farm: the Early Years, which covers Walter Knott and the history of Knott’s from its humble beginnings as a roadside berry stand in the 1920s, to the 1970s, by which time it had grown into a world class amusement park. Copies of the book will be available for sale at $21.99, and for signing by the author following his presentation.

Jay Jennings is a Los Angeles native who has spent many years visiting Knott’s Berry Farm and researching its history. He is also the owner of one of the largest collections of Knott’s souvenirs and memorabilia in the country. In addition, he is a writer, director, producer and music composer in the motion picture business.

Denzel @ BAMC

Denzel Washington at Brooks Army Medical Center - A true American and friend to all in uniform!

Don't know whether you heard about this but Denzel Washington and his family visited the troops at Brook Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas (BAMC) the other day. This is where soldiers who have been evacuated from Germany come to be hospitalized in the United States, especially burn victims.

There are some buildings, there called Fisher Houses. The Fisher House is a hotel where the soldiers' families can stay for little or no charge while their soldier is staying in the hospital. BAMC has quite a few of these houses on base, but as you can imagine, they are almost filled most of the time.

While Denzel Washington was visiting BAMC, they gave him a tour of one of the Fisher Houses. He asked how much one of them would cost to build. He took his checkbook out and wrote a check for the full amount right there on the spot.

The soldiers overseas were amazed to hear this story and want to get the word out to the American public, because it warmed their hearts to hear it.

The question is, why do Brad Pitt, Madonna, Tom Cruise and other Hollywood fluff make front page news with their ridiculous antics and Denzel Washington's Patriotism doesn't even make page 3 in the Metro section of any newspaper except the local newspaper in San Antonio.

Denzel @ BAMC

Denzel Washington at Brooks Army Medical Center - A true American and friend to all in uniform!

Don't know whether you heard about this but Denzel Washington and his family visited the troops at Brook Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas (BAMC) the other day. This is where soldiers who have been evacuated from Germany come to be hospitalized in the United States, especially burn victims.

There are some buildings, there called Fisher Houses. The Fisher House is a hotel where the soldiers' families can stay for little or no charge while their soldier is staying in the hospital. BAMC has quite a few of these houses on base, but as you can imagine, they are almost filled most of the time.

While Denzel Washington was visiting BAMC, they gave him a tour of one of the Fisher Houses. He asked how much one of them would cost to build. He took his checkbook out and wrote a check for the full amount right there on the spot.

The soldiers overseas were amazed to hear this story and want to get the word out to the American public, because it warmed their hearts to hear it.

The question is, why do Brad Pitt, Madonna, Tom Cruise and other Hollywood fluff make front page news with their ridiculous antics and Denzel Washington's Patriotism doesn't even make page 3 in the Metro section of any newspaper except the local newspaper in San Antonio.

LIFE With Jane

Just because she's such a beauty and a truly wonderful lady, I thought I would do a post on Jane Russell. You don't mind, DO YOU?

Jane Russell was born on June 21, 1921 as Ernestine Jane Geraldine Russell in Bemidji, Minnesota. She now lives in the Santa Maria Valley on the Central Coast of California.

In 1940, Russell was signed to a seven-year contract by film mogul Howard Hughes and made her motion picture debut in The Outlaw (1943), a story about Billy the Kid that went to great lengths to showcase her voluptuous figure.

Although the movie was completed in 1941, it was released for a limited showing two years later. There were problems with the censorship of the production code over the way her ample cleavage was displayed. When the movie was finally passed, it had a general release in 1946.

Together with Lana Turner and Rita Hayworth, Russell personified the sensuously contoured sweater girl look. Bob Hope once introducing her as "the two and only Jane Russell". The photo of her on a haystack glowering with sulky beauty and youthful sensuality was a popular pin-up with Service men during World War II.

LINK: Read more about Jane Russell on Wikipedia

LIFE With Jane

Just because she's such a beauty and a truly wonderful lady, I thought I would do a post on Jane Russell. You don't mind, DO YOU?

Jane Russell was born on June 21, 1921 as Ernestine Jane Geraldine Russell in Bemidji, Minnesota. She now lives in the Santa Maria Valley on the Central Coast of California.

In 1940, Russell was signed to a seven-year contract by film mogul Howard Hughes and made her motion picture debut in The Outlaw (1943), a story about Billy the Kid that went to great lengths to showcase her voluptuous figure.

Although the movie was completed in 1941, it was released for a limited showing two years later. There were problems with the censorship of the production code over the way her ample cleavage was displayed. When the movie was finally passed, it had a general release in 1946.

Together with Lana Turner and Rita Hayworth, Russell personified the sensuously contoured sweater girl look. Bob Hope once introducing her as "the two and only Jane Russell". The photo of her on a haystack glowering with sulky beauty and youthful sensuality was a popular pin-up with Service men during World War II.

LINK: Read more about Jane Russell on Wikipedia

Happy Birthday Annette!

In 1955, 12-year-old Annette was discovered by Walt Disney as she performed as the Swan Queen in Swan Lake at a dance recital in Burbank. On the basis of this appearance, Disney cast her as one of the original Mouseketeers.

She was the last to be selected, and the only one picked by Walt Disney. She soon proved to be very popular. By the end of the first season of the Mickey Mouse Club, she was receiving 6,000 letters a month.

In addition to appearing in many of the Mouseketeers' sketches and dance routines, Funicello starred in a number of serials on The Mickey Mouse Club. Including Adventure in Dairyland and her own self titled serial, Walt Disney Presents: Annette.

It was in a hayride scene in the Annette serial that she performed the song that was to launch her singing career. The studio received so much fan mail about "How Will I Know My Love," written by the Sherman Brothers, that Walt Disney decided to issue it as a single, and to give Annette a recording contract.