Welcome to the Cherry Coal Mine Disaster website

Home
Cherry Mine Disaster Story
Story of Disaster by Steve Stout
The Fatal Day
Story in a Nutshell
Mine Site photos
page two mine pics
Page Three Mine Pics
Page four Mine photos
Page Five Mine Photos
Page Six Mine Photos
Page Seven Mine Photos
Page Eight Mine Photos
Page Nine Mine Photos
New Mine photos
Aerial Views
Sunday Morning Crowds
Nativity/Nationalities
Cherry Mine Model
Model Pics Set Two
Twelve Heroes Story
John Flood: Hero
Read about Eight-Day Men
Which Story Deserves Movie?
The Memorial and More
Miners Tombstones
Cherry Depot
Soldier Trains and more
Morgue Tent
Names of Victims
Names of Victims section two
Coal Mining Words
Map Diagrams
No Respect For History
Farewell letters
More on the Subject
"Oneness" Press release
TRAPPED: Karen Tintori's new book
MODEL RAILROADING MAG
Last Days of The Milwaukee Road
Milwaukee Road Car
St. Paul Coal Mine Office
Favorite Links
About me
Tour of Mine Site
Contact Me
Train Photo CDs Available

100th Anniversary on Nov 14th and 15th, Saturday and Sunday in Cherry IL.  Don't miss it!

Newstribune January 2009
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Please note: Questions or concerns about any victim's names that will appear on the monument, please contact Dan Carrico at dcarrico@statebankofcherry.com or ph.1-800-447-9138.

Forms at State Bank of Cherry
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Or you can right click on pic and save and print.

Memorial unveiled on Nov 15th 2009, the 100th Anniversary!
    If you need a form, write to  State Bank of Cherry, Box 189, Cherry IL. 61317-0189 or right click on the form and save it to your computer and print it out.
 

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Cherry Coal Mine Disaster video on You Tube.! New!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQ7HSCuelBw

Model of the Cherry Coal Mine
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Built by Ray Tutaj Jr.

The day of the disaster, Nov 13th 1909
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Compare with model picture above this one.

Dusk at the Cherry Coal Mine
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Photo of Model by Ray Tutaj Jr.

Note: Anniversary of Disaster is on the Sunday closest to November 13th.  See regular library hours and contact info on "More on the Subject" page on task bar at left.

The dramatic photo below was taken the following morning on Sunday, Nov 10th, 1909. Miners were trapped below in the smoke filled mine. The next seven days would be a fight for twenty-one who would survive the disaster while 259 would die. There were about 230 who made it out the day before on Saturday. Crowds of family and curious people gather around to watch the drama unfold. Two newspaper boys carrying the headlines of the Cherry Mine Fire, can be seen in the photo. (photo colorized by Ray Tutaj Jr.) Scroll down for more photos and text!

November 10th, 1909, Sunday Morning
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Smoke billows out from airshaft from reversing the fan.

Milwaukee Road Car

Report on Cherry Mine Site in Jan 03 Click here for story and pics

 

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  The Cherry Coal Mine Disaster,

is filled with such dramatic interest thus making it tailor-made for a "big time" motion picture that would make the Titanic story dwarf in comparison. The Titanic hit an iceberg and sunk in a matter of hours. But in the Cherry mine disaster it was weeks before a final death toll could be figured. The Cherry mine tragedy has so many fascinating sides to it and contains every human emotion from the highest heights of triumph over death to the lowest depths of sorrow the heart, soul and mind can ever experience. Stories of heroism, sacrifice, love and romance, and the unforgettable story of the eight-day men. Nerve-racking suspense it was, because of the quick decisions that would affect the miners young lives.

This Tragic story is deserving of a motion picture so people can learn about this moment in time and how it had a profound effect on the mining industry and how it affected workers rights.

 

This site is packed with photos, diagrams, stories and more! You will find fascinating info concerning the Coal Mining Disaster that took 259 young lives on Nov. 13th 1909, in Cherry IL. Use this site for research and study. Ive got plenty of pictures and information for you so come on in!  There are numerous images, so please be patient while the pages load and enjoy what i have made available for you.

Hi I'm Ray Tutaj Jr. and I want to share with you this historic occurrence which happened on November 13th 1909. I hope you too can become fascinated with the story as I have. I was so intrigued by the story I ended up building an HO scale model replica of the mine site. It took me almost two years to complete, but it is finished and on display in Cherry IL. at the public Library.

  Before I started building the model, I had read everything I could on the subject and gathered every photo possible. I was also able to obtain numerous maps and diagrams to complete the vivid picture I wanted to have in my head of the mine site. There was only one thing left I could do which would be the closest thing to traveling back in time; build a detailed model of the coal mine site.  So I did, and you will see some of the results here at this site. But, before setting up the display in Cherry at the library, I thought it would be a once in a lifetime opportunity to set the entire layout up outdoors for a photo shoot, in a remote setting in the country. The natural sky and lighting would further add realism to the model. I will never forget that 15-hour day from sunrise to late evening, photographing the model of the mine. It was very special for me, for it was like actually being there at the site in 1909.  The pictures came out so well, that people wanted copies. So I then came up with the idea of having a few made up each year at the time of the anniversary. You can find out how to obtain some of these pictures on the About Me page.

Now come with me on a journey back in time to the Cherry Coal Mine. I will try my best to add new stuff to this site often.

I recommend you to start by looking at the " basic facts" page first, right below, and then make your way down the links..

Ray Tutaj Jr.

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Basic facts about the Cherry mine and the disaster

The Coal mine was located in Bureau County Illinois, in a newly erected town built near the mine, called Cherry IL., named after James Cherry who was superintendent of the St. Paul Coal mines.

The mine opened in 1904 and was owned by the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad (C.M.& St. P) railroad.

Approximately 1500 tons of coal were mined daily and used for the railroad.

Miners received $1.08 per ton; a good day was about 5 tons from two miners.

The mine below had three levels or "veins". The 1st level being 165 ft. below the surface, 2nd-315 ft. and the 3rd level was about 500 feet below.

The coal at the 1st level was not mined because it had no commercial value.

The fire started at the 2nd level at the escapeshaft/airshaft.

A mine car (6x3) filled with hay (6 upright bales) was pushed in a spot where the kerosene torch dripped upon the hay load and a spark ignited the hay which was used to feed the mules in the mine.

Due to an electrical short at the mine, kerosene torches were used to light the dark mine below.

On Saturday, November 13, 1909 the tragedy began. As a result, 259 miners lost their lives in the fire, and about 225 miners escaped. It is believed that about three miners are unaccounted for, probably buried in cave-ins.

Black Damp is a poisonous gas that burns in an atmosphere lacking sufficient oxygen. This is what strangled the life out of most of the miners below.

Twelve men made six successful trips into the mine to rescue men still alive. On the seventh trip those heroes died in the fire.

Twenty-one miners survived eight days in the mine before rescued, basically without food nor water. They barricaded themselves in by earth walls on each side.

It took approximately six months to retrieve all the bodies from the mine. Funerals where held almost daily for the lost coal miners.

The mine reopened in 1910 and was worked until 1927 by the St. Paul Co.

The Cherry Coal Co. then bought the mine and worked it until about 1935.

As a result of the terrible disaster, workmans compensation laws were enacted and safety regulations were brought about.

Hope you are finding the pictures of interest. I have many enlargements of pictures and map diagrams on some of the other pages.  Please let me know if you liked the site i have made available for you.
 
email me at:     gjourney1@yahoo.com

This site has now been up since 2001 if i remember correctly. I can't tell you how much work it has been and how i built the first one only to have it disappear in thin air from a server that folded. I thought I was going to go crazy and i probably did.
 I get emails continually with people thanking me for this site and asking questions. I do my very best to reply and update the site for everyone. Donations are welcome!

What's new? My new website of my best photography!

Ray Tutaj Jr. with the Model of the Cherry Mine
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Outdoor photo shoot from sunrise to sunset

THE CHERRY SUNSET CD
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Three years in the making. Guitar music and song inspired by the famous Cherry Coal Mine Disaster.

Survived eight days in mine
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Young Survivor

Rescued miners greeting friends
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There were moments of joy for some fortunate miners and families.

For many of the women it was pure agony.
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Some women lost a husband, son(s) and brothers. Can you imagine?

THE MAIN SHAFT or the entrance to the mine
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Three levels. Third level was at 500ft. Fire started on second level 315ft. below.

Children who became fatherless from the tragedy.
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The disaster affected thousands of relatives too.

Please get in touch with any comments or reactions to my site.