The mine disaster, which occurred at Cherry, Ill., on November 13th,
1909, when 527 men were in the mine, resulting in the entombment of 330
men, of whom 310 were killed, has again focused public attention on the
frequent recurrence of such disasters and their appalling consequences.
Interest in the possible prevention of such disasters, and the possible
means of combating subsequent mine fires and rescuing the imprisoned
miners, has been heightened as it was not even by the series of three
equally extensive disasters which occurred in 1907, for the reason that,
after the Cherry disaster, 20 men were rescued alive after an entombment
of one week, when practically all hope of rescuing any of the miners had
been abandoned.

This accident, occurring, as it does, a little more than 1½ years after
the enactment of legislation by Congress instructing the Director of the
United States Geological Survey to investigate the causes and possible
means of preventing the loss of life in coal-mining operations, makes
this an opportune time to review what has been done by the Geological
Survey during this time, toward carrying out the intent of this Act.

It may be stated with confidence, that had such a disaster occurred a
year or more ago, all the entombed men must have perished, as it would
have been impossible to enter the mine without the protection afforded
by artificial respiratory apparatus. Moreover, but for the presence of
the skilled corps of Government engineers, experienced by more than a
year’s training in similar operations in more than twenty disasters, the
mine would have been sealed until the fire had burned out, and neither
the dead, nor those who were found alive, would have been recovered for
many weeks. In the interval great suffering and loss would have been
inflicted on the miners, because of enforced idleness, and on the mine
owners because of continued inability to re-open and resume operations.