Underground Fire: Hope, Sacrifice, and Courage in the Cherry Mine Disaster

Inspired by Karen Tintori’s adult nonfiction novel Trapped: The 1909 Cherry Mine Disaster, as detailed in an end note, this keen account from Walker (Deadly Aim) chronicles the 1909 Cherry, Ill., coal mine incident via straightforward text. On Nov. 13, 1909, 480 men began their day shift at Cherry Mine, which opened in 1905. “Everything about the new mine sounded good to men seeking work,” including the purportedly fireproof brick buildings, electric light bulbs, and guaranteed year-round employment for 700 miners, a previously unheard of statistic. But after a fire breaks out and the only escape ladder is destroyed following an attempt to douse the flames, the miners are trapped underground, resulting in 259 deaths before anyone can be rescued. Using clear and concise language, Walker lays out the mine’s structure, the workers’ day-to-day duties, and how the fire spread. A heavy focus on Cherry’s citizens—who were largely European immigrants—adeptly foregrounds the tragedy’s victims as well as the people who came together to uplift the devastated community. B&w photographs featured throughout add depth to this critical, accessible telling of one of the worst coal mine disasters in U.S. history. Ages 10–14. (Oct.)