Millfield Mine disaster

The Millfield Mine disaster, Ohio's worst mine disaster, occurred November 5, 1930, at the Sunday Creek Coal Company Mine Number 6 in Dover Township, Athens County, Ohio. According to the historical marker at the site in Millfield, Ohio, the explosion killed 82 people, including the company's top executives who were in the mine inspecting new safety equipment. Nine hours after the explosion, rescuers found 19 miners alive underground, three miles from the main shaft. The disaster attracted national press coverage and international attention, and it prompted improvement of Ohio's mine safety laws in 1931.

Historical Marker

A historical marker was erected at the roadside overlooking the site on Millfield Road just east of East Millfield, Ohio by the Ohio Historical Society in 1980. The marker contains the following text:^[1]

Ohio Historical Marker

Millfield Coal Mine Disaster

November 5, 1930

Ohio's worst mine disaster occurred in this Sunday Creek Coal Company mine when an explosion killed 82 persons. Among the dead were the company's top executives who were in the mine inspecting new safety equipment. Nine hours after the explosion, rescuers discovered 19 miners alive underground, three miles from the main shaft. The disaster attracted national press coverage and international attention, and it prompted improvement of Ohio's mine safety laws in 1931.

1980

The Ohio Historical Society

This site has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Sigmund Kozma

Sigmund Kozma, who was 16 at the time he survived the explosion, was recently identified as the last living survivor of the Millfield Mine disaster; he was featured in a documentary of the explosion by Justin Zimmerman, entitled "Meeting Again". Sigmund Kozma died on January 3, 2009, coincidentally on the same day as his wife.^[2]

See also

• List of mining disasters

References

1. ^ Photo of Historical Marker
2. ^ Elderly couple dies 90 minutes apart

External links

• Millfield Tragedy Revisited Ohio Geology, Fall 1995.
• Millfield Mine Disaster Correction Ohio Geology, Winter 1996.
• Millfield Coal Mine Disaster
• "Meeting Again" at brickerdown.com