Millfield Mine disaster
Millfield Mine Disaster
On November 5, 1930, a gas explosion happened at the Sunday Creek Coal Company's Poston Mine No. 6 in Millfield, Ohio. The blast occurred in section 6 North, about 11:45 a.m., 10,200 feet from the main shaft. Gas had built up there and was ignited by an electrical arc between a fallen trolley wire and a rail. The line involved was inactive, so there was no reason for power to be on.
The explosion blew walls apart, wrecked the interior, and pulled cars off the tracks. It happened in a mine with about 250 men present; roughly 120 escaped, many through ventilation shafts. Most of the fatalities were from carbon monoxide poisoning, with a few due to burns.
Rescue efforts began quickly. Twenty-four Red Cross nurses and local doctors, along with Salvation Army volunteers, assisted the injured. About ten hours after the blast, a rescue team found 19 men who had barricaded themselves against the gas using burlap, mud, and sticks; two were conscious, and all survived. Foreman John Dean led the rescue efforts, guiding the men to a safe ventilation partition.
The mine lost power, so mules were used to move equipment and recover bodies. The first bodies were recovered around midnight. In total, 82 people died: 73 workers, 5 officials, and 4 visitors. The nearby community of Millfield, with about 1,500 residents, was deeply affected, leaving 59 widows and 154 orphans, and many survivors later suffered health problems.
The mine was cleared of carbon monoxide by November 9 and reopened about a month later, operating until 1945. An investigation found the company was not at fault for the disaster, but it led to improvements in Ohio mine safety laws in 1931.
A monument was erected in 1975 near the disaster site to honor the fallen, and the smokestack at Mine No. 6 still stands. The Millfield Mine Memorial Committee, formed in 1973, hosts an annual memorial service.
Sigmund Kozma, who was 16 at the time of the explosion, was the last living survivor until his death on January 3, 2009—the same day as his wife. He left five daughters and was featured in a documentary about the explosion.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 08:45 (CET).