on the morning of May 2, 1972, included 173 men. Around 11:40 a.m., smoke was discovered coming from the 910 raise on the 3700 level. As the smoke spread rapidly throughout the mine, the No. 10 shaft foreman ordered an evacuation at about 12:03 p.m. Men were hoisted from the lower levels to the 3100 level, where they were directed to make their way to the Jewell Shaft. Yet, hoisting stopped at 1:02 p.m. after the hoistman was overcome by smoke and carbon monoxide. Many of the men who reached the 3100 level were also overcome. Of the 173 men in the mine at the time of the fire, 80 were able to evacuate, with the last one reaching the surface by 1:30 p.m. Two men, able to find a safe zone on the 4800 level near the No. 12 borehole, were rescued 175 hours later. The remaining 91 men died of carbon monoxide poisoning. Besides the 31 victims found on the 3100 level, 21 were found on the 5200 level, 16 on 3700, 7 on 4400, 7 on 4800, 4 on 3400, 3 on 4200, and 2 on 5000. The mine was closed for seven months after the fire, one of the worst mining disasters in American history, and the worst disaster in Idaho history. Today, a monument to the lost miners stands besides Interstate 90 near the mine. Following the May 1972 disaster when the mine re-opened and full production resumed, the Sunshine regained its position as the number one silver producer in the Nation. In 1979 alone, Sunshine Mine produced 18% of the Nation's silver ore. By the end of 1988, the mine was at full production. Ore production was primarily from mining the Chester vein systems serviced by the No. 10 shaft and the remnants of the Sunshine and Rambo vein stopes referred to as the Footwall area on the 3700 and 3400 levels. The 4000 and 4200 level Copper vein was under development from the No. 12 shaft. Hunt takeover The Hunt brothers began their attempt to corner the market of silver in 1973, secretly buying silver contracts. By 1974 they had contracts for 55 million ounces of silver, 9% of all silver stores. They took delivery, placing 40 million ounces in Switzerland and the remainder near the New York and Chicago markets. By 1975 they used Great Western, which they bought the previous year,