19 men that barricaded themselves from the gas after the explosion. They used sheets of burlap, mud and sticks to protect themselves from the carbon monoxide. Only two of them were found conscious, but all survived. They were about three miles from the shaft entrance. Foreman John Dean was responsible for saving these men. He led the survivors to a ventilation partition used to protect them and risked his life in several trips. A dozen mules were brought in to retrieve the bodies and wreckage from the mine because it lost power after the explosion. It was important to work fast because there was fear of a second explosion. It wasn't until midnight that the first bodies were recovered. Seventy-three employees, five officials, and four visitors made up the eighty-two men that died in the disaster. Aftermath Sunday Creek Coal Company turned a storage room, pool hall, and store into temporary morgues. With a population of only about 1,500, the community of Millfield was profoundly affected; many families in the small community lost someone. The disaster created 59 widows and 154 orphans, and 14 families lost multiple family members. Many of those lucky enough to escape the mine suffered from poor health afterwards. The mine was not cleared of carbon monoxide until November 9, 1930. It was reopened about one month after the disaster and remained functioning until 1945. The Ohio State Mining Department investigated the cause of the explosion and later stated that Sunday Creek Coal Company was not responsible in regards to the orders, regulations, and recommendations in place at the time. Legacy The disaster attracted national press coverage and international attention, and it prompted improvement of Ohio's mine safety laws in 1931. A monument was erected in 1975 near the Millfield disaster site with the names of the men that were lost and the smokestack at Mine No. 6 still stands today. The Millfield Mine Memorial Committee was started in 1973 to honor the dead and remember the tragedy in their community. They hold an annual memorial service. 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 loading coal with his father and twelve others about 500 feet from the blast. These men barricaded themselves from the poisonous gas and climbed up a ventilation shaft. It took