Coal Mining Fatalities
This database contains 2497 known Nova Scotia coal mining fatalities. Names, dates, places, mines, and causes of death have been painstakingly compiled. Despite this, it is by no means a complete list. Fatalities occurred before records were kept; descriptions of incidents and those involved were lost along with coal company records. Official recording of multiple deaths may have missed some names; in some cases, names are misspelled. However, this is likely the most complete list that exists. Please contact us if you know names to add.
Displaying page 5 of 50 pages (2497 entries).
| Surname | Given Name(s) | Year |
County |
Mine | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McPherson | Vincent | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Methane and blasting powder explosion |
| Schima or Schimo | Wenzel | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Methane and blasting powder explosion |
| Tallia | Angelo | 1918 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Fall of coal |
| George | John | 1919 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of stone |
| Walker | Alexander | 1920 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of coal |
| McEwan | R. | 1921 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Explosion of methane |
| Wells | Horace | 1923 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Fall of stone |
| Hill | Alexander | 1923 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Caught by flywheel in starting haulage engine |
| Turner | James | 1924 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Fall of stone |
| Feit | Frank | 1926 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 6 | Fall of stone |
| Murrell | Arthur | 1927 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 11 | Fall of stone |
| Ferguson | John R. | 1927 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Kicked by a horse |
| Murphy | John | 1928 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Crushed by runaway box |
| Dash | Julian | 1929 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Killed by boxes |
| Beaton | George | 1930 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 10 | Fall of stone |
| Cooper | Arthur | 1931 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2, Surface | Run over by car in colliery yard |
| Clarke | John G. | 1932 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of coal |
| Morrison | Daniel J. | 1934 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Struck by a man-rake |
| Taylor | John S. | 1935 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Struck by trip |
| McDonald | Colin | 1936 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Struck by runaway box |
| McDonald | David | 1937 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 11 | Struck by trip |
| Thistle | Silas | 1938 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Fall of stone |
| Morrison | Joseph | 1938 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Broken cable on riding rake; 1 of 21 killed |
| Hogan | James | 1939 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Run over by riding rake, died 2 days later |
| Gordon | Henry | 1941 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Fall of stone |
| Boutilier | Charles | 1942 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 4 | Fall of stone |
| Young | Fred | 1942 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Fall of coal |
| McDonald | Alex P. | 1943 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 4 | Crushed between boxes |
| Dewan | James | 1944 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Struck by trip |
| McMullin | John William | 1945 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 18 | Fall of stone |
| Kennedy | James | 1946 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 24 | Fall of roof |
| Weeks | Archie | 1948 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 20 | Haulage |
| Cathcart | Gordon | 1950 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 20 | Fall of stone |
| McDonald | Wilfred | 1952 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 18 | Haulage, surface |
| Cathcart | Lionel | 1954 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Haulage, surface |
| McMullin | Michael | 1955 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Fall of stone |
| Gaul | Patrick | 1956 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 18 | Gas asphixiation; 1 of 2 killed |
| McVicar | John | 1957 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 20 | Haulage |
| Blois | John | 1959 | Cape Breton County | Four Star | Fall of stone |
| Conran | Andrew | 1960 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 20 | Fall of stone |
| Boozan | Leo | 1963 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 26 | Haulage |
| MacLean | John J. | 1966 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 26 | Haulage: Hit by an empty trip |
| Stoker | Matthew | 1968 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 26 | Natural Causes |
| Matheson | James E. | 1971 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 26 | Haulage: Struck by a trip of material |
| Sharpe | Clifford | 1979 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 26 | Methane explosion, sparked by coal shearer hitting stone; 1 of 12 killed |
| Gallant | Sheldon | 1988 | Cape Breton County | Lingan | Hit on head |
| White | Morris | 1867 | Cape Breton County | Lingan | Explosion of methane |
| MacIver | Norman | 1872 | Cape Breton County | Victoria | Fall of roof coal |
| McCormack | Angus | 1872 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines Colliery (Queen pit) | Fall of stone |
| Morrison | Daniel | 1886 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Run over by tub due to broken rope |