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 1 of 50 pages (2497 entries).
| Surname | Given Name(s) | Year |
County |
Mine | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McLeod | Angus | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Caught between motor and prop |
| Butt | George | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Methane and blasting powder explosion |
| Fahey | Timothy | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Methane and blasting powder explosion |
| McKenzie | John H. | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Rescue work after explosion |
| Peach | William J. | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Methane and blasting powder explosion |
| McCormick | Joseph | 1918 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Struck by boom, died 4 days later |
| Rordenan | Alex | 1919 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 5 | Fall of stone |
| Christie | James | 1920 | Cape Breton County | Colonial No. 4, engine house | Caught in belt that operates hoist, lived 9 hrs |
| McKenzie | Joseph | 1921 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Fall of stone |
| McLean | Edward | 1922 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of stone |
| Killoway | George W. | 1923 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 24 | Fall of roof stone hile clearing up fall |
| Tobin | Michael | 1924 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 4 | Between full box and timber |
| Boutilier | Arthur | 1925 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Fall of stone |
| Bennett | Henry | 1926 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Falling boom |
| Clark | Josiah | 1927 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 24 | Fall of stone |
| Rose | James | 1928 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of stone |
| Guyaux | George | 1929 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Fall of stone |
| McCumiskey | Owen | 1930 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Struck by trip |
| Orell | Joseph | 1931 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Fall of stone |
| Arsenault | Arsene | 1932 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 14 | Caught between trip and prop |
| Perry | Moses | 1933 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 10 | Fall of stone |
| Gallop | Abe | 1934 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Fall of stone |
| McWhirter | George | 1935 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 10 | Fall of stone |
| Vine | Charles | 1937 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Fall of coal |
| Eveley | Walter | 1937 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Struck by runaway trip; 1 of 3 killed |
| MacDonald | William J. | 1938 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Broken cable on riding rake; 1 of 21 killed |
| MacLeod | Melvin | 1938 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Broken cable on riding rake; 1 of 21 killed |
| Yakubaski | John | 1940 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 4 | Fractured ankle, infection and shock, died 27 days later |
| McLean | Henry | 1941 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Fall of stone |
| Woodland | Herbert | 1942 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Struck by trip |
| Woodfine | Solomon | 1943 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 14 | Gas asphixiation; 1 of 2 killed |
| MacLeod | Duncan | 1944 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 4 | Fall of stone |
| Halliday | Charles | 1945 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Struck by rake |
| Griffiths | Wallace | 1946 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Bump (more than 2 miles offshore); 1 of 4 killed |
| Goldie | Peter | 1948 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Haulage |
| Rose | John | 1949 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Fall of stone |
| Balog | Gustav | 1951 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Fall of stone |
| Williams | Clarie | 1953 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Fall of sotne |
| Holloway | John Thomas | 1954 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 20 | Electricity |
| Collin | Robert | 1955 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 20 | Fall of stone |
| Aucoin | Dan F. | 1957 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Haulage |
| Tobie or Tobin | Frank | 1958 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 26 | Fall of stone |
| Capstick | John | 1960 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 26 | Fall of stone |
| MacDonald | Harold | 1962 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Haulage |
| White | Malcolm | 1965 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 26 | Fall of stone; 1 of 2 killed |
| King | Michael | 1968 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 26 | Haulage: Caught between rail and box when motor trip struck standing boxes |
| Wallace | James | 1970 | Cape Breton County | Princess Wash Plant, Surface | Squeezed in a chain conveyor |
| Cooke | William | 1979 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 26 | Methane explosion, sparked by coal shearer hitting stone; 1 of 12 killed |
| Boazan | Ronald | 1983 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 26 | Crushed |
| McLellan | A. | 1870 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines Colliery (Queen pit) | Run over by loconotive |