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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cobert | James | 1946 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Haulage |
| Young | Alex | 1949 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 4 | Haulage |
| MacDonald | Harry | 1950 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Fall of stone |
| Bonar | William | 1952 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 20 | Methane explosion; 1 of 7 killed |
| McLellan | Donald | 1954 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 26 | Gas asphixiation; 1 of 2 killed |
| Pittman | John | 1955 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 20 | Haulage |
| Boutilier | Charles Jr. | 1956 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Haulage |
| McEachern | Bernard | 1958 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Haulage |
| Rockett | Fred | 1959 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Haulage |
| Martin | Henry | 1960 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 20 | Fall of stone |
| MacDonald | Lauchie | 1963 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 26 | Haulage |
| Chiasson | Paul C. | 1966 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Haulage: Struck by runaway box |
| Reashor | Maurice | 1968 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Coronary heart attack |
| Snow | John | 1972 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 26 | |
| Ward | Fabian E. | 1979 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 26 | Methane explosion, sparked by coal shearer hitting stone; 1 of 12 killed |
| Tighe | John (boy) | 1966 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 17 (old Victoria) | Methane inhalation; 1 of 2 cousins who went down old slope |
| Timmons | John | 1867 | Cape Breton County | Collins | Fall of coal; 1 of 2 killed |
| McLean | Angus | 1872 | Cape Breton County | Gowrie | Run over by wagon |
| Sumners | William | 1872 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines Colliery (Queen pit) | Fell down shaft |
| Nichelson | Alex | 1889 | Cape Breton County | Victoria | |
| McDonald | John | 1892 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Fall of loose coal from face of room |
| McLean | Hector | 1895 | Cape Breton County | Gowrie | Fell under coal car on surface railroad |
| McIntosh | Dan | 1898 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Fell under trip trying to get on for a ride |
| Morrison | John | 1899 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess) | Fall of coal whilst holing in pillar |
| Jacobs | James | 1900 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Fall of coal while loading in room |
| Moncusco | Angelo | 1902 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Killed by full tub on main haulage road |
| Keehn | Emile | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Run over by loaded box |
| Ryan | John | 1904 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Fall of stone from roof |
| McMullin | Joseph | 1905 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of coal from face |
| Slanwhite | M. | 1906 | Cape Breton County | Hub | Fall of stone |
| Ashworth | Richard | 1907 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of coal |
| Nicholson | J.W. | 1907 | Cape Breton County | Sydney No. 4 (Scotia) | Struck by runaway box down main slope; 1 of 3 killed |
| Morgan | Frank | 1908 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 8 | Killed by live wire |
| Osterfishok | Simon | 1909 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Fall of coal from face |
| McDonald | Ronald | 1909 | Cape Breton County | North Atlantic Collieries | Crushed between full box and engine |
| McDonald | M. | 1910 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Fall of stone |
| Riciselts | Vincent | 1913 | Cape Breton County | Scotia (possibly Cumberland Co.) | Fall of stone |
| Hennessey | Joseph | 1911 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 10 | Fall of stone, leg injured |
| Ferguson | Archie F. | 1911 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines No. 3 (Florence) | Methane explosion and coal dust; 1 of 8 killed |
| Cauffery | Albert | 1912 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 15 | Premature shot |
| Shoder | Martin | 1912 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 10 | Fall of roof |
| Andrews | Wilfred | 1913 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 6 | Fall of stone |
| Ferguson | A.T. | 1914 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Killed by a box |
| Neary | Andrew | 1914 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 7 | Fell under moving car |
| Brown | Thomas | 1915 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Fall of stone |
| Boutilier | Seth | 1916 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 6 | Trip ran over him, died 7 days later |
| Hutchinson | William | 1916 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Killed by cage |
| Cummings | James | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 10 | Caught between cars and rib |
| Coleman | Peter | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Methane and blasting powder explosion |
| Killoway | Arthur | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Methane and blasting powder explosion |