Coal Mining Fatalities
This database contains 2498 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 11 of 50 pages (2498 entries).
| Surname | Given Name(s) | Year |
County |
Mine | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aspinall | James | 1938 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Broken cable on riding rake; 1 of 21 killed |
| O'Connor | Wilmot | 1939 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Fall of coal |
| Todd | Matther | 1941 | Cape Breton County | Bras d'Or | Fall of stone |
| McDonald | John A. | 1942 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | fall of stone |
| McAskill | Malcolm | 1943 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 11 | Fall of stone |
| Adamson | Clare or Carl | 1943 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Coal tank platform tilted, threw man down shaft; 1 of 4 killed being lifted in coal shaft |
| MacKay | Earl | 1944 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Runaway trip; 1 of 3 killed |
| Browner | Thomas | 1946 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Mine machinery |
| Carey | George | 1947 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Bankhead (surface) |
| Coffin | Louis | 1949 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Haulage |
| Califf | Velco | 1950 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 20 | Haulage |
| Harris | Charles | 1952 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 20 | Methane explosion; 1 of 7 killed |
| Beaver | John | 1954 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 25 | Fall of stone; 1 of 2 killed |
| McKinnon | Laurence | 1955 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Haulage |
| Murrant | Edgar | 1956 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Haulage |
| Walczak | Wallace | 1958 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Haulage |
| Marsh | Russel | 1959 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Fall of stone |
| Chiasson | Arthur | 1961 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Haulage |
| MacDougall | Alexander | 1964 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Haulage |
| Smith | Arnold S. | 1967 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 20 | Haulage: Caught between box and timbe |
| MacKenzie | Earl C. | 1969 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 26 | Fall of stone |
| MacDonald | Charles V. | 1974 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 26 | Struck by railway car; or jammed between 2 railway cars |
| MacNeil | John A. | 1979 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 26 | Methane explosion, sparked by coal shearer hitting stone; 1 of 12 killed |
| Conway | John | 1868 | Cape Breton County | Aspe Bay | Explosion of powder |
| Downie | John | 1873 | Cape Breton County | International | Run over by train |
| McDonald | Murdoch | 1878 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess) | Methane explosion; 1 of 6 killed |
| Steele | Thomas | 1887 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess) | Fall of roof stone |
| Young | Alexander | 1893 | Cape Breton County | Gowrie | Fall of roof coal, died 6 days later |
| Ferguson | Allen | 1896 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Struck by part of junk while loading |
| Johnstone | Thomas | 1899 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Afterdamp from methane explosion; 1 of 11 killed |
| Hilliar | Joseph | 1899 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | |
| Howie | Alexander | 1901 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Killed by runaway coal wagon in east deep |
| Finlay | Bart | 1902 | Cape Breton County | Harbour Seam | Fall of stone from roof |
| McDonald | Dan | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of cage down shaft |
| Warren | Edward | 1904 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of stone from roof |
| McVarish | J. | 1905 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Run over by box |
| Morrison | John | 1906 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Fatally injured between boxes on slope |
| McMullin | John | 1907 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of stone |
| Bartlett | John C. | 1908 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Fall of coal |
| Johnston | James | 1908 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Fatally injured by air pipe bursting, died a month later |
| Seaman | Max | 1909 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Electric wire |
| McLean | Dan S. | 1910 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | While connecting wire, shotfirer fired |
| Connors | John | 1910 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Run over by motor, died a few hours after |
| Hamilton | William | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines Colliery; Nova Scotia Steel & Coal | Killed by runaway trip on slope |
| McLean | Dan | 1911 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fell under engine |
| Purchase | Harry | 1911 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines No. 3 (Florence) | Methane explosion and coal dust; 1 of 8 killed |
| Gumatto | William | 1912 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | uncertain if killed; confusing records |
| Graham | Alex | 1913 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 15 | Fall of stone |
| Geuro | Petro | 1913 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 6 | Struck by box |
| Gaskin | Thomas | 1914 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Fall of stone |