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 25 of 50 pages (2497 entries).
| Surname | Given Name(s) | Year |
County |
Mine | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dericimn | F. | 1907 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Fall of coal |
| McKenzie | Archy | 1907 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Fall of coal |
| McDonald | J.A. | 1908 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 3 | Fall of stone |
| McDonald | James | 1907 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 and No. 9 Surface plant | Boiler explosion; maybe 4th man killed in an explosion or is a separate explosion |
| Holley | Edward | 1909 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 6 | Driving when box derailed, knocked out prop, roof fell, killing him |
| Carroll | William | 1910 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Jammed between coal hoppers at surface |
| McLellan | James | 1897 | Cape Breton County | Victoria | Fall of coal from pillar |
| Child | 1908 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Polish child, age 2; killed by cars on the surface | |
| Aexter | Alex | 1911 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines No. 3 (Florence) | Explosion |
| Vitus | Armond | 1912 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 10 | Fall of stone |
| Batchford | David | 1913 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Fall of stone |
| Modesto | Antonio | 1913 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of stone |
| Bond | Alexander | 1913 | Cape Breton County | Sydney No. 3 (Florence) | Fall of coal |
| Murphy | John R. | 1914 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 4 | Fall of stone at face |
| Murphy | John | 1915 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 5 | Fall of stone |
| Chiasson | Elezare | 1915 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 10 | Pusher, killed by improperly spragged box |
| Petrie | James | 1915 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Fall of roof |
| Cronius | Stephen | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 7 | Fall of roof |
| Butts | Richard | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Methane and blasting powder explosion |
| Fraser | George | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Methane and blasting powder explosion |
| McLeod | John | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Methane and blasting powder explosion |
| Reynolds | Silas | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Methane and blasting powder explosion |
| McNeil | Peter A. | 1918 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Runaway trip |
| McDougald | Stephen | 1919 | Cape Breton County | Dominion Coal Company shaft | Stone fell from wall |
| McDonald | Hugh | 1920 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 4 | Severed artery in foot |
| Neal | George | 1921 | Cape Breton County | Jubilee, Sydney Mines | Fall down shaft |
| Whalen | Matthew | 1922 | Cape Breton County | Jubilee, lower seam, Sydney Mines | Fall of stone from roof |
| Collier | Alfred | 1923 | Cape Breton County | Bras d'Or No. 4 | Fall of coal from roof in room |
| Smith | Josiah | 1924 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 11 | Runaway mine car |
| Jessoe | James | 1925 | Cape Breton County | Colonial No. 1 | Fall of stone |
| McNeil | Michael | 1926 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Fall of stone |
| Clark | James | 1927 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 5 | Fall of stone |
| Pendergrast | John | 1928 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Fall of stone |
| Clarke | John | 1929 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 11 | Fall of stone |
| Francis | Arthur J. | 1930 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 14 | Fall of stone |
| Haley | John V. | 1931 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Caught between car and timber |
| Conn | Leo | 1932 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 11 | Fall of stone |
| Boone | Adrian | 1934 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Found dead on haulageway |
| Jessoe | Alexander | 1934 | Cape Breton County | Colonial No. 1 | Fall of stone |
| Stewart | John | 1936 | Cape Breton County | Colonial | Struck by runaway trip |
| McNeil | Peter | 1937 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Fall of stone |
| McNeil | John D. | 1938 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Fall caused by trip |
| Major | Joseph | 1938 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Broken cable on riding rake; 1 of 21 killed |
| Murray | Garfield | 1939 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Fall of coal |
| Dickson | John | 1940 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Fall of stone |
| Finlayson | Charles | 1942 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Struck by trip |
| Briffett | Edward | 1942 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 4 | Fall of stone |
| Forris | Stephen | 1943 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Fall of stone |
| Mason | Arthur | 1944 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 20 | Struck by trap door dislodged by trip |
| Seward | Peter | 1945 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 24 | Fall of stone |