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 26 of 50 pages (2498 entries).
| Surname | Given Name(s) | Year |
County |
Mine | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wadystan | Wyercbick | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Methane and blasting powder explosion |
| Toomey | Joseph | 1918 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Caught by full box |
| Hanrahan | Joseph | 1920 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Jammed between loaded box and boom |
| West | Herbert | 1921 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Fall of coal |
| Vanherek | Henry | 1922 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 14 | Fall of stone |
| Hibbs | James | 1922 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Struck by runaway car in deep |
| McDonald | Daniel | 1924 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 24 | Fall of stone; 1 of 2 killed |
| Jacques | Arthur | 1925 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Trip of boxes |
| Driscol or Driscoll | William | 1926 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Slipped from car, wheels passed over him |
| Jesso | Frank | 1927 | Cape Breton County | Colonial | Fall of stone |
| Keigan | Patrick | 1928 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Fall of stone |
| Waye | Samuel | 1929 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Killed by chain block |
| McIntyre | Alex | 1929 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Struck by cage |
| Burkhart | Amos | 1931 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Fall of coal |
| Arsenault | John | 1931 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 14 | Caught between box and prop |
| Gunn | Dan | 1933 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Fall of stone |
| Durdle | Neslon | 1934 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Riding on trip which left the road |
| Lawless | Marcel | 1935 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 11 | Found on haulage |
| Steele | James | 1936 | Cape Breton County | North Sydney Pier | Falling into pocket |
| Ralph | John | 1937 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of coal |
| Dixon | Richard | 1938 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Broken cable on riding rake; 1 of 21 killed |
| Campbell | Thomas | 1938 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Broken cable on riding rake; 1 of 21 killed |
| McNeil | Angus J. | 1940 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Struck by trip |
| Auld | Angus | 1931 | Pictou County | Acadia No. 3 (Six-Foot) | Fall of stone |
| Bell | Larry Arthur | 1992 | Pictou County | Westray | Devastating methane and coal dust explosion |
| Bosman or Bossman | Andrew | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| Burns | Edward | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| Campbell | Joseph | 1936 | Pictou County | McGregor | Overrun by a full trip of coal on slope |
| Clarke | Robert | 1907 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Killed at fire doors by a full trip being pulled through the bank head by an over-wind |
| Coulier | Alfred | 1945 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Hit by a runaway box |
| Davidson | Robert | 1952 | Pictou County | McGregor | Methane explosion (localized); 1 of 19 killed |
| Dunbar | John | 1904 | Pictou County | Albion | Run over by a rake |
| Finlay | Daniel | 1903 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Hit by a rake on the hoisting slope |
| Fraser | James W. | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | influx of water; 1 of 6 killed |
| Gaskill | Thomas | 1924 | Pictou County | Albion | Fall of coal |
| Guy | Abraham | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| Hanuse | Cammile | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| Holland | Guthrie | 1878 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Fall of roof stone |
| Jewell | Charles | 1920 | Pictou County | Albion | Fall of coal |
| Kennedy | Dan | 1885 | Pictou County | Vale | Devastating methane explosion |
| Lennon | James | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| Luddington | Truman | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| MacDonald | John | 1915 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Run over by a trip of coal |
| MacKenzie | Hector | 1867 | Pictou County | Montreal & Pictou | Fall of stone |
| MacLean | John J. | 1929 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Electrocuted, fell onto live cable in pump room |
| Maquire | Bernard | 1914 | Pictou County | Vale | Struck by an empty trip that derailed |
| McDonald | Hugh | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| McGillivray | Angus | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| McLean | John | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| McNutt | Robert | 1952 | Pictou County | McGregor | Methane explosion (localized); 1 of 19 killed |