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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Farrell | Gregor | 1950 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 11 | Haulage |
| Gabriel | Patrick | 1952 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 20 | Methane explosion; 1 of 7 killed |
| Michalik | Joseph | 1954 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Haulage |
| Keating | Fred | 1955 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 20 | Haulage |
| McCormack | Archie | 1956 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 26 | Fall of stone |
| Lettuce | William | 1958 | Cape Breton County | Tomson | Explosion |
| MacLeod | William | 1959 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Fall of stone |
| Allen | James | 1961 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 20 | Electrical |
| Buchanan | Michael | 1964 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 26 | Fall of stone |
| MacPhee | Vernon Michael | 1967 | Cape Breton County | Four Star | Machinery: Caught in capstan |
| Atwood | Wilfred | 1969 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 12 | Caught on cutting drum of Anderton Shearer |
| MacFadgen | Donald | 1973 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 12 | Explosion and fire; 1 of 2 killed |
| Purcell | Paul F. | 1979 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 26 | Methane explosion, sparked by coal shearer hitting stone; 1 of 12 killed |
| Cantfill | Arthur | 1892 | Cape Breton County | Victoria | Crushed by runaway box down balance, died 2 days later |
| Bennois | John | 1867 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines Colliery (Queen pit) | Explosion of powder |
| Cameron | Michael | 1874 | Cape Breton County | Victoria | |
| Greenwell | Isaac | 1878 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess) | Methane explosion; 1 of 6 killed |
| Fergusson | John | 1887 | Cape Breton County | Gowrie | Fall of roof coal |
| MacIntyre | Joseph | 1893 | Cape Breton County | Victoria | Run over by cage in balance, died next day |
| Gracy | Bosel | 1895 | Cape Breton County | Hub | Fell from stage down shaft; 1 of 2 killed |
| Doyle | John, Jr. | 1899 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Afterdamp from methane explosion; 1 of 11 killed |
| Kearney | Patrick | 1890 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Killed by coal fall while loading in room |
| McCuish | John | 1900 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess) | Killed drawing props out of an old room |
| Adderly | Thomas Jr | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| Baudoux | John maybe George | 1930 | Pictou County | Albion (Purvis slope) | Riding an empty trip that derailed; killed by falling timbers and stone |
| Boquet | Berry | 1892 | Pictou County | Vale | Fall of coal from working face |
| Buko | Andrew | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| Campbell | John | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| Chisholm | Colin C. | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| Conway | James | 1950 | Pictou County | Albion | Fall of coal |
| Dalling | James | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| Drolet | Remi Joseph | 1992 | Pictou County | Westray | Devastating methane and coal dust explosion |
| Fanning | Willard | 1943 | Pictou County | Albion | Fall of coal from face |
| Frampton | Rod | 1939 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Run over by a loaded box |
| Fraser | Charles Robert | 1992 | Pictou County | Westray | Devastating methane and coal dust explosion |
| Grant | Dougald | 1899 | Pictou County | Vale | Methane explosion by naked light |
| Hamilton | James Y. | 1928 | Pictou County | Drummond No. 5 (Intercolonial No. 5) | Fell head first while timbering the roof when staging collaped under fall of heavy coal lump |
| Hennessy | Abraham | 1935 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Shot blew back exploding methane and coal dust; 1 of 7 killed |
| Jahn | Trevor Martin | 1992 | Pictou County | Westray | Devastating methane and coal dust explosion |
| Kaiser | Michael | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| Lameaux | James | 1916 | Pictou County | Albion | Struck by a runaway box |
| Livingstone | Fred C. | 1957 | Pictou County | Greenwood No. 2 | Hit by a runaway coal box |
| MacDonald | John | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| MacKay | Martin | 1931 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Heart attack in act of getting on riding rake |
| MacKinnon | Donald | 1873 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Fall of coal |
| MacRae | John Duncan | 1930 | Pictou County | Acadia No. 3 (Six-Foot) | Fall of Stone |
| McCallum | Harry Alliston | 1992 | Pictou County | Westray | Devastating methane and coal dust explosion |
| McElvie | John Jr | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| McKenzie | Frederick A. | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| McNeal | David | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |