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 8 of 50 pages (2497 entries).
| Surname | Given Name(s) | Year |
County |
Mine | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Gallant | Joseph | 1946 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Fall of roof |
| O'Connell | Patrick | 1948 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 20 | Explosives |
| Edwards | James | 1950 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Haulage |
| MacIsaac | John A. | 1951 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 18A | Haulage |
| MacLean | John | 1953 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 18 | Haulage |
| MacDonald | Robert C. | 1954 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 18 | Fall of stone |
| Paul | John | 1956 | Cape Breton County | Tomson | Explosives |
| Mitchell | Fred | 1957 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 20 | Fall of stone |
| Thorne | Wesley | 1959 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Haulage |
| Jenkins | Robert | 1960 | Cape Breton County | Four Star | Surface haulage |
| LeBeau | John | 1963 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Maintenance |
| Currie | Michael | 1966 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 26 | Fall of stone |
| Swarttzack | Freeman | 1968 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 20 | Natural Causes |
| Legnaro | Benedict | 1971 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 26 | Natural Causes |
| Mills | Wayne | 1979 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 26 | Methane explosion, sparked by coal shearer hitting stone; 1 of 12 killed |
| Power | Lewis | 1985 | Cape Breton County | Lingan | Crushed |