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 8 of 50 pages (2498 entries).
| Surname | Given Name(s) | Year |
County |
Mine | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McLean | Frank | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Methane and blasting powder explosion |
| Penny | Reuben | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Methane and blasting powder explosion |
| Dixon | William | 1918 | Cape Breton County | Jubilee, Sydney Mines | Runaway trip |
| Locke | James | 1919 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Struck by piece of wood |
| McDonald | Allan J. | 1920 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Struck on head by upright timber, died 3 days later |
| Adair | Robert | 1921 | Cape Breton County | Bras d'Or No. 4 | Explosion of methane |
| Lyons | Charles F. | 1922 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of coal from face, died 5 days later |
| McDougall | Joseph | 1923 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 4 | Struck by loaded car at No. 4 landing |
| Perfect | Joseph | 1924 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Killed by moving railway cars |
| Wilcox | Nicholas | 1925 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Tally boy; boxes on bankhead |
| McDonald | Malcolm | 1926 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Kicked by a horse |
| Kennedy | John | 1927 | Cape Breton County | Colonial | Electrocuted in logement |
| Blackwood | Fraser | 1928 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Struck by runaway box |
| Dean | Thomas | 1929 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 11 | Fall of stone |
| McDonald | Dan | 1930 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Fall of stone |
| MacDonald | Vincent | 1931 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Struck by coal from a shot |
| McPherson | Malcolm I. | 1932 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Struck by box |
| MacNeil | Malcolm P. | 1934 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Fall of stone |
| Napier | James | 1934 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 6 | Fall of stone |
| Hickey | John | 1936 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of stone |
| Head | Walter | 1937 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Crushed between box and chock |
| Burgoyne | Nelson | 1937 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Struck by runaway trip; 1 of 3 killed |
| Rollins | John | 1938 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Broken cable on riding rake; 1 of 21 killed |
| Campbell | John | 1938 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Broken cable on riding rake; 1 of 21 killed |
| Semenuk | Mike | 1940 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of coal |
| Patten | John | 1941 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 11 | Runaway trip |
| Cann | William | 1942 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Struck by trip |
| Dorando | Albert | 1943 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Struck by runaway box |
| Saltys | Joseph | 1944 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 4 | Strick by flying timber from tram |
| Devison | Hector | 1946 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 20 | Caught between box and stopping |
| Briggs | George | 1946 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Bump (more than 2 miles offshore); 1 of 4 killed |
| Copley | Samuel | 1948 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 20 | Machinery |
| MacIntosh | John J. | 1949 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 20 | Fall of stone |
| Marsh | Francis | 1951 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Fall of stone |
| McGillivray | John | 1953 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Haulage |
| Perhiniak | John | 1954 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 26 | Haulage |
| Mouland | George | 1956 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Fall |
| MacPhail | Clinton | 1957 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 20 | Haulage |
| Salon | John | 1959 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 18 | Haulage |
| Hudson | Alfred | 1960 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 20 | Falling chuck blocks |
| Keigan | Charles | 1962 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Haulage |
| Oliver | Joseph | 1965 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 26 | Fall of stone; 1 of 2 killed |
| Warren | Henry | 1968 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 26 | Haulage |
| Mombourquette | Alphonse | 1971 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 12 | Natural Causes |
| Roberts | Michael | 1979 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 26 | Methane explosion, sparked by coal shearer hitting stone; 1 of 12 killed |
| Kerr | Ross | 1983 | Cape Breton County | Prince | Electrocuted |
| Hoyt | Henry | 1866 | Cape Breton County | Lingan | Fall of coal |
| McKinnon | J. | 1871 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines Colliery (Queen pit) | Fall of coal |
| Bonar | John | 1877 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess) | Fall of stone |
| Shanahan | James | 1882 | Cape Breton County | Little Glace Bay | Fall of stone from roof |