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 10 of 50 pages (2497 entries).
| Surname | Given Name(s) | Year |
County |
Mine | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taylor | John | 1938 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Broken cable on riding rake; 1 of 21 killed |
| Brown | David | 1939 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Struck by runaway box |
| MacDonald | Gus | 1941 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 24 | Struck by runaway trip |
| McDonald | Joseph | 1942 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Fall of stone |
| Holm | William | 1943 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Fall of stone |
| Stevenson | James | 1943 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Coal tank platform tilted, threw man down shaft; 1 of 4 killed being lifted in coal shaft |
| Doucette | Medric | 1944 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 24 | Fall of stone |
| Aucoin | William Joseph | 1946 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Fall of roof |
| Roberts | Alfred | 1947 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 26 | Fall of roof |
| Tomkins | Michael | 1949 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Haulage |
| 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 |
| Grant | Albert or Arthur | 1899 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Afterdamp from methane explosion; 1 of 11 killed |
| McLain | Hector | 1896 | Cape Breton County | Reserve or Gowrie | |
| Young | Michael | 1900 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess) | Run over by trip while trying to get on it |
| Lanswood | Fred | 1902 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 3 | Run over by full boxes on slope |
| McDonald | Lauchlin | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Killed by hoisting bucket falling on him |
| Mootery | George | 1904 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Struck by runaway boxes |
| Laffin | John J. | 1905 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Fall of coal from face |
| Laforte | Nelson | 1906 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Struck by full box on slope |
| McLean | D. | 1907 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of stone |
| Ferrymand | Edward | 1907 | Cape Breton County | Sydney No. 5 (Queen) | Fall of stone |
| McInnis | John | 1908 | Cape Breton County | International | Fall of stone |
| Raus | George | 1909 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Iinjured by runaway box, died next day |
| Haworth | Joseph | 1909 | Cape Breton County | Sydney No. 5 (Queen) | Fall of stone |
| Chisholm | John J. | 1910 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of pillar stone |
| Butt | Robert | 1909 | Cape Breton County | MacKay | Fall of stone |
| Campbell | John | 1911 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Run over by full trip, arms and legs broken |
| Wade or Mahoney | John | 1911 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines No. 3 (Florence) | Methane explosion and coal dust; 1 of 8 killed |
| Meulders | Gaspar | 1912 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of roof |
| Andreggo | Alexander | 1913 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 14 | Struck by runaway box |
| Dean | Thomas | 1912 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 6 | Fell under full trip |