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 1 of 50 pages (2497 entries).
| Surname | Given Name(s) | Year |
County |
Mine | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aird | Finlay | 1907 | Inverness | Inverness | Fell from riding rake on main slope |
| Gilliam | Robert | date unknown | Inverness | Inverness | cause not recorded |
| MacDonald | James | 1922 | Inverness | bootleg pit | Methane gas poisoning; 1 of 3 killed |
| McIsaac | Daniel C. | 1924 | Inverness | Inverness No. 1 | Fall of stone; 1 of 4 killed |
| Powelle | (Bulgarian) Unknown | 1908 | Inverness | Port Hood | Explosion on No. 3 level south; 1 of 10 killed |
| Assiff | Joseph | 1921 | Inverness | Inverness | Hit by rake on level, died 2 days later |
| Gillies | Angus | 1878 | Inverness | Port Hood | Explosion of steam boiler; 1 of 2 killed |
| MacDougall | Peter | 1934 | Inverness | Inverness No. 1 | Gas explosion |
| McIsaac | Daniel A. or Danile | 1936 | Inverness | Port Hood | Killed by file shot |
| Quigley | Thomas | 1906 | Inverness | Mabou | Jammed between box and pillar |
| Beaton | Malcolm | 1908 | Inverness | Port Hood | Explosion on No. 3 level south; 1 of 10 killed |
| Gillis | Dan A. | 1907 | Inverness | Inverness | Fatally injured riding in empty trip, rope broke |
| MacDougall | Hugh G. or Hugh C. | 1934 | Inverness | Inverness No. 1 | Fall of coal |
| McIsaac | Dougald | 1939 | Inverness | Inverness | Jammed; died 2 days later |
| Quigley | James | 1943 | Inverness | Inverness No. 3 | Crushed between engine drum and rope |
| Beaumeister | Otto | 1914 | Inverness | Inverness | Fall of coal |
| Gillis | Dan A. | 1908 | Inverness | Inverness | Fall of coal and rock in pillars |
| MacKinnon | Angus | 1945 | Inverness | Inverness No. 3 | Fall of stone |
| McKenzie | William | 1908 | Inverness | Port Hood | Explosion on No. 3 level south; 1 of 10 killed |
| Ross | Angus | 1913 | Inverness | Inverness | Stepped in front of moving balance box |
| Cameron | J.J. | 1903 | Inverness | Mabou | Caught by box on slope |
| Gillis | Lauchlin | 1908 | Inverness | Port Hood | Explosion on No. 3 level south; 1 of 10 killed |
| MacLean | Duncan | 1907 | Inverness | Inverness | See D.A. McLean, 1908, possibly a duplicate |
| McKinnon | Dan | 1937 | Inverness | Inverness | Struck by runaway box |
| Shea | James | 1867 | Inverness | Port Hood | Crushed by machinery |
| Cameron | Archie | 1927 | Inverness | Inverness No. 1 | Fall of coal |
| Gillis | Simon D. | 1920 | Inverness | Inverness | Fall of rock |
| McDonald | A. R. | 1908 | Inverness | Port Hood | Explosion on No. 3 level south; 1 of 10 killed |
| McKinnon | Daniel S. | 1945 | Inverness | Inverness No. 3 | Fall of stone |
| Stuart | Kenneth | 1901 | Inverness | Broad Cove | Killed by runaway wagon in bottom of slope |
| Campbell | John | 1908 | Inverness | Port Hood | Explosion on No. 3 level south; 1 of 10 killed |
| Jones | Harry | 1908 | Inverness | Inverness | Fall of stone and coal, No 7 balance, No 5 E level |
| McDonald | D. R. | 1908 | Inverness | Port Hood | Explosion on No. 3 level south; 1 of 10 killed |
| McKinnon | Lauchlin | 1947 | Inverness | Campbell or No. 4 | Fall of roof |
| Walsh | William | 1905 | Inverness | Port Hood | Hit by boom sliding down slope while timbering |
| Cassidy | William | 1906 | Inverness | Inverness | Struck by a rake on main slope |
| Keating | Edward | 1914 | Inverness | Inverness | Cage struck timber, knocking roof down |
| McDonald | Ranald or Ronald | 1911 | Inverness | Inverness | Fall of coal; head crushed |
| McLean | D.A. | 1908 | Inverness | Inverness | Fall of stone from roof in tunnel to 13-foot seam |
| Watts | Alexander | 1878 | Inverness | Port Hood | Explosion of steam boiler; 1 of 2 killed |
| Chisholm | William | 1925 | Inverness | Inverness No. 1 | Killed by runaway box |
| Kennedy | Angus | 1901 or 1902 | Inverness | Broad Cove | Run over by back balance rope-brake |
| McDonald | Murdock A. | 1914 or 1915 | Inverness | Inverness | Fell under moving coal boxes while getting on full rake |
| McLean | John | 1937 | Inverness | Inverness | Struck by trip or rope |
| Young | Ninian | 1919 | Inverness | Inverness | Injured by dynamite shot; died a day later. |
| Copan | Louis | 1923 | Inverness | Inverness No. 1 | Killed by trip of mine cars |
| Ladime | (Bulgarian) Unknown | 1908 | Inverness | Port Hood | Explosion on No. 3 level south; 1 of 10 killed |
| McDonald | Alexander T. | 1918 | Inverness | Inverness | Struck by mine-car; died 10 days later |
| McLellan | Angus | 1906 | Inverness | Broad Cove | Killed by runaway box on main slope |
| DeCoste | Bernard | 1914 | Inverness | Inverness | Fall of coal |