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 39 of 50 pages (2497 entries).
| Surname | Given Name(s) | Year |
County |
Mine | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Griffiths | Wallace | 1946 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Bump (more than 2 miles offshore); 1 of 4 killed |
| Goldie | Peter | 1948 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Haulage |
| Rose | John | 1949 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Fall of stone |
| Balog | Gustav | 1951 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Fall of stone |
| Williams | Clarie | 1953 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Fall of sotne |
| Holloway | John Thomas | 1954 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 20 | Electricity |
| Collin | Robert | 1955 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 20 | Fall of stone |
| Aucoin | Dan F. | 1957 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Haulage |
| Tobie or Tobin | Frank | 1958 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 26 | Fall of stone |
| Capstick | John | 1960 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 26 | Fall of stone |
| MacDonald | Harold | 1962 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Haulage |
| White | Malcolm | 1965 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 26 | Fall of stone; 1 of 2 killed |
| King | Michael | 1968 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 26 | Haulage: Caught between rail and box when motor trip struck standing boxes |
| Wallace | James | 1970 | Cape Breton County | Princess Wash Plant, Surface | Squeezed in a chain conveyor |
| Cooke | William | 1979 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 26 | Methane explosion, sparked by coal shearer hitting stone; 1 of 12 killed |
| Boazan | Ronald | 1983 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 26 | Crushed |
| McLellan | A. | 1870 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines Colliery (Queen pit) | Run over by loconotive |
| McNamara | William | 1877 | Cape Breton County | Lingan | Explosion of boiler; 1 of 3 killed |
| Boutilier | W. | 1879 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Taking down coal loosened by shot |
| McCosh | Alex | 1890 | Cape Breton County | Gowrie | Fall of stone from roof |
| Fraser | Stephen | 1894 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Fell 68 feet from smoke stack, died 5 days later |
| Lund | John | 1897 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Caught between coal box and pillar |
| McDonald | Neil | 1899 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Afterdamp from methane explosion; 1 of 11 killed |
| McDonald | Murdock | 1900 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Fell against in-motion engine drum |
| Anderson | Andrew | 1901 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 3 | Killed by fall of roof stone in room |
| O'Hanley | Donald | 1902 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Killed by runaway full box in slope |
| King | Joseph | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Methane explosion No.5 S level, French slope |
| McKay | John w. | 1905 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines Colliery; Nova Scotia Steel & Coal | Killed by riding on a trip |
| Davidson | Walter | 1906 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of coal from face |
| McKinnon | F. | 1907 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess) | Runaway box inflicted injury causing death |
| Munroe | John | 1907 | Cape Breton County | Emery Mine | Fall of stone |
| Johnson | J.D. | 1908 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of coal |
| Adey | Benjamin | 1907 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 and No. 9 Surface plant | Boiler explosion; 1 of 3 or 4 killed |
| Wynn | Richard | 1909 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 3 | Pick boy; Run over by full box |
| McGrath | James | 1910 | Cape Breton County | Gowrie | Runaway box, accidental death |
| McInnis | Alexander | 1895 | Cape Breton County | Victoria | Caught between coal box and pillar |
| Young | Archie | 1904 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines Colliery; Nova Scotia Steel & Coal | Fall of coal |
| McNeil | James | 1911 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 7 | Fall of stone |
| Zanicol | Barnado | 1912 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Fall of coal from face |
| Campbell | David | 1913 | Cape Breton County | Broughton | Struck by runaway box |
| Fry | Peter | 1912 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of roof |
| McInnis | Michael | 1913 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Run over by trip |
| Holmes | Angus | 1914 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 22 | Fell, striking head on rail |
| Dye | Charles | 1915 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 7 | Killed by cars on surface, in colliery yard |
| O'Handley | John | 1915 | Cape Breton County | Dominon No. 11 | Killed between box and roof |
| McGrath | Patrick | 1916 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 15 | Fall of roof |
| McPherson | D. | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 7 | Run over by trip of cars |
| Butt or Butts | George W. | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Methane and blasting powder explosion |
| Fedora | Joseph | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Methane and blasting powder explosion |
| McLean | Frank | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Methane and blasting powder explosion |