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 5 of 50 pages (2497 entries).
| Surname | Given Name(s) | Year |
County |
Mine | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Furlong | Frank | 1901 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Scalded with steam |
| Scott | John W. | 1905 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Killed by trip on turnout |
| Gilroy | Joseph | 1911 | Cumberland | Springhill | Jammed by cars |
| Stevenson | William | 1917 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Struck by prop, died 3 days later |
| Davidonkow | Pichon | 1923 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Bump caused fall of stone in room/bord |
| Dickson | Wlliam | 1927 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 7 | Struck by rake |
| Lutes | Morton M. or Norton | 1937 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Trapper, Struck by trip at 8300-ft trap door |
| Fowler | Richard | 1943 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Crushed while working on screens |
| Leggett | Herbert | 1948 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Fall of stone; 1 of 2 killed |
| Welch | Clarence | 1953 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2, #1 seam | Killed by haulage |
| McSephney | William | 1955 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Killed by haulage |
| Dawson | Gerald | 1956 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 4 | Electricity-fired coal dust explosion |
| Nelson | Lester | 1956 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 4 | On bankhead, Electricity-fired coal dust explosion |
| Backa | Andrew | 1958 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Terrific, devastating bump |
| Goode | Kenneth | 1958 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Terrific, devastating bump |
| McCormack | Lenard | 1958 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Terrific, devastating bump |
| Nicholson | Fred | 1958 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Terrific, devastating bump |
| Spence | Percy | 1958 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Terrific, devastating bump |
| Cantfill | Arthur | 1892 | Cumberland | Victoria; or Cape Breton County | Crushed by runaway box down balance, died 2 days later |
| Nicholson | Phillip | 1911 or 1912 | Cumberland | Joggins | Fall of stone |
| Doyle | John | 1917 | Cumberland | Kimberly | Fall of stone, died 6 days later |
| Kralicek or Krawlick | Emil or Emile | 1930 | Cumberland | Victoria No. 2 | Gas explosion; 1 of 7 killed |
| Stewart | Walter | 1935 | Cumberland | Victoria No. 4 (Bright Light Mine) | Fall of stone |
| Burbine | Joseph | 1969 | Cumberland | River Hebert Coal Mine, formerly Cochran | Died of natural causes in mine |
| Bigney | Robert | 1881 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 | Rope broke on cage |
| Adams | John | 1888 | Cumberland | Springhill Surface | Cause not recorded |
| Carmichael | William | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Dunn | John | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Johnson | James | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| McKinnon | Allen | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Mitchell | John | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Piquinot | James | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Swift | Henry | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Tebo or Tebe | James | 1893 or 1894 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 slope | Full box struck prop from under boom |
| Sweet | Eben | 1902 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Fall down chute |
| Henderson | William | 1905 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 3 | Fall of coal |
| Bulmer | Walter | 1911 or 1912 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 3 | Struck by ginney (aka jinney or jig) or prop |
| Gabriel | Alexander | 1918 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Fall of stone |
| Melanson | Melos | 1923 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Bump caused fall of stone from crosscut roof |
| Fagon | Edward | 1930 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 6 | Fall of roof; 1 of 2 killed |
| Budd | Walter R. | 1937 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 4 | Fall of stone |
| Megeney | Vernour | 1943 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Struck and Run over by rake |
| McGraw | Ernest | 1948 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Fall of stone; 1 of 2 killed |
| Casey | James W. | 1953 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Killed by haulage |
| Reese | Lloyd | 1955 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Killed by haulage |
| Ellis | Richard | 1956 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 4 | Electricity-fired coal dust explosion |
| Pepperdine | Burrell | 1956 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 4 | Electricity-fired coal dust explosion |
| Bobbie | Edward | 1958 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Terrific, devastating bump |
| Halliday | Harry | 1958 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Terrific, devastating bump |
| McDonald | Arthur | 1958 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Terrific, devastating bump |