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 23 of 50 pages (2497 entries).
| Surname |
Given Name(s) |
Year | County | Mine | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McGill | James | 1918 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Runaway car |
| Allen | James | 1961 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 20 | Electrical |
| Russell | James | 1934 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Heart failure |
| Wilson | James | 1902 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Fatally injured by full rake of boxes |
| Lammond | James | 1872 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines Colliery (Queen pit) | Fall of stone |
| Boates | James | 1941 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Fall of coal |
| Doolan | James | 1930 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 14 | Struck by runaway box |
| McIsaac | James | 1948 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Haulage |
| Flynn | James | 1917 | Pictou County | Greenwood | Fall of stone |
| Doyle | James | 1920 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 14 | Struck by empty trip |
| Conn | James | 1839 | Pictou County | Storr pit | Methane explosion; 1 of 2 killed |
| MacLeod | James | 1903 | Pictou County | Acadia | Died 15 February |
| Morris | James | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| McDonald | James | 1907 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 and No. 9 Surface plant | Boiler explosion; maybe 4th man killed in an explosion or is a separate explosion |
| Napier | James | 1934 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 6 | Fall of stone |
| DeGrace | James | 1902 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 3 | Cause not recorded |
| Marsh | James | 1911 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 4 | Fall of rib coal |
| Jacobs | James | 1900 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Fall of coal while loading in room |
| Williamson | James | 1908 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess) | Fall of coal |
| Gleason | James | 1892 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Fell down shaft while working there |
| Conway | James | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Snellgrove | James | 1930 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 4 | Painter; injured by ventilating fan |
| Wright | James | 1952 | Pictou County | McGregor | Methane explosion (localized); 1 of 19 killed |
| Stewart | James | 1934 | Cape Breton County | Colonial No. 1 | Struck by coal boxes |
| Mackey or Mackie | James | 1887 | Cumberland | Springhill | Leg broken; caught by cage in balance |
| Morrison | James | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| Walker | James | 1937 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 10 | Fall of stone |
| Turner | James | 1924 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Fall of stone |
| MacEachern | James | 1935 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Shot blew back exploding methane and coal dust; 1 of 7 killed; asphixiation by carbon monoxide |
| Bradwell | James | 1910 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 10 | Fall of stone |
| Robertson | James | 1861 | Pictou County | Bye pit | Methane explosion |
| McNeil | James | 1911 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 7 | Fall of stone |
| Campbell | James | 1958 | Cape Breton County | Four Star | Electrical |
| Martel | James | 1958 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 20 | Construction |
| Wilson | James | 1903 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Fatally hurt by a full rake of boxes |
| Devoe | James | 1924 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Killed by box on main deep |
| Petrie | James | 1915 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Fall of roof |
| Hibbs | James | 1922 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Struck by runaway car in deep |
| Dunsmuir | James | 1924 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Fall of stone |
| Turner | James | 1880 | Pictou County | Acadia | Fall of coal |
| McLellan | James | 1884 | Pictou County | Albion | Struck by a rake |
| Conway | James | 1950 | Pictou County | Albion | Fall of coal |
| Smith | James | 1901 | Pictou County | Vale | Crushed between a box and a rib |
| McMullin | James | 1943 | Cape Breton County | Tomson | Injured while replacing derailed box |
| Francis | James | 1938 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Struck by cage lever on surface; died 3 days later |
| 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 |
| Messervey | James | 1911 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines No. 3 (Florence) | Methane explosion and coal dust; 1 of 8 killed |
| Burton | James | 1915 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 3 | Fall of stone |
| Riley | James | 1927 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Squeezed between boxes |
| Nairn | James | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |