Coal Mining Fatalities
This database contains 2498 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 (2498 entries).
| Surname |
Given Name(s) |
Year | County | Mine | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sharples | James | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Russell | James | 1934 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Heart failure |
| Bradwell | James | 1910 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 10 | Fall of stone |
| Edwards | James | 1950 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Haulage |
| McEachran or MacEachern | James | 1883 | Pictou County | Vale | Drawbar broke, crash of runaway slope rake |
| Stewart | James | 1906 | Pictou County | Albion | Struck by a rake |
| Dewan | James | 1944 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Struck by trip |
| Webb | James | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| Kennedy | James | 1946 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 24 | Fall of roof |
| Napier | James | 1934 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 6 | 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 |
| Stewart | James | 1934 | Cape Breton County | Colonial No. 1 | Struck by coal boxes |
| Geddes | James | 1953 | Pictou County | McBean | Haulage accident |
| Campbell | James | 1958 | Cape Breton County | Four Star | Electrical |
| Walker | James | 1937 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 10 | Fall of stone |
| McVey | James | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Christie | James | 1920 | Cape Breton County | Colonial No. 4, engine house | Caught in belt that operates hoist, lived 9 hrs |
| Cobert | James | 1946 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Haulage |
| Gillies or Gillis | James | 1883 | Pictou County | Vale | Drawbar broke, crash of runaway slope rake |
| Handrahan | James | 1912 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Fall of stone from roof |
| Wilson | James | 1902 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Fatally injured by full rake of boxes |
| Johnson | James | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Dumphy | James | 1908 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Fall of coal from face |
| Flynn | James | 1917 | Pictou County | Greenwood | Fall of stone |
| Gillespie | James | 1929 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Fall of stone |
| Conn | James | 1839 | Pictou County | Storr pit | Methane explosion; 1 of 2 killed |
| Morris | James | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Purvis | James | 1902 | Pictou County | Albion | Fall of top coal |
| McMullin | James | 1943 | Cape Breton County | Tomson | Injured while replacing derailed box |
| Nicholson | James | 1922 | Cumberland | Minudie #2 | Powder ignited by cartridge explosion, died 12 days later; 1 of 2 killed |
| Fortune | James | 1894 | Cape Breton County | International | Full trip on deep road |
| DeGrace | James | 1902 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 3 | Cause not recorded |
| Hamilton | James | 1911 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Shot blew through on slant containing water, partly driven between main slope, drowned; 1 of 2 killed |
| Shanahan | James | 1882 | Cape Breton County | Little Glace Bay | Fall of stone from roof |
| Parsons | James | 1944 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Runaway trip; 1 of 3 killed |
| Carson | James | 1908 | Cumberland | Chignecto | Fell down balance |
| Ramsey | James | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| McGill | James | 1918 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Runaway car |
| Doyle | James | 1920 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 14 | Struck by empty trip |
| Rose | James | 1928 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of stone |
| Haslam | James | 1885 | Cumberland | Syndicate | burned by explosion of powder; 1 of 3 killed |
| O'Regan | James | 1924 | Cumberland | Joggins No. 7 | Fall of coal |
| Wilson | James | 1903 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Fatally hurt by a full rake of boxes |
| Aspinall | James | 1938 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Broken cable on riding rake; 1 of 21 killed |
| Dunphy | James | 1908 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Fall of coal from face |
| Doolan | James | 1930 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 14 | Struck by runaway box |
| Conway | James | 1950 | Pictou County | Albion | Fall of coal |
| Reeves | James | 1872 | Pictou County | Acadia | Fall of coal |
| Francis | James | 1938 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Struck by cage lever on surface; died 3 days later |
| Ross | James | 1941 | Cape Breton County | Indian Cove Coal Company | Explosion; 1 of 2 killed |