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 24 of 50 pages (2498 entries).
| Surname |
Given Name(s) |
Year | County | Mine | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conway | James | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Lennon | James | 1926 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Fall of stone |
| Wright | James | 1952 | Pictou County | McGregor | Methane explosion (localized); 1 of 19 killed |
| Doolan | James | 1930 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 14 | Struck by runaway box |
| Mackey or Mackie | James | 1887 | Cumberland | Springhill | Leg broken; caught by cage in balance |
| Gleason | James | 1892 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Fell down shaft while working there |
| Ross | James | 1941 | Cape Breton County | Indian Cove Coal Company | Explosion; 1 of 2 killed |
| Cobert | James | 1946 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Haulage |
| 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 |
| Overs | James | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| MacLeod | James | 1903 | Pictou County | Acadia | Died 15 February |
| Tebo or Tebe | James | 1893 or 1894 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 slope | Full box struck prop from under boom |
| Campbell | James | 1958 | Cape Breton County | Four Star | Electrical |
| Snellgrove | James | 1930 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 4 | Painter; injured by ventilating fan |
| Piquinot | James | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| McEachran or MacEachern | James | 1883 | Pictou County | Vale | Drawbar broke, crash of runaway slope rake |
| Turner | James | 1924 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Fall of stone |
| Turner | James | 1880 | Pictou County | Acadia | Fall of coal |
| Conway | James | 1950 | Pictou County | Albion | Fall of coal |
| Smith | James | 1901 | Pictou County | Vale | Crushed between a box and a rib |
| Handrahan | James | 1912 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Fall of stone from roof |
| Devoe | James | 1924 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Killed by box on main deep |
| Dunphy | James | 1908 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Fall of coal from face |
| MacEachern | James | 1935 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Shot blew back exploding methane and coal dust; 1 of 7 killed; asphixiation by carbon monoxide |
| Francis | James | 1938 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Struck by cage lever on surface; died 3 days later |
| Dunsmuir | James | 1924 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Fall of stone |
| Christie | James | 1920 | Cape Breton County | Colonial No. 4, engine house | Caught in belt that operates hoist, lived 9 hrs |
| Karrel | James | 1939 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of stone |
| Parsons | James | 1944 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Runaway trip; 1 of 3 killed |
| Maloney | James | 1973 | Cumberland | River Hebert Coal Mine, formerly Cochran | Died of natural causes in mine |
| McLellan | James | 1897 | Cape Breton County | Victoria | Fall of coal from pillar |
| Robbins | James | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| MacDonald | James | 1922 | Inverness | bootleg pit | Methane gas poisoning; 1 of 3 killed |
| Ferguson | James | 1897 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 slope | Fall of roof while opening No. 1 slope |
| Riley | James | 1927 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Squeezed between boxes |
| Porter | James | 1914 | Cumberland | Black Diamond | Thawing Samsonite (possibly a powder brand) |
| Dakens | James A. | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| Jobes | James D. | 1931 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 4 | Struck by box |
| MacDonald | James D. | 1912 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Fall of top coal at face of bord |
| Conway | James D. | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | influx of water; 1 of 6 killed |
| McDonald | James E. | 1921 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Killed crossing over haulage rope in motion, caught by boxes |
| Copeland | James E. | 1954 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Bump; 1 of 5 killed |
| Matheson | James E. | 1971 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 26 | Haulage: Struck by a trip of material |
| Flemming | James E. | 1945 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Fall of stone |
| Johnson | James F. | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| Ransome | James H. | 1949 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Fall of stone |
| Rose | James H. | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Methane and blasting powder explosion |
| Cook | James I | 1914 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 7 | Fall of stone |
| Burke | James J. | 1940 | Cumberland | Victoria | Undetermined |
| McPherson | James Jr. | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |