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 25 of 50 pages (2498 entries).
| Surname |
Given Name(s) |
Year | County | Mine | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keiver | James L. | 1924 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Fall of stone |
| Brennan | James P. | 1952 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Bump; 1 of 2 killed |
| McDonald | James R. | 1931 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Fall of coal |
| Anderson | James R. | 1979 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 26 | Methane explosion, sparked by coal shearer hitting stone; 1 of 12 killed |
| Miller | James Sr. | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Roach or Roche | James Sr. | 1932 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Fall of coal |
| McDonald | James T. | 1905 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 3 | Fall of coal from roof |
| Fraser | James W. | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | influx of water; 1 of 6 killed |
| Casey | James W. | 1953 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Killed by haulage |
| Higgins | James William | 1980 | Pictou County | Thorburn Mining Ltd, Stellarton | Fell and struck head, died 4 days later; coal dumps reclamation project |
| Hamilton | James Y. | 1928 | Pictou County | Drummond No. 5 (Intercolonial No. 5) | Fell head first while timbering the roof when staging collaped under fall of heavy coal lump |
| MacDonald | Jasper | 1926 | Pictou County | Albion | Struck by falling timber prop |
| Wood | Jasper E. or R. | 1919 | Cumberland | St. George | Fell down slope, died 1 day later |
| Fosse | Jean Baptiste | 1876 | Pictou County | Vale | Fall of coal |
| Murphy | Jeremiah | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Armishaw | Jesse | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Hoeg | Jesse Havelock | 1959 | Cumberland | Cochran | Fall of stone |
| Skinner | Job | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| Prindle | Joe | 1906 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of coal from face |
| Haggart | Joe or James | 1885 | Pictou County | Vale | Devastating methane explosion |
| Cormier | John | 1907 | Cumberland | Chignecto | Caught between car and bankhead |
| Dragon | John | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| Clarke | John | 1929 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 11 | Fall of stone |
| MacEachern | John | 1885 | Pictou County | Vale | Devastating methane explosion |
| Boutilier | John | 1893 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Firedamp escaped from submerged district; (methane poisoning) |
| Murphy | John | 1915 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 5 | Fall of stone |
| Ryan | John | 1904 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Fall of stone from roof |
| Stewart | John | 1936 | Cape Breton County | Colonial | Struck by runaway trip |
| Grant | John | 1885 | Pictou County | Vale | Devastating methane explosion |
| MacEachern | John | 1935 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Shot blew back exploding methane and coal dust; 1 of 7 killed; asphixiation by carbon monoxide |
| Campbell | John | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| Thurbid | John | 1919 | Cape Breton County | Scotia No. 4 | Fall of stone |
| McLaughlin | John | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| McLeod | John | 1904 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Struck by motor |
| Luckman | John | 1870 | Cape Breton County | International | Crushed by cage |
| Riley | John | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Fall of stone |
| McLean | John | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| Treige | John | 1945 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 11 | Struck by level trip |
| Wilsack | John | 1949 | Pictou County | McGregor | Fall of coal |
| MacMaster | John | 1925 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Fall of coal from roof of a pillar; 1 of 2 killed |
| Brennick | John | 1870 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines Colliery (Queen pit) | Run over by wagon |
| Scully or Soully | John | 1885 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 | Run over by cage |
| MacDougall | John | 1927 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of roof, died almost 6 months later |
| McDonald | John | 1913 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 10 | Fall of stone |
| Boone | John | 1942 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Struck by trip; 1 of 2 killed |
| Curran | John | 1923 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of coal from face of room |
| Fraser | John | 1938 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Drawing chocks out of a gob |
| Tabbot | John | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| McDonald | John | 1939 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Fall of stone |
| Milley | John | 1900 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 3 | Struck and run over by rake on main slope |