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 |
| Anderson | James R. | 1979 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 26 | Methane explosion, sparked by coal shearer hitting stone; 1 of 12 killed |
| McDonald | James R. | 1931 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Fall of coal |
| Roach or Roche | James Sr. | 1932 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Fall of coal |
| Miller | James Sr. | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| McDonald | James T. | 1905 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 3 | Fall of coal from roof |
| Casey | James W. | 1953 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Killed by haulage |
| Fraser | James W. | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | influx of water; 1 of 6 killed |
| 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 |
| McDonald | John | 1892 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Fall of loose coal from face of room |
| LeBeau | John | 1963 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Maintenance |
| Ryan | John | 1904 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Fall of stone from roof |
| Dickson | John | 1940 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Fall of stone |
| Handrigan | John | 1923 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 14 | Fall of stone in pillar work; 1 of 2 killed |
| Beaver | John | 1954 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 25 | Fall of stone; 1 of 2 killed |
| Timmons | John | 1867 | Cape Breton County | Collins | Fall of coal; 1 of 2 killed |
| Wilsack | John | 1949 | Pictou County | McGregor | Fall of coal |
| Jackson | John | 1958 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Terrific, devastating bump |
| Tabbot | John | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| McLeod | John | 1904 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Struck by motor |
| Newman | John | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Methane and blasting powder explosion |
| Campbell | John | 1926 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Trip of boxes |
| McEachern | John | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| Roach | John | 1900 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Killed at face of room while loading |
| Curry | John | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Methane and blasting powder explosion |
| Taylor | John | 1873 | Pictou County | Vale | Fall with tub in slope |
| Bennois | John | 1867 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines Colliery (Queen pit) | Explosion of powder |
| Connorton | John | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Harroun or Ronan | John | 1923 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 7 | Coupling cars, killed by moving cars |
| Blois | John | 1959 | Cape Breton County | Four Star | Fall of stone |
| McCuish | John | 1900 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess) | Killed drawing props out of an old room |
| Mollish | John | 1916 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Fall of coal |
| Malloy | John | 1913 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 4 | Fall of roof coal |
| Sullivan | John | 1867 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines Colliery (Queen pit) | Crushed in mine |
| McLean | John | 1937 | Inverness | Inverness | Struck by trip or rope |
| Treige | John | 1945 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 11 | Struck by level trip |
| McNaughton | John | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| Morrison | John | 1913 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 4 | Fall of stone in pillars |
| Conway | John | 1868 | Cape Breton County | Aspe Bay | Explosion of powder |