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 29 of 50 pages (2498 entries).
| Surname |
Given Name(s) |
Year | County | Mine | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nearing | John | 1877 | Cape Breton County | Lingan | Explosion of boiler; 1 of 3 killed |
| Merritt | John | 1903 | Inverness | Port Hood | Riding trip coupling broke hurling boxes against roof |
| Bozeman | John | 1931 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of coal |
| MacKeigan | John | 1922 | Cape Breton County | Jubilee, River Hebert | Fall of roof stone in level, died 21 days later |
| McGilchrist or Gilgrist | John | 1866 | Pictou County | Foster pit | Clothing caught in hoist winding drum |
| Adams | John | 1888 | Cumberland | Springhill Surface | Cause not recorded |
| Cherpack | John | 1944 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Runaway trip; 1 of 3 killed |
| Crain | John | 1909 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 3 | Fall of stone |
| Dunn | John | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Morrison | John | 1947 | Cape Breton County | Greener | Fall of roof |
| Bonar | John | 1877 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess) | Fall of stone |
| Murphy | John | 1929 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Fall of coal |
| McDonald | John | 1950 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 4 | Fall of coal |
| McDonald | John | 1890 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Run over by empty trip, died next day |
| Kennedy | John | 1927 | Cape Breton County | Colonial | Electrocuted in logement |
| Burbine | John | 1913 | Cumberland | Joggins | Runaway boxes |
| Simpson | John | 1866 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines Colliery (Queen pit) | Run over by wagons |
| Beaver | John | 1954 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 25 | Fall of stone; 1 of 2 killed |
| Burrows | John | 1897 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 3 | Fall of roof stone on new balance no. 9 |
| Ryan | John | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| Burchell | John | 1877 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess) | Fell down shaft |
| McDonald | John | 1900 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 4 | Fall of stone at head of deep |
| Cann | John | 1891 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Killed by cage when descending pit |
| McDonald | John | 1918 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 9 | Runaway car, died 6 days later |
| McIntosh | John | 1934 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Fall of coal |
| Czanoli or Czalonic | John | 1931 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Fall of stone |
| Bentcliffe | John | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Clarke | John | 1929 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 11 | Fall of stone |
| Horn | John | 1900 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Fall of coal whilst drawing pillars; 1 of 2 killed |
| McLeod | John | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Methane and blasting powder explosion |
| Frye | John | 1914 | Pictou County | Albion | Riding a coal trip that derailed |
| Josso | John | 1891 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Fall of coal in room |
| Bennett | John | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| McDonald | John | 1896 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Caught between full trip and prop |
| Boran | John | 1898 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 3 slope | Fall of stone from roof in workplace |
| Yakubaski | John | 1940 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 4 | Fractured ankle, infection and shock, died 27 days later |
| Capstick | John | 1960 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 26 | Fall of stone |
| Hudson or Hodgeson | John | 1883 | Cumberland | Chignecto | Suffocated by carbonic acid (1 of 3 killed) |
| Lee | John | 1908 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 3 | Fall of stone |
| Tighe | John (boy) | 1966 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 17 (old Victoria) | Methane inhalation; 1 of 2 cousins who went down old slope |
| Morrison | John #1 | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| McDonald | John #1 | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| Morrison | John #2 | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| McDonald | John #2 | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| McKinnon | John 1st | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| McDonald | John A. | 1928 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Injured by box |
| MacIsaac | John A. | 1951 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 18A | Haulage |
| Foster | John A. | 1912 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines No. 3 (Florence) | Fall of stone |
| McNeil | John A. | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Run over by loaded box |
| Rickets | John A. | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Killed by fall of coal |