Coal Mining Fatalities

This database contains 2497 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 48 of 50 pages (2497 entries).

Surname Given Name(s)sort descending Year County Mine Cause
Burchill or Birchill William 1891 Cumberland Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 Gas and coal dust explosion
Cherrie William 1905 Cumberland Springhill No. 2 killed at the 2400-foot level
Hurley William 1913 Cumberland Lawson Tube of boiler burst
Cyr William 1920 Pictou County Drummond No. 5 (Intercolonial No. 5) Run over by an empty box
Hendricken William 1873 Pictou County Vale Crushed by coal tubs
Power William 1920 Pictou County Allan Shaft Fall of coal
Oram William 1878 Cape Breton County Sydney Mines (Princess) Methane explosion; 1 of 6 killed
Ferguson William 1956 Cumberland Springhill No. 4 Draegerman; carbon monoxide post explosion
Stevenson William 1917 Cumberland Springhill No. 2 Struck by prop, died 3 days later
Myers William 1918 Pictou County Allan Shaft Devastating methane explosion
Hamilton William 1903 Cape Breton County Sydney Mines Colliery; Nova Scotia Steel & Coal Killed by runaway trip on slope
Brown William 1891 Cumberland Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 Gas and coal dust explosion
Henderson William 1905 Cumberland Springhill No. 3 Fall of coal
Driscol or Driscoll William 1926 Cape Breton County Dominion No. 1B Slipped from car, wheels passed over him
Ramsay William 1915 Cape Breton County Dominion No. 15 Fall of roof
Blake William 1952 Cape Breton County Dominion No. 20 Methane explosion; 1 of 7 killed
Vokey William 1934 Cape Breton County Dominion No. 2 Loose coal from face
Walsh William 1905 Inverness Port Hood Hit by boom sliding down slope while timbering
Smith William 1958 Cumberland Springhill No. 2 Terrific, devastating bump
Bonar William 1952 Cape Breton County Dominion No. 20 Methane explosion; 1 of 7 killed
Cassidy William 1906 Inverness Inverness Struck by a rake on main slope
Frew William 1906 Pictou County English Slopes (abandoned) Methane exploded when boy lit match while playing near old slope opening; 1 of 2 killed
Desmond William 1952 Cape Breton County Dominion No. 20 Methane explosion; 1 of 7 killed
Lowe William 1839 Pictou County Storr pit Methane explosion; 1 of 2 killed
Cooke William 1979 Cape Breton County DEVCO No. 26 Methane explosion, sparked by coal shearer hitting stone; 1 of 12 killed
McDonald William 1937 Cape Breton County Dominion No. 2 Struck by trip
Chisholm William 1925 Inverness Inverness No. 1 Killed by runaway box
Simpson William 1899 Cape Breton County Caledonia Afterdamp from methane explosion; 1 of 11 killed
Barnes William 1943 Cape Breton County Tomson Struck by runaway box
Lettuce William 1958 Cape Breton County Tomson Explosion
Parsons William 1917 Cape Breton County Dominion No. 12 Methane and blasting powder explosion
Jones William 1956 Cumberland Springhill No. 4 On bankhead, Electricity-fired coal dust explosion
Milburn William 1895 or 1896 Cumberland Springhill No. 1 slope Thrown from cage
Layton William 1937 Cape Breton County Dominion No. 12 Injured while riding trip
Holm William 1943 Cape Breton County Dominion No. 16 Fall of stone
Stentley William 1914 Pictou County Allan Shaft Fall of coal
Stevenson William 1958 Cumberland Springhill No. 2 Terrific, devastating bump
Hachey William 1932 Cumberland Maple Leaf No. 4 Dust and gas explosion; 1 of 5 killed
Jones William 1928 Cape Breton County Florence Steel railing falling from car
Horne or Horone William 1895 Cumberland Springhill No. 2 Fall from roof
Patton William 1883 Cumberland Chignecto Suffocated by carbonic acid (1 of 3 killed)
Thompson William 1924 Cape Breton County Dominion No. 2 Fall of stone and coal
Tracey William 1914 Cape Breton County Dominion No. 2 Killed by full trip
Walsh William 1918 Pictou County Allan Shaft Devastating methane explosion
Newcomb William 1911 Pictou County Allan Shaft Killed by a fall of timber
MacKenzie William 1903 Pictou County Albion Jumped from moving train in mine yard
Penny William 1928 Cumberland Springhill No. 2 Fall of coal
Hall William 1918 Cumberland Joggins Fall of stone, died 14 hours later
Mintis William 1918 Pictou County Allan Shaft Devastating methane explosion
Forrest William 1944 Cumberland Springhill No. 2 Fall of stone

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