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 49 of 50 pages (2497 entries).
| Surname |
Given Name(s) |
Year | County | Mine | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McLeod | William | 1896 | Cape Breton County | Victoria | Killed by coal fall while removing coal leg |
| Carey | William | 1905 | Cape Breton County | New Campbellton | Killed on main slope by the trip |
| Barnes | William | 1943 | Cape Breton County | Tomson | Struck by runaway box |
| Roache or Roche | William | 1909 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 5 | Fall of stone |
| Hachey | William | 1932 | Cumberland | Maple Leaf No. 4 | Dust and gas explosion; 1 of 5 killed |
| Patton | William | 1883 | Cumberland | Chignecto | Suffocated by carbonic acid (1 of 3 killed) |
| Stentley | William | 1914 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Fall of coal |
| Ramsay | William | 1915 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 15 | Fall of roof |
| McLellan | William | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| McDonald | William | 1937 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Struck by trip |
| Lowther | William | 1900 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Leg broken in fall of stone at working face |
| Holm | William | 1943 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Fall of stone |
| Walsh | William | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| Layton | William | 1937 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Injured while riding trip |
| Cargig | William | 1900 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 3 | Fell on pick handles |
| Muller | William | 1912 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Fall of top coal at face of pillar |
| Forrest | William | 1944 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Fall of stone |
| Burchill or Birchill | William | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| McLeod | William | 1952 | Pictou County | McGregor | Methane explosion (localized); 1 of 19 killed |
| Hall | William | 1918 | Cumberland | Joggins | Fall of stone, died 14 hours later |
| Simpson | William | 1899 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Afterdamp from methane explosion; 1 of 11 killed |
| Colburn | William | 1910 | Pictou County | Albion | Fall of coal |
| Lowe | William | 1839 | Pictou County | Storr pit | Methane explosion; 1 of 2 killed |
| Tracey | William | 1914 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Killed by full trip |
| Snow | William | 1930 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Struck head on roof when box jumped track |
| Snow | William | 1908 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 6 | Fall of stone |
| Stewart | William | 1874 | Pictou County | Black Diamond | Fall of coal |
| Kendell | William | 1929 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Fall of stone |
| Collins | William | 1943 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Crushed under trip |
| Wilkie | William | 1938 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Broken cable on riding rake; 1 of 21 killed |
| Brown | William | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Gadd | William | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Methane and blasting powder explosion |
| Munsie | William | 1943 | Pictou County | McGregor | Crushed between a box and a steel boom |
| Walsh | William | 1905 | Inverness | Port Hood | Hit by boom sliding down slope while timbering |
| Main | William | 1919 | Cumberland | St. George | Struck by runaway box |
| Murdock | William | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| Luffman | William | 1938 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Broken cable on riding rake; 1 of 21 killed |
| Flemming | William | 1907 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Caught between box and boom |
| MacLeod | William | 1959 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Fall of stone |
| Cassidy | William | 1906 | Inverness | Inverness | Struck by a rake on main slope |
| MacKenzie | William | 1903 | Pictou County | Albion | Jumped from moving train in mine yard |
| Nicholson | William | 1927 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 10 | Squeezed between box and pillar |
| McSephney | William | 1955 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Killed by haulage |
| Willis | William | 1899 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess) | Fall of roof stone whilst driving |
| Snow | William | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Methane and blasting powder explosion |
| Ludlow | William | 1969 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 26 | Haulage |
| Gillespie | William | 1913 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Caught between box at 4700 bottom |
| Sampson | William | 1953 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Haulage |
| Chisholm | William | 1925 | Inverness | Inverness No. 1 | Killed by runaway box |
| Long | William | 1901 or 1902 | Cumberland | Jubilee, River Hebert | Bankhead under construction fell on him |