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 2 of 50 pages (2498 entries).
| Surname |
Given Name(s) |
Year | County | Mine | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barnes | William | 1943 | Cape Breton County | Tomson | Struck by runaway box |
| Elliott | William | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| Cooke | William | 1979 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 26 | Methane explosion, sparked by coal shearer hitting stone; 1 of 12 killed |
| Cyr | William | 1920 | Pictou County | Drummond No. 5 (Intercolonial No. 5) | Run over by an empty box |
| Paterson | William | 1912 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Fall of coal |
| Turnbull | William | 1873 | Pictou County | Vale | Under a falling derrick |
| Layton | William | 1937 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Injured while riding trip |
| Carey | William | 1905 | Cape Breton County | New Campbellton | Killed on main slope by the trip |
| White | William | 1930 | Cumberland | Victoria No. 2 | Gas explosion; 1 of 7 killed |
| Holm | William | 1943 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Fall of stone |
| Cassidy | William | 1906 | Inverness | Inverness | Struck by a rake on main slope |
| Morrison | William | 1913 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 8 | Struck by box |
| McLeod | William | 1896 | Cape Breton County | Victoria | Killed by coal fall while removing coal leg |
| McCallum | William | 1931 | Cumberland | Victoria No. 4 (Bright Light Mine) | Went over surface dump with car |
| Roache or Roche | William | 1909 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 5 | Fall of stone |
| Chisholm | William | 1925 | Inverness | Inverness No. 1 | Killed by runaway box |
| Collins | William | 1943 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Crushed under trip |
| Smith | William | 1958 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Terrific, devastating bump |
| Hurley | William | 1913 | Cumberland | Lawson | Tube of boiler burst |
| MacIntosh | William | 1899 | Pictou County | Six-Foot Seam (became Acadia No.3) | Caught, crushed by revolving drum on hoist |
| Hendricken | William | 1873 | Pictou County | Vale | Crushed by coal tubs |
| Newcomb | William | 1911 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Killed by a fall of timber |
| Wilkie | William | 1938 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Broken cable on riding rake; 1 of 21 killed |
| Cherrie | William | 1905 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | killed at the 2400-foot level |
| Sampson | William | 1953 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Haulage |
| Stevenson | William | 1958 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Terrific, devastating bump |
| Driscol or Driscoll | William | 1926 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Slipped from car, wheels passed over him |
| Oram | William | 1878 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess) | Methane explosion; 1 of 6 killed |
| Frew | William | 1906 | Pictou County | English Slopes (abandoned) | Methane exploded when boy lit match while playing near old slope opening; 1 of 2 killed |
| Mintis | William | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| Snow | William | 1908 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 6 | Fall of stone |
| Jewkes | William | 1958 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Terrific, devastating bump |
| Hyde | William | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Stevenson | William | 1917 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Struck by prop, died 3 days later |
| Dixon | William | 1918 | Cape Breton County | Jubilee, Sydney Mines | Runaway trip |
| Luffman | William | 1938 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Broken cable on riding rake; 1 of 21 killed |
| Reid | William | 1929 | Pictou County | McGregor | Struck on head by falling jackhammer; died 5 weeks later |
| Mirtan | William | 1872 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Powder explosion |
| Carmichael | William | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Henderson | William | 1905 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 3 | Fall of coal |
| Kent | William | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Fletcher | William | 1883 | Cumberland | Springhill | Killed by fracture of brake bolt |
| Hutchinson | William | 1916 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Killed by cage |
| Flemming | William | 1907 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Caught between box and boom |
| Roach | William | 1861 | Pictou County | Bye pit | Methane explosion |
| Carrigan | William | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| MacLeod | William | 1959 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Fall of stone |
| Oliver | William | 1944 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Struck by trip |
| Thompson | William | 1924 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of stone and coal |
| O'Brien | William | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |