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 3 of 50 pages (2498 entries).

Surname Given Name(s)sort ascending Year County Mine Cause
Elliott William 1873 Pictou County Drummond mine (Intercolonial) Devastating methane explosion
McDonald William 1937 Cape Breton County Dominion No. 2 Struck by trip
Kelloway William 1965 Cape Breton County Dominion No. 20 Haulage: Struck by box
Barnes William 1943 Cape Breton County Tomson Struck by runaway box
Power William 1920 Pictou County Allan Shaft Fall of coal
Spencer William 1897 Cape Breton County Dominion No. 1 Burned by compressed powder
Dixon William 1918 Cape Breton County Jubilee, Sydney Mines Runaway trip
Paterson William 1912 Cape Breton County Princess Fall of coal
MacKenzie William 1903 Pictou County Albion Jumped from moving train in mine yard
King William 1903 Cape Breton County Reserve Methane explosion No.5 S level, French slope
Layton William 1937 Cape Breton County Dominion No. 12 Injured while riding trip
Morrison William 1913 Cape Breton County Dominion No. 8 Struck by box
Holm William 1943 Cape Breton County Dominion No. 16 Fall of stone
Lettuce William 1958 Cape Breton County Tomson Explosion
Cyr William 1920 Pictou County Drummond No. 5 (Intercolonial No. 5) Run over by an empty box
McAldine William 1910 Cape Breton County Sydney No. 4 (Scotia) Fall of stone
McNamara William 1877 Cape Breton County Lingan Explosion of boiler; 1 of 3 killed
Carroll William 1910 Cape Breton County Dominion No. 1 Jammed between coal hoppers at surface
Hubert William 1940 Pictou County Drummond mine (Intercolonial) Caught between 2 rail cars on surface
Whiteway William 1903 Cape Breton County Reserve Methane explosion No.5 S level, French slope; died from burns 3 days later
Myers William 1918 Pictou County Allan Shaft Devastating methane explosion
Betts William 1914 Pictou County Drummond mine (Intercolonial) Boiler explosion in surface plant; 1 of 7 killed
McLutchy William 1890 Cape Breton County Reserve Fall of stone from roof, died 5 weeks later
Burke William 1866 Cape Breton County Caledonia Fall of picks in shaft
Aldrid William 1907 Cape Breton County Sydney Mines (Princess) Fatally injured while riding in empty trip
Burchill or Birchill William 1891 Cumberland Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 Gas and coal dust explosion
Hyde William 1887 Pictou County Vale Caught beneath a roof fall while timbering; 1 of 2 killed
Cherrie William 1905 Cumberland Springhill No. 2 killed at the 2400-foot level
Wilkie William 1938 Cape Breton County Princess Broken cable on riding rake; 1 of 21 killed
Hachey William 1932 Cumberland Maple Leaf No. 4 Dust and gas explosion; 1 of 5 killed
Ince William 1938 Pictou County Acadia No. 7 (Moss mine) Caught by fall of rock
Patton William 1883 Cumberland Chignecto Suffocated by carbonic acid (1 of 3 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
Stentley William 1914 Pictou County Allan Shaft Fall of coal
Luffman William 1938 Cape Breton County Princess Broken cable on riding rake; 1 of 21 killed
Collins William 1943 Cape Breton County Princess Crushed under trip
Walsh William 1918 Pictou County Allan Shaft Devastating methane explosion
Brown 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
Jewkes 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
Peters William 1918 Cape Breton County Dominion No. 11 Killed by main drive-chain on bank, on surface
Walsh William 1905 Inverness Port Hood Hit by boom sliding down slope while timbering
Henderson William 1905 Cumberland Springhill No. 3 Fall of coal
Hall William 1918 Cumberland Joggins Fall of stone, died 14 hours later
Sumners William 1872 Cape Breton County Sydney Mines Colliery (Queen pit) Fell down shaft
Hutchinson William 1916 Cape Breton County Dominion No. 12 Killed by cage
Cassidy William 1906 Inverness Inverness Struck by a rake on main slope
Newcomb William 1911 Pictou County Allan Shaft Killed by a fall of timber
Sampson William 1953 Cape Breton County Florence Haulage

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