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 3 of 50 pages (2497 entries).
| Surname |
Given Name(s) |
Year | County | Mine | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hutchinson | William | 1916 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Killed by cage |
| Ferguson | William | 1956 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 4 | Draegerman; carbon monoxide post explosion |
| Stevenson | William | 1958 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Terrific, devastating bump |
| O'Brien | William | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| Cooke | William | 1979 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 26 | Methane explosion, sparked by coal shearer hitting stone; 1 of 12 killed |
| Burke | William | 1930 | Cumberland | Victoria No. 2 | Gas explosion; 1 of 7 killed |
| Spencer | William | 1897 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Burned by compressed powder |
| Flemming | William | 1907 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Caught between box and boom |
| Wright | William | 1933 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Asphixiated by methane gas |
| Thompson | William | 1924 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of stone and coal |
| McNamara | William | 1877 | Cape Breton County | Lingan | Explosion of boiler; 1 of 3 killed |
| Jones | William | 1928 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Steel railing falling from car |
| Hamilton | William | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines Colliery; Nova Scotia Steel & Coal | Killed by runaway trip on slope |
| Lewis | William | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| McDonald | William | 1887 | Cumberland | Springhill | Fall of coal from face |
| McLutchy | William | 1890 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Fall of stone from roof, died 5 weeks later |
| Campbell | William | 1884 | Pictou County | Albion | Premature explosion of a shot |
| Burke | William | 1866 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Fall of picks in shaft |
| Turnbull | William | 1958 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Terrific, devastating bump |
| Dunbar | William | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| Peters | William | 1918 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 11 | Killed by main drive-chain on bank, on surface |
| Ramsay | William | 1915 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 15 | Fall of roof |
| Lowther | William | 1900 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Leg broken in fall of stone at working face |
| Jones | William | 1956 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 4 | On bankhead, Electricity-fired coal dust explosion |
| Partner | William | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| Turnbull | William | 1873 | Pictou County | Vale | Under a falling derrick |
| White | William | 1930 | Cumberland | Victoria No. 2 | Gas explosion; 1 of 7 killed |
| Cargig | William | 1900 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 3 | Fell on pick handles |
| Grant | William | 1907 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 6 | Fall of stone |
| Large | William | 1942 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Fall of stone |
| McCallum | William | 1931 | Cumberland | Victoria No. 4 (Bright Light Mine) | Went over surface dump with car |
| McKee | William | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Andrews | William | 1910 | Cape Breton County | Gowrie | Fall of coal |
| Hurley | William | 1913 | Cumberland | Lawson | Tube of boiler burst |
| Rodgers | William | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| Tracey | William | 1914 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Killed by full trip |
| Forrest | William | 1944 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Fall of stone |
| MacIntosh | William | 1899 | Pictou County | Six-Foot Seam (became Acadia No.3) | Caught, crushed by revolving drum on hoist |
| Sumners | William | 1872 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines Colliery (Queen pit) | Fell down shaft |
| Hendricken | William | 1873 | Pictou County | Vale | Crushed by coal tubs |
| King | William | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Methane explosion No.5 S level, French slope |
| MacLeod | William | 1959 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Fall of stone |
| McAldine | William | 1910 | Cape Breton County | Sydney No. 4 (Scotia) | Fall of stone |
| Ludlow | William | 1969 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 26 | Haulage |
| McLellan | William | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| Carroll | William | 1910 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Jammed between coal hoppers at surface |
| Parsons | William | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Methane and blasting powder explosion |
| Hall | William | 1937 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 5 | Run over by full box |
| Whiteway | William | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Methane explosion No.5 S level, French slope; died from burns 3 days later |
| Muller | William | 1912 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Fall of top coal at face of pillar |