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 23 of 50 pages (2498 entries).
| Surname |
Given Name(s) |
Year | County | Mine | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McNeil | John | 1887 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Fall of coal from pillar |
| Dunn | John | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| Clarke | John | 1929 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 11 | Fall of stone |
| Martin | John | 1935 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 10 | Fall of stone |
| Treige | John | 1945 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 11 | Struck by level trip |
| Carr | John | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| Matlock | John | 1937 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Fall of stone |
| Downie | John | 1873 | Cape Breton County | International | Run over by train |
| Manning | John | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| Burbine | John | 1913 | Cumberland | Joggins | Runaway boxes |
| Thurbid | John | 1919 | Cape Breton County | Scotia No. 4 | Fall of stone |
| Ralph | John | 1937 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of coal |
| McKinnon | John | 1900 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Killed by falling roof stone while driving |
| Riley | John | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Fall of stone |
| McNaughton | John | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| Perhiniak | John | 1954 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 26 | Haulage |
| Ryan | John | 1904 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Fall of stone from roof |
| Neville | john | 1873 | Cape Breton County | International | Crushed by train |
| Cummings | John | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| Nolan | John | 1900 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Coal fall in room, died next day |
| Bentcliffe | John | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| McLeod | John | 1904 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Struck by motor |
| Boutilier | John | 1922 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Fall of stone caused by runaway boxes |
| Hudson or Hodgeson | John | 1883 | Cumberland | Chignecto | Suffocated by carbonic acid (1 of 3 killed) |
| MacDougall | John | 1927 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of roof, died almost 6 months later |
| Curran | John | 1923 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of coal from face of room |
| Ellis | John | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| Potts | John | 1874 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Rope broke on bucket going down pump shaft |
| Hickey | John | 1936 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of stone |
| Patten | John | 1941 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 11 | Runaway trip |
| Jackson | John | 1958 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Terrific, devastating bump |
| Murphy | John | 1915 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 5 | Fall of stone |
| Burrows | John | 1883 | Cumberland | Chignecto | Suffocated by carbonic acid (1 of 3 killed) |
| McDonald | John | 1900 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Killed by stone fall at face |
| Campbell | John | 1938 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Broken cable on riding rake; 1 of 21 killed |
| Handrigan | John | 1923 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 14 | Fall of stone in pillar work; 1 of 2 killed |
| Vicars | John | 1889 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Fall of loose coal, died after 12 days |
| Francis | John | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Campbell | John | 1926 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Trip of boxes |
| Lund | John | 1897 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Caught between coal box and pillar |
| McDonald | John | 1943 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Fall of stone |
| Murphy | John | 1929 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Fall of coal |
| Boyd | John | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| McGilchrist or Gilgrist | John | 1866 | Pictou County | Foster pit | Clothing caught in hoist winding drum |
| Emery | John | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| McLeod | John | 1902 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Fall of coal from pillar |
| Stewart | John | 1936 | Cape Breton County | Colonial | Struck by runaway trip |
| Boutilier | John | 1897 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Fall of roof stone |
| Ryan | John | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| Nearing | John | 1877 | Cape Breton County | Lingan | Explosion of boiler; 1 of 3 killed |