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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conway | John | 1868 | Cape Breton County | Aspe Bay | Explosion of powder |
| Copan | John | 1947 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Caught by a haulage cable |
| McDonald | John | 1928 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 24 | Fall of coal |
| McGillivray | John | 1953 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Haulage |
| Scully or Soully | John | 1885 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 | Run over by cage |
| Hahnen | John | 1956 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 4 | Fall of coal |
| Bennett | John | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| Mitchell | John | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Holvia | John | 1907 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Fall of stone |
| Capstick | John | 1960 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 26 | Fall of stone |
| Martin | John | 1935 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 10 | Fall of stone |
| Paul | John | 1956 | Cape Breton County | Tomson | Explosives |
| Nash | John | 1881 | Pictou County | Acadia | Devastating methane explosion |
| Matlock | John | 1937 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Fall of stone |
| McInnis | John | 1872 | Pictou County | Acadia | Fall of coal |
| MacLean | John | 1953 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 18 | Haulage |
| Dunbar | John | 1904 | Pictou County | Albion | Run over by a rake |
| Murphy | John | 1915 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 5 | Fall of stone |
| Burbine | John | 1913 | Cumberland | Joggins | Runaway boxes |
| Boutilier | John | 1893 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Firedamp escaped from submerged district; (methane poisoning) |
| Luckman | John | 1870 | Cape Breton County | International | Crushed by cage |
| Thurbid | John | 1919 | Cape Breton County | Scotia No. 4 | Fall of stone |
| Crawford | John | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| Ralph | John | 1937 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of coal |
| McInnis | John | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| Wilson | John | 1885 | Cumberland | Syndicate | burned by explosion of powder; 1 of 3 killed |
| Harroun or Ronan | John | 1923 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 7 | Coupling cars, killed by moving cars |
| Riley | John | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Fall of stone |
| Brennick | John | 1870 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines Colliery (Queen pit) | Run over by wagon |
| Bowens | John | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| McRichey | John | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| McDonald | John | 1913 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 10 | Fall of stone |
| Hudson or Hodgeson | John | 1883 | Cumberland | Chignecto | Suffocated by carbonic acid (1 of 3 killed) |
| Boutilier | John | 1922 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Fall of stone caused by runaway boxes |
| Dunn | John | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| McCuish | John | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of stone from roof |
| Savage | John | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| Carr | John | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| Hickey | John | 1936 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of stone |
| Connorton | John | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Green | John | 1871 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines Colliery (Queen pit) | Fall off bridge |
| Patten | John | 1941 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 11 | Runaway trip |
| McMillan | John | 1903 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Jammed between roof and box |
| Burrows | John | 1883 | Cumberland | Chignecto | Suffocated by carbonic acid (1 of 3 killed) |
| McDonald | John | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Caught between cage and pulleys |
| Campbell | John | 1938 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Broken cable on riding rake; 1 of 21 killed |
| McInnis | John | 1908 | Cape Breton County | International | Fall of stone |
| Mazur | John | 1931 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Fall of Coal |
| Nicholson | John | 1881 | Pictou County | Vale | Caught between moving rake & door |
| McLean | John | 1937 | Inverness | Inverness | Struck by trip or rope |