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 24 of 50 pages (2497 entries).
| Surname |
Given Name(s) |
Year | County | Mine | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McDonald | John | 1939 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Fall of stone |
| McEachern | John | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| Arsenault | John | 1931 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 14 | Caught between box and prop |
| Boone | John | 1942 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Struck by trip; 1 of 2 killed |
| Thurbid | John | 1919 | Cape Breton County | Scotia No. 4 | Fall of stone |
| Adams | John | 1888 | Cumberland | Springhill Surface | Cause not recorded |
| Fraser | John | 1938 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Drawing chocks out of a gob |
| Snow | John | 1972 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 26 | |
| Manning | John | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| Harris | John | 1939 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 11 | Fall of stone |
| Riley | John | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Fall of stone |
| Finlayson | John | 1894 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Fall of coal, died 15 days later |
| O'Handley | John | 1915 | Cape Breton County | Dominon No. 11 | Killed between box and roof |
| Burbine | John | 1913 | Cumberland | Joggins | Runaway boxes |
| Boutilier | John | 1922 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Fall of stone caused by runaway boxes |
| Lee | John | 1908 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 3 | Fall of stone |
| Jobes | John | 1939 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Fall of stone |
| Martin | John | 1894 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Piece of coal from roof |
| McDonald | John | 1899 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Fall of stone at face of room |
| Bentcliffe | John | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| McNaughton | John | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| Hudson or Hodgeson | John | 1883 | Cumberland | Chignecto | Suffocated by carbonic acid (1 of 3 killed) |
| Holvia | John | 1907 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Fall of stone |
| Morrison | John | 1899 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess) | Fall of coal whilst holing in pillar |
| MacKeigan | John | 1922 | Cape Breton County | Jubilee, River Hebert | Fall of roof stone in level, died 21 days later |
| Jackson | John | 1958 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Terrific, devastating bump |
| Potts | John | 1874 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Rope broke on bucket going down pump shaft |
| Burrows | John | 1883 | Cumberland | Chignecto | Suffocated by carbonic acid (1 of 3 killed) |
| Pendergrast | John | 1928 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Fall of stone |
| Francis | John | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Murphy | John | 1929 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Fall of coal |
| McDonald | John | 1950 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 4 | Fall of coal |
| McGilchrist or Gilgrist | John | 1866 | Pictou County | Foster pit | Clothing caught in hoist winding drum |
| Cherpack | John | 1944 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Runaway trip; 1 of 3 killed |
| Davidson | John | 1895 | Cape Breton County | Hub | Fell from stage down shaft; 1 of 2 killed |
| Boyd | John | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Morrison | John | 1947 | Cape Breton County | Greener | Fall of roof |
| Campbell | John | 1868 | Pictou County | Acadia | Fall of coal |
| Fergusson | John | 1887 | Cape Breton County | Gowrie | Fall of roof coal |
| Beaver | John | 1954 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 25 | Fall of stone; 1 of 2 killed |
| Murphy | John | 1928 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Crushed by runaway box |
| Ryan | John | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| Mollish | John | 1916 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Fall of coal |
| McCuish | John | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of stone from roof |
| Malloy | John | 1913 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 4 | Fall of roof coal |
| Cameron | John | 1962 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Haulage |
| McNeil | John | 1887 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Fall of coal from pillar |
| McDonald | John | 1918 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 9 | Runaway car, died 6 days later |
| Campbell | John | 1908 | Inverness | Port Hood | Explosion on No. 3 level south; 1 of 10 killed |
| Seward | John | 1967 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 26 | Haulage: Run over by empty trip |