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 24 of 50 pages (2498 entries).
| Surname |
Given Name(s) |
Year | County | Mine | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nolan | John | 1900 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Coal fall in room, died next day |
| Dickson | John | 1940 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Fall of stone |
| Bowens | John | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| Murphy | John | 1929 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Fall of coal |
| Dunn | John | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| Rose | John | 1949 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Fall of stone |
| Dunn | 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 |
| Maddison | John | 1958 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Terrific, devastating bump |
| Holvia | John | 1907 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Fall of stone |
| Adams | John | 1888 | Cumberland | Springhill Surface | Cause not recorded |
| Carr | John | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| Leadbeater | John | 1872 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Powder explosion |
| McGillivray | John | 1953 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Haulage |
| McDonald | John | 1900 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Killed by stone fall at face |
| Ryan | John | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| Vicars | John | 1889 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Fall of loose coal, died after 12 days |
| MacLean | John | 1902 | Pictou County | Albion | Jammed between rail cars on surface |
| Lund | John | 1897 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Caught between coal box and pillar |
| Mollish | John | 1916 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Fall of coal |
| Thurbid | John | 1919 | Cape Breton County | Scotia No. 4 | Fall of stone |
| Malloy | John | 1913 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 4 | Fall of roof coal |
| Hudson or Hodgeson | John | 1883 | Cumberland | Chignecto | Suffocated by carbonic acid (1 of 3 killed) |
| McLeod | John | 1902 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Fall of coal from pillar |
| Boutilier | John | 1897 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Fall of roof stone |
| MacLean | John | 1953 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 18 | Haulage |
| Riley | John | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Fall of stone |
| Nearing | John | 1877 | Cape Breton County | Lingan | Explosion of boiler; 1 of 3 killed |
| Cummings | John | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| Morrison | John | 1913 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 4 | Fall of stone in pillars |
| MacDonald | John | 1915 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Run over by a trip of coal |
| Bentcliffe | John | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Paul | John | 1956 | Cape Breton County | Tomson | Explosives |
| Burrows | John | 1883 | Cumberland | Chignecto | Suffocated by carbonic acid (1 of 3 killed) |
| McCuish | John | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of stone from roof |
| Boutilier | John | 1922 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Fall of stone caused by runaway boxes |
| Campbell | John | 1911 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Run over by full trip, arms and legs broken |
| Bonar | John | 1877 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess) | Fall of stone |
| McDonald | John | 1890 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Run over by empty trip, died next day |
| Nash | John | 1881 | Pictou County | Acadia | Devastating methane explosion |
| McDonald | John | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Caught between cage and pulleys |
| Ellis | John | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| Simpson | John | 1866 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines Colliery (Queen pit) | Run over by wagons |
| McInnis | John | 1872 | Pictou County | Acadia | Fall of coal |
| Burrows | John | 1897 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 3 | Fall of roof stone on new balance no. 9 |
| Taylor | John | 1938 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Broken cable on riding rake; 1 of 21 killed |
| Burchell | John | 1877 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess) | Fell down shaft |
| McDonald | John | 1900 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 4 | Fall of stone at head of deep |
| Cann | John | 1891 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Killed by cage when descending pit |
| McInnis | John | 1908 | Cape Breton County | International | Fall of stone |