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 25 of 50 pages (2497 entries).
| Surname |
Given Name(s) |
Year | County | Mine | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rollins | John | 1938 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Broken cable on riding rake; 1 of 21 killed |
| Bennois | John | 1867 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines Colliery (Queen pit) | Explosion of powder |
| Nash | John | 1881 | Pictou County | Acadia | Devastating methane explosion |
| McDonald | John | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Caught between cage and pulleys |
| McInnis | John | 1872 | Pictou County | Acadia | Fall of coal |
| Campbell | John | 1868 | Pictou County | Acadia | Fall of coal |
| Mitchell | John | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Curran | John | 1923 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of coal from face of room |
| Cameron | John | 1962 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Haulage |
| McAulay | John | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| Seward | John | 1967 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 26 | Haulage: Run over by empty trip |
| Sullivan | John | 1867 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines Colliery (Queen pit) | Crushed in mine |
| MacDougall | John | 1927 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of roof, died almost 6 months later |
| Bigley | John | 1919 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 9 | Killed by fall of stone |
| Campbell | John | 1908 | Inverness | Port Hood | Explosion on No. 3 level south; 1 of 10 killed |
| McInnis | John | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| McInnis | John | 1908 | Cape Breton County | International | Fall of stone |
| Handrigan | John | 1923 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 14 | Fall of stone in pillar work; 1 of 2 killed |
| McRichey | John | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| Gillis | John | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Grant | John | 1885 | Pictou County | Vale | Devastating methane explosion |
| McMullin | John | 1907 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of stone |
| Conway | John | 1868 | Cape Breton County | Aspe Bay | Explosion of powder |
| Dickson | John | 1940 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Fall of stone |
| Dragon | John | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| Smart | John | 1911 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fell under trip of coal |
| George | John | 1919 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of stone |
| MacKenzie | John | 1963 | Pictou County | McBean | Labourer, killed underground |
| Campbell | John | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| McDonald | John | 1950 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 4 | Fall of coal |
| Cameron | John | 1921 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of coal from face |
| Cherpack | John | 1944 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Runaway trip; 1 of 3 killed |
| Campbell | John | 1926 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Trip of boxes |
| Sinclair or St. Clair | John | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Methane and blasting powder explosion |
| MacDonald | John | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| Maddison | John | 1958 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Terrific, devastating bump |
| Morrison | John | 1947 | Cape Breton County | Greener | Fall of roof |
| Boutilier | John | 1893 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Firedamp escaped from submerged district; (methane poisoning) |
| Savage | John | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| Beaver | John | 1954 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 25 | Fall of stone; 1 of 2 killed |
| Burbine | John | 1913 | Cumberland | Joggins | Runaway boxes |
| Harroun or Ronan | John | 1923 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 7 | Coupling cars, killed by moving cars |
| Salon | John | 1959 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 18 | Haulage |
| MacLean | John | 1866 | Pictou County | Dalhousie pit | Fall of coal |
| D'Orsay | John | 1908 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess) | Overwind man-shaft cage; 1of 2 killed |
| Luckman | John | 1870 | Cape Breton County | International | Crushed by cage |
| Nicholson | John | 1881 | Pictou County | Vale | Caught between moving rake & door |
| Fraser | John | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| Leadbeater | John | 1872 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Powder explosion |
| LeBeau | John | 1963 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Maintenance |