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 26 of 50 pages (2498 entries).
| Surname |
Given Name(s) |
Year | County | Mine | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Snow | John | 1972 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 26 | |
| Brennick | John | 1870 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines Colliery (Queen pit) | Run over by wagon |
| Jobes | John | 1939 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Fall of stone |
| Gould | John | 1952 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 20 | Methane explosion; 1 of 7 killed |
| MacDonald | John | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| Boutilier | John | 1922 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Fall of stone caused by runaway boxes |
| McEachern | John | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| Wilson | John | 1885 | Cumberland | Syndicate | burned by explosion of powder; 1 of 3 killed |
| MacLean | John | 1866 | Pictou County | Dalhousie pit | Fall of coal |
| Smart | John | 1911 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fell under trip of coal |
| Green | John | 1871 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines Colliery (Queen pit) | Fall off bridge |
| Hussey | John | 1931 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of coal and roof |
| McCuish | John | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of stone from roof |
| McNaughton | John | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| Leadbeater | John | 1872 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Powder explosion |
| Connorton | John | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Martin | John | 1918 | Cumberland | Jubilee No.2, River Hebert | Runaway mine car |
| Finlayson | John | 1894 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Fall of coal, died 15 days later |
| McDonald | John | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Caught between cage and pulleys |
| MacKeigan | John | 1922 | Cape Breton County | Jubilee, River Hebert | Fall of roof stone in level, died 21 days later |
| Walton | John | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| Babb | John | 1924 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 24 | Fall of stone; 1 of 2 killed |
| MacLean | John | 1902 | Pictou County | Albion | Jammed between rail cars on surface |
| Arsenault | John | 1931 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 14 | Caught between box and prop |
| Doyle | John | 1917 | Cumberland | Kimberly | Fall of stone, died 6 days later |
| McLean | John | 1937 | Inverness | Inverness | Struck by trip or rope |
| Martin | John | 1894 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Piece of coal from roof |
| McInnis | John | 1908 | Cape Breton County | International | Fall of stone |
| Haggart | Joe or James | 1885 | Pictou County | Vale | Devastating methane explosion |
| Prindle | Joe | 1906 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of coal from face |
| Skinner | Job | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| Hoeg | Jesse Havelock | 1959 | Cumberland | Cochran | Fall of stone |
| Armishaw | Jesse | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Murphy | Jeremiah | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Fosse | Jean Baptiste | 1876 | Pictou County | Vale | Fall of coal |
| Wood | Jasper E. or R. | 1919 | Cumberland | St. George | Fell down slope, died 1 day later |
| MacDonald | Jasper | 1926 | Pictou County | Albion | Struck by falling timber prop |
| Hamilton | James Y. | 1928 | Pictou County | Drummond No. 5 (Intercolonial No. 5) | Fell head first while timbering the roof when staging collaped under fall of heavy coal lump |
| Higgins | James William | 1980 | Pictou County | Thorburn Mining Ltd, Stellarton | Fell and struck head, died 4 days later; coal dumps reclamation project |
| Casey | James W. | 1953 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Killed by haulage |
| Fraser | James W. | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | influx of water; 1 of 6 killed |
| McDonald | James T. | 1905 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 3 | Fall of coal from roof |
| Miller | James Sr. | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Roach or Roche | James Sr. | 1932 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Fall of coal |
| Anderson | James R. | 1979 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 26 | Methane explosion, sparked by coal shearer hitting stone; 1 of 12 killed |
| McDonald | James R. | 1931 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Fall of coal |
| Brennan | James P. | 1952 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Bump; 1 of 2 killed |
| Keiver | James L. | 1924 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Fall of stone |
| McPherson | James Jr. | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| Burke | James J. | 1940 | Cumberland | Victoria | Undetermined |