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 26 of 50 pages (2497 entries).
| Surname |
Given Name(s) |
Year | County | Mine | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MacDonald | John | 1915 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Run over by a trip of coal |
| Connors | John | 1910 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Run over by motor, died a few hours after |
| Murphy | John | 1928 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Crushed by runaway box |
| Roberts | John | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| Burchell | John | 1877 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess) | Fell down shaft |
| Treige | John | 1945 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 11 | Struck by level trip |
| Fraser | John | 1938 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Drawing chocks out of a gob |
| Dunn | John | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| Cann | John | 1891 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Killed by cage when descending pit |
| McDonald | John | 1939 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Fall of stone |
| McLean | John | 1937 | Inverness | Inverness | Struck by trip or rope |
| Boone | John | 1942 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Struck by trip; 1 of 2 killed |
| Horn | John | 1900 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Fall of coal whilst drawing pillars; 1 of 2 killed |
| Perhiniak | John | 1954 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 26 | Haulage |
| Fitzner | John | 1927 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Fall of stone |
| Crawford | john | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Harris | John | 1939 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 11 | Fall of stone |
| Carr | John | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| Smart | John | 1911 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fell under trip of coal |
| McDonald | John | 1928 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 24 | Fall of coal |
| Snow | John | 1972 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 26 | |
| Thurbid | John | 1919 | Cape Breton County | Scotia No. 4 | Fall of stone |
| Crain | John | 1909 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 3 | Fall of stone |
| Josso | John | 1891 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Fall of coal in room |
| Hawes | John | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| Jobes | John | 1939 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Fall of stone |
| McDonald | John | 1896 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Caught between full trip and prop |
| McLaughlin | John | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| 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 |
| Fraser | James W. | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | influx of water; 1 of 6 killed |
| Casey | James W. | 1953 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Killed by haulage |
| 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 |