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 28 of 50 pages (2498 entries).
| Surname |
Given Name(s) |
Year | County | Mine | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnston | James | 1908 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Fatally injured by air pipe bursting, died a month later |
| Nicholson | James | 1922 | Cumberland | Minudie #2 | Powder ignited by cartridge explosion, died 12 days later; 1 of 2 killed |
| Cummings | James | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 10 | Caught between cars and rib |
| Wilson | James | 1902 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Fatally injured by full rake of boxes |
| Morris | James | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| MacLeod | James | 1903 | Pictou County | Acadia | Died 15 February |
| Conway | James | 1950 | Pictou County | Albion | Fall of coal |
| Carson | James | 1908 | Cumberland | Chignecto | Fell down balance |
| Francis | James | 1938 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Struck by cage lever on surface; died 3 days later |
| Stevenson | James | 1943 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Coal tank platform tilted, threw man down shaft; 1 of 4 killed being lifted in coal shaft |
| DeGrace | James | 1902 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 3 | Cause not recorded |
| O'Regan | James | 1924 | Cumberland | Joggins No. 7 | Fall of coal |
| MacEachern | James | 1935 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Shot blew back exploding methane and coal dust; 1 of 7 killed; asphixiation by carbon monoxide |
| McGrath | James | 1910 | Cape Breton County | Gowrie | Runaway box, accidental death |
| Wilson | James | 1903 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Fatally hurt by a full rake of boxes |
| Karrel | James | 1939 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of stone |
| McEachran or MacEachern | James | 1883 | Pictou County | Vale | Drawbar broke, crash of runaway slope rake |
| Cathcart | James | 1896 | Cape Breton County | Bridgeport | Fall of coal while loading |
| Johnson | James | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Gillespie | James | 1929 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Fall of stone |
| McDonald | James | 1907 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 and No. 9 Surface plant | Boiler explosion; maybe 4th man killed in an explosion or is a separate explosion |
| Handrahan | James | 1912 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Fall of stone from roof |
| Dunn | James | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| Hogan | James | 1939 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Run over by riding rake, died 2 days later |
| Nairn | James | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Burton | James | 1915 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 3 | Fall of stone |
| Williamson | James | 1908 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess) | Fall of coal |
| Wright | James | 1952 | Pictou County | McGregor | Methane explosion (localized); 1 of 19 killed |
| Christie | James | 1920 | Cape Breton County | Colonial No. 4, engine house | Caught in belt that operates hoist, lived 9 hrs |
| Baxter | James | 1913 | Pictou County | Acadia | Fall of roof |
| Bradwell | James | 1910 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 10 | Fall of stone |
| Jones | James | 1889 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Explosion of methane |
| Haslam | James | 1885 | Cumberland | Syndicate | burned by explosion of powder; 1 of 3 killed |
| Rose | James | 1928 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of stone |
| Purvis | James | 1902 | Pictou County | Albion | Fall of top coal |
| Edwards | James | 1950 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Haulage |
| Brown | James | 1914 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Carbon monoxide after devastating explosion; 1 of 2 killed |
| Doolan | James | 1930 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 14 | Struck by runaway box |
| Turner | James | 1880 | Pictou County | Acadia | Fall of coal |
| Wallace | James | 1970 | Cape Breton County | Princess Wash Plant, Surface | Squeezed in a chain conveyor |
| Smith | James | 1901 | Pictou County | Vale | Crushed between a box and a rib |
| Overs | James | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Ramsey | James | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| Kennedy | James | 1946 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 24 | Fall of roof |
| Dewan | James | 1944 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Struck by trip |
| Snellgrove | James | 1930 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 4 | Painter; injured by ventilating fan |
| Piquinot | James | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Power | James | 1902 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Fall of coal, hung shot |
| McPherson | James | 1897 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Struck by falling piece of coal while hauling |
| Tebo or Tebe | James | 1893 or 1894 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 slope | Full box struck prop from under boom |