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 5 of 50 pages (2497 entries).
| Surname |
Given Name(s) |
Year | County | Mine | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stostak | Wasyl | 1913 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of coal and stone |
| Pohoronz | Wasyl | 1919 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Fall of coal |
| Kohusz | Wasye | 1911 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Caught between two boxes |
| Miskin | Wasil | 1923 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Bump caused fall of stone in room/bord; 1 of 2 killed |
| Hyatt | Warren | 1958 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Terrific, devastating bump |
| Clarke | Warde | 1918 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 5 | Fall of stone |
| Budd | Walter R. | 1937 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 4 | Fall of stone |
| Purdy | Walter Charles | 1921 | Cumberland | St. George | Struck by piece of coal blown off by shot |
| Clarke | Walter | 1942 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Struck by box |
| Sutherland | Walter | 1902 | Pictou County | Marsh | Dynamite explosion in office; frozen sticks put near heat to thaw; 1 of 3 killed |
| Head | Walter | 1937 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Crushed between box and chock |
| Bulmer | Walter | 1911 or 1912 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 3 | Struck by ginney (aka jinney or jig) or prop |
| Young | Walter | 1943 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Fall of stone |
| Davidson | Walter | 1906 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of coal from face |
| Ledger | Walter | 1952 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 4 | Fall of stone |
| Linthorne | Walter | 1969 | Pictou County | McBean | Caught in coal-cutting machine |
| Brown | Walter | 1934 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Struck by a runaway trip |
| Eveley | Walter | 1937 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Struck by runaway trip; 1 of 3 killed |
| Stewart | Walter | 1935 | Cumberland | Victoria No. 4 (Bright Light Mine) | Fall of stone |
| Keddy | Wallace | 1942 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Fall of stone |
| White | Wallace | 1968 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 12 | Haulage: Struck by arch boom |
| Walczak | Wallace | 1958 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Haulage |
| McGilvray or MacGillivray | Wallace | 1883 | Pictou County | Vale | Drawbar broke, crash of runaway slope rake |
| Griffiths | Wallace | 1946 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Bump (more than 2 miles offshore); 1 of 4 killed |
| Dunbar | W. Sr | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| Jackson | W. C. | 1874 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Rope broke on bucket going down pump shaft |
| Burridge | W. | 1907 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fell under trip |
| McIntyre | W. | 1868 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines Colliery (Queen pit) | Crushed by machinery |
| Boutilier | W. | 1879 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Taking down coal loosened by shot |
| Amon | W. | 1921 | Pictou County | Acadia No. 1 | Buried 4 hours under fall, died at home in evening |
| Wierschbizki | Vladislow | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Methane and blasting powder explosion |
| Riciselts | Vincent | 1913 | Cape Breton County | Scotia (possibly Cumberland Co.) | Fall of stone |
| McPherson | Vincent | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Methane and blasting powder explosion |
| Harte | Vincent | 1923 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of coal |
| Riciselts | Vincent | 1913 | Cape Breton County | Scotia (possibly Cumberland Co.) | Fall of stone |
| Ricleslts | Vincent | 1913 | Cumberland | Scotia (possibly Cape Breton County) | Fall of stone |
| O'Leary | Vincent | 1955 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 25 | Haulage |
| MacDonald | Vincent | 1931 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Struck by coal from a shot |
| Lewis | Vincent | 1938 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 11 | Caught between tram and prop |
| McCormick | Vin | 1893 | Cape Breton County | International | Fall of roof coal at face; also recorded as 1894 |
| Moseychuck | Victor | 1957 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Haulage |
| Humblet | Victor | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| Henwood | Victor | 1956 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 4 | Electricity-fired coal dust explosion |
| Millard | Victor | 1956 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 4 | Electricity-fired coal dust explosion |
| Barrett | Victor | 1924 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Fall of stone and coal |
| Heyne | Victor | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| Megeney | Vernour | 1943 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Struck and Run over by rake |
| Nelson | Vernon V. | 1952 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 4 | Fall of stone |
| MacPhee | Vernon Michael | 1967 | Cape Breton County | Four Star | Machinery: Caught in capstan |
| Califf | Velco | 1950 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 20 | Haulage |