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 27 of 50 pages (2498 entries).
| Surname | Given Name(s) | Year | County |
Mine |
Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sinclair | John | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| Burney | John W. | 1901 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Killed by fall of top coal and stone |
| Findlay | Hugh | 1907 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Killed on main slope by runaway box |
| McDonald | John #2 | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| McGillivray | Hugh | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| Purvis | Alexander Jr. | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| Stewart | D. McFarlane | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| Taylor | George | 1914 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Boiler explosion in surface plant; 1 of 7 killed |
| Hines | Chesley | 1963 | Cape Breton County | Electrical Dept, DOSCO | Miscellaneous |
| Munroe | John | 1907 | Cape Breton County | Emery Mine | Fall of stone |
| Churchill | Joseph | 1908 | Cape Breton County | Emery Mine | Fell into Emery shaft |
| Cameron | Alexander | 1888 | Pictou County | English Slopes (abandoned) | Overground as a boiler was being lowered |
| Frew | William | 1906 | Pictou County | English Slopes (abandoned) | Methane exploded when boy lit match while playing near old slope opening; 1 of 2 killed |
| Gunn | Stanley or David | 1906 | Pictou County | English Slopes (abandoned) | Methane exploded when boy lit match while playing near old slope opening; 1 of 2 killed |
| Waye | Daniel | 1931 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Fall of coal from face |
| MacDonald | Vincent | 1931 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Struck by coal from a shot |
| Mouland | George | 1956 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Fall |
| Witstanley | John T. | 1920 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Fall of coal |
| Snow | John W. | 1921 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Fall of coal |
| Jones | William | 1928 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Steel railing falling from car |
| Sampson | William | 1953 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Haulage |
| Edwards | James | 1950 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Haulage |
| Dwyer | Thomas | 1924 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Fall of coal |
| McEwan | R. | 1921 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Explosion of methane |
| Gordon | Henry | 1941 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Fall of stone |
| Blinkhorn | Arthur | 1924 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Fall of coal |
| Devoe | James | 1924 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Killed by box on main deep |
| MacDonald | Harry | 1950 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Fall of stone |
| Jobes | John | 1939 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Fall of stone |
| Clarke | Patrick | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Fall of stone |
| McDonald | James R. | 1931 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Fall of coal |
| Riley | John | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Fall of stone |
| Fry | Stanley G. | 1937 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Fall of stone |
| Carey | George | 1947 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Bankhead (surface) |
| Collins | ingraham | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Fall of stone |
| Bonner | Alexander | 1920 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Fall of coal; 1 of 2 killed |
| Penny | Charles J. | 1927 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Fall of stone |
| Gillespie | James | 1929 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Fall of stone |
| Slade | Elijah | 1955 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Haulage |
| Jobs | Daniel | 1920 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Fall of coal; 1 of 2 killed; died 6 days later |
| Steele | Alex | 1928 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Fall of stone |
| West | Herbert | 1921 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Fall of coal |
| Smith | Albert | 1919 | Cape Breton County | Florence, on surface | Burnt at boiler doors, died 7 days later |
| McGillivray | Alex | 1871 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Killed in the Foord by gas |
| Fraser | James W. | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | influx of water; 1 of 6 killed |
| Holland | Guthrie | 1878 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Fall of roof stone |
| Lennon | James | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| McGillivray | Angus | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| McLean | John | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| Skinner | Job | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |