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 6 of 50 pages (2498 entries).
| Surname | Given Name(s) | Year | County |
Mine |
Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cameron | William Archibald | 1912 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Caught by revolving wheel on main driving shaft of screen engine under bankhouse |
| Carroll | Frank | 1912 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | |
| Hayman | Arthur | 1912 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Fell down the shaft 462 feet |
| Laderie | Sylvia | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| Lindsay | Charles | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| MacEachern | James | 1935 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Shot blew back exploding methane and coal dust; 1 of 7 killed; asphixiation by carbon monoxide |
| MacMaster | John | 1925 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Fall of coal from roof of a pillar; 1 of 2 killed |
| Matheson | George | 1938 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Struck by a railway car on surface |
| Merrit | Edward | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| Newcomb | William | 1911 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Killed by a fall of timber |
| Savage | John | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| Smith | Alexander | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| Urquhart | Elwood | 1927 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Fall of coal from face |
| Lamb | Herbert | 1934 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft Power House | Collided with turbine in power house |
| Hasey | Angus | 1934 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft Power House | Caught in stoke driver shaft |
| Conway | John | 1868 | Cape Breton County | Aspe Bay | Explosion of powder |
| Gower | Frederick | 1953 | Cape Breton County | Beaver | Fall of stone |
| Porter | James | 1914 | Cumberland | Black Diamond | Thawing Samsonite (possibly a powder brand) |
| Fraser | Alexander | 1875 | Pictou County | Black Diamond | Crushed by moving coal tub against a doorpost |
| Stewart | William | 1874 | Pictou County | Black Diamond | Fall of coal |
| Fraser | Albert | 1890 | Pictou County | Black Diamond | Riding on a coal trip which jumped track |
| Marsh | Thomas | 1938 | Cape Breton County | Bras d'Or | Struck by trip |
| Todd | Matther | 1941 | Cape Breton County | Bras d'Or | Fall of stone |
| Beaton | Philip | 1939 | Cape Breton County | Bras d'Or No. 1 | Caught between 2 cars, died 3 days later |
| Adair | Robert | 1921 | Cape Breton County | Bras d'Or No. 4 | Explosion of methane |
| Collier | Alfred | 1923 | Cape Breton County | Bras d'Or No. 4 | Fall of coal from roof in room |
| Cathcart | James | 1896 | Cape Breton County | Bridgeport | Fall of coal while loading |
| Crowly | Eli | 1898 | Cape Breton County | Bridgeport | Fall of roof stone |
| Campbell | David | 1913 | Cape Breton County | Broughton | Struck by runaway box |
| Russell | unknown | 1858 | Pictou County | Cage pit | Carbon monoxide after methane explosion 1of 2 killed |
| Harvey | Robert | 1867 | Pictou County | Cage pit | Gas suffocation |
| Redpath | George | 1858 | Pictou County | Cage pit | Methane explosion; 1 of 2 killed |
| Nicholson | Norman | 1904 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Broken back, died 11 weeks later |
| Ryan | John | 1904 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Fall of stone from roof |
| Martell | Charles | 1873 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Crushed by wagons |
| Doyle | John, Sr. | 1899 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Afterdamp from methane explosion; 1 of 11 killed |
| Doyle | John, Jr. | 1899 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Afterdamp from methane explosion; 1 of 11 killed |
| Kearney | Patrick | 1890 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Killed by coal fall while loading in room |
| Grant | Albert or Arthur | 1899 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Afterdamp from methane explosion; 1 of 11 killed |
| Ferguson | Allen | 1896 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Struck by part of junk while loading |
| Johnstone | Thomas | 1899 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Afterdamp from methane explosion; 1 of 11 killed |
| Hilliar | Joseph | 1899 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | |
| Howie | Alexander | 1901 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Killed by runaway coal wagon in east deep |
| Martin | Donald | 1899 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Afterdamp from methane explosion; 1 of 11 killed |
| McKinnon | John | 1900 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Killed by falling roof stone while driving |
| McDonald | Daniel | 1901 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Killed by shot going off while firing squib |
| McAulay | Malcolm | 1899 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Afterdamp from methane explosion; 1 of 11 killed |
| Nolan | John | 1900 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Coal fall in room, died next day |
| McCormick or McCormack | Stephen | 1899 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Afterdamp from methane explosion; 1 of 11 killed |
| Ferguson | Ronald | 1894 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Explosion of dynamite while heating it |