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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pettipas | Fred | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Fall of top coal |
| Scully | James | 1924 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Carbon monoxide suffocation after explosion; 1 of 4 killed |
| Smith | John J. | 1926 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Coal fall that had him buried for 2 hours |
| Vaast | August | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| Bastin or Baston | Andrew | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| Blarion | Leon | 1923 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Fall of coal off face |
| Bryne | George | 1923 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Crushed between rail cars on surface |
| Cassidy | Andrew | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| Eloi | Alexander | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| McAulay | John | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| Pickerton | Thomas | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| Smith | Thomas B. | 1938 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Died in pit from natural causes |
| Vaast | Floriand | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| Hasey | Angus | 1934 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft Power House | Caught in stoke driver shaft |
| Lamb | Herbert | 1934 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft Power House | Collided with turbine in power house |
| Conway | John | 1868 | Cape Breton County | Aspe Bay | Explosion of powder |
| Gower | Frederick | 1953 | Cape Breton County | Beaver | Fall of stone |
| 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 |
| Porter | James | 1914 | Cumberland | Black Diamond | Thawing Samsonite (possibly a powder brand) |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| McDonald | Alexander | 1899 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Afterdamp from methane explosion; 1 of 11 killed |
| McDonald | Neil | 1899 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Afterdamp from methane explosion; 1 of 11 killed |
| Burke | William | 1866 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Fall of picks in shaft |
| McDougall | Roderick or Rory | 1899 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Afterdamp from methane explosion; 1 of 11 killed |