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 1 of 50 pages (2497 entries).

Surname Given Name(s) Yearsort descending County Mine Cause
Conn James 1839 Pictou County Storr pit Methane explosion; 1 of 2 killed
Lowe William 1839 Pictou County Storr pit Methane explosion; 1 of 2 killed
Redpath George 1858 Pictou County Cage pit Methane explosion; 1 of 2 killed
Russell unknown 1858 Pictou County Cage pit Carbon monoxide after methane explosion 1of 2 killed
Roach William 1861 Pictou County Bye pit Methane explosion
Robertson James 1861 Pictou County Bye pit Methane explosion
MacKenzie Daniel 1861 Pictou County Bye pit Methane explosion
McAskill D. 1864 Cumberland Victoria
Jose Henry 1865 Pictou County Either Bye, Cage, Dalhousie pit Fall down shaft
Burke William 1866 Cape Breton County Caledonia Fall of picks in shaft
Hoyt Henry 1866 Cape Breton County Lingan Fall of coal
Simpson John 1866 Cape Breton County Sydney Mines Colliery (Queen pit) Run over by wagons
MacLean John 1866 Pictou County Dalhousie pit Fall of coal
McCarney unknown 1866 Pictou County Above ground, at Acadia wharf Fell and struck his head
Mahoney Patrick 1866 Pictou County Dalhousie pit Fall of coal
McGilchrist or Gilgrist John 1866 Pictou County Foster pit Clothing caught in hoist winding drum
MacKenzie Hector 1867 Pictou County Montreal & Pictou Fall of stone
Forbes Andrew 1867 Pictou County unidentified shaft being sunk or Cage pit Methane explosion
Shea James 1867 Inverness Port Hood Crushed by machinery
Campbell Patrick 1867 Cape Breton County Lingan Explosion of methane
MacLean Alex 1867 Pictou County unidentified shaft being sunk or Cage pit Methane explosion
McLeod Thomas 1867 Cape Breton County Lingan Fall of stone
White Morris 1867 Cape Breton County Lingan Explosion of methane
Timmons John 1867 Cape Breton County Collins Fall of coal; 1 of 2 killed
Timmons Peter 1867 Cape Breton County Collins Fall of coal; 1 of 2 killed
Harvey Robert 1867 Pictou County Cage pit Gas suffocation
Bennois John 1867 Cape Breton County Sydney Mines Colliery (Queen pit) Explosion of powder
Sullivan John 1867 Cape Breton County Sydney Mines Colliery (Queen pit) Crushed in mine
Campbell John 1868 Pictou County Acadia Fall of coal
Fraser Simon 1868 Pictou County Acadia Crushed between two cars
Reid Robert 1868 Pictou County Acadia Fall of earth on surface; working on rail line
Hamilton Samuel 1868 Pictou County Acadia Methane explosion
Conway John 1868 Cape Breton County Aspe Bay Explosion of powder
Currie Angus 1868 Cape Breton County Gowrie Fall of coal
McIntyre W. 1868 Cape Breton County Sydney Mines Colliery (Queen pit) Crushed by machinery
MacDonald D. 1869 Pictou County Drummond mine (Intercolonial) Powder explosion
Palmer Robert 1869 Pictou County Marsh Colliery (not Marsh mine) Fall down shaft
MacPherson R. 1869 Pictou County Drummond mine (Intercolonial) Crushed by coal tubs
Hickman Henry 1869 Pictou County Marsh Colliery (not Marsh mine) Fall down shaft
Young Thomas 1870 Pictou County Drummond mine (Intercolonial) Fall of coal
Luckman John 1870 Cape Breton County International Crushed by cage
Brennick John 1870 Cape Breton County Sydney Mines Colliery (Queen pit) Run over by wagon
McLellan A. 1870 Cape Breton County Sydney Mines Colliery (Queen pit) Run over by loconotive
McGillivray Alex 1871 Pictou County Foord pit Killed in the Foord by gas
Green John 1871 Cape Breton County Sydney Mines Colliery (Queen pit) Fall off bridge
McKinnon J. 1871 Cape Breton County Sydney Mines Colliery (Queen pit) Fall of coal
McMullen Kenneth 1871 Cape Breton County Sydney Mines Colliery (Queen pit) Explosion of powder or fall of coal
McGilderick A. 1871 Pictou County Foord pit Methane explosion
McLean Angus 1872 Cape Breton County Gowrie Run over by wagon
Winter Edward 1872 Cape Breton County Victoria Fall of roof coal; possibly in Cumberland County

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