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 28 of 50 pages (2497 entries).
| Surname | Given Name(s) |
Year |
County | Mine | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hanrahan | Joseph | 1920 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Jammed between loaded box and boom |
| Boutilier | Angus | 1920 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 4 | Fall of roof |
| Christie | James | 1920 | Cape Breton County | Colonial No. 4, engine house | Caught in belt that operates hoist, lived 9 hrs |
| McDonald | Allan J. | 1920 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Struck on head by upright timber, died 3 days later |
| Power | William | 1920 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Fall of coal |
| Witstanley | John T. | 1920 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Fall of coal |
| Assiff | Joseph | 1921 | Inverness | Inverness | Hit by rake on level, died 2 days later |
| Isnor | Hubert | 1921 | Pictou County | Albion | Fall of coal |
| Amon | W. | 1921 | Pictou County | Acadia No. 1 | Buried 4 hours under fall, died at home in evening |
| West | Herbert | 1921 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Fall of coal |
| Turner | Alfred | 1921 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 4 | Struck by horse; in falling pick stabbed abdomen |
| McKenzie | Joseph | 1921 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Fall of stone |
| Adair | Robert | 1921 | Cape Breton County | Bras d'Or No. 4 | Explosion of methane |
| Snow | John W. | 1921 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Fall of coal |
| MacLeod | Wellington | 1921 | Pictou County | Albion | Suffocated by methane under coal fall |
| Neal | George | 1921 | Cape Breton County | Jubilee, Sydney Mines | Fall down shaft |
| Hayman | Wilbert | 1921 | Pictou County | McGregor | Fall of coal |
| Richards | John M. | 1921 | Cape Breton County | Scotia No. 4 | Slipped and fell on travelling road; accident Jan. 4, died Jan. 24. |
| McEwan | R. | 1921 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Explosion of methane |
| Murphy | Carl G. | 1921 | Cumberland | Springhill | Caught between beam of screen floor and break wheel of a moving railway car |
| Muir | Robert | 1921 | Pictou County | Drummond No. 5 (Intercolonial No. 5) | Fall of stone |
| Cameron | John | 1921 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of coal from face |
| Casey | Archibald | 1921 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Struck by rake of coal |
| McDougall | Allan | 1921 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 10 | Fall of stone |
| Purdy | Walter Charles | 1921 | Cumberland | St. George | Struck by piece of coal blown off by shot |
| McDonald | James E. | 1921 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Killed crossing over haulage rope in motion, caught by boxes |
| Ward | Fred | 1921 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 10 | Fall of stone, died next day |
| Shannon | George "Happy" | 1921 | Cumberland | Joggins | Electrocuted by shock from cable on pavement |
| Edwards | George | 1921 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 11 | Fall of stone from oof |
| Robbins | William F. | 1921 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Fall of stone |
| Fraser | John E. | 1921 | Pictou County | Albion | Fall of coal |
| Large | August | 1921 | Inverness | Inverness | Fall down chute |
| MacDonald | Donald R. | 1922 | Inverness | bootleg pit | Methane gas poisoning; 1 of 3 killed |
| Whalen | Matthew | 1922 | Cape Breton County | Jubilee, lower seam, Sydney Mines | Fall of stone from roof |
| MacDonald | James | 1922 | Inverness | bootleg pit | Methane gas poisoning; 1 of 3 killed |
| McDonald | Allan | 1922 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 9 | Fall of stone |
| Borden | Joseph | 1922 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Fall of stone and coal |
| Hest | Joseph | 1922 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 22 | Struck by runaway car, near landing |
| Campbell | Ronald | 1922 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Struck by horse-hauled mine car |
| McIsaac | John D. | 1922 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Fall of stone while timbering, died 5 days later |
| Hibbs | James | 1922 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Struck by runaway car in deep |
| Beasley | Isaac | 1922 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of stone from roof in room |
| McDonald | Allan | 1922 | Cumberland | No.9 ? (may be Glace Bay) | Fall of stone |
| Nicholson | James | 1922 | Cumberland | Minudie #2 | Powder ignited by cartridge explosion, died 12 days later; 1 of 2 killed |
| Jones | Hezekiah | 1922 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Fall of stone and coal from face |
| Long or Lank | Lawrence | 1922 | Cumberland | Minudie #2 | Powder ignited by cartridge explosion, died 14 days later |
| Merlin | John G. | 1922 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 3 | Caught between pump and upright timber |
| Desmond | Frank | 1922 | Cape Breton County | Greener | Empty box passed over him, died 28 days later in hospital |
| Cope | William A. | 1922 | Cumberland | Victoria | Caught between roof and car on slope, died 30 days later |
| Boutilier | John | 1922 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Fall of stone caused by runaway boxes |