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 5 of 50 pages (2498 entries).

Surname Given Name(s) Yearsort descending County Mine Cause
McLean John 1880 Pictou County Foord pit Devastating methane explosion
MacDonald Ronald 1880 Pictou County Foord pit Devastating methane explosion
MacDonald John 1880 Pictou County Foord pit Devastating methane explosion
Dunbar William 1880 Pictou County Foord pit Devastating methane explosion
Fraser James W. 1880 Pictou County Foord pit influx of water; 1 of 6 killed
McLeise Bertram 1880 Pictou County Foord pit Devastating methane explosion
Crawford John 1880 Pictou County Foord pit Devastating methane explosion
Haddon Henry 1880 Pictou County Foord pit Devastating methane explosion
Rogers Thomas 1880 Pictou County Foord pit Devastating methane explosion
McDonald Murdock 1880 Pictou County Foord pit Devastating methane explosion
MacLean Hector 1880 Pictou County Foord pit Devastating methane explosion
Sullivan Thomas 1880 Pictou County Foord pit Devastating methane explosion
Sutherland David 1880 Pictou County Foord pit Devastating methane explosion
Lennon James 1880 Pictou County Foord pit Devastating methane explosion
Ross William D. 1880 Pictou County Foord pit Devastating methane explosion
Carr John 1880 Pictou County Foord pit Devastating methane explosion
Johnson John J. 1880 Pictou County Foord pit Devastating methane explosion
Cummings Daniel 1880 Pictou County Foord pit Devastating methane explosion
McEachern John 1880 Pictou County Foord pit Devastating methane explosion
Cummings John 1880 Pictou County Foord pit Devastating methane explosion
MacLeod Robert 1880 Pictou County Foord pit Devastating methane explosion
Lewis William 1880 Pictou County Foord pit Devastating methane explosion
McNaughton John 1880 Pictou County Foord pit Devastating methane explosion
Murdock William 1880 Pictou County Foord pit Devastating methane explosion
McElvie Hugh 1880 Pictou County Foord pit influx of water; 1 of 6 killed
Benoit Merle 1880 Pictou County Foord pit influx of water; 1 of 6 killed
Nash John 1881 Pictou County Acadia Devastating methane explosion
Nicholson John 1881 Pictou County Vale Caught between moving rake & door
Cook Robert 1881 Cape Breton County Sydney Mines (Princess?) Riding on Engine plane
Blue John 1881 Cumberland Springhill Struck by cage
Bigney Robert 1881 Cumberland Springhill No. 1 Rope broke on cage
Shanahan James 1882 Cape Breton County Little Glace Bay Fall of stone from roof
McEachern Alexander 1882 Pictou County Drummond mine (Intercolonial) Killed by a rake of full pit tubs
Fletcher William 1883 Cumberland Springhill Killed by fracture of brake bolt
MacKay J. 1883 Pictou County Drummond mine (Intercolonial) Hit by flying fragments of broken pinion wheel
McGilvray or MacGillivray Wallace 1883 Pictou County Vale Drawbar broke, crash of runaway slope rake
Gillies or Gillis James 1883 Pictou County Vale Drawbar broke, crash of runaway slope rake
Flinn or Flynn Garnett 1883 Pictou County Vale Fall of coal
Burke Charles 1883 Cumberland Joggins Fall of coal
Lockhart Dan 1883 Cumberland Chignecto Killed by cage going off track
Nicholson John 1883 Pictou County Vale Drawbar broke, crash of runaway slope rake
Hudson or Hodgeson John 1883 Cumberland Chignecto Suffocated by carbonic acid (1 of 3 killed)
Burrows John 1883 Cumberland Chignecto Suffocated by carbonic acid (1 of 3 killed)
Keigan Angus 1883 Cape Breton County Sydney Mines (Princess?) Run over by coal tub
Patton William 1883 Cumberland Chignecto Suffocated by carbonic acid (1 of 3 killed)
Baillie D. 1883 Pictou County Albion Killed by a runaway rake
Campbell Colin 1883 Pictou County Vale Drawbar broke, crash of runaway slope rake
Fraser Alexander 1883 Pictou County Vale Drawbar broke, crash of runaway slope rake
Hannaham or Hanrahan William 1883 Pictou County Vale Drawbar broke, crash of runaway slope rake
McEachran or MacEachern James 1883 Pictou County Vale Drawbar broke, crash of runaway slope rake

Pages