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 23 of 50 pages (2498 entries).
| Surname | Given Name(s) |
Year |
County | Mine | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McIsaac | John D. | 1922 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Fall of stone while timbering, died 5 days later |
| Nicholson | James | 1922 | Cumberland | Minudie #2 | Powder ignited by cartridge explosion, died 12 days later; 1 of 2 killed |
| Hibbs | James | 1922 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Struck by runaway car in deep |
| Long or Lank | Lawrence | 1922 | Cumberland | Minudie #2 | Powder ignited by cartridge explosion, died 14 days later |
| Beasley | Isaac | 1922 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of stone from roof in room |
| Cope | William A. | 1922 | Cumberland | Victoria | Caught between roof and car on slope, died 30 days later |
| Desmond | Frank | 1922 | Cape Breton County | Greener | Empty box passed over him, died 28 days later in hospital |
| Boutilier | John | 1922 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Fall of stone caused by runaway boxes |
| Gouthro | Charles | 1922 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Struck and run over by full coal box |
| Vanherek | Henry | 1922 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 14 | Fall of stone |
| MacKeigan | John | 1922 | Cape Breton County | Jubilee, River Hebert | Fall of roof stone in level, died 21 days later |
| McLean | Edward | 1922 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of stone |
| Lyons | Charles F. | 1922 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of coal from face, died 5 days later |
| Flemming | Edward | 1922 | Cape Breton County | Jubilee, Sydney Mines | Found dead with radial coalcutter resting on body |
| MacDonald | Alexander | 1922 | Inverness | bootleg pit | Methane gas poisoning; 1 of 3 killed |
| Casey | Archibald | 1921 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Struck by rake of coal |
| McDonald | James E. | 1921 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Killed crossing over haulage rope in motion, caught by boxes |
| MacLeod | Wellington | 1921 | Pictou County | Albion | Suffocated by methane under coal fall |
| Amon | W. | 1921 | Pictou County | Acadia No. 1 | Buried 4 hours under fall, died at home in evening |
| Assiff | Joseph | 1921 | Inverness | Inverness | Hit by rake on level, died 2 days later |
| Hayman | Wilbert | 1921 | Pictou County | McGregor | Fall of coal |
| Fraser | John E. | 1921 | Pictou County | Albion | Fall of coal |
| Muir | Robert | 1921 | Pictou County | Drummond No. 5 (Intercolonial No. 5) | Fall of stone |
| Purdy | Walter Charles | 1921 | Cumberland | St. George | Struck by piece of coal blown off by shot |
| Shannon | George "Happy" | 1921 | Cumberland | Joggins | Electrocuted by shock from cable on pavement |
| 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 |
| Neal | George | 1921 | Cape Breton County | Jubilee, Sydney Mines | Fall down shaft |
| 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 |
| Cameron | John | 1921 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of coal from face |
| Isnor | Hubert | 1921 | Pictou County | Albion | Fall of coal |
| McDougall | Allan | 1921 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 10 | Fall of stone |
| Ward | Fred | 1921 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 10 | Fall of stone, died next day |
| 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 |
| Large | August | 1921 | Inverness | Inverness | Fall down chute |
| Murphy | Carl G. | 1921 | Cumberland | Springhill | Caught between beam of screen floor and break wheel of a moving railway car |
| McDonald | Hugh | 1920 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 4 | Severed artery in foot |
| Edwards | Benjamin | 1920 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Electrocuted in power house |
| Walker | Alexander | 1920 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of coal |
| Fraser | Hiram | 1920 | Pictou County | Acadia No. 3 (Six-Foot) | Struck by railway car on surface |
| McCormack | Stephen | 1920 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 4 | Dropped dead coming up the travelling-way |
| Cyr | William | 1920 | Pictou County | Drummond No. 5 (Intercolonial No. 5) | Run over by an empty box |
| McDonald | Kenneth | 1920 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 11 | Crushed between box and pillar |
| Doyle | James | 1920 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 14 | Struck by empty trip |
| Jowett or Gowett | John Ernest | 1920 | Cumberland | Victoria | cause not recorded |