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 45 of 50 pages (2497 entries).
| Surname | Given Name(s) |
Year |
County | Mine | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McDonald | Hugh | 1889 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Fall of loose coal |
| Jones | James | 1889 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Explosion of methane |
| Vicars | John | 1889 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Fall of loose coal, died after 12 days |
| Laffin | Ambrose | 1889 | Cape Breton County | Victoria; possibly Cumberland Co. | Killed by loose coal by face of junk while at work in his room |
| Cameron | Alexander | 1888 | Pictou County | English Slopes (abandoned) | Overground as a boiler was being lowered |
| MacKinnon | Neil | 1888 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Run over by trip |
| Adams | John | 1888 | Cumberland | Springhill Surface | Cause not recorded |
| Spoors | Mat | 1887 | Pictou County | Vale | Caught beneath a roof fall while timbering; 1 of 2 killed |
| Hyde | William | 1887 | Pictou County | Vale | Caught beneath a roof fall while timbering; 1 of 2 killed |
| Haley or Hanley | Angus | 1887 | Pictou County | Vale | Run over by boxes on main slope |
| Fergusson | John | 1887 | Cape Breton County | Gowrie | Fall of roof coal |
| McNeil | John | 1887 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Fall of coal from pillar |
| Steele | Thomas | 1887 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess) | Fall of roof stone |
| Mackey or Mackie | James | 1887 | Cumberland | Springhill | Leg broken; caught by cage in balance |
| McDonald | William | 1887 | Cumberland | Springhill | Fall of coal from face |
| May | George | 1887 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Fatally hurt |
| Crawford | Clinton | 1887 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 3 | Fall of frozen clay; 1 of 2 killed |
| Guthro | Thomas | 1887 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 3 | Fall of frozen clay; 1 of 2 killed |
| Richmond | John A. | 1887 | Cumberland | Springhill Surface | Cause not recorded |
| McGowen | Alex | 1886 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Dropped dead at face by heart disease |
| Morrison | Daniel | 1886 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Run over by tub due to broken rope |
| McLeod | Murdock | 1886 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 | Fall of roof |
| Turner | George | 1886 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Fall of top coal |
| Hayman | David | 1886 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Run over by a box of coal |
| Fraser | John Walter | 1885 | Pictou County | Vale | Devastating methane explosion |
| Haggart | Joe or James | 1885 | Pictou County | Vale | Devastating methane explosion |
| Kennedy | Dan | 1885 | Pictou County | Vale | Devastating methane explosion |
| McBeth or MacBeath | Phillip | 1885 | Pictou County | Vale | Devastating methane explosion |
| McKinnon | Neil | 1885 | Pictou County | Vale | Devastating methane explosion |
| Scully or Soully | John | 1885 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 | Run over by cage |
| McLean | J. | 1885 | Pictou County | Vale | Devastating methane explosion |
| Haslam | James | 1885 | Cumberland | Syndicate | burned by explosion of powder; 1 of 3 killed |
| Tower | Thomas | 1885 | Cumberland | Syndicate | burned by explosion of powder; 1 of 3 killed |
| Cameron | Hugh | 1885 | Pictou County | Vale | Devastating methane explosion |
| Wilson | John | 1885 | Cumberland | Syndicate | burned by explosion of powder; 1 of 3 killed |
| McDonald | Donald | 1885 | Cumberland | Westville or Springhill mine | Died after breaking legs |
| Foley | Pat | 1885 | Pictou County | Vale | Devastating methane explosion |
| MacEachern | John | 1885 | Pictou County | Vale | Devastating methane explosion |
| Grant | John | 1885 | Pictou County | Vale | Devastating methane explosion |
| McNeil | Dan | 1885 | Pictou County | Vale | Devastating methane explosion |
| Campbell | John A. | 1885 | Pictou County | Vale | Devastating methane explosion |
| Ryan | Thomas | 1885 | Pictou County | Vale | Devastating methane explosion |
| Stubbert | Foreman | 1884 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Fall of coal |
| Crocker | Frederick | 1884 | Cumberland | Springhill | Crushed between water box and timber |
| McLellan | James | 1884 | Pictou County | Albion | Struck by a rake |
| Gillis | Peter | 1884 | Pictou County | Acadia | Fall of coal |
| Campbell | William | 1884 | Pictou County | Albion | Premature explosion of a shot |
| MacKay | J. | 1883 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Hit by flying fragments of broken pinion wheel |
| Lockhart | Dan | 1883 | Cumberland | Chignecto | Killed by cage going off track |
| McGilvray or MacGillivray | Wallace | 1883 | Pictou County | Vale | Drawbar broke, crash of runaway slope rake |