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 2 of 50 pages (2498 entries).
| Surname | Given Name(s) | Year |
County |
Mine | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hayden | Roderick | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of stone |
| Comhaire or Comhair | Henri | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Methane and blasting powder explosion |
| Killoway | Eugene | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Methane and blasting powder explosion |
| Milley | Thomas | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Methane and blasting powder explosion |
| Snow | William | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Methane and blasting powder explosion |
| Peters | William | 1918 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 11 | Killed by main drive-chain on bank, on surface |
| Smith | Albert | 1919 | Cape Breton County | Florence, on surface | Burnt at boiler doors, died 7 days later |
| Doyle | James | 1920 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 14 | Struck by empty trip |
| Ward | Fred | 1921 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 10 | Fall of stone, died next day |
| Buso | Petro | 1923 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 15 | Crushed between mine car and rib, died next day |
| MacDougall | Daniel | 1923 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 14 | Fall of stone in pillar work 1 of 2 killed |
| Dunsmuir | James | 1924 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Fall of stone |
| Campbell | John | 1926 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Trip of boxes |
| McDonald | john J. | 1927 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 22 | Struck by trip |
| McDonald | John A. | 1928 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Injured by box |
| O'Handley | Michael | 1928 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 14 | Caught between box and rib |
| Walker | George | 1929 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 11 | Fall of stone |
| Fortune | Joseph R. | 1930 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 14 | Donkey runner; caught in drum of engine |
| Brathwaite | Cyril | 1931 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 11 | Fall of stone |
| Chiasson | Leo | 1933 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Struck by a trip |
| McDonald | Ronald H. | 1934 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12, Surface | Fell while working on bankhead machinery |
| McLeod | Dan | 1934 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 10 | Fall of stone |
| Lee | Patrick | 1936 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Caught between box and prop |
| McDonald | William | 1937 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Struck by trip |
| Gouthro | John J. | 1938 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Struck by empty trip |
| MacDonald | William B. | 1938 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Broken cable on riding rake; 1 of 21 killed |
| Jobes | John | 1939 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Fall of stone |
| MacNeil | Hugh M. | 1941 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Struck with haulage rope |
| Kelloway | Kenneth | 1942 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 20 | Struck by box |
| Barnes | William | 1943 | Cape Breton County | Tomson | Struck by runaway box |
| Stevenson | James | 1943 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Coal tank platform tilted, threw man down shaft; 1 of 4 killed being lifted in coal shaft |
| Doucette | Medric | 1944 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 24 | Fall of stone |
| Aucoin | William Joseph | 1946 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Fall of roof |
| Roberts | Alfred | 1947 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 26 | Fall of roof |
| Tomkins | Michael | 1949 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Haulage |
| Farrell | Gregor | 1950 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 11 | Haulage |
| Gabriel | Patrick | 1952 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 20 | Methane explosion; 1 of 7 killed |
| Michalik | Joseph | 1954 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Haulage |
| Keating | Fred | 1955 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 20 | Haulage |
| McCormack | Archie | 1956 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 26 | Fall of stone |
| Lettuce | William | 1958 | Cape Breton County | Tomson | Explosion |
| MacLeod | William | 1959 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Fall of stone |
| Allen | James | 1961 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 20 | Electrical |
| Buchanan | Michael | 1964 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 26 | Fall of stone |
| MacPhee | Vernon Michael | 1967 | Cape Breton County | Four Star | Machinery: Caught in capstan |
| Atwood | Wilfred | 1969 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 12 | Caught on cutting drum of Anderton Shearer |
| MacFadgen | Donald | 1973 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 12 | Explosion and fire; 1 of 2 killed |
| Purcell | Paul F. | 1979 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 26 | Methane explosion, sparked by coal shearer hitting stone; 1 of 12 killed |
| Cantfill | Arthur | 1892 | Cape Breton County | Victoria | Crushed by runaway box down balance, died 2 days later |
| Bennois | John | 1867 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines Colliery (Queen pit) | Explosion of powder |