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 2 of 50 pages (2497 entries).
| Surname |
Given Name(s) |
Year | County | Mine | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McGowen | Alex | 1886 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Dropped dead at face by heart disease |
| Aexter | Alex | 1911 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines No. 3 (Florence) | Explosion |
| Caporallo | Alex | 1936 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Struck by trip |
| Nichelson | Alex | 1889 | Cape Breton County | Victoria | |
| McDonad | Alex | 1928 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Fall of coal |
| Arseneau | Alex | 1916 | Cumberland | Victoria | Fall of roof |
| Campbell | Alex | 1956 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 4 | Electricity-fired coal dust explosion |
| MacKinnon | Alex | 1905 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 3 | Bump |
| Dugas | Alex | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Colonial | Crushed between box and rib |
| Steele | Alex | 1928 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Fall of stone |
| Young | Alex | 1949 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 4 | Haulage |
| Graham | Alex | 1913 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 15 | Fall of stone |
| McIntyre | Alex | 1929 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Struck by cage |
| MacLean | Alex | 1867 | Pictou County | unidentified shaft being sunk or Cage pit | Methane explosion |
| Jenson or Jamieson | Alex | 1914 | Pictou County | Albion | Run over by a box |
| McCosh | Alex | 1890 | Cape Breton County | Gowrie | Fall of stone from roof |
| Rordenan | Alex | 1919 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 5 | Fall of stone |
| LeBlanc | Alex | 1927 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Crushed: 2 runaway boxes hit box he was lifting |
| Bigney or Bignay | Alex | 1908 or 1909 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 3 | Fall of stone |
| Dixon | Alex | 1943 | Inverness | Inverness No. 1 | Fall of stone |
| MacLean | Alex | 1937 | Pictou County | Acadia No. 7 (Moss mine) | Fall of coal |
| Liddle | Alex | 1904 | Cumberland | Chignecto | Caught between box & coal crib, died 9 days later |
| Poirier | Alex | 1971 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 26 | Natural Causes |
| Borden | Alex | 1905 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Fall of coal from face |
| Glenn | Alex | 1895 | Pictou County | Acadia | Fall from roof of working face |
| McNeil | Alex H | 1941 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 24 | Attempted to get on moving train |
| MacKenzie | Alex J. | 1970 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 26 | Struck by a trip on the south angle |
| McDonald | Alex P. | 1943 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 4 | Crushed between boxes |
| Munroe | Alex W. | 1942 | Pictou County | McGregor | Hit by a trip |
| Cameron | Alexander | 1978 | Cape Breton County | Lingan | Fall of stone |
| Vance | Alexander | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Ross | Alexander | 1911 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Struck by a rake |
| McDonald | Alexander | 1899 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Afterdamp from methane explosion; 1 of 11 killed |
| McEachern | Alexander | 1882 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Killed by a rake of full pit tubs |
| Hacquoil | Alexander | 1914 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Fatal injuries |
| Smith | Alexander | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| Campbell | Alexander | 1899 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Fall of loose coal from hung shot |
| MacDonald | Alexander | 1922 | Inverness | bootleg pit | Methane gas poisoning; 1 of 3 killed |
| Morrison | Alexander | 1902 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Fall of coal from pillar |
| Fraser | Alexander | 1875 | Pictou County | Black Diamond | Crushed by moving coal tub against a doorpost |
| Hill | Alexander | 1923 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Caught by flywheel in starting haulage engine |
| Bond | Alexander | 1913 | Cape Breton County | Sydney No. 3 (Florence) | Fall of coal |
| Walker | Alexander | 1920 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of coal |
| Murray | Alexander | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| Holland | Alexander | 1929 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of coal |
| Fraser | Alexander | 1883 | Pictou County | Vale | Drawbar broke, crash of runaway slope rake |
| McKinnon | Alexander | 1895 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Methane explosion; 1 of 2 killed |
| MacDonald | Alexander | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| Gabriel | Alexander | 1918 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Fall of stone |
| Handley | Alexander | 1964 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Haulage |