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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Large | William | 1942 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Fall of stone |
| Burchill or Birchill | William | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Lowther | William | 1900 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Leg broken in fall of stone at working face |
| Driscol or Driscoll | William | 1926 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Slipped from car, wheels passed over him |
| Andrews | William | 1873 | Cape Breton County | Gowrie | Fall of coal |
| McLeod | William | 1896 | Cape Breton County | Victoria | Killed by coal fall while removing coal leg |
| Cargig | William | 1900 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 3 | Fell on pick handles |
| Parsons | William | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Methane and blasting powder explosion |
| Carey | William | 1905 | Cape Breton County | New Campbellton | Killed on main slope by the trip |
| Hutchinson | William | 1916 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Killed by cage |
| Lewis | William | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| Jewkes | William | 1958 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Terrific, devastating bump |
| Roache or Roche | William | 1909 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 5 | Fall of stone |
| Munsie | William | 1943 | Pictou County | McGregor | Crushed between a box and a steel boom |
| Stewart | William | 1874 | Pictou County | Black Diamond | Fall of coal |
| Brown | William | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Murdock | William | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| Jones | William | 1928 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Steel railing falling from car |
| Main | William | 1919 | Cumberland | St. George | Struck by runaway box |
| Thompson | William | 1924 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of stone and coal |
| Blake | William | 1952 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 20 | Methane explosion; 1 of 7 killed |
| Walsh | William | 1905 | Inverness | Port Hood | Hit by boom sliding down slope while timbering |
| Hamilton | William | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines Colliery; Nova Scotia Steel & Coal | Killed by runaway trip on slope |
| Hall | William | 1937 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 5 | Run over by full box |
| Cassidy | William | 1906 | Inverness | Inverness | Struck by a rake on main slope |
| Power | William | 1920 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Fall of coal |
| MacLeod | William | 1959 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Fall of stone |
| Bonar | William | 1952 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 20 | Methane explosion; 1 of 7 killed |
| Spencer | William | 1897 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Burned by compressed powder |
| Chisholm | William | 1925 | Inverness | Inverness No. 1 | Killed by runaway box |
| Ludlow | William | 1969 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 26 | Haulage |
| MacIntosh | William | 1899 | Pictou County | Six-Foot Seam (became Acadia No.3) | Caught, crushed by revolving drum on hoist |
| Snow | William | 1908 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 6 | Fall of stone |
| Desmond | William | 1952 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 20 | Methane explosion; 1 of 7 killed |
| Ramsay | William | 1915 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 15 | Fall of roof |
| Long | William | 1901 or 1902 | Cumberland | Jubilee, River Hebert | Bankhead under construction fell on him |
| McNamara | William | 1877 | Cape Breton County | Lingan | Explosion of boiler; 1 of 3 killed |
| Gadd | William | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Methane and blasting powder explosion |
| Cann | William | 1942 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Struck by trip |
| Hendricken | William | 1873 | Pictou County | Vale | Crushed by coal tubs |
| Lettuce | William | 1958 | Cape Breton County | Tomson | Explosion |
| McLutchy | William | 1890 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Fall of stone from roof, died 5 weeks later |
| Campbell | William | 1884 | Pictou County | Albion | Premature explosion of a shot |
| Burke | William | 1866 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Fall of picks in shaft |
| Myers | William | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| Dunbar | William | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| Gillespie | William | 1913 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Caught between box at 4700 bottom |
| Baxter | William | 1910 | Pictou County | Albion | Fall of coal |
| Flemming | William | 1907 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Caught between box and boom |
| Smith | William | 1958 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Terrific, devastating bump |