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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turnbull | William | 1958 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Terrific, devastating bump |
| Snow | William | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Methane and blasting powder explosion |
| Muller | William | 1912 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Fall of top coal at face of pillar |
| Elliott | William | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| Stewart | William | 1874 | Pictou County | Black Diamond | Fall of coal |
| Ince | William | 1938 | Pictou County | Acadia No. 7 (Moss mine) | Caught by fall of rock |
| McLeod | William | 1952 | Pictou County | McGregor | Methane explosion (localized); 1 of 19 killed |
| Cyr | William | 1920 | Pictou County | Drummond No. 5 (Intercolonial No. 5) | Run over by an empty box |
| Kendell | William | 1929 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Fall of stone |
| McDonald | William | 1887 | Cumberland | Springhill | Fall of coal from face |
| Simpson | William | 1899 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Afterdamp from methane explosion; 1 of 11 killed |
| Main | William | 1919 | Cumberland | St. George | Struck by runaway box |
| Collins | William | 1943 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Crushed under trip |
| Morrison | William | 1913 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 8 | Struck by box |
| Nicholson | William | 1927 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 10 | Squeezed between box and pillar |
| Paterson | William | 1912 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Fall of coal |
| Munsie | William | 1943 | Pictou County | McGregor | Crushed between a box and a steel boom |
| Long | William | 1901 or 1902 | Cumberland | Jubilee, River Hebert | Bankhead under construction fell on him |
| Lowther | William | 1900 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Leg broken in fall of stone at working face |
| Large | William | 1942 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Fall of stone |
| McLeod | William | 1896 | Cape Breton County | Victoria | Killed by coal fall while removing coal leg |
| Murdock | William | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| Carey | William | 1905 | Cape Breton County | New Campbellton | Killed on main slope by the trip |
| Hamilton | William | 1950 | Pictou County | Albion | Fall of coal |
| McKee | William | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Cargig | William | 1900 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 3 | Fell on pick handles |
| Frew | William | 1906 | Pictou County | English Slopes (abandoned) | Methane exploded when boy lit match while playing near old slope opening; 1 of 2 killed |
| Sampson | William | 1953 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Haulage |
| Jewkes | William | 1958 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Terrific, devastating bump |
| Roache or Roche | William | 1909 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 5 | Fall of stone |
| Hannaham or Hanrahan | William | 1883 | Pictou County | Vale | Drawbar broke, crash of runaway slope rake |
| Power | William | 1920 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Fall of coal |
| Cooke | William | 1979 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 26 | Methane explosion, sparked by coal shearer hitting stone; 1 of 12 killed |
| Willis | William | 1899 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess) | Fall of roof stone whilst driving |
| Dixon | William | 1918 | Cape Breton County | Jubilee, Sydney Mines | Runaway trip |
| Myers | William | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| Hall | William | 1937 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 5 | Run over by full box |
| Burchill or Birchill | William | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Oliver | William | 1944 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Struck by trip |
| Snow | William | 1908 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 6 | Fall of stone |
| Andrews | William | 1873 | Cape Breton County | Gowrie | Fall of coal |
| Hutchinson | William | 1916 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Killed by cage |
| Cann | William | 1942 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Struck by trip |
| Colburn | William | 1910 | Pictou County | Albion | Fall of coal |
| Gillespie | William | 1913 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Caught between box at 4700 bottom |
| Flemming | William | 1907 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Caught between box and boom |
| Brown | William | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Lewis | William | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| Stevens | William | 1910 | Cumberland | Chignecto | Explosion |
| Walsh | William | 1905 | Inverness | Port Hood | Hit by boom sliding down slope while timbering |