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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cooke | William | 1979 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 26 | Methane explosion, sparked by coal shearer hitting stone; 1 of 12 killed |
| Jones | William | 1928 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Steel railing falling from car |
| Andrews | William | 1910 | Cape Breton County | Gowrie | Fall of coal |
| Lewis | William | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| Cann | William | 1942 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Struck by trip |
| Myers | William | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| McKee | William | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Andrews | William | 1873 | Cape Breton County | Gowrie | Fall of coal |
| Lowther | William | 1900 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Leg broken in fall of stone at working face |
| Cargig | William | 1900 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 3 | Fell on pick handles |
| Hutchinson | William | 1916 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Killed by cage |
| Campbell | William | 1884 | Pictou County | Albion | Premature explosion of a shot |
| King | William | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Methane explosion No.5 S level, French slope |
| Peters | William | 1918 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 11 | Killed by main drive-chain on bank, on surface |
| Dunbar | William | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| Oliver | William | 1944 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Struck by trip |
| McAldine | William | 1910 | Cape Breton County | Sydney No. 4 (Scotia) | Fall of stone |
| Carroll | William | 1910 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Jammed between coal hoppers at surface |
| Whiteway | William | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Methane explosion No.5 S level, French slope; died from burns 3 days later |
| Vokey | William | 1934 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Loose coal from face |
| Burchill or Birchill | William | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Aldrid | William | 1907 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess) | Fatally injured while riding in empty trip |
| MacIntosh | William | 1899 | Pictou County | Six-Foot Seam (became Acadia No.3) | Caught, crushed by revolving drum on hoist |
| Ferguson | William | 1956 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 4 | Draegerman; carbon monoxide post explosion |
| Hamilton | William | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines Colliery; Nova Scotia Steel & Coal | Killed by runaway trip on slope |
| Hendricken | William | 1873 | Pictou County | Vale | Crushed by coal tubs |
| Spencer | William | 1897 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Burned by compressed powder |
| Newcomb | William | 1911 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Killed by a fall of timber |
| McNamara | William | 1877 | Cape Breton County | Lingan | Explosion of boiler; 1 of 3 killed |
| McDonald | William | 1937 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Struck by trip |
| Mintis | William | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| Barnes | William | 1943 | Cape Breton County | Tomson | Struck by runaway box |
| Ramsay | William | 1915 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 15 | Fall of roof |
| Brown | William | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Reid | William | 1929 | Pictou County | McGregor | Struck on head by falling jackhammer; died 5 weeks later |
| Stevens | William | 1910 | Cumberland | Chignecto | Explosion |
| Layton | William | 1937 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Injured while riding trip |
| McLutchy | William | 1890 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Fall of stone from roof, died 5 weeks later |
| MacLeod | William | 1959 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Fall of stone |
| Mirtan | William | 1872 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Powder explosion |
| Holm | William | 1943 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Fall of stone |
| Burke | William | 1866 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Fall of picks in shaft |
| Ludlow | William | 1969 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 26 | Haulage |
| Snow | William | 1930 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Struck head on roof when box jumped track |
| Gillespie | William | 1913 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Caught between box at 4700 bottom |
| Burke | William | 1930 | Cumberland | Victoria No. 2 | Gas explosion; 1 of 7 killed |
| Walsh | William | 1905 | Inverness | Port Hood | Hit by boom sliding down slope while timbering |
| Wright | William | 1933 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Asphixiated by methane gas |
| Jones | William | 1956 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 4 | On bankhead, Electricity-fired coal dust explosion |
| Cassidy | William | 1906 | Inverness | Inverness | Struck by a rake on main slope |