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 13 of 50 pages (2498 entries).
| Surname | Given Name(s) |
Year |
County | Mine | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sutherland | J. W. | 1902 | Pictou County | Marsh | Dynamite explosion in office; frozen sticks put near heat to thaw; 1 of 3 killed |
| Sutherland | Walter | 1902 | Pictou County | Marsh | Dynamite explosion in office; frozen sticks put near heat to thaw; 1 of 3 killed |
| Frost | Jacob | 1902 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Fall of coal rolling on him |
| Hamilton | William | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines Colliery; Nova Scotia Steel & Coal | Killed by runaway trip on slope |
| Stewart | Wilkie | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines Colliery; Nova Scotia Steel & Coal | Tally boy, age 14; jammed between tub and tipple at pit head |
| MacKenzie | William | 1903 | Pictou County | Albion | Jumped from moving train in mine yard |
| Howlett | Robert | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines Colliery; Nova Scotia Steel & Coal | Fall of stone fractured skull |
| Blue | John M. | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Caught under descending cage |
| Ferguson | Robenich | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines Colliery; Nova Scotia Steel & Coal | Fall of stone |
| Keehn | Emile | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Run over by loaded box |
| McCuish | John | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of stone from roof |
| Finlay | Daniel | 1903 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Hit by a rake on the hoisting slope |
| Ryan | John W. | 1903 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Fatally injured |
| McDonald | John | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Caught between cage and pulleys |
| McDonald | Lauchlin | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Killed by hoisting bucket falling on him |
| McDonald | Dan | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of cage down shaft |
| McNeil | John A. | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Run over by loaded box |
| Merritt | John | 1903 | Inverness | Port Hood | Riding trip coupling broke hurling boxes against roof |
| Rickets | John A. | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Killed by fall of coal |
| Quann | Joseph | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 3 | Caught between loaded box and pillar |
| Jackson | Harry or Henry | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Methane explosion No.5 S level, French slope |
| King | Joseph | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Methane explosion No.5 S level, French slope |
| King | William | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Methane explosion No.5 S level, French slope |
| McNeil | Michael L. | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Methane explosion No.5 S level, French slope |
| Whiteway | William | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Methane explosion No.5 S level, French slope; died from burns 3 days later |
| Nearing | Patrick | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Fall of coal |
| Stubbert | Matthew | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Mis-shot exploded while he was examining it |
| Cameron | J.J. | 1903 | Inverness | Mabou | Caught by box on slope |
| Bennett | Elijah | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fatally injured, died an hout later |
| MacLeod | James | 1903 | Pictou County | Acadia | Died 15 February |
| Wamboldt | Harry | 1903 | Pictou County | Vale | Fall of stone at working face |
| Robinson | Robert | 1903 | Pictou County | Albion | Fell under rail car which passed over him |
| McMillan | John | 1903 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Jammed between roof and box |
| Wilson | James | 1903 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Fatally hurt by a full rake of boxes |
| Fisher | Henry | 1903 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 3 | Fall of coal |
| Hyatt | Percy | 1903 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 3 | Killed in return side of fire door conveyors |
| Purdy | Charles L. | 1903 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 3 | Fall of rock |
| Elbridge | Clifford | 1904 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Fall in chute, smothered by coal |
| Foster | Archie | 1904 | Cumberland | Aberdeen | Caught between box and chute; died on beaching bank |
| McDougall | John A. | 1904 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines Colliery; Nova Scotia Steel & Coal | Fall of stone |
| Young | Archie | 1904 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines Colliery; Nova Scotia Steel & Coal | Fall of coal |
| McLean | Stephen | 1904 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines Colliery; Nova Scotia Steel & Coal | Fell against pump |
| McNeil | Stephen | 1904 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Fall of roof coal |
| Nicholson | Norman | 1904 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Broken back, died 11 weeks later |
| Ryan | John | 1904 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Fall of stone from roof |
| McLeod | John | 1904 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Struck by motor |
| McNeil | John D. | 1904 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Methane explosion |
| Dunbar | John | 1904 | Pictou County | Albion | Run over by a rake |
| Mootery | George | 1904 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Struck by runaway boxes |
| Warren | Edward | 1904 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of stone from roof |