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 13 of 50 pages (2497 entries).
| Surname | Given Name(s) |
Year |
County | Mine | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McDonald | John Y. | 1902 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Fall of coal from face |
| Morrison | Alexander | 1902 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Fall of coal from pillar |
| Elliott | Hugh | 1902 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Fall of coal at room face |
| MacKenzie | William | 1903 | Pictou County | Albion | Jumped from moving train in mine yard |
| King | William | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Methane explosion No.5 S level, French slope |
| Merritt | John | 1903 | Inverness | Port Hood | Riding trip coupling broke hurling boxes against roof |
| Purdy | Charles L. | 1903 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 3 | Fall of rock |
| Hamilton | William | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines Colliery; Nova Scotia Steel & Coal | Killed by runaway trip on slope |
| McNeil | Michael L. | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Methane explosion No.5 S level, French 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 |
| Whiteway | William | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Methane explosion No.5 S level, French slope; died from burns 3 days later |
| Howlett | Robert | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines Colliery; Nova Scotia Steel & Coal | Fall of stone fractured skull |
| Stubbert | Matthew | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Mis-shot exploded while he was examining it |
| Ferguson | Robenich | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines Colliery; Nova Scotia Steel & Coal | Fall of stone |
| Ryan | John W. | 1903 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Fatally injured |
| Cameron | J.J. | 1903 | Inverness | Mabou | Caught by box on slope |
| Finlay | Daniel | 1903 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Hit by a rake on the hoisting slope |
| Wamboldt | Harry | 1903 | Pictou County | Vale | Fall of stone at working face |
| Nearing | Patrick | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Fall of coal |
| Bennett | Elijah | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fatally injured, died an hout later |
| MacLeod | James | 1903 | Pictou County | Acadia | Died 15 February |
| Blue | John M. | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Caught under descending cage |
| Robinson | Robert | 1903 | Pictou County | Albion | Fell under rail car which passed over him |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| McMillan | John | 1903 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Jammed between roof and box |
| Rickets | John A. | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Killed by fall of coal |
| Wilson | James | 1903 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Fatally hurt by a full rake of boxes |
| Quann | Joseph | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 3 | Caught between loaded box and pillar |
| Fisher | Henry | 1903 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 3 | Fall of coal |
| 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 |
| Hyatt | Percy | 1903 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 3 | Killed in return side of fire door conveyors |
| Bradley | Ephraim | 1904 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Metals gave heavy thump, broke timber and buried him under fall of coal. |
| 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 |
| McNeil | Stephen | 1904 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Fall of roof coal |
| McDougall | John A. | 1904 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines Colliery; Nova Scotia Steel & Coal | Fall of stone |
| Nicholson | Norman | 1904 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Broken back, died 11 weeks later |
| Young | Archie | 1904 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines Colliery; Nova Scotia Steel & Coal | Fall of coal |
| Ryan | John | 1904 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Fall of stone from roof |
| McLean | Stephen | 1904 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines Colliery; Nova Scotia Steel & Coal | Fell against pump |
| McLeod | John | 1904 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Struck by motor |
| McNeil | John D. | 1904 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Methane explosion |
| 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 |