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 15 of 50 pages (2497 entries).
| Surname | Given Name(s) | Year |
County |
Mine | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anderson | Andrew | 1901 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 3 | Killed by fall of roof stone in room |
| O'Hanley | Donald | 1902 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Killed by runaway full box in slope |
| King | Joseph | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Methane explosion No.5 S level, French slope |
| McKay | John w. | 1905 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines Colliery; Nova Scotia Steel & Coal | Killed by riding on a trip |
| Davidson | Walter | 1906 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of coal from face |
| McKinnon | F. | 1907 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess) | Runaway box inflicted injury causing death |
| Munroe | John | 1907 | Cape Breton County | Emery Mine | Fall of stone |
| Johnson | J.D. | 1908 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of coal |
| Adey | Benjamin | 1907 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 and No. 9 Surface plant | Boiler explosion; 1 of 3 or 4 killed |
| Wynn | Richard | 1909 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 3 | Pick boy; Run over by full box |
| McGrath | James | 1910 | Cape Breton County | Gowrie | Runaway box, accidental death |
| McInnis | Alexander | 1895 | Cape Breton County | Victoria | Caught between coal box and pillar |
| Young | Archie | 1904 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines Colliery; Nova Scotia Steel & Coal | Fall of coal |
| McNeil | James | 1911 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 7 | Fall of stone |
| Zanicol | Barnado | 1912 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Fall of coal from face |
| Campbell | David | 1913 | Cape Breton County | Broughton | Struck by runaway box |
| Fry | Peter | 1912 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of roof |
| McInnis | Michael | 1913 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Run over by trip |
| Holmes | Angus | 1914 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 22 | Fell, striking head on rail |
| Dye | Charles | 1915 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 7 | Killed by cars on surface, in colliery yard |
| O'Handley | John | 1915 | Cape Breton County | Dominon No. 11 | Killed between box and roof |
| McGrath | Patrick | 1916 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 15 | Fall of roof |
| McPherson | D. | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 7 | Run over by trip of cars |
| Butt or Butts | George W. | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Methane and blasting powder explosion |
| Fedora | Joseph | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Methane and blasting powder explosion |
| McLean | Frank | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Methane and blasting powder explosion |
| Penny | Reuben | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Methane and blasting powder explosion |
| Dixon | William | 1918 | Cape Breton County | Jubilee, Sydney Mines | Runaway trip |
| Locke | James | 1919 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Struck by piece of wood |
| McDonald | Allan J. | 1920 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Struck on head by upright timber, died 3 days later |
| Adair | Robert | 1921 | Cape Breton County | Bras d'Or No. 4 | Explosion of methane |
| Lyons | Charles F. | 1922 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of coal from face, died 5 days later |
| McDougall | Joseph | 1923 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 4 | Struck by loaded car at No. 4 landing |
| Perfect | Joseph | 1924 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Killed by moving railway cars |
| Wilcox | Nicholas | 1925 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Tally boy; boxes on bankhead |
| McDonald | Malcolm | 1926 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Kicked by a horse |
| Kennedy | John | 1927 | Cape Breton County | Colonial | Electrocuted in logement |
| Blackwood | Fraser | 1928 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Struck by runaway box |
| Dean | Thomas | 1929 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 11 | Fall of stone |
| McDonald | Dan | 1930 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Fall of stone |
| MacDonald | Vincent | 1931 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Struck by coal from a shot |
| McPherson | Malcolm I. | 1932 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Struck by box |
| MacNeil | Malcolm P. | 1934 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Fall of stone |
| Napier | James | 1934 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 6 | Fall of stone |
| Hickey | John | 1936 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of stone |
| Head | Walter | 1937 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Crushed between box and chock |
| Burgoyne | Nelson | 1937 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Struck by runaway trip; 1 of 3 killed |
| Rollins | John | 1938 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Broken cable on riding rake; 1 of 21 killed |
| Campbell | John | 1938 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Broken cable on riding rake; 1 of 21 killed |
| Semenuk | Mike | 1940 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of coal |