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 24 of 50 pages (2498 entries).
| Surname |
Given Name(s) |
Year | County | Mine | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Young | James | 1927 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Squeezed between prop and trip |
| Jones | James | 1889 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Explosion of methane |
| McEachran or MacEachern | James | 1883 | Pictou County | Vale | Drawbar broke, crash of runaway slope rake |
| Handrahan | James | 1912 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Fall of stone from roof |
| Cobert | James | 1946 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Haulage |
| Smith | James | 1901 | Pictou County | Vale | Crushed between a box and a rib |
| Turner | James | 1880 | Pictou County | Acadia | Fall of coal |
| Dumphy | James | 1908 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Fall of coal from face |
| Robbins | James | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Hamilton | James | 1911 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Shot blew through on slant containing water, partly driven between main slope, drowned; 1 of 2 killed |
| Dalling | James | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| Power | James | 1902 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Fall of coal, hung shot |
| Royal | James | 1938 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 4 | Struck by tub of coal |
| McPherson | James | 1897 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Struck by falling piece of coal while hauling |
| Ferguson | James | 1897 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 slope | Fall of roof while opening No. 1 slope |
| Christie | James | 1920 | Cape Breton County | Colonial No. 4, engine house | Caught in belt that operates hoist, lived 9 hrs |
| Baxter | James | 1913 | Pictou County | Acadia | Fall of roof |
| Chisholm | James | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| Maloney | James | 1973 | Cumberland | River Hebert Coal Mine, formerly Cochran | Died of natural causes in mine |
| Porter | James | 1914 | Cumberland | Black Diamond | Thawing Samsonite (possibly a powder brand) |
| Parsons | James | 1944 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Runaway trip; 1 of 3 killed |
| MacDonald | James | 1922 | Inverness | bootleg pit | Methane gas poisoning; 1 of 3 killed |
| Steele | James | 1936 | Cape Breton County | North Sydney Pier | Falling into pocket |
| Pembroke | James | 1942 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Struck by rake |
| Clark | James | 1927 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 5 | Fall of stone |
| Spellman | James | 1912 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Runaway empty box on Drummond #1 slope; 1 of 2 killed |
| Purvis | James | 1902 | Pictou County | Albion | Fall of top coal |
| Russell | James | 1934 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Heart failure |
| Dunphy | James | 1908 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Fall of coal from face |
| Lammond | James | 1872 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines Colliery (Queen pit) | Fall of stone |
| Jessoe | James | 1925 | Cape Breton County | Colonial No. 1 | Fall of stone |
| Hocevar | James | 1927 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Fall of stone |
| Kingou | James | 1873 | Pictou County | Acadia | Fall of coal |
| Bishop | james | 1929 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of coal |
| Wallace | James | 1970 | Cape Breton County | Princess Wash Plant, Surface | Squeezed in a chain conveyor |
| Quigley | James | 1943 | Inverness | Inverness No. 3 | Crushed between engine drum and rope |
| Dakens | James A. | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| Conway | James D. | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | influx of water; 1 of 6 killed |
| MacDonald | James D. | 1912 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Fall of top coal at face of bord |
| Jobes | James D. | 1931 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 4 | Struck by box |
| Copeland | James E. | 1954 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Bump; 1 of 5 killed |
| Flemming | James E. | 1945 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Fall of stone |
| Matheson | James E. | 1971 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 26 | Haulage: Struck by a trip of material |
| McDonald | James E. | 1921 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Killed crossing over haulage rope in motion, caught by boxes |
| Johnson | James F. | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| Ransome | James H. | 1949 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Fall of stone |
| Rose | James H. | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Methane and blasting powder explosion |
| Cook | James I | 1914 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 7 | Fall of stone |
| Burke | James J. | 1940 | Cumberland | Victoria | Undetermined |
| McPherson | James Jr. | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |