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 25 of 50 pages (2498 entries).
| Surname |
Given Name(s) |
Year | County | Mine | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keiver | James L. | 1924 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Fall of stone |
| Brennan | James P. | 1952 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Bump; 1 of 2 killed |
| McDonald | James R. | 1931 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Fall of coal |
| Anderson | James R. | 1979 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 26 | Methane explosion, sparked by coal shearer hitting stone; 1 of 12 killed |
| Roach or Roche | James Sr. | 1932 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Fall of coal |
| Miller | James Sr. | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| McDonald | James T. | 1905 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 3 | Fall of coal from roof |
| Fraser | James W. | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | influx of water; 1 of 6 killed |
| Casey | James W. | 1953 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Killed by haulage |
| Higgins | James William | 1980 | Pictou County | Thorburn Mining Ltd, Stellarton | Fell and struck head, died 4 days later; coal dumps reclamation project |
| Hamilton | James Y. | 1928 | Pictou County | Drummond No. 5 (Intercolonial No. 5) | Fell head first while timbering the roof when staging collaped under fall of heavy coal lump |
| MacDonald | Jasper | 1926 | Pictou County | Albion | Struck by falling timber prop |
| Wood | Jasper E. or R. | 1919 | Cumberland | St. George | Fell down slope, died 1 day later |
| Fosse | Jean Baptiste | 1876 | Pictou County | Vale | Fall of coal |
| Murphy | Jeremiah | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Armishaw | Jesse | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Hoeg | Jesse Havelock | 1959 | Cumberland | Cochran | Fall of stone |
| Skinner | Job | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| Prindle | Joe | 1906 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of coal from face |
| Haggart | Joe or James | 1885 | Pictou County | Vale | Devastating methane explosion |
| Neville | john | 1873 | Cape Breton County | International | Crushed by train |
| Hayden | John | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Nolan | John | 1900 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Coal fall in room, died next day |
| Martin | John | 1918 | Cumberland | Jubilee No.2, River Hebert | Runaway mine car |
| Nicholson | John | 1883 | Pictou County | Vale | Drawbar broke, crash of runaway slope rake |
| Pittman | John | 1955 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 20 | Haulage |
| Walton | John | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| Dunbar | John | 1904 | Pictou County | Albion | Run over by a rake |
| Kennedy | John | 1927 | Cape Breton County | Colonial | Electrocuted in logement |
| Harroun or Ronan | John | 1923 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 7 | Coupling cars, killed by moving cars |
| McIntosh | John | 1934 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Fall of coal |
| Hunter | John | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Crawford | John | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| Mazur | John | 1931 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Fall of Coal |
| Doyle | John | 1917 | Cumberland | Kimberly | Fall of stone, died 6 days later |
| Crain | John | 1909 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 3 | Fall of stone |
| Hahnen | John | 1956 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 4 | Fall of coal |
| Martin | John | 1935 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 10 | Fall of stone |
| McMillan | John | 1903 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Jammed between roof and box |
| McDonald | John | 1900 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Killed by stone fall at face |
| Clarke | John | 1929 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 11 | Fall of stone |
| Blue | John | 1881 | Cumberland | Springhill | Struck by cage |
| Matlock | John | 1937 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Fall of stone |
| Vicars | John | 1889 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Fall of loose coal, died after 12 days |
| Bowens | John | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| Carnichael | John | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Thurbid | John | 1919 | Cape Breton County | Scotia No. 4 | Fall of stone |
| Gould | John | 1952 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 20 | Methane explosion; 1 of 7 killed |
| McAulay | John | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| Ralph | John | 1937 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of coal |