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 |
| McLeod | John | 1902 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Fall of coal from pillar |
| Leadbeater | John | 1872 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Powder explosion |
| Boutilier | John | 1897 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Fall of roof stone |
| Nicholson | John | 1883 | Pictou County | Vale | Drawbar broke, crash of runaway slope rake |
| McDonald | John | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Caught between cage and pulleys |
| Dunbar | John | 1904 | Pictou County | Albion | Run over by a rake |
| Crawford | john | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Nearing | John | 1877 | Cape Breton County | Lingan | Explosion of boiler; 1 of 3 killed |
| Rollins | John | 1938 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Broken cable on riding rake; 1 of 21 killed |
| McLeod | John | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Methane and blasting powder explosion |
| Crawford | John | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| Bonar | John | 1877 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess) | Fall of stone |
| McInnis | John | 1908 | Cape Breton County | International | Fall of stone |
| MacLean | John | 1902 | Pictou County | Albion | Jammed between rail cars on surface |
| McDonald | John | 1890 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Run over by empty trip, died next day |
| Dickson | John | 1940 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Fall of stone |
| Simpson | John | 1866 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines Colliery (Queen pit) | Run over by wagons |
| McMullin | John | 1907 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of stone |
| Bowens | John | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| Jackson | John | 1958 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Terrific, devastating bump |
| MacDonald | John | 1915 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Run over by a trip of coal |
| Burchell | John | 1877 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess) | Fell down shaft |
| McDonald | John | 1900 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 4 | Fall of stone at head of deep |
| Dunn | John | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| McNeil | John | 1927 | Inverness | Inverness No. 1 | Crushed by full boxes of coal |
| Cann | John | 1891 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Killed by cage when descending pit |
| Carr | John | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| Merritt | John | 1903 | Inverness | Port Hood | Riding trip coupling broke hurling boxes against roof |
| Horn | John | 1900 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Fall of coal whilst drawing pillars; 1 of 2 killed |
| O'Handley | John | 1915 | Cape Breton County | Dominon No. 11 | Killed between box and roof |