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 26 of 50 pages (2497 entries).
| Surname |
Given Name(s) |
Year | County | Mine | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Williams | John | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Treige | John | 1945 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 11 | Struck by level trip |
| Riley | John | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Fall of stone |
| Hussey | John | 1931 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of coal and roof |
| Nairn | John | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Boutilier | John | 1922 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Fall of stone caused by runaway boxes |
| Hawes | John | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| Hayden | John | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Perhiniak | John | 1954 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 26 | Haulage |
| Wilsack | John | 1949 | Pictou County | McGregor | Fall of coal |
| Roberts | John | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| O'Handley | John | 1915 | Cape Breton County | Dominon No. 11 | Killed between box and roof |
| McDonald | John | 1900 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Killed by stone fall at face |
| Babb | John | 1924 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 24 | Fall of stone; 1 of 2 killed |
| MacEachern | John | 1885 | Pictou County | Vale | Devastating methane explosion |
| Vicars | John | 1889 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Fall of loose coal, died after 12 days |
| Hunter | John | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Arsenault | John | 1931 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 14 | Caught between box and prop |
| Lund | John | 1897 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Caught between coal box and pillar |
| Tabbot | John | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| MacEachern | John | 1935 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Shot blew back exploding methane and coal dust; 1 of 7 killed; asphixiation by carbon monoxide |
| McLeod | John | 1902 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Fall of coal from pillar |
| MacMaster | John | 1925 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Fall of coal from roof of a pillar; 1 of 2 killed |
| Blue | John | 1881 | Cumberland | Springhill | Struck by cage |
| Boutilier | John | 1897 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Fall of roof stone |
| MacKeigan | John | 1922 | Cape Breton County | Jubilee, River Hebert | Fall of roof stone in level, died 21 days later |
| Nearing | John | 1877 | Cape Breton County | Lingan | Explosion of boiler; 1 of 3 killed |
| Carnichael | John | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Taylor | John | 1873 | Pictou County | Vale | Fall with tub in slope |
| McLaughlin | John | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| Bonar | John | 1877 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess) | Fall of stone |
| McDonald | John | 1890 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Run over by empty trip, died next day |
| Snow | John | 1972 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 26 | |
| Wooden | John | 1918 | Pictou County | Greenwood | roof fall |
| Simpson | John | 1866 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines Colliery (Queen pit) | Run over by wagons |
| Ryan | John | 1904 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Fall of stone from roof |
| Campbell | John | 1868 | Pictou County | Acadia | Fall of coal |
| Taylor | John | 1938 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Broken cable on riding rake; 1 of 21 killed |
| McLean | John | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| Sinclair | John | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| McVicar | John | 1957 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 20 | Haulage |
| 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 |
| Roach | John | 1955 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Fall of stone |
| McLeod | John | 1904 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Struck by motor |
| McDonald | John | 1918 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 9 | Runaway car, died 6 days later |
| Cann | John | 1891 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Killed by cage when descending pit |
| Dragon | John | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| Pittman | John | 1955 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 20 | Haulage |
| Scully or Soully | John | 1885 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 | Run over by cage |