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 26 of 50 pages (2498 entries).

Surname Given Name(s)sort ascending Year County Mine Cause
McDonald John 1890 Cape Breton County Sydney Mines (Princess?) Run over by empty trip, died next day
Simpson John 1866 Cape Breton County Sydney Mines Colliery (Queen pit) Run over by wagons
Riley John 1917 Cape Breton County Florence Fall of stone
Frye John 1914 Pictou County Albion Riding a coal trip that derailed
Crawford john 1891 Cumberland Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 Gas and coal dust explosion
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
Treige John 1945 Cape Breton County Dominion No. 11 Struck by level trip
McMillan John 1903 Cumberland Springhill No. 2 Jammed between roof and box
Hudson or Hodgeson John 1883 Cumberland Chignecto Suffocated by carbonic acid (1 of 3 killed)
Mazur John 1931 Pictou County Allan Shaft Fall of Coal
Boutilier John 1922 Cape Breton County Dominion No. 16 Fall of stone caused by runaway boxes
Cann John 1891 Cape Breton County Sydney Mines (Princess?) Killed by cage when descending pit
Burrows John 1883 Cumberland Chignecto Suffocated by carbonic acid (1 of 3 killed)
Nash John 1881 Pictou County Acadia Devastating methane explosion
Smart John 1911 Cape Breton County Dominion No. 2 Fell under trip of coal
Williams John 1891 Cumberland Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 Gas and coal dust explosion
McInnis John 1872 Pictou County Acadia Fall of coal
Horn John 1900 Cape Breton County Reserve Fall of coal whilst drawing pillars; 1 of 2 killed
Pendergrast John 1928 Cape Breton County Dominion No. 12 Fall of stone
Perhiniak John 1954 Cape Breton County Dominion No. 26 Haulage
Nairn John 1891 Cumberland Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 Gas and coal dust explosion
McAulay John 1918 Pictou County Allan Shaft Devastating methane explosion
McDonald John 1896 Cape Breton County Sydney Mines (Princess?) Caught between full trip and prop
McInnis John 1880 Pictou County Foord pit Devastating methane explosion
McNeil John 1927 Inverness Inverness No. 1 Crushed by full boxes of coal
Hahnen John 1956 Cumberland Springhill No. 4 Fall of coal
Josso John 1891 Cape Breton County Sydney Mines (Princess?) Fall of coal in room
Haggart Joe or James 1885 Pictou County Vale Devastating methane explosion
Prindle Joe 1906 Cape Breton County Dominion No. 2 Fall of coal from face
Skinner Job 1880 Pictou County Foord pit Devastating methane explosion
Hoeg Jesse Havelock 1959 Cumberland Cochran Fall of stone
Armishaw Jesse 1891 Cumberland Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 Gas and coal dust explosion
Murphy Jeremiah 1891 Cumberland Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 Gas and coal dust explosion
Fosse Jean Baptiste 1876 Pictou County Vale Fall of coal
Wood Jasper E. or R. 1919 Cumberland St. George Fell down slope, died 1 day later
MacDonald Jasper 1926 Pictou County Albion Struck by falling timber prop
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
Higgins James William 1980 Pictou County Thorburn Mining Ltd, Stellarton Fell and struck head, died 4 days later; coal dumps reclamation project
Casey James W. 1953 Cumberland Springhill No. 2 Killed by haulage
Fraser James W. 1880 Pictou County Foord pit influx of water; 1 of 6 killed
McDonald James T. 1905 Cape Breton County Dominion No. 3 Fall of coal from roof
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
Anderson James R. 1979 Cape Breton County DEVCO No. 26 Methane explosion, sparked by coal shearer hitting stone; 1 of 12 killed
McDonald James R. 1931 Cape Breton County Florence Fall of coal
Brennan James P. 1952 Cumberland Springhill No. 2 Bump; 1 of 2 killed
Keiver James L. 1924 Cumberland Springhill No. 2 Fall of stone
McPherson James Jr. 1873 Pictou County Drummond mine (Intercolonial) Devastating methane explosion
Burke James J. 1940 Cumberland Victoria Undetermined

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