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) |
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 |