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 28 of 50 pages (2498 entries).
| Surname |
Given Name(s) |
Year | County | Mine | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nairn | James | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Burton | James | 1915 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 3 | Fall of stone |
| Williamson | James | 1908 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess) | Fall of coal |
| Edwards | James | 1915 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of stone |
| Edwards | James | 1950 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Haulage |
| Maloney | James | 1973 | Cumberland | River Hebert Coal Mine, formerly Cochran | Died of natural causes in mine |
| Lackie or Lackey | James | 1925 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Fall of coal from roof of a pillar; 1 of 2 killed |
| Johnston | James | 1916 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 14 | Killed by trip |
| Bradwell | James | 1910 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 10 | Fall of stone |
| Porter | James | 1914 | Cumberland | Black Diamond | Thawing Samsonite (possibly a powder brand) |
| MacDonald | James | 1922 | Inverness | bootleg pit | Methane gas poisoning; 1 of 3 killed |
| Campbell | James | 1913 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 7 | Fall of stone |
| Gillis | James | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Methane and blasting powder explosion |
| Cathcart | James | 1896 | Cape Breton County | Bridgeport | Fall of coal while loading |
| Clark | James | 1927 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 5 | Fall of stone |
| Aspinall | James | 1938 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Broken cable on riding rake; 1 of 21 killed |
| Dewan | James | 1944 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Struck by trip |
| Cummings | James | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 10 | Caught between cars and rib |
| Spellman | James | 1912 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Runaway empty box on Drummond #1 slope; 1 of 2 killed |
| Jessoe | James | 1925 | Cape Breton County | Colonial No. 1 | Fall of stone |
| Kennedy | James | 1946 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 24 | Fall of roof |
| Purvis | James | 1902 | Pictou County | Albion | Fall of top coal |
| Hocevar | James | 1927 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Fall of stone |
| Bishop | james | 1929 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of coal |
| Campbell | James | 1958 | Cape Breton County | Four Star | Electrical |
| Quigley | James | 1943 | Inverness | Inverness No. 3 | Crushed between engine drum and rope |
| Laite | James | 1927 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Fall of coal from face |
| Stanton | James | 1892 | Pictou County | Albion | Under engine hit by hoppers and run over |
| Overs | James | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Ross | James | 1941 | Cape Breton County | Indian Cove Coal Company | Explosion; 1 of 2 killed |
| Cobert | James | 1946 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Haulage |
| Marsh | James | 1911 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 4 | Fall of rib coal |
| Ramsey | James | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| Conway | James | 1950 | Pictou County | Albion | Fall of coal |
| Piquinot | James | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Jones | James | 1889 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Explosion of methane |
| Tebo or Tebe | James | 1893 or 1894 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 slope | Full box struck prop from under boom |
| Shea | James | 1867 | Inverness | Port Hood | Crushed by machinery |
| Francis | James | 1938 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Struck by cage lever on surface; died 3 days later |
| Stevenson | James | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| McNeil | James | 1911 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 7 | Fall of stone |
| Dumphy | James | 1908 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Fall of coal from face |
| Lameaux | James | 1916 | Pictou County | Albion | Struck by a runaway box |
| Hamilton | James | 1911 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Shot blew through on slant containing water, partly driven between main slope, drowned; 1 of 2 killed |
| Petrie | James | 1915 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Fall of roof |
| Reeves | James | 1872 | Pictou County | Acadia | Fall of coal |
| Karrel | James | 1939 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of stone |
| Parsons | James | 1944 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Runaway trip; 1 of 3 killed |
| Lawrence | James | 1935 | Pictou County | Albion | From injuries received a few months before |
| Power | James | 1902 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Fall of coal, hung shot |