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 28 of 50 pages (2497 entries).
Surname | Given Name(s) |
Year![]() |
County | Mine | Cause |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Power | William | 1920 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Fall of coal |
Spencer | George | 1920 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 4 | Run over by horse and loaded box |
Kaspersky | Peter | 1920 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 9 | Fall of coal, died 17 days later |
Hanrahan | Joseph | 1920 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Jammed between loaded box and boom |
Boutilier | Angus | 1920 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 4 | Fall of roof |
Christie | James | 1920 | Cape Breton County | Colonial No. 4, engine house | Caught in belt that operates hoist, lived 9 hrs |
Fraser | John E. | 1921 | Pictou County | Albion | Fall of coal |
Purdy | Walter Charles | 1921 | Cumberland | St. George | Struck by piece of coal blown off by shot |
Murphy | Carl G. | 1921 | Cumberland | Springhill | Caught between beam of screen floor and break wheel of a moving railway car |
Shannon | George "Happy" | 1921 | Cumberland | Joggins | Electrocuted by shock from cable on pavement |
Casey | Archibald | 1921 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Struck by rake of coal |
McDonald | James E. | 1921 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Killed crossing over haulage rope in motion, caught by boxes |
Isnor | Hubert | 1921 | Pictou County | Albion | Fall of coal |
West | Herbert | 1921 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Fall of coal |
Turner | Alfred | 1921 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 4 | Struck by horse; in falling pick stabbed abdomen |
McKenzie | Joseph | 1921 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Fall of stone |
Amon | W. | 1921 | Pictou County | Acadia No. 1 | Buried 4 hours under fall, died at home in evening |
Muir | Robert | 1921 | Pictou County | Drummond No. 5 (Intercolonial No. 5) | Fall of stone |
Adair | Robert | 1921 | Cape Breton County | Bras d'Or No. 4 | Explosion of methane |
Snow | John W. | 1921 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Fall of coal |
Neal | George | 1921 | Cape Breton County | Jubilee, Sydney Mines | Fall down shaft |
Richards | John M. | 1921 | Cape Breton County | Scotia No. 4 | Slipped and fell on travelling road; accident Jan. 4, died Jan. 24. |
McEwan | R. | 1921 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Explosion of methane |
Cameron | John | 1921 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of coal from face |
McDougall | Allan | 1921 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 10 | Fall of stone |
Ward | Fred | 1921 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 10 | Fall of stone, died next day |
Edwards | George | 1921 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 11 | Fall of stone from oof |
Large | August | 1921 | Inverness | Inverness | Fall down chute |
MacLeod | Wellington | 1921 | Pictou County | Albion | Suffocated by methane under coal fall |
Robbins | William F. | 1921 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Fall of stone |
Hayman | Wilbert | 1921 | Pictou County | McGregor | Fall of coal |
Assiff | Joseph | 1921 | Inverness | Inverness | Hit by rake on level, died 2 days later |
Lyons | Charles F. | 1922 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of coal from face, died 5 days later |
Flemming | Edward | 1922 | Cape Breton County | Jubilee, Sydney Mines | Found dead with radial coalcutter resting on body |
Whalen | Matthew | 1922 | Cape Breton County | Jubilee, lower seam, Sydney Mines | Fall of stone from roof |
McDonald | Allan | 1922 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 9 | Fall of stone |
Nicholson | James | 1922 | Cumberland | Minudie #2 | Powder ignited by cartridge explosion, died 12 days later; 1 of 2 killed |
Hest | Joseph | 1922 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 22 | Struck by runaway car, near landing |
Long or Lank | Lawrence | 1922 | Cumberland | Minudie #2 | Powder ignited by cartridge explosion, died 14 days later |
Campbell | Ronald | 1922 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Struck by horse-hauled mine car |
McDonald | Allan | 1922 | Cumberland | No.9 ? (may be Glace Bay) | Fall of stone |
Cope | William A. | 1922 | Cumberland | Victoria | Caught between roof and car on slope, died 30 days later |
McIsaac | John D. | 1922 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Fall of stone while timbering, died 5 days later |
Jones | Hezekiah | 1922 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Fall of stone and coal from face |
Hibbs | James | 1922 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Struck by runaway car in deep |
Merlin | John G. | 1922 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 3 | Caught between pump and upright timber |
Beasley | Isaac | 1922 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of stone from roof in room |
Borden | Joseph | 1922 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Fall of stone and coal |
Desmond | Frank | 1922 | Cape Breton County | Greener | Empty box passed over him, died 28 days later in hospital |
MacDonald | Alexander | 1922 | Inverness | bootleg pit | Methane gas poisoning; 1 of 3 killed |