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 29 of 50 pages (2498 entries).
| Surname |
Given Name(s) |
Year | County | Mine | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morrison | John | 1906 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Fatally injured between boxes on slope |
| Blois | John | 1959 | Cape Breton County | Four Star | Fall of stone |
| Connors | John | 1910 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Run over by motor, died a few hours after |
| Downie | John | 1873 | Cape Breton County | International | Run over by train |
| Martin | John | 1935 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 10 | Fall of stone |
| Ellis | John | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| Potts | John | 1874 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Rope broke on bucket going down pump shaft |
| Dunn | John | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Ralph | John | 1937 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of coal |
| Thurbid | John | 1919 | Cape Breton County | Scotia No. 4 | Fall of stone |
| O'Connor | John | 1914 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 10 | Fall of stone at longwall face |
| Mailman | John | 1952 | Pictou County | McGregor | Methane explosion (localized); 1 of 19 killed |
| Wade or Mahoney | John | 1911 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines No. 3 (Florence) | Methane explosion and coal dust; 1 of 8 killed |
| Murphy | John | 1929 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Fall of coal |
| McKinnon | John | 1900 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Killed by falling roof stone while driving |
| Adams | John | 1888 | Cumberland | Springhill Surface | Cause not recorded |
| Gould | John | 1952 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 20 | Methane explosion; 1 of 7 killed |
| McGilchrist or Gilgrist | John | 1866 | Pictou County | Foster pit | Clothing caught in hoist winding drum |
| Riley | John | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Fall of stone |
| Ryan | John | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| Manning | John | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| Neville | john | 1873 | Cape Breton County | International | Crushed by train |
| Nolan | John | 1900 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Coal fall in room, died next day |
| Burbine | John | 1913 | Cumberland | Joggins | Runaway boxes |
| Emery | John | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| Crain | John | 1909 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 3 | Fall of stone |
| Neal | John | 1911 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines No. 2 (Lloyd's Cove) | Struck by runaway box |
| Boutilier | John | 1922 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Fall of stone caused by runaway boxes |
| Maddison | John | 1958 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Terrific, devastating bump |
| Campbell | John | 1938 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Broken cable on riding rake; 1 of 21 killed |
| McDonald | John | 1900 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Killed by stone fall at face |
| Bentcliffe | John | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Hickey | John | 1936 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of stone |
| Pendergrast | John | 1928 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Fall of stone |
| Patten | John | 1941 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 11 | Runaway trip |
| Vicars | John | 1889 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Fall of loose coal, died after 12 days |
| McDonald | John | 1943 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Fall of stone |
| Lund | John | 1897 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Caught between coal box and pillar |
| Hudson or Hodgeson | John | 1883 | Cumberland | Chignecto | Suffocated by carbonic acid (1 of 3 killed) |
| Tighe | John (boy) | 1966 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 17 (old Victoria) | Methane inhalation; 1 of 2 cousins who went down old slope |
| Morrison | John #1 | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| McDonald | John #1 | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| Morrison | John #2 | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| McDonald | John #2 | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| McKinnon | John 1st | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| McNeil | John A. | 1909 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 4 | Fall of stone |
| McDougall | John A. | 1904 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines Colliery; Nova Scotia Steel & Coal | Fall of stone |
| MacNeil | John A. | 1979 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 26 | Methane explosion, sparked by coal shearer hitting stone; 1 of 12 killed |
| Young | John A. | 1956 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Fall of timber |
| McDonald | John A. | 1942 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | fall of stone |