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 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Doyle | James | 1920 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 14 | Struck by empty trip |
Ferguson | James | 1897 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 slope | Fall of roof while opening No. 1 slope |
Geddes | James | 1953 | Pictou County | McBean | Haulage accident |
Lennon | James | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
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 |
Purvis | James | 1902 | Pictou County | Albion | Fall of top coal |
Gillies or Gillis | James | 1883 | Pictou County | Vale | Drawbar broke, crash of runaway slope rake |
Lennon | James | 1926 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Fall of stone |
Lamond | James | 1914 | Cape Breton County | Sydney No. 3 (Florence) | Caught between box and prop |
Doolan | James | 1930 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 14 | Struck by runaway box |
Hogan | James | 1939 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Run over by riding rake, died 2 days later |
Ramsey | James | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
Johnson | James | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
Edwards | James | 1915 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of stone |
Flynn | James | 1917 | Pictou County | Greenwood | Fall of stone |
Porteous | James | 1916 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 14 | Killed between box and pillar |
Conn | James | 1839 | Pictou County | Storr pit | Methane explosion; 1 of 2 killed |
MacLeod | James | 1903 | Pictou County | Acadia | Died 15 February |
Snellgrove | James | 1930 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 4 | Painter; injured by ventilating fan |
Dunphy | James | 1908 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Fall of coal from face |
Sharples | James | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
Edwards | James | 1950 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Haulage |
Turner | James | 1924 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Fall of stone |
Johnston | James | 1916 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 14 | Killed by trip |
Campbell | James | 1913 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 7 | Fall of stone |
Hibbs | James | 1922 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Struck by runaway car in deep |
Wright | James | 1952 | Pictou County | McGregor | Methane explosion (localized); 1 of 19 killed |
Dewan | James | 1944 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Struck by trip |
McLellan | James | 1897 | Cape Breton County | Victoria | Fall of coal from pillar |
Kennedy | James | 1946 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 24 | Fall of roof |
MacEachern | James | 1935 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Shot blew back exploding methane and coal dust; 1 of 7 killed; asphixiation by carbon monoxide |
Devoe | James | 1924 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Killed by box on main deep |
Fortune | James | 1894 | Cape Breton County | International | Full trip on deep road |
Reeves | James | 1872 | Pictou County | Acadia | Fall of coal |
McVey | James | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
Haslam | James | 1885 | Cumberland | Syndicate | burned by explosion of powder; 1 of 3 killed |
Shanahan | James | 1882 | Cape Breton County | Little Glace Bay | Fall of stone from roof |
Dunsmuir | James | 1924 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Fall of stone |
Scully | James | 1924 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Carbon monoxide suffocation after explosion; 1 of 4 killed |
Marsh | James | 1911 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 4 | Fall of rib coal |
Cobert | James | 1946 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Haulage |
Locke | James | 1919 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Struck by piece of wood |
Turner | James | 1880 | Pictou County | Acadia | Fall of coal |
Mitchell | James | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
Riley | James | 1927 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Squeezed between boxes |
Royal | James | 1938 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 4 | Struck by tub of coal |
Smith | James | 1901 | Pictou County | Vale | Crushed between a box and a rib |
Conway | James | 1950 | Pictou County | Albion | Fall of coal |
Jacobi | Jacob | 1936 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Caught under riding rake |
Frost | Jacob | 1902 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Fall of coal rolling on him |