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 30 of 50 pages (2497 entries).
| Surname | Given Name(s) | Year |
County |
Mine | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pickerton | Thomas | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| Richardson | Joseph | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| Roy | Thomas | 1912 | Pictou County | Acadia | Runaway box on the jib |
| Sedlak | Valent | 1960 | Pictou County | McBean | Conflict with underground haulage |
| Smith | Thomas B. | 1938 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Died in pit from natural causes |
| Sutherland | J. W. | 1902 | Pictou County | Marsh | Dynamite explosion in office; frozen sticks put near heat to thaw; 1 of 3 killed |
| Vaast | Floriand | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| Williamson | Samuel | 1899 | Pictou County | Albion | Chainrunner, struck in neck by snapped chain |
| Bates | John Thomas | 1992 | Pictou County | Westray | Devastating methane and coal dust explosion |
| Boates | James | 1941 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Fall of coal |
| Buenivego or Buenivege | Antoine | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| Campbell | Harvey | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| Cassidy | Charles | 1941 | Pictou County | Albion | Driver, injured on his job, died after; "died of shock" |
| Conway | David | 1938 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Run over by a shunting engine on surface |
| Dakens | James A. | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| Dragon | John | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| Emery | John | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| Foster | Alex | 1894 | Pictou County | Albion | Run over by a coal trip |
| Fraser | Donald A. | 1962 | Pictou County | McBean | Struck by a falling steel boom |
| Grant | John | 1885 | Pictou County | Vale | Devastating methane explosion |
| Hamilton | Samuel | 1868 | Pictou County | Acadia | Methane explosion |
| Hendricken | William | 1873 | Pictou County | Vale | Crushed by coal tubs |
| Jackson | Aubrey | 1920 | Pictou County | Albion | Run over by an empty box |
| Josey | Emanuel | 1914 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Boiler explosion in surface plant; 1 of 7 killed |
| Lamb | Herbert | 1934 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Collided with turbine in power house |
| Livingstone | John | 1904 | Pictou County | Marsh | Jammed between a box and the roof |
| MacDonald | Ronald | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| MacKay | J. | 1883 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Hit by flying fragments of broken pinion wheel |
| MacKenzie | John | 1963 | Pictou County | McBean | Labourer, killed underground |
| MacPherson | Gilbert | 1900 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Body wound on drum of a hoist |
| McBeth or MacBeath | Phillip | 1885 | Pictou County | Vale | Devastating methane explosion |
| McElvie | John Sr | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| McKay | Charles | 1913 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Killed by a riding rake |
| McNaughton | John | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| Moore | Arthur | 1911 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Fell down shaft with a full box of coal |
| Munroe | George | 1992 | Pictou County | Westray | Devastating methane and coal dust explosion |
| O'Brien | Nicholas | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| Poloski | Wentzell | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| Roach | William | 1861 | Pictou County | Bye pit | Methane explosion |
| Roy | Benjamin | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Struck by piece of coal, died 3 days after |
| Shaw | Donald | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| Spellman | James | 1912 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Runaway empty box on Drummond #1 slope; 1 of 2 killed |
| Sutherland | Walter | 1902 | Pictou County | Marsh | Dynamite explosion in office; frozen sticks put near heat to thaw; 1 of 3 killed |
| Vaast | Louis | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| Wilsack | John | 1949 | Pictou County | McGregor | Fall of coal |
| Adderly | Thomas Jr | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| Baudoux | John maybe George | 1930 | Pictou County | Albion (Purvis slope) | Riding an empty trip that derailed; killed by falling timbers and stone |
| Boquet | Berry | 1892 | Pictou County | Vale | Fall of coal from working face |
| Buko | Andrew | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| Campbell | John | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |