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 34 of 50 pages (2498 entries).
| Surname | Given Name(s) | Year | County |
Mine |
Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whiteway | William | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Methane explosion No.5 S level, French slope; died from burns 3 days later |
| McKenzie | Archy | 1907 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Fall of coal |
| Stubbert | Foreman | 1884 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Fall of coal |
| Martin | John | 1894 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Piece of coal from roof |
| Stubbert | Matthew | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Mis-shot exploded while he was examining it |
| Horn | John | 1900 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Fall of coal whilst drawing pillars; 1 of 2 killed |
| Evans | George | 1899 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Fall of coal from face of room |
| Jameson | Hector | 1900 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Fall of coal whilst drawing pillars; 1 of 2 killed |
| McDonald | John | 1892 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Fall of loose coal from face of room |
| Jacobs | James | 1900 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Fall of coal while loading in room |
| Roach | John | 1900 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Killed at face of room while loading |
| Gardner | Joseph | 1906 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Fall of stone from roof |
| McLain | Hector | 1895 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Fatally injured on head by fall of roof coal |
| McLain | Hector | 1896 | Cape Breton County | Reserve or Gowrie | |
| McNeil | Dan H. | 1912 | Cumberland | Scotia | Fall of stone; also recorded as a casualty - not dead |
| Stephenson | John E. | 1912 | Cumberland | Scotia | Fall of stone |
| Farrell | Sam | 1912 | Cape Breton County | Scotia | Fall of stone; died with another family member |
| Farrell | Sebastien | 1912 | Cape Breton County | Scotia | Fall of stone; died with another family member |
| Riciselts | Vincent | 1913 | Cape Breton County | Scotia (possibly Cumberland Co.) | Fall of stone |
| Thurbid | John | 1919 | Cape Breton County | Scotia No. 4 | Fall of stone |
| Richards | John M. | 1921 | Cape Breton County | Scotia No. 4 | Slipped and fell on travelling road; accident Jan. 4, died Jan. 24. |
| Copely | David | 1918 | Cape Breton County | Scotia (Sydney Mines) | Fall of stone |
| Riciselts | Vincent | 1913 | Cape Breton County | Scotia (possibly Cumberland Co.) | Fall of stone |
| MacIntosh | William | 1899 | Pictou County | Six-Foot Seam (became Acadia No.3) | Caught, crushed by revolving drum on hoist |
| Lowe | William | 1839 | Pictou County | Storr pit | Methane explosion; 1 of 2 killed |
| Conn | James | 1839 | Pictou County | Storr pit | Methane explosion; 1 of 2 killed |
| MacQueen | Donald John | 1933 | Cape Breton County | Sullivan (Indian Cove) | Runaway Box |
| McIntosh | Dan | 1908 | Cape Breton County | Sydney & Louisburg Railway (Mine)? | Killed by express train, Glace Bay Crossing |
| MacKinnon | Neil | 1888 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Run over by trip |
| Boutilier | John | 1893 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Firedamp escaped from submerged district; (methane poisoning) |
| Jones | James | 1889 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Explosion of methane |
| Walsh | Patrick | 1893 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Fall of coal from working face |
| Robertson | Robert | 1896 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Walked in under cage |
| Vicars | John | 1889 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Fall of loose coal, died after 12 days |
| Cook | Robert | 1881 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Riding on Engine plane |
| Boutilier | John | 1897 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Fall of roof stone |
| McDonald | John | 1890 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Run over by empty trip, died next day |
| McPherson | James | 1897 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Struck by falling piece of coal while hauling |
| Keigan | Angus | 1883 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Run over by coal tub |
| Morrison | Murdock | 1890 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Run over by empty trip |
| Cann | John | 1891 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Killed by cage when descending pit |
| McGowen | Alex | 1886 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Dropped dead at face by heart disease |
| Gillis | Stephen | 1891 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Fell out of cage coming from work |
| Morrison | Daniel | 1886 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Run over by tub due to broken rope |
| Josso | John | 1891 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Fall of coal in room |
| McDonald | John | 1896 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Caught between full trip and prop |
| McIntosh | Dan | 1898 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Fell under trip trying to get on for a ride |
| Gleason | James | 1892 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Fell down shaft while working there |
| Hamilton | William | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines Colliery; Nova Scotia Steel & Coal | Killed by runaway trip on slope |
| Stewart | Wilkie | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines Colliery; Nova Scotia Steel & Coal | Tally boy, age 14; jammed between tub and tipple at pit head |