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 38 of 50 pages (2497 entries).
| Surname | Given Name(s) | Year |
County |
Mine | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ellis | John | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| Forbes | Andrew | 1867 | Pictou County | unidentified shaft being sunk or Cage pit | Methane explosion |
| Fraser | John E. | 1921 | Pictou County | Albion | Fall of coal |
| Gossens | Octav | 1920 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Fall of coal |
| Halliday | Duncan | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| Hayman | Archibald | 1952 | Pictou County | McGregor | Methane explosion (localized); 1 of 19 killed |
| Isnor | Hubert | 1921 | Pictou County | Albion | Fall of coal |
| Jordan | Norman | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| Laite | James | 1927 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Fall of coal from face |
| Lipton | Dave | 1954 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | watchman, died suddenly at work |
| MacDonald | Daniel | 1873 | Pictou County | Vale | Crushed by coal tubs |
| MacInnis or MacInnes | John Henry | 1940 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Fall of roof coal, died 4 days later |
| MacKenzie | Kenneth | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| MacNeil | Angus Joseph | 1992 | Pictou County | Westray | Devastating methane and coal dust explosion |
| McAulay | Joseph | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| McEachern | Alexander | 1882 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Killed by a rake of full pit tubs |
| McKay | Angus | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| McMaster | D. | 1908 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Fall of coal |
| Mirtan | William | 1872 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Powder explosion |
| Munro | Charles | 1945 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Crushed by full box of coal |
| Nicholson | John | 1883 | Pictou County | Vale | Drawbar broke, crash of runaway slope rake |
| Pettipas | Fred | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Fall of top coal |
| Reid | William | 1929 | Pictou County | McGregor | Struck on head by falling jackhammer; died 5 weeks later |
| Roy | John H. | 1904 | Pictou County | Albion | Killed instantly in a fall |
| Scully | James | 1924 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Carbon monoxide suffocation after explosion; 1 of 4 killed |
| Smith | John J. | 1926 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Coal fall that had him buried for 2 hours |
| Sutherland | David | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| Vaast | August | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| Wilkes | F. | 1905 | Pictou County | Marsh | Powder explosion |
| Burke | Charles | 1883 | Cumberland | Joggins | Fall of coal |
| Carson | James | 1908 | Cumberland | Chignecto | Fell down balance |
| Porter | James | 1914 | Cumberland | Black Diamond | Thawing Samsonite (possibly a powder brand) |
| Long or Lank | Lawrence | 1922 | Cumberland | Minudie #2 | Powder ignited by cartridge explosion, died 14 days later |
| Stevens | Charles L. | 1931 | Cumberland | Victoria No. 4 (Bright Light Mine) | Explosion; 1 of 6 killed |
| Gibbons | Peter | 1950 | Cumberland | Bayview No.8 or No. 7 | Killed by haulage, lived 1 day |
| McLeod | Murdock | 1886 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 | Fall of roof |
| Brunt | Alexander | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Collins | Mathew | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Gallager | Peter | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| McDonald | John J. | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| McNeil | Joshua | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Nairn | John | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Ross | Murdock | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Wilson | Thomas | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Cunningham | William M. | 1897 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 3 | Fall of rock on mail level |
| Hyatt | Percy | 1903 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 3 | Killed in return side of fire door conveyors |
| Jordan | Percy or Perdy | 1908 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 3 | Run over by rake |
| Hacquoil | Alexander | 1914 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Fatal injuries |
| Murphy | Carl G. | 1921 | Cumberland | Springhill | Caught between beam of screen floor and break wheel of a moving railway car |
| Pettigrew | Charles | 1924 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Fall of stone |