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 38 of 50 pages (2498 entries).
| Surname | Given Name(s) | Year |
County |
Mine | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finlay | Daniel | 1903 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Hit by a rake on the hoisting slope |
| Fraser | James W. | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | influx of water; 1 of 6 killed |
| Gaskill | Thomas | 1924 | Pictou County | Albion | Fall of coal |
| Guy | Abraham | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| Hanuse | Cammile | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| Holland | Guthrie | 1878 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Fall of roof stone |
| Jewell | Charles | 1920 | Pictou County | Albion | Fall of coal |
| Kennedy | Dan | 1885 | Pictou County | Vale | Devastating methane explosion |
| Lennon | James | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| Luddington | Truman | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| MacDonald | John | 1915 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Run over by a trip of coal |
| MacKenzie | Hector | 1867 | Pictou County | Montreal & Pictou | Fall of stone |
| MacLean | John J. | 1929 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Electrocuted, fell onto live cable in pump room |
| Maquire | Bernard | 1914 | Pictou County | Vale | Struck by an empty trip that derailed |
| McDonald | Hugh | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| McGillivray | Angus | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| McLean | John | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| McNutt | Robert | 1952 | Pictou County | McGregor | Methane explosion (localized); 1 of 19 killed |
| Moss | Samuel | 1937 | Pictou County | Acadia No. 7 (Moss mine) | Crushed under full trip he was riding; died 3 days later |
| Myers | William | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| Partner | William | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| Purvis | James | 1902 | Pictou County | Albion | Fall of top coal |
| Robertson | James | 1861 | Pictou County | Bye pit | Methane explosion |
| Ryan | John W. | 1903 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Fatally injured |
| Skinner | Job | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| Stewart | George | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| Terris | William R. | 1952 | Pictou County | McGregor | Killed by haulage |
| Walton | John | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| Wright | William | 1933 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Asphixiated by methane gas |
| McGillivray | Alex | 1871 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Killed in the Foord by gas |
| Cantfill | Arthur | 1892 | Cumberland | Victoria; or Cape Breton County | Crushed by runaway box down balance, died 2 days later |
| Nicholson | Phillip | 1911 or 1912 | Cumberland | Joggins | Fall of stone |
| Doyle | John | 1917 | Cumberland | Kimberly | Fall of stone, died 6 days later |
| Kralicek or Krawlick | Emil or Emile | 1930 | Cumberland | Victoria No. 2 | Gas explosion; 1 of 7 killed |
| Stewart | Walter | 1935 | Cumberland | Victoria No. 4 (Bright Light Mine) | Fall of stone |
| Burbine | Joseph | 1969 | Cumberland | River Hebert Coal Mine, formerly Cochran | Died of natural causes in mine |
| Bigney | Robert | 1881 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 | Rope broke on cage |
| Adams | John | 1888 | Cumberland | Springhill Surface | Cause not recorded |
| Carmichael | William | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Dunn | John | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Johnson | James | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| McKinnon | Allen | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Mitchell | John | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Piquinot | James | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Swift | Henry | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Tebo or Tebe | James | 1893 or 1894 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 slope | Full box struck prop from under boom |
| Sweet | Eben | 1902 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Fall down chute |
| Henderson | William | 1905 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 3 | Fall of coal |
| Bulmer | Walter | 1911 or 1912 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 3 | Struck by ginney (aka jinney or jig) or prop |
| Gabriel | Alexander | 1918 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Fall of stone |