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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McLeod | Norman | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Chisholm | Norman | 1905 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Fall of coal from face |
| McVicar | Norman | 1907 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Fall of stone |
| Hayes | Norman | 1913 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Struck by hoisting cage on balance |
| Paris | Norman | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| MacIver | Norman | 1872 | Cape Breton County | Victoria | Fall of roof coal |
| Jordan | Norman | 1918 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Devastating methane explosion |
| Nicholson | Norman | 1904 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Broken back, died 11 weeks later |
| MacKenzie | Norman J. | 1946 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Bump (more than 2 miles offshore); 1 of 4 killed |
| Gossens | Octav | 1920 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Fall of coal |
| McLeod | Oliver | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| Fowler | Orrin L. | 1935 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Fall of coal at 7100-foot level |
| Rooney | Ottie or Ronnie | 1918 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Stone rolled down fan slope, hit him on head |
| Beaumeister | Otto | 1914 | Inverness | Inverness | Fall of coal |
| MacComiskey | Owen | 1943 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Struck by trip |
| McCumiskey | Owen | 1930 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Struck by trip |
| Dominick | P. | 1906 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of coal from face |
| Doucette | P. | 1906 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 3 | Struck by runaway box |
| Walsh | P. Joseph | 1929 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Struck by runaway box |
| Erunio | Parristto | 1913 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of stone |
| Foley | Pat | 1885 | Pictou County | Vale | Devastating methane explosion |
| Chiasson | Pat | 1914 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Killed by trip |
| Chiasson | Pat | 1914 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Killed by trip |
| Nearing | Patrick | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Fall of coal |
| Campbell | Patrick | 1867 | Cape Breton County | Lingan | Explosion of methane |
| Crawford | Patrick | 1912 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Fell under fuel box |
| Clarke | Patrick | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Fall of stone |
| Bushar | Patrick | 1912 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Fall of stone |
| Lee | Patrick | 1936 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Caught between box and prop |
| Banville | Patrick | 1981 | Cape Breton County | Lingan | Heart Attack |
| O'Connell | Patrick | 1948 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 20 | Explosives |
| Walsh | Patrick | 1893 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Fall of coal from working face |
| McGrath | Patrick | 1916 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 15 | Fall of roof |
| Burns | Patrick | 1902 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 3 | Killed by passing rake |
| Gabriel | Patrick | 1952 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 20 | Methane explosion; 1 of 7 killed |
| Keigan | Patrick | 1928 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Fall of stone |
| Prentice | Patrick | 1923 | Cape Breton County | Colonial No. 2 | Electric wire |
| Kearney | Patrick | 1890 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Killed by coal fall while loading in room |
| Muise | Patrick | 1946 | Inverness | Inverness | Killed by haulage |
| Doucett | Patrick | 1937 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Hit by trip |
| Mahoney | Patrick | 1866 | Pictou County | Dalhousie pit | Fall of coal |
| Gaul | Patrick | 1956 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 18 | Gas asphixiation; 1 of 2 killed |
| Kleizer | Paul | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Methane and blasting powder explosion |
| McIntyre | Paul | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Methane and blasting powder explosion |
| Chiasson | Paul C. | 1966 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Haulage: Struck by runaway box |
| Purcell | Paul F. | 1979 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 26 | Methane explosion, sparked by coal shearer hitting stone; 1 of 12 killed |
| Miller | Penman | 1926 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Fall of stone |
| Bryan | Percy | 1958 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Terrific, devastating bump |
| Spence | Percy | 1958 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Terrific, devastating bump |
| Paul | Percy | 1911 or 1912 | Cumberland | Dominion No. 2, Surface | Smothered in culm car |