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 5 of 50 pages (2498 entries).
| Surname | Given Name(s) | Year |
County |
Mine | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MacKinnon | Daniel | 1964 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Fall of stone |
| Canova | Fred | 1968 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 20 | Haulage: Run over by runaway motor when he jumped off |
| MacKenzie | Alex J. | 1970 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 26 | Struck by a trip on the south angle |
| Tighe | Alan | 1979 | Cape Breton County | Lingan | Accident at a trip at a landing underground |
| Raeshore | Wayne | 1982 | Cape Breton County | Prince | |
| Brennick | John | 1870 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines Colliery (Queen pit) | Run over by wagon |
| MacDonald | Murdock | 1877 | Cape Breton County | Lingan | Explosion of boiler; 1 of 3 killed |
| Hall | Edward | 1879 | Cape Breton County | Lingan | Empty horse wagon ran away |
| Vicars | John | 1889 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess?) | Fall of loose coal, died after 12 days |
| Ferguson | Ronald | 1894 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Explosion of dynamite while heating it |
| Spencer | William | 1897 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Burned by compressed powder |
| McDonald | Alexander | 1899 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Afterdamp from methane explosion; 1 of 11 killed |
| McDonald | John | 1900 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Killed by stone fall at face |
| Thistle | George | 1901 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Killed by runaway wagon from pit bottom |
| McDonald | Daniel | 1892 | Cape Breton County | Victoria | Scalded by boiler explosion, died 9 days later 1 of 3 killed |
| Jackson | Harry or Henry | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Methane explosion No.5 S level, French slope |
| McMullen | Bernard | 1904 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines Colliery; Nova Scotia Steel & Coal | Killed by a trip |
| McPherson | Malcolm | 1906 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Fall of stone |
| McNeil | John P. | 1906 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess) | Killed by runaway box grab slipping off rope |
| McDonald | C.R. | 1907 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 6 | Struck by empty trip |
| Hawley or Holley | Edward | 1908 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Box knocked out prop and boom, stone fell on him |
| Stewart | Malcolm | 1908 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess) | Overwind man-shaft cage; 1of 2 killed |
| Schiavan | Petro | 1909 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 3 | Fall of stone |
| Andrews | William | 1910 | Cape Breton County | Gowrie | Fall of coal |
| MacIntyre | Joseph | 1893 | Cape Breton County | Victoria | Run over by cage in balance, died next day |
| McDougall | John A. | 1904 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines Colliery; Nova Scotia Steel & Coal | Fall of stone |
| Marsh | James | 1911 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 4 | Fall of rib coal |
| Handrahan | James | 1912 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Fall of stone from roof |
| Paterson | William | 1912 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Fall of coal |
| Assemmather | Fawl | 1913 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of stone |
| Morrison | William | 1913 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 8 | Struck by box |
| McNeil | John M. | 1914 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of coal at face |
| Barrett | Abe | 1915 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 9 | Fall of stone |
| McDonald | Allan | 1915 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Fall of roof |
| McLennan | J. A. | 1916 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Caught by cage |
| Munro | John D. | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 15 | Run over by a trip of cars |
| Boone | Isaac | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Methane and blasting powder explosion |
| Fahey | Timothy | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Methane and blasting powder explosion |
| McKenzie | John H. | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Rescue work after explosion |
| Peach | William J. | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Methane and blasting powder explosion |
| McCormick | Joseph | 1918 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Struck by boom, died 4 days later |
| Rordenan | Alex | 1919 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 5 | Fall of stone |
| Christie | James | 1920 | Cape Breton County | Colonial No. 4, engine house | Caught in belt that operates hoist, lived 9 hrs |
| McKenzie | Joseph | 1921 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Fall of stone |
| McLean | Edward | 1922 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of stone |
| Killoway | George W. | 1923 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 24 | Fall of roof stone hile clearing up fall |
| Tobin | Michael | 1924 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 4 | Between full box and timber |
| Boutilier | Arthur | 1925 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Fall of stone |
| Bennett | Henry | 1926 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Falling boom |
| Clark | Josiah | 1927 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 24 | Fall of stone |