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 44 of 50 pages (2497 entries).
| Surname | Given Name(s) | Year |
County |
Mine | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bennois | John | 1867 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines Colliery (Queen pit) | Explosion of powder |
| Cameron | Michael | 1874 | Cape Breton County | Victoria | |
| Greenwell | Isaac | 1878 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess) | Methane explosion; 1 of 6 killed |
| Fergusson | John | 1887 | Cape Breton County | Gowrie | Fall of roof coal |
| MacIntyre | Joseph | 1893 | Cape Breton County | Victoria | Run over by cage in balance, died next day |
| Gracy | Bosel | 1895 | Cape Breton County | Hub | Fell from stage down shaft; 1 of 2 killed |
| Doyle | John, Jr. | 1899 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Afterdamp from methane explosion; 1 of 11 killed |
| Kearney | Patrick | 1890 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Killed by coal fall while loading in room |
| McCuish | John | 1900 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess) | Killed drawing props out of an old room |
| Porter | Elia | 1902 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of stone from roof |
| McDonald | John | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Caught between cage and pulleys |
| McNeil | John D. | 1904 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Methane explosion |
| McDonald | James T. | 1905 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 3 | Fall of coal from roof |
| Gardner | Joseph | 1906 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Fall of stone from roof |
| Flemming | William | 1907 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Caught between box and boom |
| Burns | George | 1907 | Cape Breton County | Sydney No. 5 (Queen) | Full box ran over him on main level |
| McDonald | Dan | 1908 | Cape Breton County | Hub | Fatal injury: pelvis broken in fall of stone |
| McNeil | John H. | 1909 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of coal |
| Macmillan | Rod | 1909 | Cape Breton County | Sydney No. 4 (Scotia) | Fall of stone |
| Bonnell | Louis | 1910 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of coal at face |
| McLain | Hector | 1895 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Fatally injured on head by fall of roof coal |
| McKenzie | Stephen | 1911 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 14 | Struck by cage balance |
| Reid | Eugene | 1911 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines No. 3 (Florence) | Methane explosion and coal dust; 1 of 8 killed |
| Bellan | Joseph | 1912 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of stone in pillars |
| McMullin | Andrew | 1913 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 13 | Fall of stone at face |
| Morrison | John | 1913 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 4 | Fall of stone in pillars |
| Pomyea | Daragha | 1914 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Fall of roof |
| Trente | Adam | 1915 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 9 | Killed by falling boom |
| Pomyea | Daragha | 1914 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 14 | Fall of roof |
| McPherson | Dan | 1916 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Killed by trip, died 2 days later |
| Mitetski | Woosyl | 1916 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Fall of coal |
| Clarke | Patrick | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Fall of stone |
| Curry | Charles | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Methane and blasting powder explosion |
| Martin | Joseph | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Methane and blasting powder explosion |
| Newman | John | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Methane and blasting powder explosion |
| Teichman or Tiechman | Herman | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Methane and blasting powder explosion |
| Campbell | Rod | 1918 | Cape Breton County | Dominon No. 11 | Fall of stone |
| Thurbid | John | 1919 | Cape Breton County | Scotia No. 4 | Fall of stone |
| McDonald | Angus | 1920 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 4 | Struck by runaway box |
| Robbins | William F. | 1921 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Fall of stone |
| Reid | John N. | 1923 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 6 | Accidental dynamite explosion |
| Waugh | Michael | 1923 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Caught in worm-gear of coal conveyor |
| Berger | Charles | 1925 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Killed by a trip of boxes |
| McPhee | Angus | 1926 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Squeezed between longwall machine and face |
| Riley | James | 1927 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Squeezed between boxes |
| McKinnon | Murdoch | 1928 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 14 | Fall of coal |
| Johnstone | Archie | 1928 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Stoker; injured in boiler explosion |
| Jones | Charles | 1929 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Fall of stone, died 6-7 weeks later |
| Cowans | Daniel A. | 1930 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 14 | Struck head on boom |
| McDonald | James R. | 1931 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Fall of coal |