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 45 of 50 pages (2497 entries).
| Surname | Given Name(s) | Year |
County |
Mine | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turner | William H. | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Milburn | William | 1895 or 1896 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 slope | Thrown from cage |
| DeGrace | James | 1902 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 3 | Cause not recorded |
| Davis | Ben | 1906 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 3 | Being buried by coal |
| McKenzie | Hector | 1912 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 3 | Fall of coal; 1 of 2 killed |
| Thibideau or Thibodeau | Godfrey | 1918 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Jammed between props |
| Harroun or Ronan | John | 1923 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 7 | Coupling cars, killed by moving cars |
| Burton | John Edward | 1929 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 6 | Injured by trip |
| Tabor | Fred E. | 1938 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Fall of stone |
| Newman | George | 1944 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 | Struck by boom moved by coal scoop |
| Moss | Laurie A. | 1950 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Killed by haulage |
| Ross | Thomas | 1953 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Killed by haulage |
| Hale | George | 1956 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 4 | Killed by haulage |
| Fisher | Lester | 1956 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 4 | Electricity-fired coal dust explosion |
| Spence | Alex | 1956 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 4 | Draegerman; carbon monoxide post explosion |
| Brine | Henry | 1958 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Terrific, devastating bump |
| Harrison | Chesley | 1958 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Terrific, devastating bump |
| McDonald | Harold | 1958 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Terrific, devastating bump |
| Porter | Sterling | 1958 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Terrific, devastating bump |
| Tabor | Monty | 1958 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Terrific, devastating bump |
| Long | William | 1901 or 1902 | Cumberland | Jubilee, River Hebert | Bankhead under construction fell on him |
| McPhee | David | 1913 | Cumberland | Chignecto | cause not recorded |
| McAloney | Robert L. | 1920 | Cumberland | Maple Leaf | Struck by runaway box, died 6 days later |
| McCallum | William | 1931 | Cumberland | Victoria No. 4 (Bright Light Mine) | Went over surface dump with car |
| Muckle or Muckie | David | 1943 | Cumberland | Bayview | Run over by trip |
| Haslam | James | 1885 | Cumberland | Syndicate | burned by explosion of powder; 1 of 3 killed |
| Burchill or Birchill | William | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Carter | Willard | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Findlayson | Daniel | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Livingstone | Henry | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| McLeod | Rory | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Mott | Ernest | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Ripley | Clifford | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Vance | Alexander | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Horne or Horone | William | 1895 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Fall from roof |
| Melanson | Dosithe | 1902 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 3 | Cause not recorded |
| Bratcher | George | 1907 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Suffocated by gas |
| Gillespie | William | 1913 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Caught between box at 4700 bottom |
| Blue | Duncan | 1919 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Struck by runaway rake |
| Smith | George | 1923 | Cumberland | Springhill Surface | Cause not recorded |
| Schwinghammer or Swinghammer | Fred | 1929 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 7 | Fall of stone |
| Ross | Edward | 1939 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Fall of rock, died 4 days later |
| Rushton | William A. | 1944 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Fall of coal |
| Crosson or Crossin | Harry | 1950 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 4 | Killed by haulage |
| Cottenden | William J. | 1953 | Cumberland | Springhill (Cumberland Railway & Coal) | Electricity, on surface |
| Alderson or Anderson | Ephriam | 1956 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 4 | Electricity-fired coal dust explosion |
| Glennie | Avard | 1956 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 4 | Electricity-fired coal dust explosion |
| Spence | Ernel | 1956 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 4 | Electricity-fired coal dust explosion |
| Bryan | Percy | 1958 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Terrific, devastating bump |
| Henwood | Harlan | 1958 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Terrific, devastating bump |