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 9 of 50 pages (2497 entries).
| Surname |
Given Name(s) |
Year | County | Mine | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hale | Samuel | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| Waye | Samuel | 1929 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Killed by chain block |
| Hamilton | Samuel | 1868 | Pictou County | Acadia | Methane explosion |
| Terrio or Terris | Samuel | 1918 | Cumberland | Joggins | 2 runaway cars, died 2 days later |
| Furbow | Samuel | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Clark | Samuel | 1925 | Pictou County | Thom or Tom pit | Killed by boxes |
| Copley | Samuel | 1948 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 20 | Machinery |
| Muckle | Samuel | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Moss | Samuel | 1937 | Pictou County | Acadia No. 7 (Moss mine) | Crushed under full trip he was riding; died 3 days later |
| Legere | Samuel | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Williamson | Samuel | 1899 | Pictou County | Albion | Chainrunner, struck in neck by snapped chain |
| Farrell | Sam | 1912 | Cape Breton County | Scotia | Fall of stone; died with another family member |
| Gilroy | Russell A. | 1954 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 4 | Fall of stone; 1 of 3 killed |
| Morse | Russell | 1956 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 4 | Electricity-fired coal dust explosion |
| Marsh | Russel | 1959 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Fall of stone |
| Rector | Rueben | 1943 | Pictou County | Acadia No. 7 (Moss mine) | Fall of stone |
| Rector | Ruben | 1932 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Fall of coal |
| Tipping | Royal Preston | 1940 | Cumberland | Victoria No. 4 (Bright Light Mine) | Injuries from collision of empty boxes |
| Feltmate | Roy Edward | 1992 | Pictou County | Westray | Devastating methane and coal dust explosion |
| Nutter | Roy | 1946 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 24 | Haulage |
| McFarlane | Roy | 1958 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Terrific, devastating bump |
| Kane | Roy | 1942 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Fall of stone |
| Kerr | Ross | 1983 | Cape Breton County | Prince | Electrocuted |
| Fleming | Ross | 1935 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Shot blew back exploding methane and coal dust; 1 of 7 killed |
| McDonald | Rory B. | 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 |
| McDonald | Ronald H. | 1934 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12, Surface | Fell while working on bankhead machinery |
| Ferguson | Ronald | 1894 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Explosion of dynamite while heating it |
| Campbell | Ronald | 1922 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Struck by horse-hauled mine car |
| Boazan | Ronald | 1983 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 26 | Crushed |
| MacDonald | Ronald | 1984 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 26 | Fire |
| McDonald | Ronald | 1909 | Cape Breton County | North Atlantic Collieries | Crushed between full box and engine |
| McAulay | Ronald | 1925 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 22 | Fall of stone |
| MacDonald | Ronald | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |
| Short | Romeo Andrew | 1992 | Pictou County | Westray | Devastating methane and coal dust explosion |
| Noiles | Roger | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Ernest | Roger | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Benoit | Rodham | 1917 | Pictou County | Albion | Asphyxiated by methane |
| McNeil | Roderick X. | 1923 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of coal from face of room |
| McDougall | Roderick or Rory | 1899 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Afterdamp from methane explosion; 1 of 11 killed |
| Martin | Roderick | 1917 | Pictou County | Albion | Suffocated in his draeger machine due to carbonic acid leak |
| Hayden | Roderick | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of stone |
| McNeil | Roderick | 1907 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Struck by empty trip |
| McMullin | Roderick | 1945 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 18 | Fall of stone; 1 of 2 killed |
| McEachern | Roderick | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Methane and blasting powder explosion |
| McCharles | Roderick | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| McNeil | Roderick | 1878 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess) | Methane explosion; 1 of 6 killed |
| MacKenzie | Rod J. | 1948 | Pictou County | Drummond (Intercolonial) No. 2 Scott slope | Killed in haulage |
| McNeil | Rod C. | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| McKinnon | Rod #2 | 1880 | Pictou County | Foord pit | Devastating methane explosion |