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 49 of 50 pages (2498 entries).
Surname |
Given Name(s) | Year | County | Mine | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weatherbee or Westhester | Melvin | 1908 or 1909 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 3 | Riding on full box |
| Webb | James | 1873 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Devastating methane explosion |
| Weeks | Archie | 1948 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 20 | Haulage |
| Weirich or Wetrich | Herman E. | 1943 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Caught in haulage rope |
| Welch | Clarence | 1953 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2, #1 seam | Killed by haulage |
| Welch | George | 1958 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Terrific, devastating bump |
| Wells | Horace | 1923 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Fall of stone |
| West | Herbert | 1921 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Fall of coal |
| Whalen | John R. | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Methane and blasting powder explosion |
| Whalen | Matthew | 1922 | Cape Breton County | Jubilee, lower seam, Sydney Mines | Fall of stone from roof |
| Whalen | Emmanuel | 1943 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Tally boy; Crushed between box and loader (likely on surface) |
| Wheatley | Leonard | 1952 | Pictou County | McGregor | Methane explosion (localized); 1 of 19 killed |
| Wheelicker | George | 1934 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Fall from roof |
| Whidden | Charles | 1931 | Pictou County | Allan Shaft | Fall of coal |
| White | Clarence | 1946 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Haulage |
| White | Morris | 1867 | Cape Breton County | Lingan | Explosion of methane |
| White | Alfred A. | 1958 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Bump on March 18 |
| White | Edward or Elwood | 1957 | Cumberland | Bayview | Fall of stone |
| White | Thomas | 1914 | Cape Breton County | Sydney No. 4 (Scotia) | Fall of stone |
| White | Richard | 1962 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 26 | Haulage |
| White | Wilfred | 1930 | Cumberland | Victoria No. 2 | Gas explosion; 1 of 7 killed |
| White | Wallace | 1968 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 12 | Haulage: Struck by arch boom |
| White | William | 1930 | Cumberland | Victoria No. 2 | Gas explosion; 1 of 7 killed |
| White | Carl | 1958 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Terrific, devastating bump |
| White | Albert | 1958 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Terrific, devastating bump |
| White | Leo | 1954 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 4 | Fall of stone; 1 of 3 killed |
| White | Philip B. | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| White | Amos | 1889 | Cumberland | Joggins | Struck by rake in slope |
| White | Malcolm | 1965 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 26 | Fall of stone; 1 of 2 killed |
| White | Brenton | 1952 | Pictou County | McGregor | Methane explosion (localized); 1 of 19 killed |
| Whiteway | William | 1903 | Cape Breton County | Reserve | Methane explosion No.5 S level, French slope; died from burns 3 days later |
| Whittle | William | 1956 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Fall of stone |
| Whitty | Stephen | 1941 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Struck by a trip of coal |
| Wierschbizki | Vladislow | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Methane and blasting powder explosion |
| Wilcox | Nicholas | 1925 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Tally boy; boxes on bankhead |
| Wilkes | F. | 1905 | Pictou County | Marsh | Powder explosion |
| Wilkes | John | 1902 | Pictou County | Marsh | Dynamite explosion in office; frozen sticks put near heat to thaw; 1 of 3 killed |
| Wilkie | William | 1938 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Broken cable on riding rake; 1 of 21 killed |
| Wilkowski | Albert | 1912 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Taking box off cage, caught between box and rib |
| Williams | Frank | 1909 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 9 | Killed by runaway box |
| Williams | John | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Williams | Clarie | 1953 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Fall of sotne |
| Williamson | Samuel | 1899 | Pictou County | Albion | Chainrunner, struck in neck by snapped chain |
| Williamson | James | 1908 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess) | Fall of coal |
| Willigher | Mark | 1927 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 6 | Cause not recorded |
| Willis | William | 1899 | Cape Breton County | Sydney Mines (Princess) | Fall of roof stone whilst driving |
| Wilsack | John | 1949 | Pictou County | McGregor | Fall of coal |
| Wilson | David | 1898 | Pictou County | Drummond mine (Intercolonial) | Struck by falling roof prop |
| Wilson | John | 1885 | Cumberland | Syndicate | burned by explosion of powder; 1 of 3 killed |
| Wilson | George | 1935 | Pictou County | Drummond (Intercolonial) No. 2 Scott slope | Fall of coal |