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 2 of 50 pages (2498 entries).
| Surname | Given Name(s) | Year |
County |
Mine | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walsh | William | 1905 | Inverness | Port Hood | Hit by boom sliding down slope while timbering |
| Cassidy | William | 1906 | Inverness | Inverness | Struck by a rake on main slope |
| Keating | Edward | 1914 | Inverness | Inverness | Cage struck timber, knocking roof down |
| McDonald | Ranald or Ronald | 1911 | Inverness | Inverness | Fall of coal; head crushed |
| McLean | D.A. | 1908 | Inverness | Inverness | Fall of stone from roof in tunnel to 13-foot seam |
| Watts | Alexander | 1878 | Inverness | Port Hood | Explosion of steam boiler; 1 of 2 killed |
| Chisholm | William | 1925 | Inverness | Inverness No. 1 | Killed by runaway box |
| Kennedy | Angus | 1901 or 1902 | Inverness | Broad Cove | Run over by back balance rope-brake |
| McDonald | Murdock A. | 1914 or 1915 | Inverness | Inverness | Fell under moving coal boxes while getting on full rake |
| McLean | John | 1937 | Inverness | Inverness | Struck by trip or rope |
| Young | Ninian | 1919 | Inverness | Inverness | Injured by dynamite shot; died a day later. |
| Copan | Louis | 1923 | Inverness | Inverness No. 1 | Killed by trip of mine cars |
| Ladime | (Bulgarian) Unknown | 1908 | Inverness | Port Hood | Explosion on No. 3 level south; 1 of 10 killed |
| McDonald | Alexander T. | 1918 | Inverness | Inverness | Struck by mine-car; died 10 days later |
| McLellan | Angus | 1906 | Inverness | Broad Cove | Killed by runaway box on main slope |
| DeCoste | Bernard | 1914 | Inverness | Inverness | Fall of coal |
| Lamby | (Bulgarian) Unknown | 1908 | Inverness | Port Hood | Explosion on No. 3 level south; 1 of 10 killed |
| McDonald or MacDonald | Neil | 1923 | Inverness | Inverness No. 1 | Struck head against roof or boom |
| McLeod | D.H. | 1913 | Inverness | Inverness | Struck by fall of frozen briquettes |
| Deveau | Willie V. | 1966 | Inverness | Evans Mine | Killed by haulage |
| Lambyi | (Bulgarian) Unknown | 1908 | Inverness | Port Hood | Explosion on No. 3 level south; 1 of 10 killed |
| McDonald | Saunders | 1940 | Inverness | inverness No. 4 | Struck by runaway box |
| McNeil | Neil S. | 1911 | Inverness | Inverness | Run over by balance cage, died 3 hours later |
| Dunlap | Robert | 1928 | Colchester | Kempton or Riversdale | Fell off tub in shaft |
| Brown | Amos | 1892 | Cumberland | Joggins | Runaway rake in slope |
| Wood | Arthur or Thomas W. | 1910 | Cumberland | Chignecto | Explosion |
| Hall | William | 1918 | Cumberland | Joggins | Fall of stone, died 14 hours later |
| Burke | William | 1930 | Cumberland | Victoria No. 2 | Gas explosion; 1 of 7 killed |
| LeBlanc | Henry J. | 1932 | Cumberland | Maple Leaf No. 4 | Dust and gas explosion; 1 of 5 killed |
| McKeigan | George Hector | 1978 | Cumberland | River Hebert Coal Mine, formerly Cochran | Fall of stone |
| Strong | William H. | 1878 | Cumberland | Springhill | Killed on surface |
| Guthro | Thomas | 1887 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 3 | Fall of frozen clay; 1 of 2 killed |
| Carmichael | Andrew | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Dawson | Richard | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Hunter | John | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| McKay | Donald 2nd | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| McVey | James | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Noiles | Roger | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Simmons or Simmonds | Howard | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Costigan | Richard | 1892 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 | Struck by timber lowered down slope |
| Milley | John | 1900 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 3 | Struck and run over by rake on main slope |
| Hannah | Joseph | 1905 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Killed instantly by being run over by hopper |
| Paul | Percy | 1911 or 1912 | Cumberland | Dominion No. 2, Surface | Smothered in culm car |
| Piggot | Richard | 1917 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Fall of coal |
| Bourgisk | Charles | 1923 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Bump caused fall of stone in room/bord; 1 of 2 killed |
| Willigher | Mark | 1927 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 6 | Cause not recorded |
| Brian or Bryan | Joseph | 1935 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 4 | Motor exploded on back slope |
| Lewis | John F. | 1943 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 | Crushed between trip and air line |
| Dean | George W. | 1946 | Cumberland | Springhill No .4 | Fall of coal |
| Nicholson | Thomas N. | 1953 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2, #1 seam | Killed by haulage |