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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ripley | Ira | 1906 | Cumberland | Joggins | Fall of top coal |
| Ricleslts | Vincent | 1913 | Cumberland | Scotia (possibly Cape Breton County) | Fall of stone |
| Shannon | George "Happy" | 1921 | Cumberland | Joggins | Electrocuted by shock from cable on pavement |
| Rector | Samuel D. | 1931 | Cumberland | Victoria No. 4 (Bright Light Mine) | Explosion; 1 of 6 killed |
| Gates | Charles E. | 1943 | Cumberland | Strathcona No. 2 | Fall of stone |
| Wilson | John | 1885 | Cumberland | Syndicate | burned by explosion of powder; 1 of 3 killed |
| Boyd | John | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Chandler | Ernest | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Francis | John | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Maiden | William J. | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| McLeod | Norman | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Murphy | Richard | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Robinson or Robertson | Hugh | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| White | Philip B. | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Ferguson | James | 1897 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 slope | Fall of roof while opening No. 1 slope |
| Wilson | James | 1903 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Fatally hurt by a full rake of boxes |
| Bigney or Bignay | Alex | 1908 or 1909 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 3 | Fall of stone |
| Casey | Percy A. | 1914 or 1915 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Killed by runaway boxes; 1 of 2 killed |
| Terris | Asa S. | 1919 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Run over by full box |
| Keiver | James L. | 1924 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Fall of stone |
| Molnar | Stephen | 1928 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Injured by timber |
| Vienneau or Veneau | John J. | 1940 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 4 | Caught between box and boom |
| Chapman | Neil D. | 1944 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 4 | Crushed under trip |
| Brennan | James P. | 1952 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Bump; 1 of 2 killed |
| Copeland | James E. | 1954 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Bump; 1 of 5 killed |
| Beaton | Floyd | 1956 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 4 | Electricity-fired coal dust explosion |
| Hunter | Angus | 1956 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 4 | Electricity-fired coal dust explosion |
| Tabor | Donald | 1956 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 4 | Electricity-fired coal dust explosion |
| Canning | George | 1958 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Terrific, devastating bump |
| Hunter | Hiram | 1958 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Terrific, devastating bump |
| McKinnon | Edwin | 1958 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Terrific, devastating bump |
| Reid | Joseph | 1958 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Terrific, devastating bump |
| Turnbull | William | 1958 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 2 | Terrific, devastating bump |
| Lockhart | Charles | 1874 | Cumberland | Scotia (Northern) | Fall of coal |
| Cormier | John | 1907 | Cumberland | Chignecto | Caught between car and bankhead |
| Burbine | John | 1913 | Cumberland | Joggins | Runaway boxes |
| Nicholson | James | 1922 | Cumberland | Minudie #2 | Powder ignited by cartridge explosion, died 12 days later; 1 of 2 killed |
| Quinn | George W. | 1931 | Cumberland | Victoria No. 4 (Bright Light Mine) | Explosion; 1 of 6 killed |
| Porter | Melburn Parker | 1944 | Cumberland | Standard (Sweetcake) or Strathcona No.2 | Fall of stone |
| McDonald | Donald | 1885 | Cumberland | Westville or Springhill mine | Died after breaking legs |
| Brown | William | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Clark or Clarke | Robert | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Furbow | Samuel | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Martin | George | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| McNeil | John F. or John P. | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Murphy | Jeremiah | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Rogers | Thomas | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Williams | John | 1891 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 1 & No. 2 | Gas and coal dust explosion |
| Burrows | John | 1897 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 3 | Fall of roof stone on new balance no. 9 |
| Fisher | Henry | 1903 | Cumberland | Springhill No. 3 | Fall of coal |