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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Winter | Edward | 1872 | Cumberland | Victoria; or Cape Breton County | Fall of coal |
| 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 |
| Dunlap | Robert | 1928 | Colchester | Kempton or Riversdale | Fell off tub in shaft |
| Cameron | Archie | 1927 | Inverness | Inverness No. 1 | Fall of coal |
| Gillis | Simon D. | 1920 | Inverness | Inverness | Fall of rock |
| McDonald | A. R. | 1908 | Inverness | Port Hood | Explosion on No. 3 level south; 1 of 10 killed |
| McKinnon | Daniel S. | 1945 | Inverness | Inverness No. 3 | Fall of stone |
| Stuart | Kenneth | 1901 | Inverness | Broad Cove | Killed by runaway wagon in bottom of slope |
| Campbell | John | 1908 | Inverness | Port Hood | Explosion on No. 3 level south; 1 of 10 killed |
| Jones | Harry | 1908 | Inverness | Inverness | Fall of stone and coal, No 7 balance, No 5 E level |
| McDonald | D. R. | 1908 | Inverness | Port Hood | Explosion on No. 3 level south; 1 of 10 killed |
| McKinnon | Lauchlin | 1947 | Inverness | Campbell or No. 4 | Fall of roof |
| 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 |