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 50 of 50 pages (2497 entries).
| Surname | Given Name(s) | Year |
County |
Mine | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicholson | Philip | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Rescue work after explosion |
| Walsh | Joseph | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Methane and blasting powder explosion |
| Copely | David | 1918 | Cape Breton County | Scotia (Sydney Mines) | Fall of stone |
| Pohoronz | Wasyl | 1919 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1 | Fall of coal |
| McInnis | Daniel | 1920 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 4 | Fall of coal |
| Desmond | Frank | 1922 | Cape Breton County | Greener | Empty box passed over him, died 28 days later in hospital |
| Hest | Joseph | 1922 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 22 | Struck by runaway car, near landing |
| McNeil | Michael K. | 1923 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Fall of stone in room |
| McDonald | Daniel A. | 1925 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Killed by coal tipple on bankhead |
| Martell | Louis | 1926 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Falling pit timber |
| Young | James | 1927 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Squeezed between prop and trip |
| Lee | Charles | 1928 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 11 | Fall of coal |
| Phalen | Edward | 1928 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Fall of stone |
| McDonald | Arch. B. | 1929 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Struck by a full box |
| Ferguson | Donald J. | 1930 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 4 | Fall of stone |
| Hamilton | Thomas | 1931 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Fall of stone |
| McDonald | Henry | 1933 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Kicked by a horse |
| Hines | Thomas J. | 1934 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Fall of stone |
| Scott | Leslie | 1935 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Loose coal from rib |
| Dow | Lawrence | 1936 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 24 | Fall off roof |
| Fry | Stanley G. | 1937 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Fall of stone |
| Marsh | Thomas | 1938 | Cape Breton County | Bras d'Or | Struck by trip |
| Aspinall | James | 1938 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Broken cable on riding rake; 1 of 21 killed |
| O'Connor | Wilmot | 1939 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Fall of coal |
| Todd | Matther | 1941 | Cape Breton County | Bras d'Or | Fall of stone |
| McDonald | John A. | 1942 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | fall of stone |
| McAskill | Malcolm | 1943 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 11 | Fall of stone |
| Adamson | Clare or Carl | 1943 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 2 | Coal tank platform tilted, threw man down shaft; 1 of 4 killed being lifted in coal shaft |
| MacKay | Earl | 1944 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Runaway trip; 1 of 3 killed |
| Browner | Thomas | 1946 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Mine machinery |
| Carey | George | 1947 | Cape Breton County | Florence | Bankhead (surface) |
| Coffin | Louis | 1949 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Haulage |
| Califf | Velco | 1950 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 20 | Haulage |
| Harris | Charles | 1952 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 20 | Methane explosion; 1 of 7 killed |
| Beaver | John | 1954 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 25 | Fall of stone; 1 of 2 killed |
| McKinnon | Laurence | 1955 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 1B | Haulage |
| Murrant | Edgar | 1956 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Haulage |
| Walczak | Wallace | 1958 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 16 | Haulage |
| Marsh | Russel | 1959 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Fall of stone |
| Chiasson | Arthur | 1961 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 12 | Haulage |
| MacDougall | Alexander | 1964 | Cape Breton County | Princess | Haulage |
| Smith | Arnold S. | 1967 | Cape Breton County | Dominion No. 20 | Haulage: Caught between box and timbe |
| MacKenzie | Earl C. | 1969 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 26 | Fall of stone |
| MacDonald | Charles V. | 1974 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 26 | Struck by railway car; or jammed between 2 railway cars |
| MacNeil | John A. | 1979 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 26 | Methane explosion, sparked by coal shearer hitting stone; 1 of 12 killed |
| Conway | John | 1868 | Cape Breton County | Aspe Bay | Explosion of powder |
| Downie | John | 1873 | Cape Breton County | International | Run over by train |