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 7 of 50 pages (2497 entries).
| Surname | Given Name(s) | Year | County |
Mine |
Cause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doyle | John, Sr. | 1899 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Afterdamp from methane explosion; 1 of 11 killed |
| Doyle | John, Jr. | 1899 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Afterdamp from methane explosion; 1 of 11 killed |
| Kearney | Patrick | 1890 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Killed by coal fall while loading in room |
| Grant | Albert or Arthur | 1899 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Afterdamp from methane explosion; 1 of 11 killed |
| Ferguson | Allen | 1896 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Struck by part of junk while loading |
| Johnstone | Thomas | 1899 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Afterdamp from methane explosion; 1 of 11 killed |
| Hilliar | Joseph | 1899 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | |
| Howie | Alexander | 1901 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Killed by runaway coal wagon in east deep |
| Martin | Donald | 1899 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Afterdamp from methane explosion; 1 of 11 killed |
| McKinnon | John | 1900 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Killed by falling roof stone while driving |
| McDonald | Daniel | 1901 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Killed by shot going off while firing squib |
| McAulay | Malcolm | 1899 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Afterdamp from methane explosion; 1 of 11 killed |
| Nolan | John | 1900 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Coal fall in room, died next day |
| McCormick or McCormack | Stephen | 1899 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Afterdamp from methane explosion; 1 of 11 killed |
| Ferguson | Ronald | 1894 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Explosion of dynamite while heating it |
| McDonald | Alexander | 1899 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Afterdamp from methane explosion; 1 of 11 killed |
| McDonald | Neil | 1899 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Afterdamp from methane explosion; 1 of 11 killed |
| Burke | William | 1866 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Fall of picks in shaft |
| McDougall | Roderick or Rory | 1899 | Cape Breton County | Caledonia | Afterdamp from methane explosion; 1 of 11 killed |
| Timmons | John | 1867 | Cape Breton County | Collins | Fall of coal; 1 of 2 killed |
| Timmons | Peter | 1867 | Cape Breton County | Collins | Fall of coal; 1 of 2 killed |
| Stewart | John | 1936 | Cape Breton County | Colonial | Struck by runaway trip |
| Dugas | Alex | 1917 | Cape Breton County | Colonial | Crushed between box and rib |
| Jesso | Frank | 1927 | Cape Breton County | Colonial | Fall of stone |
| Kennedy | John | 1927 | Cape Breton County | Colonial | Electrocuted in logement |
| Stewart | James | 1934 | Cape Breton County | Colonial No. 1 | Struck by coal boxes |
| Jessoe | James | 1925 | Cape Breton County | Colonial No. 1 | Fall of stone |
| Jessoe | Alexander | 1934 | Cape Breton County | Colonial No. 1 | Fall of stone |
| Clark | Edward | 1934 | Cape Breton County | Colonial No. 1 | Struck by trip |
| Greene | Mark | 1928 | Cape Breton County | Colonial No. 1 | Methane explosion |
| Young | George | 1927 | Cape Breton County | Colonial No. 1 | Fall of stone |
| Hariett | Daniel | 1926 | Cape Breton County | Colonial No. 1 | Caught in longwall machine cutter chain |
| Prentice | Patrick | 1923 | Cape Breton County | Colonial No. 2 | Electric wire |
| Christie | James | 1920 | Cape Breton County | Colonial No. 4, engine house | Caught in belt that operates hoist, lived 9 hrs |
| MacLean | John | 1866 | Pictou County | Dalhousie pit | Fall of coal |
| Mahoney | Patrick | 1866 | Pictou County | Dalhousie pit | Fall of coal |
| White | Wallace | 1968 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 12 | Haulage: Struck by arch boom |
| MacLean | Lester | 1971 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 12 | Natural Causes |
| Gillis | Fred | 1968 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 12 | Haulage: Caught by box on 25E main level and squeezed against low side of wall |
| Atwood | Wilfred | 1969 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 12 | Caught on cutting drum of Anderton Shearer |
| MacFadgen | Donald | 1973 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 12 | Explosion and fire; 1 of 2 killed |
| Leadbeater | Earl | 1973 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 12 | Explosion and fire; 1 of 2 killed |
| MacArthur | Harry | 1970 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 12 | Killed on main haulage deep |
| Martell | John Alexander | 1970 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 12 | Squeezed between 2 boxes on material landing |
| Mombourquette | Alphonse | 1971 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 12 | Natural Causes |
| Swarttzack | Freeman | 1968 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 20 | Natural Causes |
| Young | Michael F. | 1979 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 26 | Methane explosion, sparked by coal shearer hitting stone; 1 of 12 killed |
| Legnaro | Benedict | 1971 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 26 | Natural Causes |
| Matheson | Fred | 1979 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 26 | Methane explosion, sparked by coal shearer hitting stone; 1 of 12 killed |
| MacDonald | Ronald | 1984 | Cape Breton County | DEVCO No. 26 | Fire |