It doesn’t happen often, but today I discovered a miner that isn’t included in the Eastern Goldfields Miners Memorial at the WA Museum in Kalgoorlie or in the WAVMM. I came across the details while searching for something else (as I always seem to do). I was going through a box of old letters from the Goldfields Family History Society which closed down six years ago. I came across a single page which was a printout from an email received (we printed out all our emails in this days) in 2002 from a lady called Elaine (possible surname Wellsdale). She was looking for information on James Clifford LYONS, who is her Gt Gt Grandfather.
LYONS Border Watch (Mt Gambier) 3 April 1897, page 2
Dearest husband, they have laid thee
In thy peaceful grave so low;
Thou no more will join our number ;
Thou no more our songs will know,
Yet again we hope to meet thee,
When the Day of Life is fled,
And in heaven with joy to greet thee,
Where no farewell tears are shed.–R.I.P.
I dont know if we replied to her or not at the time but I hope that we did. She told us the following sad story.
James was just about to travel back home to South Australia and he was to meet his wife Ellen half way, they were to have a holiday together before returning home. However, before he left, William Pemberthy, manager of the Adelaide GM at Black Flag, persuaded James to go back with him, he said that he was his ‘right hand man’. James would never get to have his holiday with Ellen as he was killed by a rock fall on the first day underground.
Although I do have records for Broad Arrow deaths this particular death happened a few weeks before Broad Arrow had its own registry office in June of 1897. Because of this the death was registered in Kalgoorlie (the nearest office pre June 1897).
Broad Arrow Standard (WA : 1896 – 1899), Saturday 3 April 1897, page 4
INQUEST OF DEATH.
BROAD ARROW APRIL 1st, 1897. (Before L. R. Davis, Esq., R.M., and E. O. Butler, Esq., J.P.)
An inquest of the death of James Lyons, which happened in the Adelaide mine on the morning of the 30th ultimo, was held at the courthouse, Messrs. R. Donovan, N. M. Howitt, and T. Moorehead sitting as a mining jury. Sergeant Smyth conducted the case for the Crown. : Dr. Martin stated on oath that when he was called in the deceased was in a state of collapse. Three ribs on the left side were depressed towards the heart and the left lung. The pulse was almost imperceptible. The man was dying. The fall of a heavy rock would cause the injuries. The deceased was conscious. I did not hold a post mortem, as the injuries I saw were sufficient to cause death.
Walter Wright, miner, sworn, stated : I was working at the Adelaide mine on Tuesday morning last in the north drive of the shaft at a depth of 130ft. Deceased went in ahead of me, and was working when I went in the drive. I picked the loose stuff down. Deceased was standing behind me. I had fired a shot the night before. I heard the ground fall behind me, and turned around and saw deceased was pinned to the wall with a piece of rock about 6cwt. or 7cwt. which had slipped off the footwall. I tried to remove it, and called for R. Waddell in the south drive to help me. Waddell and I raised the lump off deceased, assisted by C. Mays.- We took deceased out to the shaft and sent, him up. The first piece that struck him rolled him to the wall and the front of his body rested against this, being held by another piece partly on his right side and his back. He was forced to a kneeling position jammed against the wall when I turned round and saw him first. We took him to his tent, where he was attended to. I have since seen him dead and put him in the coffin. By Mr. Moorehead : I was in the face, and the ground was firm except a portion we were taking down, which was what killed deceased.
By the Police : The drive is a safe one to work in. The deceased was a practical miner. By Mr. Donovan: We were working on the formation, taking it off the footwall. There was a pretty good underlay. Mr. Donovan pointed out that the jury should view the ground before they could form any opinion. The Bench pointed out that the present proceedings were simply an inquiry ot death, an inquiry into the cause ot the accident would be another matter. By the Bench 1 consider the.ground was good. We tested it, and I cannot account tor the falL The deceased looked crushed on his chest where he rested against a piece of fallen country. What we removed was on his back and side. Robert Waddell, miner, sworn, cor roborated the evidence of the previous wit ness. Hie rock pressing on deceased’ was about half a ton weight. After we released deceased he walked out with help from the face to the shaft. The drive generally was . safe, though I have not worked in it. By the Bench: The lump that held him must have fallen and rolled, on him. William Penberthy, manager of the Adelaide mine, sworn, stated : Deceased was working- for me. I first heard of the accident about 9 o’clock. Deceased was then at the surface. I went and saw him. I did not then think he was seriously injured. I immediately sent for the doctor, who came. The deceased was a thoroughly capable miner. The drive is as safe as tins courtroom.
By the Bench: The blast shook the ground over night, and loosened a bigger piece of rock than they thought. The drive is not timbered. The charge was not heavy enough to bring the stone down when the shot was fired the night before. The jury thought it was necessary to see the ground, Mr.Donovan pointing out that it was difficult to see how the man in the face was uninjured and the man behind him killed. To the Bench : The accident occurred through the men trying to get down the loosened rock, which was bigger than they thought. Sergeant Joseph Smyth swore to receiving body of the deceased from the manager of the mine. The court adjourned, to allow the jury to view the scene of the accident, until 4 o’clock. The jury returned at a quarter to five. They found that deceased met his death quite accidentally, and that no blame was attachable to anyone.
Border Watch Mt Gambier: In Memory , 3 Aug 1898
James Clifford LYONS was born Co Clare, Ireland, he was the son of Patrick LYONS and Mary nee CLIFFORD, he was married to Ellen LYONS. He is buried in the Broad Arrow Cemetery.
There is a Mary Ann LYONS. who died on 23 May 1897 (just a few weeks after James) who is also buried in the Broad Arrow Cemetery. Although James’s mother was called Mary I have not been able to find out if they are related.
