Graves of William O’Connell and John Willis at the Kalgoorlie Cemetery
ANOTHER MINING TRAGEDY
TWO MORE MEN KILLED – HEAVY FALL OF EARTH
17th August 1926 – Another heavy fall of earth in the stope on the 1200 ft. level, section 8, Boulder boundary lode, yesterday afternoon claimed two more lives, making four since Thursday. Yesterday’s victims were, John Willis, aged about 50 years, married of 91 Hopkins Street, Boulder and William O’Connell, married, 177 MacDonald Street Kalgoorlie. The accident occurred in the same stope where two men were killed on Thursday last. Realising the dangerous nature of the work to be accomplished in cleaning out the stope after Thursday’s tragedy, the management selected four of their most competent and experienced miners to carry, out the task. They were lowered to the level at 8 o’clock yesterday morning and proceeded to the stope where they immediately commenced their hazardous task. A considerable amount of barring down had to be done, and they also intended timbering the more dangerous patches. About 2 p.m. two shift bosses, Messrs. Albert Calder and Frederick Smith, visited the stope and inspected the work in hand. Messrs Willis and O’Connnell were engaged in boring a hole in the large piece of rock that fell on Thursday and killed Messrs Guy and Harvey.
The shift bosses, after talking to the two miners, had turned round, to walk down the rill when, without warning, a great mass of rock broke away from the back and fell with a deafening crash. The weight of the fall is estimated at approximately 100 tons, and was larger than Thursday’s fall. The fall completely covered Willie and O’Connell, and narrowly missed Calder and Smith. The broken ore rushing down the rill swept the two shift bosses off their feet and carried them some distance down the incline. They however, escaped uninjured, Calder immediately rushed back up the rill, and called out ‘Are you all right?’ As no reply was forthcoming. Smith hurried to the plat, and rang the accident signal. He then returned to the stope and assisted to release the unfortunate men. O’Connell was found under a large piece of ore and was suffering from severe injuries to the head, but was alive but unconscious. He was temporarily removed to a place of safety at the bottom of the rill. A relief party, with the necessary apparatus, then arrived on the scene to assist in the work of recovering tho second victim. When extricated from the broken ore, Willis was found to be dead. O’Connell was immediately raised to the surface, where his injuries were attended, to by Dr Irwin. He was then removed to the St John of God Hospital, where he passed away at 6.30 p.m. Willis body was removed to the Boulder morgue by Constable Brown. Constable Vivian notified the Coroner, Mr J. E. Geary, of the fatality, and arrangements have been made for an inquest to be opened at 10 o’clock this morning at the Boulder Court House. Evidence of a formal nature will be tendered, and an adjournment will then made to enable the jury to visit the scene of the tragedy. Spoken to last evening. Inspector of Mines; W. F. Greenard esprssed the. deepest regret, at the loss of two such experienced miners. When in the stope on Thursday afternoon and evening last, supervising the operations of recovering the bodies of the victims of the fall of earth which occurred that day he realised the risks taken by all engaged in the work, and he was particularity pleased to see the whole of the party safely out of the stope. The pick of the employees had been sent into the stope on Tuesday morning – experienced men who could be trusted to exercise the utmost care. The stope is regarded by experienced men as being particularly ‘soapy’ or ‘greasy,’ and this makes it extremely treacherous. .
Yesterdays tragedy following upon the death of two men in the same stope on Thursday last, came as a shock to the whole community and on all sides the sincerest sympathy was expressed for the relatives of the two unfortunate men, who had lost their lives in attempting to make the stope safe.
