Kalgoorlie Miner 28th August 1903
DOUBLE FUNERAL— The funeral of the two victims of the underground tragedy at the Brown Hill Extended mine, was largely attended yesterday. The body of Samuel Eva was removed from has brothers residence at Maritana Hill, Kalgoorlie, and the procession was joined, opposite the Boulder Post Office, by that following the remains of William Gard from his late residence at Boulder. Various societies were represented in the cortege. Eva was buried in the Roman Catholic portion of the cemetery, and Gard in the Methodist portion. The A.W.A. brass band headed the double procession. and played the ‘Dead March” in Saul.’ It has been intimated to us that Mt. Gratham Price, attorney for the company, would have been present at the funeral had mot unavoidable business detained him in Perth.
Miners Funeral Maritana Bridge, Kalgoorlie
The Brown Hill Extended Mine Catastrophe. — ”We find that in our opinion Samuel EVA and William James GARD came by their deaths by suffocation, according to the doctor’s evidence.’ Such was the verdict of the coroner’s jury yesterday (31st August 1903) in the case, of the two men who were found floating in stagnant water on the plat at the 700 ft. level of the Brown Hill Extended mine on the afternoon of the 25th ult. The deceased were carrying up a rise to meet a winze coming down from the 600 ft level. The winze was full of water – an accumulation of 12 or 14 months. They knew danger was ahead because they had told their mates at crib time that they would not dare to be there when the rise and the winze were ‘holed” through, but they did not anticipate immediate mischance. They thought they were safe in firing the last round of shots which eventually led to their death, but believed the connection between the rise and the winze mould not be made with those shots, because the prospecting holes so far had not enabled them to tap the winze. The evidence of the underground manager yesterday disclosed the circumstances that over 2o,ooo gal of water must have been in the winze. He said, in answer to questions, that it would have been possible to have baled out the winze and kept it clear of water by baling each day, and furthermore, that the 600ft level could have been drained by pipes running into the shaft. Dr. Bridgeford testified that death in the case of each man was due to suffocation. He would not commit himself to an assertion that dynamite fumes might have had effect in destroying the lives of the men. He was not a chemist, he said. A chemist could follow, up the results of the postmortem examination with microscopic and other means of investigation. All the evidence at the inquest tended to show the correctness of the theory advanced in our columns the day succeeding the accident, as to the manner of the death of the two men.
Moya Sharp
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