Lost in the Bush
Five Days Without Food or Water
Miss Janeczek’s Awful Experience!
Southern Cross seems determined to make a name for itself. Beside those persons interested in the mines in the place, nobody scarcely knew of this town, in the barren desert of West Australia. Then it was heard of as a starting place whence travelers came along the track to the then-new Eldorado of Coolgardie. Later it burst forth into notoriety as the scene of the Deeming crime, but the excitement of that subsided and absolutely faded away in the shadow of the greater crimes of Butler . Once more, however, Southern Cross has blossomed forth and this time as the scene of one of the most thrilling records of human endurance and courage on the part of a girl.
Stories of people lost in the bush are familiar to Australians, but beyond the bare circumstance that someone is missing, and that later the remains of that someone have been found, perhaps years after, very few details are forthcoming. Therefore, the story of one who has gone right into the jaws of death – in fact, been so close that she lay down to die cannot fail to arouse deep interest. Furthermore, it embodies also an exhibition of
PLUCK, COURAGE, SKILL, AND ENDURANCE
on the part of those who found her well worthy of recognition, as it shows that the attributes which built up the British nation still flourish in her offspring here.
The Bush near Southern Cross
Kalgoorlie Miner – 29 April 1898
On Thursday, a representative of the ‘Kalgoorlie Miner’ was in Southern Cross, and noticing a somewhat unusual indefinable air of suppressed excitement about the place, sought to enquire the cause of it of to Mr. J. W. Byrne, the Mayor of the town. “Haven’t you heard? Why we’ve just brought her in,” he said. “Brought who in?” asked the pressman. He was then told how on Thursday, April 20, a girl, 23 years of age, named Constance Janeczek had arrived from Coolgardie at Southern Cross and on the following afternoon she went out to visit some friends who lived about half a mile out of the town. About 5 or 6 o’clock, Miss Janeczek thought she would take a stroll in the cool of the evening. She did not even put her hat on and walked along enjoying the contrast from the heat and glare of the day until presently it struck her it was time to return to tea. She turned, but upon looking around could see no trace of the town she had left behind her, and then, in a vague way, she felt she must have strayed too far, so sought to retrace her steps.
By this time night had settled down dark, but starlit. Over another ridge she went, thinking the town was on the other side, but it happened to be in the wrong direction, and she was further than ever from the goal she sought. Then fear took definite shape and she started to run. The country she was in lies to the southward of the town and is made of ironstone ridges, with occasional sand patches, and the bush consists of tea-tree, sandalwood, and mulga.
INTO THIS SHE PLUNGED,
and then was lost. As she did not return to “The Cross” that night, it was thought that she had stayed with her friends, so no concern was felt about her.
Frederick McCubbin (1855-1917), Lost, 1886, oil on canvas.
On Saturday evening, however, she was reported to the police as missing. They set out forthwith and found tracks of the footprints of somebody who had evidently wandered. Darkness prevented further search, so on Sunday last the police and an aboriginal tracker followed up the tracks all day, and on Monday also, when they tracked her back to within three miles of Southern Cross, during which time she had walked about 50 miles.
On Tuesday Mr. J. W. Bryne, Mayor of Southern Cross, an old Queensland bushman, with a buckboard buggy and pair, Mr. Richards, Mounted Police Constable Cassidy, and two black trackers started out again. Although by this time the gravest fears were entertained as three days had elapsed and the forbidding nature of the waterless waste was well known to all of them. However, all Tuesday they followed the tracks and discovered she had crossed the railway line, had twice circled the salt lake, and crossed it once. They came across some of her underclothing and later on discovered a hole about ten inches deep and six feet long, where there were signs that she had laid down.
It looked as if she had DUG HER GRAVE and prepared to die!
On Wednesday, at daylight, they set out again and came across more holes apparently scooped out by the hands of the suffering girl. “This was the worst patch of the lot,” said Mr. Byrne. “Awful country, some of the worst I’ve ever been in. We had to hack down the tea trees by driving the horses through them. Ironstone ridges with nothing to aide us but an overturned stone occasionally. How she got through is a mystery. Just then I had to leave the trackers in order to go on about six miles to the Strawberry Rocks for water, as the horses were nearly knocked up. There were five men and four horses with only six gallons of water between them for two days, and we were suffering terribly, you can imagine what the girl’s agonies must have been.
Well, as I was going along I happened to come to a sand patch, and there saw the imprint of a bare heel. (We had found her boots before that ). I went back without a moment’s delay and told Cassidy and the trackers, leaving them a little whisky and water in case they found her alive, but I really did not expect they would. Then I went to water the horses, and shortly afterward the boys picked up the tracks, and at 1 o’clock she was found lying down speechless. I passed her when something attracted my notice, and there she was behind a little bush, with her singlet tied over her head to keep the flies off, jaw dropped and fixed and
EYES STARING AND WIDE OPEN.
Just a movement of the eyebrows and I knew she was alive. We gave her a teaspoonful of weak whisky and water, and then I got the black boys to boil the billy and we gave her a little warm tea to soften the throat. I was afraid at first she would choke. We had to be very careful, but I believe the warm tea brought her to as soon as anything. An hour later she could raise her hand to her face and dipped her hands in the bucket of water to cool them. I never saw anyone so game in my life. Grit to the backbone. Well, we drove her in as quickly as possible, gave her a little liquid now and then, and here she is if you care to see her. She’s getting all right again now slowly, and is, of course, only allowed liquid beef tea and that sort of thing. Dr. Black is attending her and says she will pull through.
Anxious not to disturb the patient, who was then sleeping quietly, the reporter just took a glimpse and saw a girl, thin, of course, but not so thin as he expected, considering the ordeal she had just come through, with prepossessing features and very fair hair. Just a handful, who would not, when in ordinary health turn the scale at over seven stone. However, what there is of Miss Janeczek must be of the very best quality, or else she could never have stood what she did. Miss Janeczek says she took her boots off because her feet were tired and hot, and
DUG HOLES IN THE SAND TO COOL HERSELF.
She did not intend to dig her grave but was so hot and feverish at the time she dug the big hole out with sticks, scooping the earth out with her hands, that she took all her underclothing off and lay down on it. She covered herself with earth and boughs, but shortly after felt too cold, so put on some of her clothing again. She could not get her boots on, as her feet had swelled very much, so she set off barefooted. She says she was never unconscious, but strangely enough, cannot recollect having crossed the railway line. She says when she lay down the last time she knew she was done and was just lying there waiting for death.
She heard the buggy pass the first time within a few yards, but could not call out. She ran after the crows, as she wondered where they got water. When discovered, her purse, which contained about £20 was lying by her side, and, as may be expected, her fingernails were filled halfway down with earth where she had scooped out the earth, and her feet and hands were terribly torn and lacerated. Mr. Byrne says that had Miss Janeczek been discovered an hour later he would not have given her a chance of recovery, but as he said before, he had abandoned all hope of finding her alive. In tracking her the dingoes had followed her night and day for the same reason that the crows did. It is estimated that during her five days sojourn in the wilderness Miss Janeczek traveled over 50 miles. Too much cannot be said in praise of those who found her and in their turn they state they are lost in admiration of the plunk and fortitude of the girl in circumstances most trying and terrible anyone can imagine. What her mental sufferings were no tongue can tell.
Salt Lake near Southern Cross
The Electoral Roll for 1922 shows Constance Janeczek as a resident in Kalgoorlie in 1922-25 at 620 Hannan Street.
It appears Constance’s real name was Constantia Janeczek, was born on the 18th February 1875, Babimost in Lubuskie Poland. She migrated from Hamburg on the 25th of February 1878 to Australia and arrived in Port Adelaide with her family on 22 June 1878. The family settled in South Australia. From 1898 to at least 1934 she is placed in Kalgoorlie. In 1934 she relocated to Brisbane and resided there until about 1937. It appears she then went back to South Australia in about 1938 and remained there until her death on the 18th of September 1945. She never married nor had any children.
She had 3 sisters and 4 brothers. Constance became a Naturalized Australian around the WW1 era probably due to the war requirements of Australia at that time.
Postscript by David Spain:
Constance Janeczek remained in Southern Cross for a short time while she recovered from her ordeal with the Australian bush and then went back to Coolgardie. She went on to Kalgoorlie where she was employed as a Domestic Servant until about mid-1901 when she voyaged to the Eastern States to visit members of her family in Sydney, NSW.
On the 12th December 1901, Constance arrived by ship in Fremantle, Western Australia and during the next 13 years travelled around the Goldfields working as a Domestic Servant. She worked in Cue, Mt Magnet and Kalgoorlie. On the 28th August 1914 saw her at 14 Irwin St, Perth, where she applied for Citizenship and became a Naturalized Australian on the 17th September 1914, just after the outbreak of hostilities between England and Germany. She remained in Perth until her citizenship was granted whereby she moved back to Kalgoorlie and then on to Barberton where she continued on with her work for the next 6 years.
In 1922, Constance was employed as a domestic servant in Barberton, Western Australia. She became eligible to vote when she was granted citizenship and she is listed on the Electoral Roll of this area since 1922. Barberton is a wheat farming district near the town of Moora. It appears she may have been employed as a servant on a farm in this area.
She remained in the district until at least the next 12 years. In 1936 Constance relocated to Brisbane, Qld, where she remained there until 1937. In 1936 she applied for a retirement pension from the Federal Government and was granted the pension at the age of 62. In 1937 she was living in the suburb of West End in Brisbane Qld. It appears, in about 1939, Constance returned to Adelaide and took up residence in the inner suburb of Eastwood, near the City of Adelaide.
Moya Sharp
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