EDDY Family of Cornwall

The Barrier Miner (Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia) Wednesday 1 July 1896

MINING FATALITY

A Fall Down a Shaft

A shocking mining disaster occurred yesterday afternoon in the Maybell district. It appears that Mr. John W. Harris, licensee of the Criterion Hotel in Broken Hill, together with Messrs. Phillip Eddy, John Eastman, and James Ritchie, drove in a buggy to the Maybell, about 15 miles distant, in order to inspect a mine in which Eddy had been previously working. At about 2 o'clock Eddy went down the shaft, leaving his companions on the surface. Shortly afterwards he was seen ascending the rope hand over hand; but when near the surface he suddenly let go his hold, and fell backwards to the bottom of the shaft, a distance of 50ft. Mr. Harris, having obtained assistance, succeeded in raising the injured man to the surface as quickly as possible. He was, however, unconscious, and, having breathed for a few minutes, he expired.

Mr. Harris conveyed the body back to Broken Hill in his buggy, and reported the matter to the police, who at once removed the corpse to the hospital morgue. It was examined by Dr. Seabrook, the house surgeon, who stated that death resulted from concussion of the brain. An inquiry will probably be held by the coroner to-day.

The deceased man was unmarried and aged about 30 years. His parents reside in Moonta, South Australia; and Senior-constable Scott has telegraphed to them the particulars of the sad fatality.

The Barrier Miner (Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia) Thursday 2 July 1896

THE MAYBELL FATALITY

The Inquest on Eddy

An inquest was held to-day, before Mr. Makinson, P.M. (Coroner) and a jury of 12, on the body of Phillip Eddy, who was killed by falling down a shaft at the Maybell Proprietary mine on Tuesday.

Senior-constable Scott represented the police, and Mr. Hebbard, mining inspector, watched the case on behalf of the Mines Department.

Dr. Seabrook, house surgeon at the Hospital, deposed that on examination of the body he found a compound, comminuted depressed fracture of the vertex of the skull and a laceration of the brain, sufficient to cause sudden death; the injury might have been caused by the deceased falling on his head.

John W. Harris, licensee of the Criterion Hotel, Argent-street, stated that the deceased was a miner, aged about 40 years, and had been staying at witness' place; on Tuesday witness and Eddy, with J. Eastman and James Ritchie, drove in a buggy to the Maybell Proprietary claim; they arrived there about 12.30, and they went across to the claim; deceased had been working there a week before fixing ladders and a windlass; they first lowered Ritchie down the shaft with the windlass; Eddy went down another rope, which was fixed in the shaft as far as the ladders, which would be about 25 ft from the surface; the total depth of the shaft was 56ft; they remained down six or seven minutes; then Eddy shouted out that he would come up and let witness down to have a look; witness said, "We'll haul you up;" Eddy replied, "Oh, I always come up this way"— that was hand over hand up the rope; when he got near the surface he fell right backwards down the shaft; Ritchie was on the ladder at this time; witness shouted out, "Are you there, Jim?" Ritchie replied, "Yes;" witness said, "Can Phil speak?"; he said, "No;" witness said, "Is he breathing?" Ritchie replied, "Yes;" witness then told Eastman that he would lower him down and see if they could get Eddy up; he accordingly lowered Eastman down and hauled him up again, telling him to go to the Scotchman's hut and bring anything he could to get Eddy up; a line was brought, and Ritchie was lowered down the shaft, and then the old Scotchman; they lashed Eddy to the rope and he was hauled up to the surface by witness and Eastman; on being brought to the surface Eddy was laid on the ground; he was still breathing; Eastman put some water on his lips; they then hauled up Ritchie and the Scotchman; leaving Ritchie with Eddy, they went to put the horses in the buggy and get some blankets to wrap him in; on their return to the mine he was dead, having only breathed for six or seven minutes; they placed the body in a buggy and brought it to Broken Hill, where the matter was reported to the police; witness afterwards telegraphed to Moonta to a person who, he thought, was the father of the deceased; he received a reply by wire stating that the parents were dead and the brother had gone to the West; witness then resolved that he would pay all the costs of the funeral, as deceased had been staying with him for some time, and he looked upon him as a partner. Witness could not account for his letting go the rope except on the supposition that deceased might have been seized with a fit of giddiness.

Cross-examined by Mr. Hebbard: The deceased seemed to be within a foot of the surface when he fell; he had been accustomed to going up and down by rope.

J. Eastman and J. Ritchie, who were present when the accident occurred, gave corroborative evidence.

Senior-constable Scott stated that he had searched the body of the deceased at the Morgue, and found upon it a silver watch and gold chain, pocket-book, cigar case, a miner's right, and other little articles.

The jury returned a verdict of accidental death.

Transcriber's note: Born Morvah, son of Richard EDDY and Johanna MANN. Contributed by Bob Bolitho.