Biography

John Gilroy, was struck dead by lightning whilst taking a cup of tea in his camp, situated at the Bulletin Block claim. Death was instantaneous. His mates had just left the camp a few minutes. It appears that two men named John Gilroy and George Loy were together in their tent on the 6th February. After supper the latter went over to a mine to assist some men out of a shaft in which they were working. A heavy thunderclap and a vivid flash of lightning occurred and when he returned to the tent, he found Gilroy on the ground, face upwards, quite dead. The pole of the tent was split and a large mirror, which was intact when Loy left, was smashed to atoms and scattered about the place. There were two red marks on the deceased's right side, one the size of a penny-piece and the other smaller. Gilroy's dog was also dead in the tent. No inquest was held.

The deceased had a brother on the field.  He had lived in Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia for about 12 years in all.