Biography

The deceased was working in the 200ft. level of the mine. He had just finished charging some holes, when the explosion took place. He was bending over the charge at the time. At the inquest which followed the death, Gerald Loughran, medical practitioner, stated he had examined the body and found a jagged wound on the left side of the neck, extending to the spine, where were found several pieces of quartz. The arteries and jugular vein were divided, the face very much lacerated, and upper jaw broken. The organs were healthy, and the brain was uninjured. The cause of death was haemorrhage. The jury, without retiring, brought in a verdict to the effect that the deceased met his death while tamping a hole with a rod.