Outback Graves Markers

Robert MCCRACKEN

Burial Location:Burtville  (details...)
Occupation: Mine Manager
Place of Death: Breakaways, 3 miles east of Carib Lease, near Mt Weld
Date of Death: 05 March 1908
Date of Burial:07 March 1908
Age:47 years
Cause of Death:Suicide by Dynamite
OGM Ref#: 1382
Headstone:None

Biography

The deceased was Mine Manager of some of the leases being exploited by some English investors. He went some miles into the bush, carved his initials on a tree, took dynamite, and scattered his person to the wind, reminiscent of "The Savage Captain", Robert Archibald Grahame, at Burtville in 1905. Apparently the deceased had often said he would have a similar fate. In the early days of Coolgardie, McCracken was a notable figure among the many notable men who engineered the big boom and kept it going. He was the manager of the old Lady Loch Mine and was said to have stood behind £60,000 at one time. Interestingly, his name appeared in documents under the Bankruptcy Act for that mine in 1897. He then went to London and where he lost much of this money and became stranded. Later, he went to South Africa and returned to WA in about 1907. Returning to Laverton a few weeks before his death, McCracken was under instructions to take charge of the Carib mine at Burtvilie, which belonged to a London company. He had been drinking to excess for the previous few days. From what could be gleaned, he was missing from his camp on Friday morning and indications prompted the belief that something serious had happened. A search was instituted and in the evening his dead body was discovered about eight miles away, in the breakaways towards Mt. Weld. His head was partly blown off and the horrid deed had evidently been effected by dynamite. It was surmised that McCracken was in financial difficulties.

Spouse:Married
Marriage Details:England
Birth Details:Circa 1861, Scotland - possibly Lanarkshire but this is unconfirmed
Death Certificate:15/1908, Mt Margaret
State Records Office: McCRACKEN, Robert - Manager, Lady Lock Gold Mine, Coolgardie. AU WA S165 cons3560 1897/071 Item 1897-01-01 - 1897-12-31 Part of FILES - BANKRUPTCY ACT 1892; Gold Mining Lease No 745 Ne Plus Ultra forwarding application AU WA S20 cons964 1894/1877 Item