The deceased was accidentally killed by a skip when in motion, striking him on the head. He was leaning over the main shaft and his head was crushed by the ascending skip. A Coronial Enquiry was held at Kookynie on 25 May 1904, where the verdict returned by the jury was that he was "Accidentally killed by skip, when in motion, striking him on the head. No blame attached to anyone." He had lived in New South Wales for 16 years before arriving in Western Australia.