The Mysterious Death of George Argo

Julia CLARKE was the daughter of Robert KEMP and Julia Emma JACOBS. She married George ARGO on February 27, 1872. This was to be the second marriage for his new wife Julia, and Argo, upon marrying, inherited a stepdaughter whose name was Emma. George ARGO at some time after 1873, had spent time on the Palmer River goldfield. It is said that upon his return home he brought back two things from the Palmer those being a severe dose of fever and a piece of Palmer gold for his little Emma.

The ARGO marriage was not destined for longevity for on August 5, 1878 after barely six and a half years of marriage, Julia ARGO passed away. She was  thirty-six. George ARGO spent a period of nearly five years thereafter as a widower before marrying Elizabeth GRAHAM on March 25, 1883. He did not father any children of his own from either of his marriages.

George ARGO had the reputation of being one of the ablest mining managers on the Gympie field. He was described as being a fair man in all his dealings but known to be a firm no-nonsense man as well. He was diligent in his duty and responsibilities as a mine manager and vigilant with regard to the welfare of his employees.  ARGO was the manager of the No. 1 North Phoenix mine, which was located on the Phoenix and Victory line of reefs. The mine operated between 1880‑1918 crushing 214,747 tonnes of ore yielding 5,969.2 kg. of gold.

At 9am on February 21, 1895, while on a regular inspection of the underground workings, George ARGO plunged 200 feet to his death down a winze at the 666 feet level at the No.1 North Phoenix mine. In seconds, his body lay smashed and his life extinguished.

Mystery surrounds the death of George ARGO. At the inquest into his death, the coroner stated that discrepancies in evidence tendered by witnesses at the hearing, did not disclose how George ARGO died, “except that he had fallen down the shaft, but by what means could not be gathered from the evidence.”

For years afterwards speculation as to the cause of this man’s death was the topic of conversation when mining men got together for a yarn. “How could such an experienced miner such as he simply fall down a shaft in a mine he knew like the back of his hand?”

The Gympie Times – February 21, 1895
“On February 21, 1895 at Gympie, George Argo late of Kintore, Aberdeen, Scotland.
Aged 54 years. Deeply regretted.”

The ARGO funeral was reported as being the largest ever seen on the Gympie goldfield, the mourners numbering by count to be more than 1,500, including 800 pedestrians, 80 vehicles and 400 horsemen.

Other mysterious occurrences weave their web around the grave of George ARGO some moonlit nights, in the form of a glowing tombstone. Knowledgeable old stagers like Wynn SMITH claim the subdued glow originates from the type of granite used in the manufacture of the wonderful grey obelisk that sits majestically on his grave. That may well be the perfectly natural and practical explanation for this unusual oddity. However, other forces may be quietly about their work and will continue so until the mystery surrounding the exact cause of this mining man’s death is cleared up once and for all. Perhaps only then will the eerie glow emanating from this impressive structure finally flicker and fade forever.

George Argo seated in the centre of the second row from the front