Gympie Mining Accidents in The 1800s – Part 1

Nov 18, 2023 | Gold Rush Time Stories, Gympie, Gympie & Wide Bay district, Gympie mines

The Gympie goldfield was a dangerous place to work, especially in the early years of the gold rush. Mine managers often did their best with the knowledge and equipment they had, but many Gympie miners were injured or killed underground in the 1800s. Each fatal mining accident on the Gympie goldfields was investigated at the time, and newspapers reported the findings in graphic detail, leaving a powerful record for family historians today.

This post is Part 1 in our series on Gympie mining accidents in the 1800s, sharing contemporary newspaper reports and basic family details for some of the miners remembered on the Zig Zag Path memorial in Gympie. Later parts in the series will cover more names and stories from the nineteenth century goldfield.

You can read Part 2 of the series here.

Remembering miners on the Gympie Zig Zag Path

Many of the men who lost their lives working in Gympie’s mines are remembered on a Memorial along the Zig Zag Path which is located in Gympie between Calton Terrace and Young Street. The miners featured in Part 1 of this Gympie mining accidents series are:

  • Jonathan BREWITT

  • James McKEON

  • Frederick STABLE

  • William FISCHER

  • Joseph RILEY

  • William Crawford ALBERT / ALBURT

The stories below have been compiled from contemporary newspaper reports, the GFHS record collection and other research resources. They are a starting point for anyone researching a family connection to these men or to mining on the Gympie goldfield in the 1800s.

Fatal mine accidents, Gympie goldfield – 1800s

Jonathan BREWITT – Band of Hope claim

A report from the Gympie Warden describes the accidental death of miner Jonathan Brewitt at the Band of Hope claim. While working at the shaft and landing a bucket, Brewitt fell into water at the bottom of the 35‑foot shaft, which held around 12 feet of water at the time. No one saw him fall, but the manager heard the splash, ran to the brace and realised Brewitt was missing.

Attempts were made to rescue him by lowering a boy on a windlass to try to catch him as he rose, but Brewitt had suffered a severe blow to the head during the fall and did not re‑surface. Instead of immediately sending someone down on the rope, the men continued bailing water for about an hour, only recovering his body once the water level had dropped. The report suggests that if a man had gone down the rope straight away, Brewitt’s life may have been saved.

Source: Gympie Warden’s Report, Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser, 12 August 1884.

James McKEON – No. 1 South Eastern Glanmire (True Blue)

Another fatal mining accident at Gympie occurred at No. 1 South Eastern Glanmire (True Blue) when miner James McKeon fell in the shaft. This was the third fatal mining accident in just eight days, highlighting the constant danger underground.

On the morning of the accident McKeon was lowered into the shaft and told to start drilling at the bottom, while another man, Hurley, remained above sharpening drills. At some point McKeon came back up, sent Hurley below to fill buckets and take up ore, and took charge of the windlass himself. No one saw the accident, but it was believed that McKeon slipped while landing a bucket and fell with it down the 40‑foot vertical section of the shaft, then further along the underlie.

He was brought to the surface as quickly as possible and attended by Dr Webster, but his injuries, including a fractured skull, were too severe and he died later that day at the Roman Catholic School, Monkland. McKeon was a married man, about 43–44 years of age, with two or three children, and had been working in mining for only around two months.

Source: LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS, Gympie Times and Mary River Mining Gazette, 3 September 1881.

Frederick STABLE – “melancholy accident at Gympie”

The death of Frederick Stable, younger brother of solicitor J. W. Stable, was reported as a “melancholy accident at Gympie”. The Gympie Times noted how suddenly life could be lost on the goldfields and paid tribute to Stable’s character and his involvement in mining and cricket in the town.

Stable died after falling down a shaft while emptying a bucket of stone. The bucket slipped from his grasp, jerked him backwards and he fell 40–50 feet to where the reef began to underlie, then continued to the bottom. Evidence given at the inquiry suggested that the accident could scarcely have been prevented through ordinary human foresight. It was believed that he died instantly, which was some consolation to his family and friends.

The funeral took place on a Wednesday afternoon and was well attended, with his mates carrying him to the grave.

Source: MELANCHOLY ACCIDENT AT GYMPIE, Darling Downs Gazette and General Advertiser, 7 May 1870.

William FISCHER – “German Bill” at No. 3 North Smithfield

At the No. 3 North Smithfield claim, a fatal accident took the life of William Fischer, widely known as “German Bill”. He and fellow miner W. Ferguson were working at the 150‑foot level: Fischer in one drive and Ferguson in another. After Ferguson fired two shots and retreated toward the shaft to let the smoke clear, Fischer came out and asked if there was any lithofracteur (explosives) below, signalling for more and placing tools in the bucket.

Shortly afterwards Ferguson heard two splashes and thought it was the bucket. When he called Fischer and got no answer, he peered down the shaft and saw his mate’s head in the water. The bucket was quickly lowered, but by the time Fischer’s body was recovered with a grappling iron, around half an hour later, he was dead. The shaft was 217 feet deep, and the water level was around 17 feet below the workings.

Evidence at the inquiry noted that Fischer had spoken in a troubled way the day before while affected by drink, mentioning drowning himself with a rope, but there was no proof he was not sober at the time of the accident. A brief family note records:

  • Name: FISCHER, William

  • Mine: No. 3 North Smithfield

  • Born: Germany

  • Died: 17/12/1877

Source: LOCAL AND GENERAL NEWS, Gympie Times and Mary River Mining Gazette, 19 December 1877.

Joseph RILEY – No. 1 North Glanmire

Miner Joseph Riley died after falling from a bucket in the shaft at No. 1 North Glanmire. Around 2 a.m. Riley and fellow miner Michael Scallen were ascending in a bucket when a scream was heard from one of them. James Allen, working on a level below, stopped the bucket by checking the signal line and then heard something fall to the bottom of the shaft.

When Allen descended, he found Riley lying dead on a platform, his skull and arms badly fractured. Scallen, still in the bucket, was in shock but alive. Testimony suggested that Riley, who was guiding the bucket with his foot on the skids, may have thrown it off the skids when lifting his foot to let the descending bucket pass, causing it to overturn. Riley had been working four years in the claim but had only come up the shaft by bucket once before and had almost no experience in guiding it, which was recognised as a risky task.

The inquest concluded that no‑one else in the claim was at fault and that the accident was likely due to inexperience.

Source: Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser, 20 April 1876.

William Crawford ALBERT / ALBURT – No. 3 North Bristol Reef

Another dreadful mining accident at Gympie claimed the life of William Crawford Albert at No. 3 North Bristol reef. Albert, a 49‑year‑old married miner, was severely injured when a blast went off unexpectedly after he had gone back down the shaft.

After attempting to fire a shot, he believed the fuse had gone out and waited around fifteen minutes before descending. He called for a candle, which was sent down, and within minutes an explosion was heard. His mate went down and found Albert badly hurt. He was hoisted to the surface and taken to hospital, where Dr Burke found multiple cuts and bruises to the head and face, along with ribs driven into his lungs. Albert lingered until the following morning, when he died of his injuries.

Albert’s own account suggested that a spark from the candle had re‑ignited the fuse, though it was also thought that the fuse may have been smouldering all along. A family summary records:

  • Name: ALBERT, William Crawford (also recorded as ALBURT)

  • Mine: No. 3 North Bristol reef

  • Occupation: Miner

  • Born: 1821, East Parish, Greenock, Renfrewshire, Scotland / 1841 in Ayrshire, Scotland

  • Parents: James Alburt (Halbert) & Catherine McLean

  • Married: Sarah INNERD (1827–1865), 18/06/1849, Newcastle, Shropshire, England

  • Married: Ellen McKeich (1842–1912), 18/05/1866, Queensland, Australia

  • Died: 05/08/1869, Gympie, Queensland, Australia

  • Children: Sarah, Mary Jane, William, Mary Ann, Elizabeth and Ellen ALBURT (details as in original text)

Source: The Queenslander, 14 August 1869.

Sources and acknowledgements

These stories of Gympie mining accidents in the 1800s were compiled by Conny Visini for the Gympie Family History Society and first appeared on our Facebook page. Sources include Trove newspaper articles, the GFHS record collection and other local research resources.

If you are connected to any of these miners or recognise details from your own family history, we would love to hear from you. You can explore related indexes and records in the GFHS Library, or contact us via our Research page to request help with your Gympie goldfields family history.

 

Whilst mine safety would have been at the forefront of most Gympie Mine Manager’s minds, there were many accidents in and around the mine shafts and quite a few proved to be fatal.  Each death was thoroughly investigated and the newspapers of the day published (sometimes in very graphic and detailed reports) the findings of the inquiries and these reports will be featured in a series of Blog posts with this one being Part 1.  You can read Part 2 here.

The miners are remembered on a Memorial on the Zig Zag Path in Gympie and the names featured in Part 1 are:  Jonathan Brewitt; James McKeon; Frederick Stable; William Fischer; Joseph Riley; William Crawford Albert/Alburt;

 

 These stories were compiled by Conny Visini and they appeared previously on our Facebook page.

Sources:  Trove; GFHS Record Collection;