Kalgoorlie Cemetery WA - Photo Danelle Warnock
John Gummow SYMONDS
Age at Death37
Date Of Death22 March 1912 : Reg 35/1912 Boulder (Registered as GUMMER)
Place Of BirthBallarat East, Victoria
OccupationMiner
FUNERAL NOTICE FOR JOHN G. SIMONDS (note spelling of Surname is SYMONDS in Coronial Inquiry)
"THE HORSESHOE FATALITY" - THE DEATH OF JOHN SYMONDS - CORONIAL INQUIRY on 27th MARCH 1912 - Page 1 of 3
CORONIAL INQUIRY - Page 2 of 3
CORONIAL INQUIRY - Page 3 of 3
Grave
Eastern Goldfields Miners Memorial at the WA Museum in Kalgoorlie WA
Eastern Goldfields Miners Memorial at the WA Museum in Kalgoorlie WA - Photo Paul Doust
Name Of Mine On Which Last Employed
Golden Horseshoe Gold Mine, Western Australia
Diagnosis or cause of accident
The Coronial Inquiry found that Mr Symonds met his death by accidentally falling down a 192-foot deep shaft in the Golden Horseshoe GM.
The Doctor who conducted the post-mortem stated that the injuries received from this fall would have been sufficient to cause instantaneous death.
Place Of Burial
Kalgoorlie Cemetery, Western Australia
Submitted by
Gail Keys ( Volunteer researcher for WAVMM)
District
Kalgoorlie-Boulder
Cause of Death
Mine Accidents
Father
William SYMONDS
Mother
Isabella Pottinger SINCLAIR
Other Information
Prior to working at the Golden Horseshoe, Mr. Symonds had worked in Meekatharra and Kintore.
On the day of his death, Mr. Symonds came down to the 1200-foot level of the mine in the cage with 5 or 6 other men. This level was described as being particularly well lit with 4 or 5 candles. After talking to men at this level for a few minutes, Mr. Symonds stooped and went under the 3-foot-high guardrail of the third compartment. Mr. Symonds then moved forward only a few feet before falling down the sink shaft to his death.
One witness commented that it was possible that Mr Symonds mistook the sink shaft for the traveling way, although this witness had never seen a guardrail across the traveling way.
SYMONDS spelled as SIMONDS in the Funeral Notice in the Kalgoorlie Miner of March 23rd, 1912.
