Drowning Fatality at New Chum Mine, West Australian, 19 Mar 1896
William CAMPBELL
Age at Death23
Date Of Death16 March 1896 : Reg 1037/1896
Place Of BirthMurrurundi, New South Wales
OccupationMiner
Terrible Mining Accident, Murchison Times and Day Dawn Gazette, 18 March 1896
New Chum Mining Disaster, The West Australian, Thursday 19 March 1896 Page 5
Northern Public Opinion and Mining and Pastoral News, Saturday 28 March 1896, page 3
Name Of Mine On Which Last Employed
New Chum GM, Western Australia
Diagnosis or cause of accident
Mt Magnet was inundated with heavy rain and the New Chum GM was flooded, drowning Arthur DANIELS, William CAMPBELL, and Roger COOK.
Place Of Burial
Mt Magnet Cemetery, Western Australia
Submitted by
David McMillan - Volunteer
MSW
Single
District
Lennonville
Cause of Death
Mine Accidents
Father
Edward CAMPBELL
Mother
Elizabeth BUDD
Other Information
The story here: The New Chum Flood Disaster
The New Chum Flood Disaster
On 16 March 1896, a terrible tragedy struck the mine when three miners drowned. They were Arthur DANIELS, William CAMPBELL, and Roger COOK. An unusual (for the desert) torrential downpour caused the mine to flood. Water rushed into the shaft causing the water level to rise by 80 feet in less than one hour. Daniels and Cook were on the No2 level, and ran for the cage. The cage however was not there, having been raised, and in the darkness, they fell into the shaft. William Campbell and George Henderson were on the No3 level. Henderson was able to climb up a ladder through the torrent, but Campbell never made it. T. Williams was mine manager here for many years, and E. Hendy underground boss.
On the day of the funerals, a hurriedly convened inquest was conducted. By today's standards it would have led to a public outrage, but was typical of the standards of the day. The jury was 'interested parties' relating to the mine management. So they were hardly objective and independent. The shaft was sited in the middle of a dry stream bed. A large amount of rain would have always caused flooding, and no work such as bunds or diversions had been undertaken. The mine was short staffed, and there was no-one to warn the men of the impending storm. There was no ladders between the No2 and 3 levels. Despite this, the jury came to the conclusion it was accidental drowning with no-one to blame.
New Chum Gold Mine
