1891 – Railway worker Thomas Hanna was asleep on a railway tricycle when an engine and trucks came around the corner. The railway was under construction, and was part of a short strip of line between Bowen and the wonderfully named Bobawabba (south of Home Hill). Hanna was killed about 46 miles from Bowen atContinue reading “Asleep on the job”
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A lonely death for hotel-keeper
1892 – Died in the bush. These simple words carved into an old headstone do little to reflect the weeks of desperate searching for missing Durham hotel-keeper Tim Lorigan. The man’s horse was found, still with its harness on, by the Cobb and Co mailman, John Swan, six miles east of the Herberton-Georgetown crossing of theContinue reading “A lonely death for hotel-keeper”
Shark alarm led to drowning
1910 – A dark night, a precarious fishing spot, a meat truck and a cry of “shark’’ came together in the death of 18-year-old Alexander Stemp. Stemp, a New Zealander, was a seaman on the cargo and passenger ship Rippingham Grange, which was loading meat at the Parsons Point jetty at Gladstone, Central Queensland onContinue reading “Shark alarm led to drowning”
Third death was looming
1934 – The superstitious around Forsayth were only too well aware that there had been two deaths in the community in the past months, and were crossing their fingers against a third. But luck was firmly against Alex Lavercombe, (age unknown but probably younger than 45 based on his parents’ year of marriage) who wasContinue reading “Third death was looming”
Inaugural races a success – apart from the deaths
1900 – The Mount Garnet races were held on Saturday, last, and proved a great success in every way, begins a newspaper report on the first ever such event at the Far North Queensland mining town. It’s not until the end of the story that the story mentions two deaths and one serious injury. GrantedContinue reading “Inaugural races a success – apart from the deaths”
Help came too late for starving traveller
1901 – The Mount Garnet coach driver wasn’t so curious about the man he had seen several times sitting outside a tent on the side of the road outside Herberton. But when he realized he had not seen the man on several of his trips, he decided to investigate further. Unfortunately it was some timeContinue reading “Help came too late for starving traveller”
Great flood takes eight lives during fruitless rescue
1894 – Albert Cummins and the Buchanan family refused to leave their houses when the waters rose. They changed their minds when rescuers came, only to drown before reaching safety. The highest floods yet recorded at Ingham in Far North Queensland came early on a Sunday in April. The town had already had 111 inchesContinue reading “Great flood takes eight lives during fruitless rescue”
Fell from his horse and drowned
1886 – “No-one was better known or more respected in Gladstone than James Hawthorne”, a newspaper declared when he suddenly met his end. While death notices described the 42-year-old as a saddler, a James Hawthorne was mayor of the town some years earlier and it can be assumed it was the same person. James wasContinue reading “Fell from his horse and drowned”
Reputation trashed after explosive death
How do I choose which historic death to investigate? There is no database of “fascinating cause of demises’’. What I do is trawl through cemeteries. I walk around, tripping on rabbit holes and the like – because I’m walking and quickly scanning headstones at the same time, until I find a headstone with the wordsContinue reading “Reputation trashed after explosive death”
Shooting game leads to tragedy
1929 – Two little boys playing with guns, both thinking they weren’t loaded. One was wrong. Alfred Fenton, nine, had an air-gun and his friend and neighbour William Brown a 22-calibre pea rifle. It was a few days after Christmas – perhaps one or the other was a gift. Fenton pointed his air-gun at Brown and fired, butContinue reading “Shooting game leads to tragedy”
Way to go Australia 