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On 18th

October 1935, the Manager of the BHP Mine with 3 other men were clearing a borehole from a drainage gallery near the corner of Sulphide and Crystal Street, when all were killed by inhaling carbon monoxide gas. There were only 4 mines working at this time, and a prominent local identity, making a speech some years later stated, “in 1935, 25% of mine Managers had been killed underground”.

An accident on 22nd November 1902, is still discussed even today. Three men at the Central Mine on night shift were trucking mullock, when the chute “ran dry ”. It was on the 500 level. Leopold Campbell and Thomas Jordon went “to fill it”. They had to climb ladders, eleven floors, about 80 to 90 feet. Not a straight climb but through a worked out section. Fifteen minutes later the whole area collapsed, the ground settled from the surface, entombing both men. The wind from the blast knocking over the third man, Joseph Lyons, who was still on the level. He was uninjured. Both Campbell and Jordon were single men. A sad feature was that Campbell’s mother had lost a son and son – in – law in previous mine tragedies. Attempts to recover the bodies commenced immediately.

The Barrier Miner Newspaper reported on 5th December 1902, “men working three shifts, four men on each shift. Very dangerous work”. Later however, work was abandoned and the bodies have never been recovered.

Many people beleived that the mining companies had to pay full wages to the dependants for a long period and then made a cash settlement. This was not correct. A question in Parliament showed that relief was given to relatives of the entombed men, by the Miners Accident Relief Board, a few weeks after the tragedy as they were then presumed dead.

It is known that many men with injuries contracted pneumonia with fatal results. I can only find one case that is considered a true mining accident. On 22nd April 1914, at the North Mine, J. Smith a shift boss fell off a bulk his Injuries were not considered serious, but pneumonia supervened and he died. Perhaps if he had not been a staff man, his death would have gone unrecorded and unrewarded.

An interesting case occurred on 17th July 1914, at the North Mine. M. O’Neill was killed by a truck falling on him, through a stage breaking. As his death was caused by negligence, court proceedings followed. With agreement being reached that no other staff member would be prosecuted, the General Manager
Of the North Mine pleaded guilty and was fined ten pounds!

Mention should be made of the great courage shown by many rescue parties, often working very hard in the most dangerous conditions. It is known that a number of men lost their lives trying to save their mates. One of the many brave rescue attempts occurred at the South Mine on 21st March 1949, when an unsuccessful attempt was made to save M. Schadow. The “great courage shown by Jack Falkner and John McCarthy, who without hesitation had gone to Schadow’s rescue, knowing that there sixteen charges of gelignite which would be going off in about a minute’s time”.

Both men suffered slight injuries.

I think the first men killed on the line of lode were Thomas Stewart and William Ball on 7th December 1886, by a fall of ground at the BHP Mine. Thomas Stewart’s grave is in the old portion of the cemetery clearly marked.

The BHP Mine only had two main shafts, Delprats and Stewarts. Perhaps the shaft was named in memory of the miner, Thomas Stewart.

Regarding the first fatality, I visited the Court House. The Register of Deaths of 1886 from Silverton, has these particulars. The locality of the accident that is the BHP Mine at Broken Hill, is listed as “a mine near Silverton”. Thomas Stewart was 32 years of age. Married at Moonta to Sarah Eddey, had five children, christian names unknown, father and mother’s name also unknown. His place of birth, England.

William Ball was 40 years of age, born in Scotland, had been 35 years in Australia “which colony not stated”. He had married Patience Andrewartha at the Burra. There were five children, names are all listed, ages unknown. Names of father and mother unknown.

In 1952, for the first time that the mines worked full time, no deaths occurred. The highest number of fatalities in one year was in 1913 when 29 men were killed, plus one death from injuries received the previous year.

The first and main mine for many years was the Broken Hill Proprietary Company, also known locally as the “big mine”.

The total number of deaths listed for the Broken Hill and District Mines is 690 to December 1979. This includes four lads, three of whom were working on the mines and one from drowning in a dam on the mine lease.

The first heart attack recorded as a mining fatality occurred in 1941. There were a few more in the following years, then in 1972 there were four cases, three being underground and one on the surface. There has not been any since then.