| The Burrowa News, Burrowa, NSW, AustraliaG | 14 April 1911 | William Wales was mentioned in an article in The Burrowa News, Burrowa, NSW, AustraliaG, on Friday, 14 April 1911 as follows:
THE INQUEST.
An inquest was commenced at the local Hospital on Saturday morning, before the Coroner (Mr. James Stevenson, J.P.), concerning the death of William Wales. John William Bradwell, Constable of Police, stationed at Burrowa, deposed : About 6 o'clock last night, from something I heard, I proceeded in company with Dr. Le Fevre, to, about 4 miles from Burrowa, and there saw a man named Michael Muldowney with a wound on the top of his head, lying on a stretcher; about fifty yards away, I saw the deceased William Wales, lying on his back, with a big gash right across his head, and his brains protruding ; he was then quite dead, and a considerable quantity of blood was near where his head was lying ; with the assistance of Constable Lord, I removed the body to the morgue at the local hospital ; on searching the body I found a small purse containing 6s 6d, one gold ring, one knife, and a piece of tobacco ; I was informed that he owns a bicycle and a tent, which is now in my possession ; he was working with contractors who ware engaged grubbing 700 acres of land ; about 6 feet from where deceased was lying I saw a grubbing plant, a portion of which I took possession of ; it is ... a green pole with about a foot broken off the end, which I now produce.
John Joseph McGann, labourer, residing at Burrowa, deposed : On yesterday evening I was working On Gowrie ; I was engaged along with Michael Muldowney and the deceased William Wales, whose dead body I viewed this morning at the morgue ; we were working with a machine for pulling down trees ; it was worked with a wire rope by two levers attached to two rollers on the machine ; there is a wire rope about 2/4 or ? of an inch in thickness from the rollers; I was. on one lever and the deceased and Michael Muldowney was on the other ; when we had it at full pressure the lever that Michael Muldowney and the deceased were on, snapped, which had the effect of throwing the full weight of the pres- sure on my lever, resulting in me being thrown away, and the lever striking deceased and Muldowney ; on recovering myself, I saw the other two men lying on the ground ; I then sang out to men who were working about 150 yards away, before which I examined my mates; I saw deceased's brains protruding, and observed that Muldowney was seriously injured ; I then ran to Mr. Spicer's home, whose land we were working on, for the purpose of getting a vehicle to remove them to town ; while I was absent someone went to inform the Doctor and the Police; subsequently the Police removed deceased to the morgue at the local hospital, and the Doctor advised that Muldowney be sent to the Young hospital; I attribute the accident which caused the death of deceased to the insufficiency of strength of the lever put in in the morning ; the lever was got by Muldowney who put it in the machine ; It was as large if not slightly larger than the previous one we were using, and larger than the lever I was using ; the deceased informed me that the machine was one of bis own invention ; the death of deceased was solely caused by the sudden snapping of the lever, and not by the negligence of anyone present; the deceased was, I am informed, unmarried, and has been residing in the Burrowa district for the past four years, and I also understand that his parents reside at Wyalong.
John Speechly Le Fevre deposed : I am a legally qualified Medical Prac titioner and Government Medical offi- cer, residing at Burrowa ; about 6 o'clock yesterday evening I received word that there had been an accident at Gowrie, and that one man had been killed, and another seriously injured in company with Constable Bradwell,proceeded to the place of the acci- dent ; I first examined a man named Muldowney, who was conscious, and was suffering from a compound depressed fracture of the skull ; I dressed his wounds and then examined deceased William Wales, who was lying where he fell near the machine he was working; he was quite dead, the roof of hiswas smashed completely off, and the brain was protruding ; death had been instantaneous from some blow on the head causing the above injuries, and from the evidence I have heard, and what I saw at the scene of the accident, the blow was caused by one of the levers of the machine flying back and striking deceased.this stage the Coroner adjourned the inquest until 11 a.m. on Monday, to allow of the father of deceased being present to give evidence.
MONDAY.
The inquest was resumed today by the Coroner. George Wales, miner, residing at Wyalong, deposed : I received information of the death of my son William, on Saturday, 8th inst; I last saw my son alive about three yeara ago last February ; at that time he was in his usual health ; I did not see the dead body, but attended the funeral yesterday ; he was a single man ; he had no property when I last saw him; he was born at Hovell's Creek, near Frogmore, in the Burrowa district, on the 2nd May, 1864, being 46 years old last May. This concluded the evidence.Coroner found that the said William Wales at Gowrie, near Bur- rowa, in the State of N.S.W., on 7th day of April, 1911, died from the effects of injuries accidentally received on the same day, through being struck by the lever of a tree-grubbing machine, owing to the breaking of one of the levers with which he was engaged working.
Funeral took place on Sunday afternoon to the Catholic portion of the Burrowa cemetery, and was largely attended, Rev. Fr. Fogarty officiating at the grave. The funeral arrangements were carried out by Messrs. G. Patterson & Son. We extend our heartfelt sympathy to the relatives of the deceased. They have asked us to convey their sincere thanks for the many kindnesses received at the hands of the Burrowa people.
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