On This Day – 16 Mar 1896

Lennonville 2 Minutes
Lennonville c18961

In the mid-1890s, the Murchison goldfields of Western Australia were a landscape of frantic industry and hope. However, in March 1896, the mining community of Lennonville, near Mount Magnet, was struck by tragedy at the New Chum Mine. What began as a typical shift ended in a “phenomenally heavy” storm that claimed the lives of three men and left a community in mourning.2 3

The disaster unfolded on a Tuesday afternoon when a violent storm broke over the district. The mine, which lacked adequate surface drainage and sat in the direct course of a natural water flow, was defenceless. Within just fifteen minutes of the rain starting, a torrent poured down the main shaft. The water rose an incredible 60 to 80 feet in less than an hour, extinguishing the boiler fires and stopping the engines.4

At the time, six men were working underground. On the No. 3 level, the lowest part of the mine, George Henderson and his mate William Campbell were suddenly engulfed. In a desperate bid for life, Henderson managed to climb the sets through “torrents of water” to reach the No. 2 level. Exhausted and battered, he survived, but Campbell was not so fortunate; he failed in his attempt and fell back into the rapidly rising floodwaters. Meanwhile, at the No. 2 level, Arthur Daniels and Roger Cook rushed for the cage, but it was not there. Whether the cage had been raised prematurely or had fallen, the two men stepped into the void and fell to the No. 3 level, where they drowned.5 6 7 8

The three victims were all men from the eastern colonies who had come to the Murchison seeking their fortunes. Roger Cook (also referred to as Arthur or Bolger Cook) was the only married man of the three, leaving behind a wife and children in Newcastle, New South Wales. William Campbell hailed from Mittagong, New South Wales. Arthur Daniels was from Linton, near Ballarat in Victoria. He had only recently arrived on the goldfields with his brother who was in Cue at the time and tragically learned of his sibling’s death only after reading the local newspaper.9 10

The aftermath was a grim, 48-hour operation of constant pumping and baling to recover the bodies. When the water was finally lowered, the miners were found “earthed up” by the debris. A coroner’s inquest, held by Mr Raymond Gee, J.P., eventually returned a verdict of accidental drowning, or “misadventure,” clearing the management of legal fault. However, the disaster sparked significant local comment regarding mine safety, particularly as the Inspector of Mines, Frank Reed, noted he had previously warned that the requirements of the Mines Regulation Act “must be carried out”.11

The victims were interred at the Mount Magnet cemetery. Their funeral was a somber affair, attended by over 300 residents and fellow miners, reflecting the deep “gloom” that the disaster had cast over the entire Murchison district.12

Sources

Editor’s note: There are more than 650 newspapers reports in Trove of the New Chum Mining Disaster.

  1. State Library of Western Australia (n.d.) Mines and Miners on the Cue and Mt Magnet Goldfields: An unidentified mine, probably at Lennonville. Retrieved 17 Mar 2026 from https://encore.slwa.wa.gov.au/iii/encore/record/C__Rb4539485 ↩︎
  2. FATAL ACCIDENT AT THE NEW CHUM MINE. (1896, March 21). The Murchison Times and Day Dawn Gazette (Cue, WA : 1894 – 1925), p. 3. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article233239175 ↩︎
  3. COUNTRY. (1896, March 19). The West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 – 1954), p. 5. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3083722 ↩︎
  4. TELEGRAMS. (1896, March 20). The Inquirer and Commercial News (Perth, WA : 1855 – 1901), p. 9. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article72369774 ↩︎
  5. COUNTRY. (1896, March 19). The West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 – 1954), p. 5. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3083722 ↩︎
  6. MURCHISON (1896, March 21). The Australian Advertiser (Albany, WA : 1888 – 1897), p. 3. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article260681927 ↩︎
  7. ACCIDENT AT THE NEW CHUM MINE, MURCHISON. (1896, March 28). Northern Public Opinion and Mining and Pastoral News (Roebourne, WA : 1894 – 1902), p. 3. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article255734266 ↩︎
  8. mindat.org (n.d.) New Chum Gold Mine, Boogardie Goldfield, Mount Magnet, Mount Magnet Shire, Western Australia, Australia. Retrieved 17 Mar 2026 from https://www.mindat.org/loc-264772.html ↩︎
  9. MURCHISON (1896, March 21). The Australian Advertiser (Albany, WA : 1888 – 1897), p. 3. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article260681927 ↩︎
  10. FATAL ACCIDENT AT THE NEW CHUM MINE. (1896, March 21). The Murchison Times and Day Dawn Gazette (Cue, WA : 1894 – 1925), p. 3. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article233239175 ↩︎
  11. ACCIDENT AT THE NEW CHUM MINE. (1896, April 15). Geraldton Advertiser (WA : 1893 – 1905), p. 3. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article252764995 ↩︎
  12. MOUNT MAGNET MINING ACCIDENT. (1896, March 27). The Inquirer and Commercial News (Perth, WA : 1855 – 1901), p. 4. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article72378881 ↩︎

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