William Sylvester Harton (1891 - 1912)

Born 26 Apr 1891 in Cobar, New South Wales, Australia

Ancestors

Died 1 Jun 1912 at age 21 in Cobar, New South Wales, Australia

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Biography

New South Wales

William Sylvester Harton was born on the 26 April 1891, in Cobar, News South Wales. Parents being William Harton and Frances Catherine (McArthur) Harton their first child born a son. The family were living at the Wilga Cottage Cypress Retreat, Cobar at the time of his brith.

In Williams later teens and early twenties he like most of the other young lads went off to work in the Mines and as the account of how William was in the wrong place at the wrong time goes..........William was living in a Boarding House when a fellow boarder warned him not to go to work as he had dreamt he was accidentally killed at work......The warning was ignored and William was killed in a fall in a stope in the underground section of the Great Cobar Copper Mine that day in 1912.

Ironically he had changed the shift with one of his mates.

As recorded by the Barrier Miner : Tue 4 Jun 1912, Still Another:

Last week was a black week for Cobar, no less than three fatal accidents having occurred. The third one occurred at 1100/1 stope on No. 11 level at Great Cobar mine, the victim being William Sylvester Harton, who was only 21 years of age.
It appears that he and a man named Albert Henry Kerr were engaged between 3 and 4 o'clock on Saturday afternoon laying a tramline between two passes. Harton mounted the pass about 9 or 10 feet and was helping himself up by the aid of a log which proved to be loose. The result was that the log came away and both fell to the bottom, the log striking him on the head, fracturing the base of the skull and exposing the brains.
Deceased only lived a few minutes.

He came to Cobar some years ago and for the last two years had been boarding with Mr. A. McLaughlin.

He was a very well liked young man, and there could be no greater demonstration of this fact than the presence of over 300 of his fellow workmen following the hearse on Sunday afternoon, as well as a large number of loaded vehicles.

The Rev. Father Hughes officiated at the grave. Messrs. Gudgeon and Co. were the undertakers.

We understand that deceased's mother and family reside at White Cliffs.
All sympathy is tendered to them.

The enquiry was held on Monday afternoon. [1] Trove Article

William Sylvester Harton was buried in the Catholic section of the Cobar Shire Cemetery, Cobar, Cobar Shire, New South Wales

Sources

• Birth Registration No: 10750/1891

• Death Registration No: 5441/1912

• Government Gazette N.S.W. Wednesday 31 July 1912, - Intestate Estate of William Sylvester Harton, late of Cobar, labourer, deceased. [2]

• The Cobar Herald - Family Notice 02 June 1912 - HARTON.—In loving memory of our dear son and brother, William Sylvester Harton, who was killed in the Great Cobar Copper Mine on 1st June, 1912. [3] Trove Archive

• Western Age (Dubbo, NSW : 1914 - 1932), Fri 1 Jun 1917, page 2, - In Memoriam - [4] Trove NLA

• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/186220154/william-s-harton: accessed 04 October 2022), memorial page for William S. Harton (26 Apr 1891–1 Jun 1912), Find a Grave Memorial ID 186220154, citing Cobar Shire Cemetery, Cobar, Cobar Shire, New South Wales, Australia; Maintained by Krutz (contributor 48848074) .