Thomas was corporal in the 11th Regiment of Foot. He guarded convicts on Norfolk Island-1845, Tasmania, Melbourne, Adelaide. After discharge in Adelaide 1848-50 he married Nanny Rowe and they moved to Bendigo goldfield in 1853. They no doubt travelled with Nanny's brother, Francis Rowe to Sandhurst Bendigo (known as Bendigo's Valley, Sandhurst was the official designation before a plebiscite in favour of Bendigo settled the matter) . They are both signatories to the famous 1853 BENDIGO GOLDFIELDS PETITION. Tragically he was killed by a mine collapse in 1867, and was survived by his wife, seven sons and one daughter.
Bendigo Advertiser (Vic. : 1855 - 1918)
Thursday 12 September 1867 pg2
INQUIRY INTO THIS ACCIDENT AT BRITT'S
CLAIM HUNTLY.
The District Coroner held an inquiry yesterday at the Camp Hotel Huntly into the cause of the death of Thomas M'Grath, miner, who was killed by the sinking of the ground in a portion of Mr T. Britt's alluvial claim, Huntly. Mr Wrixon, solicitor, appeared to watch the proceedings on behalf of Mr Britt. The following evidence was taken and will be referred to when an inquest is held in the event of the body being recovered :-
Joseph Downey, miner, deposed that on the 18th June last he had been working in the North of England Company's claim, which adjoins Britt's ground, and on the evening of that day, about eight o'clock, while returning home by the light of a candle lamp, he saw that the Cambridge Company's dam had burst, and the water was rushing towards the spot on Mr Britt's claim which sank. He heard and saw the ground giving way and sinking about three feet, and saw the water rush into the cavity; knowing that men were working under the place he ran to Mr Britt's engine-house and alarmed the engine driver and Bruce, the mining manager, who was at tea. Witness and Bruce went to the claim and found that all the men but M'Grath had reached the surface; by this time the ground had sunk twenty feet, and water was still rushing in there. The other men being afraid to go near the cavity to make a trench or bank to turn the water from going in, wit ness attempted it but did not succeed. Witness then went home and next morning he visited the claim and saw that the cavity was filled with water to within fifteen feet of the surface. The night of the accident he flow of water from the Cambridge Company's dam put the fires out in witness's engine-house. The earth taken out in forming the race was placed on the west side preventing the surplus water running over the flat into its natural channel, the creek.
James O'Dwyer, miner, deposed that on the evening of the accident he was working in a cross drive, about 75 foot from the main drive, and within about 100 foot of where the ground caved in. M'Grath was working in the same crosscut, in a branch drive 15 feet in, blocking out. About eight o'clock witness heard a rush of air, and fearing something was wrong ran out to the main drive, and while passing the branch drive, which is 35 feet from the main drive, he called M'Grath, who did not answer. On reaching the main drive he called to M'Grath again, but still there was no reply. While going towards the main shaft he warned the two Italians working in the side ground, and they followed him. By the time witness reached the shaft the water was coming along the main drive, and the boy Armstrong and witness went up the main ladders and one of the Italians went up the ladders of another shaft. On reaching the surface the cage was lowered for the other Italian and M'Grath, but only the former came up. The manager then went down the same ladder shaft as the Italian came up. Witness was quite satisfied that deceased heard him call, for the boy Armstrong who was further off heard him call. As far as ever he had seen witness considered that every precaution was used in the working of the ground for the safety of the men. There was plenty of timber, and in his opinion the ground could not have been worked better. To Mr Wrixon: The main drive was well lighted by four kerosene lamps. To the Coroner: There was a race cut from the creek to the Cambridge Company's dam, and during heavy rains it carried a very large body of water and increased the danger of the flat being flooded. The water flowing into the sunken ground came from the Cambridge Company's dam, and in his opinion the flood caused the ground to fall in, though ground on the flat frequently fell in when there was no water flowing over the surface, and Mr Britt's ground might have fallen in in the same way in time. But for the rush of water below the men might have remained at their work, as the ground sinking would not have interfered with them.
Joseph Bruce, underground manager at Mr Thomas Britt's claim, Lower Huntly, deposed that Joseph Dowsey reported to him that the ground had fallen in, and witness, who was at tea, on going to the claim learned that all the men were up but deceased. Witness then descended the ladder shaft and walked from it to the main shaft, and found the light burning and the cage at the bottom ready for hauling.
Witness called to deceased repeatedly, but got no answer. The drive at the main shaft is eight feet high, and witness waited until the water had risen to his neck; further in the drive it was up to the cap pieces (about five feet high). Seeing there was no chance of assisting deceased witness signaled and was hauled in the cage to the surface. The ground had then sunk about twenty feet. He had never seen so much water on the flat before that night, and he believed it was caused by the bursting of the Cambridge Company's dam. At the place which caved in the ground had been worked in the usual way, and some of the props taken out to make it safer for the men to work the next block. The land at the place, for twenty feet from the surface, is composed of sand and clay, and from that down of sand and gravel. But for the extra quantity of water on the surface, that night, the ground would not have fallen in. The race leading from the creek to the Cambridge Company's dam was dangerous to all the neighbouring claims. All the workings of Mr Britt's claim are carefully and sufficiently timbered. No one had worked in the place which caved in for a month previously. It is forty feet from where O'Dwyer and M'Grath were working, and but for the water they would have been quite safe. The place which sank is round and forty feet in diameter; all the drives, he thought, were filled by the sand and water from this sinking. Whether the timbers had been withdrawn or not the ground would have caved in by the force of the water. There was no by-wash to the Cambridge Company's dam.
Isaac Holden, miner, deposed that on the night of the accident he was at the bottom of the main shaft receiving the trucks with washdirt from Armstrong, he heard and felt a great rush of wind, then a noise like thunder, and shortly afterwards O'Dwyer and Armstrong came along, and immediately a rush of water came along the drive. They all got into the cage and signaled to rise, but the cage caught in the shaft, and they got out and went up the ladder. M'Grath was working about 448 feet from the main shaft.
Mrs Dowsey deposed that on the night of the 18th June, at twelve o'clock, she crossed Britt's race, and the water was up to her knees, and in crossing the Cambridge Company's race it was over her knees, and she saw the water flowing through a breach in the Cambridge Company's dam.
Mr Sebbes, manager of the Cambridge Company, stated that he could produce evidence that no water came from the creek along the Cam bridge Company's race on the night of the accident, but he had no notice that the present inquiry was going to be made.
The Coroner stated he would adjourn the inquiry if Mr Sebbes could give any evidence contrary to that already given, which al went to show the flood was caused by the race and the bursting of the Cambridge Company's dam. The bank, he considered, was quite unfit to hold any large quantity of water, and so he would report to the Government.
John Armstrong deposed that he was in the main drive, and he heard O'Dwyer calling M'Grath to come out, and afterwards O'Dwyer came along, and at the same time he heard as if the ground had caved in, and the water came rushing through the drive.
The evidence of Thomas Dowsey was taken, and went to show that there was a great rush of water from the Cambridge Company's dam into the sunken ground. One of the Italians, Guiseppi Montii, who was in the claim at the time of the accident, stated that the claim was well timbered in every respect. J. F. O'Dwyer made a statement that he considered the cause of the flooding was the overflow of the creek from a break in the bank near Panton's garden, but he did not see the water coming in there, and was not present on the night when the Cambridge dam was said to have burst. He had visited the ground afterwards. This concluded the examination of witnesses, but the Coroner informed Mr Sebbes that if he had any witnesses to bring forward to rebut the evidence in respect to the bursting of the Company's dam bank, or any point which he considered injuriously affected the company, he would re-open the inquiry and take the evidence.
Bendigo Advertiser (Vic. : 1855 - 1918)Thursday 20 June 1867 Pg 2
Bendigo Advertiser (Vic. : 1855 - 1918) Saturday 22 June 1867 Pg 2
Bendigo Advertiser (Vic. : 1855 - 1918)Tuesday 23 July 1867 pg2
charitable concert at Huntly
Bendigo Advertiser (Vic. : 1855 - 1918)Wednesday 24 July 1867 Pg2
Benefit
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