William Bernard Ward

William Bernard Ward was a child who drowned in the Redan quarries.

History
Ward was drowned in the Redan quarries on 13 December 1861: A second inquest took place at Pleasant street, on the same day, on the body of William Bernard Ward, aged 11 years, who was drowned in one of the Redan quarry-holes on the same morning. Mary Chalmer deposed that deceased was in her employment, and was sent with two cans for some water to the quarry from whence they usually got their water. In about a quarter of an hour she looked to see if he was coming, and then saw another boy, Robert Quail, coming with deceased's hat in his hand. She, Quail, and John Chalmers then went to the quarry and found one of the cans close to the water hole, but the boy and the other can were missing. The alarm was then given to the men in an adjoining quarry, who searched with sticks for the body without avail. One of the men next dived down and brought him up. He was quite dead, and above an hour had elapsed from the time he was sent for the water until his body was found. Robert Quail corroborated this evidence, and stated that he had also been sent for a bucket of water by his mother when he found the hat of deceased, who was floating on the surface of the water. John M'Bride the quarryman who recovered the body by diving for it, also gave evidence, and said the water was from 12 to 14 feet deep. The head of deceased appeared to be resting on the bottom, and the feet floating a little above. The jury returned a verdict of accidental death.