Owen Cahill

Owen Cahill was a man who died after falling into a Redan quarry.

History
Owen Cahill was born c.1843, the son of Bridget and James Cahill.

Cahill died after falling into a Redan quarry on 29 May 1873: "A shocking accident occurred on Thursday evening at the Redan quarry holes. A miner, named Owen Cahill, residing near Lake Wendouree, had been at the residence of his cousin, Cornelius Cahill, a miner, working at the Koh-i-Noor claim, and left there at half-past seven that evening to go to his own place. He expressed his intention of taking a short cut to Pleasant Street by way of a beaten track past several unprotected quarries. When he left the house of his cousin he was perfectly sober, not having had anything but tea to drink. He was not seen again alive, but at seven o'clock on Friday morning a quarryman, named John Butler, on going to his work, observed Cahill in a sitting posture leaning on his left side, apparently dead. Without going nearer to the deceased Butler went to several other quarrymen and told them of his apprehensions, when they returned and found that poor Cahill was quite dead. The unfortunate man had evidently got off the track, and walked over the brink of the quarry, falling a distance of seventeen feet. It seemed as if in falling he had endeavored to save himself by catching hold of the side of the precipice, for marks were observed on the surface. Information of the occurrence was conveyed to Constable Moran of the Redan police, who repaired to the scene of the accident, and found that the deceased had broken his right arm just above the elbow, and had evidently walked a few yards from where he had fallen, sat down, and died. During the day an inquest was held at the Antwerp Hotel, when the evidence adduced was to the effect stated. Dr Bunce proved that beside other severe injuries, the deceased had sustained a fracture of the cervical vertebræ, which was the direct cause of death. The jury in returning a verdict in accordance with the medical evidence, stated that they believed he accidentally fell into the quarry, and they further found that the quarries should be fenced in, as in their present unprotected state they were moat dangerous to life. The deceased has left a wife and four children."

His brother wrote the Ballarat Council in November 1873 seeking a compensation payment for Owen's wife and children: "Cr Williams presented a petition from John Cattrell (sic), brother of Owen Cattrell (sic), who was killed by falling into a quarry hole at Redan, which had since been fenced by the council, asking the council to make some provision for the children of the deceased man.- The petition was referred to the finance committee for a report."