Amanuensis Monday - Woman's Death from Drowning

My great grand father, John Herbert's  remarried after the tragic death of his wife Louisa Seaford in 1902.  His married second wife Caroline Hornhardt in 1903  and their family continued to live in Burra until John's death in 1926. After his death, Caroline she spent time living with her step daughters Essel Quinn (nee Herbert) who lived in Broken Hill and Annie Whitehorn (nee Herbert) who lived in Prospect, South Australia.

Carrie (as she was known)  whose story can be found on my other blog "The other half of my tree - stories of my female ancestors" died tragically eight years after her husband, John.

The Advertiser, Saturday 15 December 1934.

Prospect Woman's Death from Drowning

At an inquest yesterday into the death of Mrs Caroline Herbert, 59, widow, of Percy Street, Prospect, whose body was found in the River Torrens near The Frome road bridge on December 7 the City Coroner (Mr A S. Blackburn) found that there was no evidence to show how she came to be in the river.

Jack Herbert, a son of Draytown Street, Bowden said that his mother had not complained of ill health, and had given no signs of having been depressed.

Mrs Annie Whitehorn, of Percy Street, Prospect, stated that the deceased was her stepmother, and had been living with her at her home since she had come from Broken Hill about nine moths ago.  She was to have returned to Broken Hill on December 7.  She had gone off her food during he last few months, but was not depressed.  She was very short sighted.

Mr M.R. Kelton a corporation employee, of Curtis street, North Adelaide, who found he body, said hat the bank around the spot was very steep and a danger for anyone walking there at night.

You can read more of Caroline's story on "Matrilineal Monday - Tragic Drowning - Caroline Herbert nee Hornhardt".
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1934 'Prospect Woman's Death From Drowning.', The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1931 - 1954), 15 December, p. 9, viewed 8 September, 2014, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article74122939

Amanuensis Monday - Sharing Memories - Disastrous Floods destroy Nuntherungie Station Homestead

Red earth of Nuntherungie- Homestead in Background

Last week I wrote about the importance of rain in the outback, and some of my childhood memories of the celebration and excitement when rain did finally eventuate in Sharing Memories - Here comes the Rain!.  In this story I mentioned Miss Tapp, the sister of the owner of Nuntherungie Station who was brought up on the station as a young child.  Miss Tapp, who lived in Broken Hill, had quite an influence on my knowledge of the bush as a young child.  

When she was visiting her brother (from Broken Hill) she would take me on walks in the bush, and dry creek beds, pointing out the different types of bushes, plants and animals. She showed me how to dig down into the dry creek bed, to find water, and pointed out some of the native plants that were edible. I can also clearly remember her showing me the different foot prints in the sand that were made by kangaroos, birds and goannas by drawing the shapes of their hoof prints in the sand.   

 

North West Corner of  NSW - showing location of Nuntherungie

The Homestead of Nuntherungie was built on a hill, looking down on the extensive system of creeks that flowed in between the homestead and the Woolshed.  However, this homestead was not the original building.  The first homestead build on Nuntherungie was erected closer to the creeks in the 1880's.  On one of the outings with Miss Tapp we visited the spot where the first homestead stood.  All that was remaining was a couple of brick chimneys, overgrown by bush. Miss Tapp described her childhood in a beautiful stone homestead. She then told me the homestead had been destroyed in a huge flood that the family had to leave and rebuild their home on higher ground. 

As we scrambled out way through the long grass and trees, Miss Tapp pointed out a small overgrown garden bed where a couple of bulbs were popping out of the ground.  She explained that this was all that remained of her mothers garden and every year in spring these bulbs would pop their heads out to remind her of times gone.

 

I had almost forgotten this story until recently troving through TROVE and came across this article, which gives a more substantial description of the events on the day that the Nuntherungie homestead was washed away in the huge floods of 1931.  It was one of those light bulb moments!  I remember being told about this! and as the story follows on nicely from my previous article about celebrating the arrival of rain in this district, it is fitting to share this story as it highlights  how the people of these isolated areas were at the mercy of the elements.

 

 

Barrier Miner (Broken Hill, NSW, - Tuesday 14 April 1931, page 3*

THE FLOOD AT NUNTHERUNGIE

WATER CAUSED COLLAPSE OF WALLS OF HOMESTEAD

About 6000 pounds damage.

The stately old homestead at Nuntherungie Station, 120 miles from Broken Hill on the White Cliffs road, is now a scene of desolation, and so severe is the damage wrought by the recent floods that the building will have to be demolished and a new homestead built.  About 6000 pounds damage was done.

Nuntherungie is one of the oldest homesteads in the district, and was once owned by the Kennedy family.  The homestead was erected 50 years ago.  Mr Nigel Kennedy, who died in Broken some years ago, being a son of the owner.  Then Mr B. A. Williamson of Abbotsford near Ivanhoe had the place, Mr E.P. Tapp, the present owner, taking over after he returned from service with the A.I.F. during the Great War.  Thus Mr Tapp, who took the place in 1920 or 1921 has during his life not only been exposed to the dangers of war, but has experienced some of the bitter reverses of civil life.

Nuntherungie homestead is built on the east side of a creek and was constructed of stone and pise and when it was built it was never thought that the district would experience such as a flood as was the case about a fortnight ago.  In years gone by the flood waters came down the creek proper but during the past few heavy rains the creek has overflowed some distance above the station and flowed down both sides but the rush of water had never previously reached the house.  When on previous occasions water threatened the station large banks were built to keep it back, and up till this flood the move was successful.  On this occasion the raging torrent was too much for the embankments and they were swept away.  The water had been banked so far back that when it was suddenly released it came like the rapids of a surging river.  Right through the homestead, outhouses and woolshed the water rushed carrying everything before it.  At the height of the flood the water in the homestead and some other houses was 4ft 6 inches deep.  Everything was soaked, the most valuable article, a piano, being saved from destruction by the foresight of some of the people there.  The mattresses from a couple of beds were placed on the dining room table and the piano was lifted on to this.  Thus it escaped the water.  While the piano rested majestically on the table, chairs, other tables and furniture floated about the buildings like miniature yachts.

The miracle was that no persons on the station were drowned.  After the flood had subsided silt was found on the floors of the homestead inches deep.  The foundations of the house sank as a result of the rush of water and in some walls of the buildings cracks appeared from one inch to almost a foot wide.  Other walls collapsed, that is interior walls and two of the walls near the front of the house.  There were nine rooms in the building and all that supports the roof now are a few walls and the door and window frames.  It is estimated that between 5000 pounds and 6000 pounds damage was done to the house, contents and outbuildings on the property.

In the outbuildings a two-roomed structure over a cellar has a tilt because of the foundations having subsided.  Several of the buildings have feet of silt in them.

The flood was the largest in the memory of white men in the district.  One man has been on the station for 35 years and he says that he has never seen such a flood before.  The exact rainfall on the station is not known.  About five inches of rain was registered and then the rain gauge was useless.

It is believed that the extra-large flood was caused by heavy falls at Wertago, where seven inches of rain was registered.  This is between Nuntherungie and Gnalta, and all this water came down the Nuntherungie Creek, later finding its way to Bancannia Lake, about 50 miles away.  Following the water came floods from the Kayrunnera area.

Mr Edward Tapp**

There are five in the Tapp family and all were at home.  Fortunately shearing was in progress and the shearers were able to give Mr Tapp valuable help in cleaning up a lot of the debris.  The shearing of Nuntherungie sheep had finished, but Wertago sheep were being attended to and of course since the flood and the damage the shearing has had to be postponed for the time.

The water came through the shearing shed feet deep, but did not cause the building to collapse.  The silt damaged the interior of the building and much repair work will have to be carried out.  Forty bales of wool were saturated, but the shearers as soon as the rain eased off opened these and spread the wool out to dry.  It is still marketable, although it will be slightly discoloured.  The shearers stood by Mr Tapp to a man and although they were told they could not be paid they never faltered in their cleaning up of the debris and stayed at the station as long as they could.  They worked like men on contract and Constable Smith, who was held up by the floods and reached Nuntherungie gave help till he was able to push on to his station at White Cliffs.  At times it was feared that there would be a shortage of food, but this was rationed and the determination of neighbours at Kayrunnera and Wertago saved the position, Light vehicles were taken out over the flooded areas and provisions were carried over the flooded creek.  Constable Smith left Nuntherungie on Easter Monday and the shearers who had put through 6000 sheep went on to White Cliffs, being held up there owing to the roads to Tonga, where they had to start shearing, being boggy.

According to a resident who was through Nuntherungie during the weekend, the roads between here and Gnalta are passable, but for a man to take the rest of the road to Nuntherungie he must be a careful driver and have a light car.  All the creeks between Gnalta and Nuntherungie are silted up, there being piles of debris and silt 7 ft high in some creeks.  The creek known as 10 mile, some distance from Nuntherungie, had a wire netting crossing, but this has been carried away, and a pile of silt has taken its place.  As far as can be ascertained no sheep were drowned, but a muster cannot be made on account of the conditions of the country.  Some may have been carried away in the torrent, and if not caught in trees washed into Bancannia Lake.  To add to the discomfort of the Nuntherungie people, telephone communication was cut off, the lines being washed away.  Communication has now been restored through Wonnaminta, but the direct line to White Cliffs is still out of order.

Travellers say that much fending on all the stations in the flood area was washed away, and the banks of tanks suffered extensively.  Most of the surface water from the floods has gone, but there is still a little about the clay pans.

Station people in the Nuntherungie area say they will long remember the disastrous flood, and there is much sympathy in the district for Mr Tapp and family, for their loss is severe and the disaster coming at a time when the industry is just recovering makes the blow suffered doubly heavy.

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* 1931 'THE FLOOD AT NUNTHERUNGIE.', Barrier Miner(Broken Hill, NSW : 1888 - 1954), 14 April, p. 3, viewed 7 July, 2014, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article46604249

 **Obituaries Australia, http://oa.anu.edu.au/obituary/tapp-edward-peter-958, viewed on 1 July 2014.

Amanuensis Monday - The Tantulean Tragedy - Murder Theory

I have mentioned in previous blogs the value of researching your family tree links in TROVE. However, when I first started searching for links to my family history, online research wasn't even thought of.  I paid regular visits to local genealogical and history societies, museums and libraries in the search for stories related to my ancestry.  It was in the early 1980's that I visited the museum in the small village of Braidwood. The Braidwood Museum is home to the local historical society, and at that time had a collection of newspapers dating back to the gold mining era. Pen and paper in hand I spend the day, carefully reading and searching for stories related to my family history.  One of the exciting discoveries I found was a story related to my great grand father's (Lynn Shepherd) brother Ralph Shepherd (1876-1933). Here is the article as I transcribed it about 28 years ago.

Braidwood Review, 14 February 1933

The Tantulean Tragedy.

Murder Theory.

Since the finding of the charred remains of the old man Ralph Shepherd, in the smoldering ruins of his homestead at Tantulean on Thursday morning, the district has been agog with excitement.  The scene of the tragedy was first investigated by Sergeant Germer of Braidwood.  Then Detective Sergeant Keogh, who was recently engaged on the evaluation of the park murders, was sent up to investigate.  A reporter came along for a Sydney daily, and spent some days in the vicinity.

The fact that the old man was known to have had a sum of money in his possession, estimated at something like 100 pounds or more and also that he had cased a 10 shilling note the previous day, the change of which could not be found, gave rise everywhere to the theory that ha had been murdered. However, we understand that the change from the 10 shilling note had been found.

In the meantime Detective Sergeant Keogh assisted by Constable Bodel of Goulburn is still pursuing his investigation.  The funeral of the deceased was to have been held on Friday, but acting on instructions from the police this was postponed until yesterday afternoon.

Though some of the silver coins belonging to the man have been found, the common idea locally is that, Shepherd was found done to death in his lonely hut, and that the murderer then set fire to the house to cover up his callous crime.  This theory is advanced on account of the fact that when found the charred body was lying in a normal position, partly on one side, on the remains of a mattress on an iron single bedstead.  The contention is that even had the old man accidentally set fire to his house while fast asleep he must certainly have been awakened when the flames began to seer and scorch his body.

Naturally, he would leave his bed and make an effort to get outside.  Even assuming he was partly smothered before he was properly awake he must surely have at least rolled from his bed to the floor in his dying struggles.  But he did not move, he was lying in the middle of his bed.  Particular significance is attached to this theory.  Then again, the finding of the coins would not signify very much.  The murderer would hardly bother about a few paltry coins when the big roll of 100 pounds was safely in his possession.

Rumour has it that parts of the metal of the old mans braces were found lying near his remains, indicating that he was clothed when the fire began to consume him. It is also rumoured that no sign of any metal such as would have come from the remains of his purse were located near him.  These reports further confirm the belief that Shepherd was murdered.

The theory that the old man accidentally knocked his lamp over in his sleep and thus set his house ablaze would not appear to hold much water.  Shepherd did not use kerosene, preferring to keep the old fashioned candle.  There was no kerosene in the house  Neither did the old man smoke.  Over twelve months ago when the price of tobacco rose, he gave up smoking and has not smoked since.

Each week when he secured his groceries he always purchased 3d or 6d worth of lollies.  These made up for the loss of his tobacco.

People who should know are very definite that Shepherd must have had well over 100 pounds in his possession when death overtook him. He was receiving a pension that was more than sufficient to keep him, and in addition he had a small paddock leased for some years for which he had been receiving 15 pounds per year rent and latterly 10 pounds per year.

Though the report has gone out that the cause of the fire and of the death of Shepherd was accidental, that fact that Detective Sergeant Keog is still investigating and it would not create surprise if in the course of the next few days some startling and sensational developments took place.