On the morning of 9 October 1851, William Hyams was working in a pit on the Ballarat diggings in the company of Alexander Watson and two other men. According to Watson, Hyams undermined the face of a hill, the slip of which then came down on top of him. Hyams was completely covered in soil, whilst another man was also partially buried. Although Watson and others succeeded in removing the dirt from Hyams before he suffocated he was severely injured. Carried insensible from the pit, he was examined by the surgeon Lacy Phillips, who declared his ribs broken and ordered him to be returned to his tent. Hyams died from his injuries about two hours later.
VPRS 24 Inquest Deposition Files
Created: 2 November 2006, Last modified: 23 January 2007