The Sydney Morning Herald, Monday 14 June 1880
(New South Wales)

CORONER’S INQUEST
On Saturday afternoon the City Coroner held an inquest, at his office, touching the death of a man named Francis Pearce. From the evidence adduced it appeared that the deceased was a married man, leaving a widow, a native of Cornwall, and 28 years of age. On Friday afternoon last he was working at Saywell’s brickyards, Marrickville, in company with several others, filling a truck with clay, when suddenly a mass of earth fell upon him, and crushed him against the truck; there had been nothing to indicate that the earth was unsafe or likely to fall; the pit or excavation in which he was engaged was about 17 feet deep, but the earth fell about 12 feet. Deceased was immediately conveyed to the Infirmary, and admitted into that institution by Dr. Brown, but in spite of every means taken, he expired on Saturday. Dr. Brown had made a post-mortem examination of the remains, and found that the deceased had died from the effects of injuries received through a quantity of earth falling upon him, and the jury returned a verdict in accordance with the medical evidence.

Contributed by Bob Bolitho