C. Y. O'Connor
Encyclopedia
Charles Yelverton O'Connor CMG (11 January 184310 March 1902) was an Irish
engineer
who is best-known for his work in Australia
, especially the Goldfields Water Supply Scheme
.
, Ireland, third and youngest son and fourth child of John O'Connor, a farmer and company secretary, and his wife Mary Elizabeth, née O'Keefe. O'Connor was home schooled by his aunt before being educated at the Waterford Endowed School (also known as Bishop Foy's School). In 1859 he was apprenticed to John Chaloner Smith
as a railway engineer. At the age of 21 he migrated to New Zealand
, and on 6 September 1866 was appointed assistant engineer for Canterbury Province
. After holding other positions, O'Connor became inspecting engineer for the mid-South Island
. In 1873 he married Scottish born Susan Letitia Ness and together they raised seven children, four girls and three boys whilst in New Zealand. In 1883 he was appointed Under-Secretary of Public Works in New Zealand and in 1890 he was appointed Marine Engineer for the colony
.
By 1891 O'Connor had much experience in harbour and dock construction when he resigned his position in April that year to become Engineer-in-Chief of Western Australia
. His wife and children relocated with him to Australia. There he was responsible for the construction of Fremantle
Harbour and the Goldfields Water Supply Scheme
project that supplied water to the Eastern Goldfields
. He was the inaugural Engineer in Chief of the Public Works Department.
The construction of Fremantle Harbour
was probably O'Connor's greatest personal triumph, as his proposal to build the harbour within the entrance to the Swan River
was contrary to previous expert advice that this was impracticable and that the construction would require constant dredging. Work commenced in 1892 in removing a limestone
bar and sand shoal
s at the mouth of the Swan River and was successfully completed in 1903. On 4 May 1897 the first overseas passenger vessel, the Sultan berthed alongside the wharf, which had been named Victoria Quay in honour of Queen Victoria
, who celebrated her Diamond Jubilee
that year. At age 54, O'Connor travelled to London to be inducted in the Order of St Michael and St George
as a Companion.
Over 100 years of continued use of Fremantle Harbour by heavy shipping has erased all doubt concerning O'Connor's technical judgement.
O'Connor is best known for his work on the Goldfields Water Supply Scheme
, also known as the Goldfields Pipeline. This pipeline — perhaps the world's longest water main — carries water 330 miles (530 km) from Perth
to Kalgoorlie. A succession of gold rush
es in the Yilgarn
region near Southern Cross
in 1887, at Coolgardie
in 1892, and at Kalgoorlie
in 1893 caused a population explosion in the barren and dry desert centre of Western Australia, exemplified by towns like Cunderdin
and Merredin
. On 16 July 1896, John Forrest
introduced to Western Australian Parliament a bill
to authorise the raising of a loan of £2.5 million to construct the scheme: the pipeline would pump 5 million impgals (22,730.5 m³) of water per day to the Goldfields from a dam
on the Helena River
near Mundaring Weir in Perth, pumped in eight successive stages through 330 miles (530 km) of 30 inch (760 mm) diameter pipe to the Mount Charlotte Reservoir in Kalgoorlie. The water is then reticulated to various mining cethe Goldfields.
O'Connor was subjected to prolonged criticism by members of the press and also many members of the Western Australian Parliament over the scheme. Forrest, always a supporter, had left Western Australian politics to become federal defence minister; defamatory attacks by the press had wounded him. O'Connor committed suicide less than a year before Forrest officially commissioned the Goldfields Water Supply Scheme.
Evans describes how political machinations and individual greed led to many libellous newspaper articles about O'Connor towards the end of the pipeline project. One article in particular in The Sunday Times, 9 February 1902, is thought to have contributed to his death. Accusing O'Connor of corruption, it read, in part:
The government conducted an inquiry into the scheme and found no basis for the press accusations of corruption or misdemeanours on the part of O'Connor.
The lake created by Mundaring Weir
is now known as Lake O'Connor, and still provides drinking water for the towns along the pipeline to Kalgoorlie, Western Australia
.
O'Connor took his own life on 10 March 1902 by shooting himself, while riding his horse into the water at a beach south of Fremantle. He took his own life because he was accused of many crimes, such as foolhardiness and waste of public money.
It is also claimed that local Noongar
Aboriginal people, unhappy with his destruction of the limestone bar at the mouth of the Swan River
, placed a curse on O'Connor. It is claimed "...they sang him to make him crazy" and that his suicide was the end result of this.
The beach where O'Connor died was named after him and there is also a statue sculpted by Tony Jones, of him in the water there.
The novel The Drowner by Robert Drewe
provides a fictionalised account of O'Connor and the building of the pipeline.
On 7 December 1898, his daughter Eva married Sir George Julius
at St John's Church, Fremantle, Western Australia. Julius was the first chairman of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) which later became the CSIRO.
The C. Y. O'Connor College of TAFE in Western Australia
bears his name.
The Division of O'Connor
, named after O'Connor, is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Western Australia. It encircles the area around Perth, and runs from the Indian Ocean coast to the Southern Ocean coast. And it includes the cities of Geraldton and Albany, and much of the Midlands, Wheatbelt and Great Southern regions of Western Australia.
A bronze
statue of O'Connor by Pietro Porcelli
stands in front of the Fremantle Port Authority buildings, commemorating O'Connor's achievements.
O'connor has also had a school named after him called O'connor Primary School, in Kalgoorlie-Boulder.
for example.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
who is best-known for his work in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, especially the Goldfields Water Supply Scheme
Goldfields Water Supply Scheme
The Goldfields Water Supply Scheme is a pipeline and dam project which delivers potable water to communities in Western Australia's Eastern Goldfields, particularly Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie...
.
Early life
O'Connor was born in Gravelmount, Castletown, County MeathCounty Meath
County Meath is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Mide . Meath County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland, third and youngest son and fourth child of John O'Connor, a farmer and company secretary, and his wife Mary Elizabeth, née O'Keefe. O'Connor was home schooled by his aunt before being educated at the Waterford Endowed School (also known as Bishop Foy's School). In 1859 he was apprenticed to John Chaloner Smith
John Chaloner Smith
John Chaloner Smith was an Irish civil engineer and writer on British mezzotints.-Life:He was born in Dublin. His father was a proctor of the ecclesiastical courts, and married a granddaughter of Travers Hartley, M.P. for Dublin in the Irish parliament. Chaloner Smith was admitted to Trinity...
as a railway engineer. At the age of 21 he migrated to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, and on 6 September 1866 was appointed assistant engineer for Canterbury Province
Canterbury Province
The Canterbury Province was a province of New Zealand from 1853 until the abolition of provincial government in 1876. On the east coast the province was bounded by the Hurunui River in the north and the Waitaki River in the south...
. After holding other positions, O'Connor became inspecting engineer for the mid-South Island
South Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
. In 1873 he married Scottish born Susan Letitia Ness and together they raised seven children, four girls and three boys whilst in New Zealand. In 1883 he was appointed Under-Secretary of Public Works in New Zealand and in 1890 he was appointed Marine Engineer for the colony
Self-governing colony
A self-governing colony is a colony with an elected legislature, in which politicians are able to make most decisions without reference to the colonial power with formal or nominal control of the colony...
.
By 1891 O'Connor had much experience in harbour and dock construction when he resigned his position in April that year to become Engineer-in-Chief of Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
. His wife and children relocated with him to Australia. There he was responsible for the construction of Fremantle
Fremantle, Western Australia
Fremantle is a city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle was the first area settled by the Swan River colonists in 1829...
Harbour and the Goldfields Water Supply Scheme
Goldfields Water Supply Scheme
The Goldfields Water Supply Scheme is a pipeline and dam project which delivers potable water to communities in Western Australia's Eastern Goldfields, particularly Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie...
project that supplied water to the Eastern Goldfields
Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia
The Goldfields-Esperance region is one of the nine regions of Western Australia. It is located in the south eastern corner of Western Australia, and comprises the local government areas of Coolgardie, Dundas, Esperance, Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Laverton, Leonora, Menzies, Ngaanyatjarraku and...
. He was the inaugural Engineer in Chief of the Public Works Department.
Fremantle Harbour
Fremantle Harbour
Fremantle Harbour is Western Australia's largest and busiest general cargo port and an important historical site. The inner harbour handles a large volume of sea containers, vehicle imports and livestock exports, cruise shipping and naval visits, and operates 24 hours a day.The harbour is also...
was probably O'Connor's greatest personal triumph, as his proposal to build the harbour within the entrance to the Swan River
Swan River (Western Australia)
The Swan River estuary flows through the city of Perth, in the south west of Western Australia. Its lower reaches are relatively wide and deep, with few constrictions, while the upper reaches are usually quite narrow and shallow....
was contrary to previous expert advice that this was impracticable and that the construction would require constant dredging. Work commenced in 1892 in removing a limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
bar and sand shoal
Shoal
Shoal, shoals or shoaling may mean:* Shoal, a sandbank or reef creating shallow water, especially where it forms a hazard to shipping* Shoal draught , of a boat with shallow draught which can pass over some shoals: see Draft...
s at the mouth of the Swan River and was successfully completed in 1903. On 4 May 1897 the first overseas passenger vessel, the Sultan berthed alongside the wharf, which had been named Victoria Quay in honour of Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
, who celebrated her Diamond Jubilee
Diamond Jubilee
A Diamond Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 60th anniversary in the case of a person or a 75th anniversary in the case of an event.- Thailand :...
that year. At age 54, O'Connor travelled to London to be inducted in the Order of St Michael and St George
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
as a Companion.
Over 100 years of continued use of Fremantle Harbour by heavy shipping has erased all doubt concerning O'Connor's technical judgement.
Railways
O'Connor was engineer-in-chief and acting general manager of railways in Western Australia. Upgrades of existing lines and plans for new lines were made. The search for water for the Northam-Southern Cross route was initiated by O'Connor.Goldfields Water Supply Scheme
Goldfields Water Supply Scheme
The Goldfields Water Supply Scheme is a pipeline and dam project which delivers potable water to communities in Western Australia's Eastern Goldfields, particularly Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie...
, also known as the Goldfields Pipeline. This pipeline — perhaps the world's longest water main — carries water 330 miles (530 km) from Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
to Kalgoorlie. A succession of gold rush
Gold rush
A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers to an area that has had a dramatic discovery of gold. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, and the United States, while smaller gold rushes took place elsewhere.In the 19th and early...
es in the Yilgarn
Yilgarn, Western Australia
The Shire of Yilgarn is a Local Government Area in the Eastern Wheatbelt region of Western Australia about east of Perth, the state capital. The Shire covers an area of and its seat of government is the town of Southern Cross. The main industries within the Shire are mining and...
region near Southern Cross
Southern Cross, Western Australia
Southern Cross is a town in Western Australia, 371 kilometres east of Perth on the Great Eastern Highway. It was founded by gold prospectors in 1888, and gazetted in 1890. It is the major town and administrative centre of the Shire of Yilgarn...
in 1887, at Coolgardie
Coolgardie, Western Australia
Coolgardie is a small town in the Australian state of Western Australia, east of the state capital, Perth. It has a population of approximately 800 people....
in 1892, and at Kalgoorlie
Kalgoorlie, Western Australia
Kalgoorlie, known as Kalgoorlie-Boulder, is a town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, and is located east-northeast of state capital Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway...
in 1893 caused a population explosion in the barren and dry desert centre of Western Australia, exemplified by towns like Cunderdin
Cunderdin, Western Australia
Cunderdin is a town located in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia 156 km east of Perth, on Great Eastern Highway.- History :The first European visitor to the area was Charles Cooke Hunt, who explored the area in 1864 and recorded the name Cunderdin, from the Aboriginal name of a nearby...
and Merredin
Merredin, Western Australia
-Economy:The agricultural land around Merredin produces 40% of Western Australia’s wheat quota. As a focal point for the region, Merredin’s local bulk handling co-operative receives and processes in excess of a million tonnes of grain every year...
. On 16 July 1896, John Forrest
John Forrest
Sir John Forrest GCMG was an Australian explorer, the first Premier of Western Australia and a cabinet minister in Australia's first federal parliament....
introduced to Western Australian Parliament a bill
Bill (proposed law)
A bill is a proposed law under consideration by a legislature. A bill does not become law until it is passed by the legislature and, in most cases, approved by the executive. Once a bill has been enacted into law, it is called an act or a statute....
to authorise the raising of a loan of £2.5 million to construct the scheme: the pipeline would pump 5 million impgals (22,730.5 m³) of water per day to the Goldfields from a dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
on the Helena River
Helena River
The Helena River is a tributary of the Swan River in Western Australia. The river rises in country east of Mount Dale and moves to the north west to Mundaring Weir, where it is dammed...
near Mundaring Weir in Perth, pumped in eight successive stages through 330 miles (530 km) of 30 inch (760 mm) diameter pipe to the Mount Charlotte Reservoir in Kalgoorlie. The water is then reticulated to various mining cethe Goldfields.
O'Connor was subjected to prolonged criticism by members of the press and also many members of the Western Australian Parliament over the scheme. Forrest, always a supporter, had left Western Australian politics to become federal defence minister; defamatory attacks by the press had wounded him. O'Connor committed suicide less than a year before Forrest officially commissioned the Goldfields Water Supply Scheme.
Evans describes how political machinations and individual greed led to many libellous newspaper articles about O'Connor towards the end of the pipeline project. One article in particular in The Sunday Times, 9 February 1902, is thought to have contributed to his death. Accusing O'Connor of corruption, it read, in part:
The government conducted an inquiry into the scheme and found no basis for the press accusations of corruption or misdemeanours on the part of O'Connor.
The lake created by Mundaring Weir
Mundaring Weir
Mundaring Weir is the name of a dam which are located from Perth, Western Australia in the Darling Scarp. It is situated in the Mundaring locality...
is now known as Lake O'Connor, and still provides drinking water for the towns along the pipeline to Kalgoorlie, Western Australia
Kalgoorlie, Western Australia
Kalgoorlie, known as Kalgoorlie-Boulder, is a town in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, and is located east-northeast of state capital Perth at the end of the Great Eastern Highway...
.
Death
It is also claimed that local Noongar
Noongar
The Noongar are an indigenous Australian people who live in the south-west corner of Western Australia from Geraldton on the west coast to Esperance on the south coast...
Aboriginal people, unhappy with his destruction of the limestone bar at the mouth of the Swan River
Swan River (Western Australia)
The Swan River estuary flows through the city of Perth, in the south west of Western Australia. Its lower reaches are relatively wide and deep, with few constrictions, while the upper reaches are usually quite narrow and shallow....
, placed a curse on O'Connor. It is claimed "...they sang him to make him crazy" and that his suicide was the end result of this.
Legacy
The novel The Drowner by Robert Drewe
Robert Drewe
Robert Duncan Drewe is an Australian journalist, novelist and short story writer.-Biography:Drewe was born in Melbourne, but moved with his family to Perth, Western Australia at the age of six. He was educated at Hale School, and in his final year was appointed School Captain...
provides a fictionalised account of O'Connor and the building of the pipeline.
On 7 December 1898, his daughter Eva married Sir George Julius
George Julius
Sir George Alfred Julius was the founder of Julius Poole & Gibson Pty Ltd and Automatic Totalisators Ltd, and invented the world's first automatic totalisator.-Early years:...
at St John's Church, Fremantle, Western Australia. Julius was the first chairman of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) which later became the CSIRO.
The C. Y. O'Connor College of TAFE in Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
bears his name.
Division of O'Connor
The Division of O'Connor is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Western Australia. It is one of Western Australia's three rural seats....
, named after O'Connor, is an Australian Electoral Division in the state of Western Australia. It encircles the area around Perth, and runs from the Indian Ocean coast to the Southern Ocean coast. And it includes the cities of Geraldton and Albany, and much of the Midlands, Wheatbelt and Great Southern regions of Western Australia.
A bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
statue of O'Connor by Pietro Porcelli
Pietro Porcelli
Pietro Giacomo Porcelli was an Italian-born sculptor responsible for many statues in Western Australia, including the Explorers' Monument, and those of C. Y. O'Connor and Alexander Forrest....
stands in front of the Fremantle Port Authority buildings, commemorating O'Connor's achievements.
O'connor has also had a school named after him called O'connor Primary School, in Kalgoorlie-Boulder.
Works
If any, list the works organized by date of publication. See Charles DarwinCharles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
for example.