Deceased Brethren
The Ashlar Lodge No. 3 Historian recently came across the grave of William Horne (died 1888, aged 42) in Bowen Road Cemetery. We believe William Horne was a member of Ashlar Lodge No. 3 and we are currently doing research to find out more about him.
The inscription on his gravestone says he was “killed in the explosion at Wellington, Jan. 24, 1888, aged 42 years”. It also mentions his wife Margaret Horne, who died in 1909 (note: Margaret Horne died on 20 March 1909 if we reading the weather worn inscription correctly – we will look into that)
Wellington was a coal mining town located around what is now Jingle Pot Road in the City of Nanaimo. In 1888 Wellington was a company town run by Robert Dunsmuir‘s coal mining company.
On 24 January 1888 there was a major explosion in the Wellington No. 5 mine at Wellington. William Horne was one of 58 men killed in this explosion. Here is a list of the mining fatalities 1874-1899. {note: PDF].
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