For other people named Charles O'Conor or Charles O'Connor, see Charles O'Conor (person). Persons named Charles O'Conor: Charles O'Conor (historian - fl
| Charles Yelverton O'Connor | |
 C. Y. O'Connor, circa 1890s
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| Born | 11 January 1843 Gravelmount, Castletown, County Meath |
|---|---|
| Died | March 10, 1902 (aged 59) Robbs Jetty, Western Australia |
| Occupation | Engineer |
| Children | Eva |
C. Events 1055 - Theodora is crowned Empress of the Byzantine Empire. Year 1843 ( MDCCCXLIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common County Meath (Contae na Mí is a county in Ireland, often informally called The Royal County Events 241 BC - First Punic War: Battle of the Aegates Islands - The Romans sink the Carthaginian fleet bringing Year 1902 ( MCMII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Y. O'Connor CMG (11 January 1843 – 10 March 1902), full name Charles Yelverton O'Connor, was an Irish engineer who is best-known for his work in Australia, especially the Goldfields Water Supply Scheme. The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George Prince Regent (later George Events 1055 - Theodora is crowned Empress of the Byzantine Empire. Year 1843 ( MDCCCXLIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Events 241 BC - First Punic War: Battle of the Aegates Islands - The Romans sink the Carthaginian fleet bringing Year 1902 ( MCMII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world An engineer is a person professionally engaged in a field of Engineering. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. The Goldfields Water Supply Scheme, also known by names such as the Goldfields Pipeline, Goldfields and Agricultural Water Supply Scheme (GAWS, and originally
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Early life
He was born in Gravelmount, Castletown, County Meath,[1] and was educated at the Waterford Endowed School (also known as Bishop Foy's School). County Meath (Contae na Mí is a county in Ireland, often informally called The Royal County In 1859, he was apprenticed to J. Chaloner Smith as a railway engineer. [2] In 1864,[3] at the age of 21 he migrated to New Zealand, and was appointed assistant engineer for Canterbury Province on 6 September 1866. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island (For the current top-level subdivision of Canterbury in New Zealand see Canterbury New Zealand) The Canterbury Province was a province of New Zealand Events 3114 BC - According to the Proleptic Julian calendar the current era in the Maya Long Count Calendar started Year 1866 ( MDCCCLXVI) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common [4] After holding other positions, O'Connor became inspecting engineer for the whole of the mid-South Island. The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. In 1883 he was appointed Under-Secretary of Public Works in New Zealand and in 1890 he was appointed Marine Engineer for the whole colony. Marine Engineers are the members of a ship's crew that operate and maintain the propulsion and other systems on board the vessel A self-governing colony is a Colony with an elected Legislature, in which Politicians are able to make most decisions without reference to the
O'Connor had much experience in harbour and dock construction by April 1891, when he resigned his position to become Engineer-in-Chief of Western Australia. Western Australia is a state occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. There he was responsible for the construction of Fremantle Harbour and the Goldfields Water Supply Scheme project that supplied water to the Eastern Goldfields. Fremantle (commonly known as Freo is a Port City in Western Australia, located southwest of Perth, the state capital at the mouth of The Goldfields Water Supply Scheme, also known by names such as the Goldfields Pipeline, Goldfields and Agricultural Water Supply Scheme (GAWS, and originally The Goldfields-Esperance region is one of the nine Regions of Western Australia. He was the inaugural Engineer in Chief of the Public Works Department. History The Public Works Department (PWD is a now defunct Government Instrumentality of Western Australia which was charged with providing
Fremantle Harbour
The construction of Fremantle Harbour[5] 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. The Swan River estuary flows through the city of Perth, in the south west of Western Australia. Work commenced in 1892 in removing a limestone bar and sand shoals at the mouth of the Swan River and was successfully completed in 1903. Limestone is a Sedimentary rock composed largely of the Mineral Calcite ( Calcium carbonate: CaCO3 A shoal or sandbar (also called sandbank) is a somewhat Linear Landform within or extending into a body of Water, 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. Events 1256 - The Augustinian monastic order is constituted at the Lecceto Monastery when Pope Alexander IV Year 1897 ( MDCCCXCVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901 was from 20 June 1837 the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland A Diamond Jubilee is a celebration held to mark a 60th Anniversary in the case of a person (e In that same year O'Connor had travelled to London to be invested as a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George, in what was his 54th year. The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George Prince Regent (later George [6]
One hundred years of continued use of Fremantle Harbour by heavy shipping has vindicated O'Connor's technical judgement. .
Goldfields Water Supply Scheme
O'Connor is best known for his work on the Goldfields Water Supply Scheme, also known as the Goldfields Pipeline. Great Eastern Highway Western Australia is a major road linking Perth with Kalgoorlie. Mundaring Weir is the name of a Dam (and historically the adjoining locality which are located from Perth Western Australia in the Darling Scarp. The Goldfields Water Supply Scheme, also known by names such as the Goldfields Pipeline, Goldfields and Agricultural Water Supply Scheme (GAWS, and originally This pipeline — perhaps the world's longest water main — carries water 330 miles (530 km) from Perth to Kalgoorlie. A water supply network is a system of engineered Hydrologic and Hydraulic components including the watershed or geographic area that collects Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. A succession of gold rushes 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. A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers into the area of a dramatic discovery of commercial quantities of Gold. The Shire of Yilgarn is a Local Government Area in the Eastern Wheatbelt region of Western Australia about east of Perth, the state Southern Cross is a town in Western Australia, 371 kilometres east of Perth on the Great Eastern Highway. Year 1887 ( MDCCCLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Coolgardie is a small town in the Australian state of Western Australia, east of the state capital Perth. Year 1892 ( MDCCCXCII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year Year 1893 ( MDCCCXCIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common A desert is a Landscape or region that receives very little precipitation. Cunderdin is a town located in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia 156 km east of Perth, on Great Eastern Highway. Merredin is a town in Western Australia, located in the Central Wheatbelt roughly mid-way between Perth and Kalgoorlie, on Route 94 On 16 July 1896, John Forrest introduced to Western Australian Parliament a bill to authorise the raising of a loan of £2. Events 622 - The beginning of the Islamic calendar. 1054 - Three Roman legates fractured relations between the Western and Year 1896 ( MDCCCXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year Sir John Forrest GCMG (22 August 1847 – 2 September 1918 was an Australian explorer the first Premier of Western Australia and a cabinet minister in Australia The Parliament of Western Australia consists of the Western Australian Legislative Council, the Western Australian Legislative Assembly and the Governor For other uses see Bill. A bill is a proposed new law introduced within a Legislature that has not been ratified, adopted 5 million to construct the scheme: the pipeline would cart five million gallons (23,000 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. A dam is a barrier that divides waters. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water while other structures such as Floodgates, Levees The Helena River is a tributary of the Swan River in Western Australia. Mundaring Weir is the name of a Dam (and historically the adjoining locality which are located from Perth Western Australia in the Darling Scarp. The water is then reticulated to various mining centres in the 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. The Parliament of Western Australia consists of the Western Australian Legislative Council, the Western Australian Legislative Assembly and the Governor [7] Forrest, always a supporter, had left Western Australian politics to become federal defence minister; defamatory attacks by the press had wounded him. [8] 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. Events 474 - Zeno crowned as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire. Year 1902 ( MCMII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting Accusing O'Connor of corruption, it read, in part:
| “ | . . . And apart from any distinct charge of corruption this man has exhibited such gross blundering or something worse, in his management of great public works it is no exaggeration to say that he has robbed the taxpayer of this state of many millions of money. . . This crocodile imposter has been backed up in all his reckless extravagant juggling with public funds, in all his nefarious machinations behind the scenes by the kindred-souled editor of the The West Australian. The West Australian (often simply called The West) is the only locally-edited daily newspaper published in Perth Western Australia, and is owned by —(Evans 2001:219) | ” |
The lake created by Mundaring Weir is now known as Lake O'Connor, and provides drinking water for the towns along the pipeline to Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. Mundaring Weir is the name of a Dam (and historically the adjoining locality which are located from Perth Western Australia in the Darling Scarp.
Death and afterward
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. Events 241 BC - First Punic War: Battle of the Aegates Islands - The Romans sink the Carthaginian fleet bringing Year 1902 ( MCMII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting [9]
Legacy
A bronze statue of O'Connor by Pietro Porcelli stands in front of the Fremantle Port Authority buildings, commemorating O'Connor's achievements. Bronze is any of a broad range of Copper alloys, usually with Tin as the main additive but sometimes with other elements such as Phosphorus Pietro Giacomo Porcelli ( 30 January 1872 – 28 June 1943) was the Italian-born sculptor responsible for many statues in
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. Robert Duncan Drewe (born 9 January 1943) is an Australian journalist novelist and short story writer
On 7 December 1898, his daughter Eva married George Julius at St John's Church, Fremantle. Events 43 BC - Marcus Tullius Cicero assassinated 1696 - Connecticut Route 108, one of the oldest highways Year 1898 ( MDCCCXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Sir George Alfred Julius (29 April 1873 &ndash 28 June 1947 was the founder of Julius Poole & Gibson Pty Ltd and Automatic Totalisators Ltd and invented the world's first automatic [10] Julius was the first chairman of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) which later became the CSIRO. The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation ( CSIRO) is the national government body for scientific research in Australia.
Notes
- ^ Evans, 2001 p. 13
- ^ Evans, 2001 p. 39
- ^ A GLIMPSE OF ONE OF THE GIANTS WHO BUILT OUR NATION By P. W. Davis, based upon the book C. Y. O'CONNOR, THE CHIEF, written by Merab Tauman. Heritage Quarterly Magazine. Retrieved 19 August 2006. Events 43 BC - Octavian, later known as Augustus compels the Roman Senate to elect him Consul. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
- ^ Evans 2001:53
- ^ Western Australia. Public Works Dept. Fremantle Harbour works plan National Library of Australia. Retrieved 19 August 2006. Events 43 BC - Octavian, later known as Augustus compels the Roman Senate to elect him Consul. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
- ^ Evans 2001 p. 179
- ^ George Negus Tonight Transcript of broadcast 6:30 pm on 18 October 2004. Events 1009 - The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a Christian church in Jerusalem, is completely destroyed by the Fatimid "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Retrieved 19 August 2006. Events 43 BC - Octavian, later known as Augustus compels the Roman Senate to elect him Consul. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
- ^ Tauman, Merab Harris (1988). O'Connor, Charles Yelverton (1843-1902). Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 1 pp 51–54. The Australian Dictionary of Biography (ADB or AuDB is a multi-volume project published by Melbourne University Press. MUP. Melbourne University Publishing (MUP is the book publishing arm of the University of Melbourne ( Australia) Retrieved on 2007-04-04. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1581 - Francis Drake completes a circumnavigation of the world and is knighted by Elizabeth I.
- ^ CY O’CONNOR CENTENARY (PDF) www. fremantleports. com. au. Retrieved 19 August 2006. Events 43 BC - Octavian, later known as Augustus compels the Roman Senate to elect him Consul. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
- ^ Julius, Sir George Alfred (1873 - 1946) Australian Dictionary of Biography, Online Edition. Retrieved 19 August 2006. Events 43 BC - Octavian, later known as Augustus compels the Roman Senate to elect him Consul. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.
References
- Ayris, Cyril. C. Y. O'Connor : a brief biography West Perth, W. A. : Cyril Ayris Freelance, 2004. ISBN 0-9578853-4-2
- Drewe, Robert. The drowner Sydney : Picador, 1997. ISBN 0-330-36012-4
- Evans, A. G. C. Y. O'Connor : his life and legacy . Crawley, W. A. : University of Western Australia Press, 2001. ISBN 1-876268-62-X
- Hasluck, Alexandra. C. Y. O'Connor. Melbourne : Oxford University Press, 1965.
- Tauman, Merab. The chief : C. Y. O'Connor . Nedlands : University of Western Australia Press, 1978. ISBN 0-85564-123-1
- Webb, Martyn J. Death of a hero : the strange suicide of Charles Yelverton O'Connor. Early days Vol. 11, part 1 (1995), p. 81-111.
External links
- Serle, Percival (1949). "O'Connor, Charles". Dictionary of Australian Biography. The Dictionary of Australian Biography, published in 1949, is a reference work by Percival Serle containing information on notable people associated with Sydney: Angus and Robertson.
- Statue Named Perth's Best Public Art
- This article incorporates text from the public domain 1949 edition of Dictionary of Australian Biography from Project Gutenberg of Australia, which is in the public domain in Australia and the United States of America. The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone The Dictionary of Australian Biography, published in 1949, is a reference work by Percival Serle containing information on notable people associated with
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | O'Connor, Charles Yelverton |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | C. Y. O'Connor |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Engineer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 11 January 1843 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Gravelmount, Castletown, County Meath |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 10, 1902 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Kwinana, Western Australia |
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