Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld. : 1878 - 1954), Wednesday 11 July 1900, page 7


DEATH OF MR. E. A.

DELISSER.

A SUDDEN ENDING

The Cairns correspondent of the "Towns-ville Bulletin,'' telegraphing on the 8th in-

stant says: "News was received on Sun-day of the death of Mr. E. A. Delisser

whose naked body was found on Saturday on the bank of the Butcher's Creek, near Golds-

borough, Upper Mulgrave. An examina-tion showed that the deceased who was seventy one years of age, dropped dead of failure of the heart's action just as he was about to bathe. Mr. Delisser for some years past has been actively interested in the Walter Hodgson gold mine on the Up-per Mulgrave upon which mine a large sum of money has been expended. He was for-merly a lieutenant in H.M's 78th High-landers and was captain and adjutant, of the First Volunteer Force in South Austra-

lia, where he completed many important Government surveys. Later on he made both the preliminary and permanent survey for the Townsville Charters Towers rail-

way and was afterward District Engineer of the Central Division. The deceased ex-

pected a sudden ending and left all his af-fairs in thorough order. His body was buried near the mine, on a site he had pre-viously selected."

Mr. Delisser, says the "Bulletin" was an intrepid explorer, and his exploration of the Great Australian Bight is recorded in Australian history. His name is men-

tioned in Lord Roberts, "Forty Years

in India." in connection with an act of

great gallantry at Aden. A fanatic Arab,

armed with a huge knife attacked an un-

armed member of Lord Roberts' staff, when

Lieutenant Delisser rushed in between them, warded off the blow with his arm and seized the Arah, whom he disarmed. Lieutenant Delisser received a wound dur-

ing his encounter which laid open his arm

from the elbow to near his wrist. With a

modesty characteristic of the deceased, he never voluntarily referred to this incident in his adventurous career, and when the

subject was brought up he always alluded

to the matter as "a little difference of

opinion which I had with an Arab at Aden." Mr. Delisser at one time took up on behalf of a South Australian syndicate in which he was heavily in interested, some islands near Port Essington, Northern Ter-ritory. The venture which had for its ob-ject the formation of a cattle station, was not a success. He was respected and ad-mired throughout the district for his pluck and endurance and amongst the aborigines from the Upper Russell down the Mulgrave to the Lower Russell River he was always referred to as "the old man," a term of which he was very proud.