Charles Yelverton O'Connor was an Irish engineer, well known for the construction of Fremantle Harbour as well as for the pipeline that still brings fresh water 530km from Perth to Kalgoorlie, known as the Goldfields Water Supply Scheme.

A sad scheme

"At the opening the Minister for Works at the time said the scheme in many respects was a sad one, it had ruined the reputation of one engineer and been the death of another," Diana said.

The former engineer was Hodgson, O'Connor's second in charge, whose reputation was damaged due to his believed involvement in his colleague's death after the pair had a falling out.

The latter engineer was of course O'Connor, who on March 10 1902, shot himself as he rode his horse into the water at Robb Jetty, south of Fremantle.

"His latest biographer says he was bipolar and had manic depression and killed himself in a state of depression.

"But what is definitely not true is that he killed himself because the pipeline failed, that's what everyone believes."

The myths

"School children still tell me that people were waiting at Mt Charlotte, water didn't arrive, CY O'Connor killed himself and then two days later the water arrived," Diana said.

"There are several theories; someone forgot that they'd extended the pipeline from Coolgardie to Kalgoorlie, someone forgot to turn a valve, which cannot be the case because he killed himself almost a full year before the water arrived."

CY O'Connor never got to see his engineering wonder at work, the pipeline was finished in 1903 and he died in 1902.

The engineer had many health problems, including cirrhosis of the liver from excessive alcohol consumption; it was also believed he suffered mental illnesses.

"In 1895 there's an occasion where he took time off work and maybe it was a harbinger of what was to come.

"The inquest into his death actually says Charles Yelverton O'Connor made his death by his own hand while in a state of mental derangement caused by worry and overwork.

"There's no question of the overwork side of things, when you think what he was responsible for; railways, harbours."

The death

There has been recent question over whether O'Connor's suicide note was in fact a suicide note at all.

"Professor Martin Webb who has written about the strange suicide of CY O'Connor before, about a year ago he re-examined what we call the suicide note and whether we should actually look at it in a new light, is it actually a suicide note?

"That suicide note actually says something along the lines of 'the Coolgardie scheme is alright and I could finish it if I got a chance'.

"It sounds as if he did believe in the scheme."

Finally Diana said, CY O'Connor died whilst out riding, an activity he usually did with his daughter Bridget who was unavailable on that particular day.

"Just by chance she was unable to go that day, it doesn't look as if it was a planned thing."