Case file · Haunting
Adelaide Arcade (Francis Cluney)
On 21 June 1887 the arcade's caretaker Francis Cluney was found dead in the machinery of its new electric lighting plant after the lights went out. Staff since claim his ghost walks the upper gallery.
1887 CE · -34.92, 138.60 · status: account
The account
The arcade was one of the first buildings in Adelaide lit by electricity. Cluney's death was reported in the press of the day; whether he slipped or was pushed is a matter of later rumour. A 2008 security-camera clip is cited as showing his figure.
The sceptical view
The death is documented; the ghost rests on tour guides and a clairvoyant, and the exact site within the arcade is disputed.