Ah Luck et al
As part of the Chinese Historical Wrongs Legacy Initiative, we’ve digitized a small selection of inquests and inquiries from 1872 to 1934, found in series GR-0431. These were chosen to reflect the experiences of early Chinese immigrants to B.C. – their living and working conditions, and their unfortunate accidental or unusual deaths. They range from a woman working in a brothel in Barkerville who died of natural causes to three sawmill workers who died from malnutrition. Learn more.
*All transcriptions are provided by volunteers, and the accuracy of the transcriptions is not guaranteed. Please be sure to verify the information by viewing the image record, or visiting the BC Archives in person.
*Please note that archival source materials are original historical documents that have not been censored, reviewed or otherwise altered by the Royal BC Museum. Some materials may contain content that is racist, sexist or otherwise offensive. The Royal BC Museum is only the custodian of archival materials; the content does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Royal BC Museum.
Current Page Transcription [edit] [history]
3/
Canada Province of British Columbia District of Nanaimo
Information of witnesses severally taken and acknowledged on behalf of our Sovereign Lady the Queen touching the death of Ah Luck at a building known as the office of the East Wellington Colliery in the district of Nanaimo on the fourteenth day of October in the year of Our Lord one thousand eight hundred and eighty five before me, William Wymond Walken Esquire Doctor of medicine and master of surgery, one of Her Majesty's coroners for the said Province of British Columbia on an inquisition then and there taken on view of the bodies of the said Ah Kim, Bon Yon, Ling Sing, Wah Shung, and Ah Lock then and there lying dead as follows: to wit -
Thomas Kilpatrick laborer, sworn, close on eleven oclock last night when the Engineer hoisted up the cage there was an empty box in it. I landed the box on the surface from the cage then I took the box down which was across the top and allowed the men to up in the cage - three cages when down - They were all Chinamen in the last cage. I think eight in number. The empty box stood ten feet from the shaft. When the cage was near the bottom I replaced the cross bar, took my lamp and was going round to go to the upper landing. I never heard anything more until I heard the empty box strike the cage. I rushed back to the top and asked if there were any persons killed - The white man below replied they were all killed.
BC Archives, GR-0431 Box 4 File 1 / BRITISH COLUMBIA. ATTORNEY GENERAL. / Inquisitions / inquests conducted by coroners in British Columbia.