Vancouver Coal Company
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*Please note that archival source materials are original historical documents that have not been censored, reviewed or otherwise altered by the Royal BC Museum.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]
[?21] Getting off the track has sometimes determined who runs under that curtain. These [?other] times have been from one to five minutes. It was very sudden that they were off the track. The I was told by the overman that whenever the curtain got knocked down to put it up again as quickly as possible. We did knock it down once.
To Mr Drake [?]. . There are two curtains one at the entrance and the other inside the [?smith]. The curtain that the box is next under was not the entrance and was at the [?smith]. These two curtains were for binding the air and for the same purpose Taken upon oath and acknowledged this 25th day of May in the year of Our Lord one thousand eight hundred and eight seven before me } William [?Edumudo] W Wymond Walkem Coronier
Thomas Jamieson. bratticeman Nanaimo being dully sworn saith To Mr Eberts I am a bratticeman in the employ of the Nanaimo Coal Company and I was in the diagonal slope on the day of the explosion and came up at two oclock in the afternoon. I had been all through the slope that day examining the brattice. There were no complaints I am under the fireman’s directive as to bratticing. He generally told me where to go What to do and what was necessary. There were never any complaints that I knew of in the diagonal [?] gas on the part of the miners. I heard complaints of gas once in a while being in the top of Martells’ stall. The bratticing is generally within nine or ten feet of the face. It extends to the roof no matter how high that roof is. I have heard of no complaints in regard to the ventilation and so far as I know there was always good ventilation. The slope was very dry and dusty. I was appointed as bratticeman for the new Slope. There was a good current of air in the slope. I do not know what velocity. Brattice sometimes