Lee Gee and Young Gow
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.
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/5./ Robert Hamilton Robertson being sworn saith Mr Rob H Robertson was called to catch a 10 30 train to go to no 4 mine, I got on at the saw Mill Landing boarded the coach, nearest the engine, sitting down in the middle compartment the train then proceeded towards the no 4 mine it made several stops on the way [?] into no 4 yard the train came to a sudden stop which caused a little confusion owing to the sudden stop. After I satisfied myself that things were all right in the coach, I walked to the end of the car nearest to the locomotive, got down on the track, and proceeded to the head end of the train To find out what was the trouble, I found we had run Into some loaded cars, upon looking into the I have the workman's coach I noticed two bodies lying there and the end of the coach was stove in w recked. The two bodies were lying on the wreckage. I climbed up on platform platform of other coach to render circumstance when on the platform I noticed one of the bodies lying partly on the other, I moved the top body slightly to one side of the other. I notices the two bodies were Chinamen Both of them were alive. I then turned around found Mr. McKay standing behind me on the car. I asked him to please go to the phone and try and get the doctor notifying him of the accident. He did so. I then asked the other men standing to go to the first aid station at no 4 mine, and bring the stretcher as I considered the stretchers were a considerable time coming I removed one body with the assistance of some of the [working ?] me assisting to carry one body to the camp house and fast as we had got the body of the car, the stretchers arrived. We placed the two bodies on the stretchers, and carried them into the coach next to the locomotive, then proceeded with the bodies to Cumberland. On the way to Cumberland