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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Current Page Transcription [edit] [history]
My name is John C Browns. I live at Cumberland I am employed as a fire boss in No. 4 mine of the Canadian Collieries. About 1.35 am on the 27th I visited No. 16 mall 20 West Level where two chinamen were employed repairing the roof, the deceased Young Yow was one of the chinamen who helping Sam Daw to put up a stinger.
I stayed with them for a few minutes in this first attempt to put it up the leg of the stinger on the of outside was too long, they took it down shorten the leg when I left them to complete my round. I saw Young Yow again about 2:30 am in a car, he was apparently dead.
By Mr Jackson - When I was in the place they took down the new stinger, the roof was apparently safe, I did not consider it necessary to put it in a temporary props while they were cutting the other leg. The slip in the roof was not visible, by being invisible it was more dangerous than appeared, I had sufficient limber, By Mr Graham - There was no attempt to break the roof, the stinger was for the purpose of reinforcing those already in. J C Brown
Taken on oath and acknowledged before me: John Band Coroner