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Wong Kong Ying 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. 

BC Archives GR-0431

*Please note that archival source materials are original historical documents that have not been censored, reviewed or otherwise altered by the Royal BC Museum.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.

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Q. 170 Does he know now, from the time they came to Canoe Pass to December 22nd, do they know how much food they get for those nine Chinamen, how many dollars?

A. No.

Q. 171 How much food did these men get in September, October, November to December 22nd?

A. He don't know how much it is.

Q. 172 Has he got the bills?

A. He just send the bills in with the price.

Q.173 Where are the bills?

A. In the camp.

Q. 174 How much does he think it would be? Has he any idea of what it was the average month, one month at a time?

A. He figures about $550 (Five hundred and fifty dollars) for the whole bunch -underwear, quilting and that.

Q. 176 Hop Sang supply everything.

A. Yes.

Q .177. How much does he think these nine men earned in the same time?

A. Around $600. (Six hundred dollars)

Q. 178 How much out of the five or six hundred dollars are the food costs. How much food you get through in that many months? It isn't the clothes we are driving at.

A. He said they had enough until lately. That last order that didn't come caused the trouble, after December 22nd.

Q. 179 Were they actually hungry for any kind of food?

A. From December 26th they had no meat and just about the last of December they had no groceries.

Q. 180 How much rice is there in a sack?

A. Forty-two pounds in a sack.

Q. 181 What kind of rice is it they are using?

A. Number two rice.

Q. 182 Is it polished rice?

A. Refined

Q. 183 Japanese?

A. Chinese rice; Chinese rice smaller than Japanese rice, finer.

Q. 184 Come back about two or three weeks. Living with these five

BC Archives GR-0431 BRITISH COLUMBIA ATTORNEY GENERAL

Box 13 File 6 Inquisitions/inquests conducted by coroners in British Columbia

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