1st witness

James Knight having been duly sworn states About 2 P.M. this day, I, James Wilks and four Chinaman came up the slope to the pit, we rang the Bell for the cage to be lowered to take us up to the Pit mouth, the cage was lowered and myself, James Wilks and the Chinamen got on for the purpose of being hoisted up. I rang three bells which was the proper signal for the engineer to hoist up. As the cage began to move up the Chinaman Ah Hee made a spring to get on to the cage & caught it with his hands & after hanging for a few moments he lost his hold and fell to the bottom of the pit a distance of 170 feet. James Wilks and I went down immediately and found the man quite dead at the bottom of the pit, his neck being broken, as well as other injuries.

X his mark James Knight

Sworn before me at Nanaimo this 30th day of May 1874 Warner R Spalding, Coroner.

BC Archives, GR-0431 Box 1 File 5 / BRITISH COLUMBIA, ATTORNEY GENERAL. / Inquisitions/inquests conducted by coroners in British Columbia.