John Marshall 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.
*Please note that archival source materials are original historical documents that have not been censored, reviewed or otherwise altered by the Royal BC Museum.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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Well, she picked up speed, I think between ten and fifteen miles an hour, I don't think over, I don't think over that. Well, we went, we come about twenty feet I should judge, I tell you, as near as I can remember. We were just about twenty feet, twenty-five feet from these gates I was just looking right inside. I was sitting looking out through the window, straight through the windshield right past him, and, just before I seen the gates, and just before these gates loomed before us, I seen something unusually dark right in front of us, but there was a dense darkness in front of us, and of course I didn't pay attention, I would have seen the gates and the lamp in front of us. retracted All the word that George said, "Oh my God," and grabbed the throttle. I grabbed the little girl in one hand. Whether it was due to the frost that is on the planks, I can't tell you but we slid right on. The gates, there was no resistance; they just flew apart and in an instant we were in the water. Well, of course, as far as I am concerned, I remember that just when when I seen we was on the edge retracted here, thought I will get out from here, that is my right hand side, I will get out here, I know I am unable to tell just what I did. Well, fortunately she did not turn head over heels, but there was a loud crash when we hit the water, - I could feel the water coming in, but just as soon, I kept pounding away on the right hand side and there was somebody right behind me pounding me on the right shoulder, and after I got this hole out through here, I stuck my head through, and one of the little girls was hitting me, and one little girl on the tail of my coat. After I got out through the hole in the machine, I went down to the bottom of the river on my hands and knees, and I lost hold of the little girl and something hit me square on the nose. It was the wheel of the car. I gave it a push and I started to swing away from it.