Beatrice (1893/01/03)

Island near Rosemary Island, Dampier Archipelago

Fishing for bêche-de-mer

Extract from Police report dated 18/1/1893:
I have to report for your information that a Chinaman named Ah Chik came to the station yesterday morning and reported his arrival in a dinghy from an island about 8 miles West of Rosemary Island about 50 miles from Cossack where he and 4 other Chinamen named Ah You, Ah On, Hing Long and Ah Hong were stationed beach de mer fishing for Wah Shing Chinaman storekeeper Cossack on the night of the 3rd they anchored the cutter Beatrice about 4 tons out off the Island and it came on and blew during the night and she dragged her anchor and came on shore and before morning she was completely broken up. The Beatrice belong to Wah Shing. I left the Island 8 days ago in a Dingy and pulled and sailed all the way to Cossack I asked the other 4 men to come with me but they would not they said the boat was too small to carry them all when I left the Island the men had rations and water to last them six weeks Wah Ching will send a boat out to the Island in a few days I got rations & water for myself at the Flying Foam from Mr Francis Rodrigues Schooner. (SRO 1893/0213 )