Researching the
story behind this headstone led to the discovery of the most extraordinary set
of circumstances.
Samuel EASTON,
an engineer, arrived in Hong Kong in the late 1860s/early 1870s. He and a business
partner leased a couple of inland lots at East Point and established a brass
and iron foundry.
His work was of
a very high standard and in 1874 the Messageries Maritime Company presented him
with a magnificent gold watch for “valuable services rendered” –
presumably in connection with repairing/replacing boilers on their fleet of
liners in the Far East.
Samuel enjoyed a
good few years in the Colony but sadly died at midnight on 16th./17th.
February 1876. The death occurred at
East Point probably at his foundry which presumably also provided living
accommodation. The cause of death is not
known but as the newspapers do not carry a report of an inquest it is not
thought to have been a work related accident.
Probate showed
the value of Samuel’s estate to be in the region of $25,000 so he had certainly
done very well for himself. He left
everything to his mother, Jane Auld EASTON who lived at Greenbank, Ashton,
Gourock. Henry DICKIE, one of Samuel’s
executors (and Manager of the Sugar Refinery), packed up all of his belongings
in a sturdy trunk and arranged with the Captain of the Sarpedon for them
to be returned to Scotland. Before
closing the lid he enclosed a note “H. Dickie, with compliments”.
However, the ship was ill fated.
In early
September as the Sarpedon approached the English Channel in thick fog
she collided with another vessel and sank.
The 84 passengers and crew were rescued and landed safely at Falmouth
but her cargo was lost – along with Samuel’s trunk.
Many months
later a French fisherman noticed something floating in the sea a few miles off the
island of Ushant. On closer inspection
he saw it was a trunk and pulled it on board his boat. On landing he handed it over to the French
Minister of Marine. Investigation
revealed the note from Mr. Dickie and advertisements were placed in the British
newspapers in an effort to trace the owner.
Somehow or another this came to the
notice of one of Samuel’s cousins in Greenock who was then able to make contact
with the French authorities. The trunk
containing Samuel’s very precious gold watch, jewellery and other personal
possessions finally reached his mother in Scotland.
Sacred
to the memory of
Samuel Easton
Engineer
born at
Hamilton,
Scotland
13th.
March 1847
died at
East Point, Hong
Kong
17th.
February 1876
aged 28 years
