Fumiko Watanabe had learned about the shipwreck of the ‘Alpha’ when she was very young. She was born in 1923 on the east coast of BC’s Vancouver Island. Her own mother Daitan, had been born in Deep Bay back in 1902, the first child of her parents who had come from Japan to work the rich herring fishery in Deep Bay.  Fumiko loved listening to the storytelling of Mr. Tanaka who would tell spellbinding tales of great adventures and stories of people who had come from all over the world, finding a place to thrive in this remote fishing village in Canada.

“Fumiko, did I ever tell you about the shipwreck of the ‘Alpha’? It’sone of the greatest love stories I know?”

“No, Mr. Tanaka, you never did.” Fumiko could barely contain her excitement, “Please, please tell me.”

Fumiko had listened to Mr. Tanaka’s stories for as long as she could remember. Sometimes they would take her to another time and place as though she was walking with the people he described.  He never said they were true, he would just encourage Fumiko to close her eyes, listen to his voice and imagine and let the story transport her.

She shut her eyes and Mr. Tanaka began.

The waters between Deep Bay and the mainland can be very rough, particularly in the winter and many ships had been lost in terrible storms. Back in 1900, the government decided to build a lighthouse on Yellow Rock, the place they now call Chrome Island, to give some protection for the ocean going ships seeking safe harbour in Baynes Sound and Deep Bay.  To this day the lighthouse stands sentinel.

The ‘Alpha’ was an ocean going ship commissioned by Cunard Lines and heading to Japan carrying salmon and coal which it was due to pick up in Deep Bay.  The ship’s captain, Hamish McGregor was experienced and had made the dangerous voyage across the Pacific Ocean on many occasions. The ‘Alpha’ was in safe hands.

On the ship’s last and fateful voyage there was one unexpected passenger, the ships owner. Sir Archibald Kirby-Macdonell had come aboard in Vancouver BC, after crossing the continent on the new trans continental train the Canadian Pacific Rail had built through the Rockies. That had been CP’s part of the bargain in return for which they received millions of acres of valuable land in British Columbia, including over three and half million acres on Vancouver Island. It had opened up Canada and made the Canadian Pacific by any standard, vastly wealthy, the greatest land owner and owner of below ground mineral rights Canada had ever known.  Sir Archibald owned logging rights and coal mines all around Deep Bay and had invested with others in the sea port at Deep Bay, to help get the resources to the Far East.

But that was not the reason Sir Archibald was on the ‘Alpha‘ as it churned through heavy seas toward Chrome Island that stormy December night in 1990. Stored away in two reinforced trunks, deep in the hold of his ship was a secret. Sir Archibald had spent two years in the Yukon seeking his fortune in what would become known as the Klondike Gold Rush of 1898. And he had struck it rich at Eldorado Creek, one of the richest strikes in Klondike history.  But no one knew that. History records that a Scottish prospector by the name of David Stirling had filed his claim in the Whitehorse office and left the Yukon with a huge fortune, sealed away in two reinforced trunks. They held over $10,000,000 in gold, enough money in those days to live out your life like a king.

‘David Stirling’ was in fact Sir Archibald Kirby-Macdonell and he had come aboard the ‘Alpha’ in the port of Vancouver bringing with him only his gold. He intended to emigrate to Japan, leaving behind all that he knew and all who he knew.

Life was hard for the Klondiker’s in the Yukon, many of whom perished in the harsh climate and unforgiving landscape, not even counting those who died at the hands of other men stripped of all common decency in their lust for gold. But while Sir Archibald had achieved wealth and station before he had arrived in the Yukon he had never forsaken his roots in the coal mines of northern England.  He was one of the few ready for the harsh, gruelling test that lay ahead.

He left the Yukon eighteen months later, wealthy beyond his wildest imagination and in love with a beautiful woman. Asami Abiko was 17 when she arrived in Whitehorse with her family, not in pursuit of gold but knowing that there was opportunity to provide good meals, a clean bed and fresh laundry for the thousands of prospectors who would travel through on their way to Eldorado, Bonanza and the hundreds of other gold rich creeks of the Yukon. And it was in ‘Abako’s Home Cooked Meals and Laundry‘ that Asami first set her eyes on ‘David Stirling’, a handsome, kind looking prospector.

“You’d be a sight for sore eyes, lassie” he said in his thick Scottish brogue, holding her gaze in a way she had never experienced before. Asami’s parents worried for her of course, knowing that danger for a young girl lurked around every corner in Whitehorse, knowing what Asami couldn’t yet possibly understand. She forced herself to look away, saying nothing.

“I’m sorry lass, I mean no offense. Please let me apologize.” Asami looked up and allowed the slightest smile, enough of a smile for ‘David Stirling’.  He returned every day for two weeks, bringing his laundry, even when it had been freshly cleaned, taking every meal of the day and always trying to catch Asami’s attention. Her parents noticed and at first reminded Asami that it was not safe to be with these prospectors, that they are a rough and unsavory lot, every last one of them. But they could see Asami was struck by ‘Mr. Stirling’ and they even came to think that he did seem to be very nice.

“May I have a word with you?”

It was ‘Mr. Stirling’ and he was addressing Asami’s parents,

“In private, if you will.”

Asami’s parents could speak English and invited him behind the screen curtain. ‘Mr. Stirling’ doffed his hat and placed it on the dresser.

“I think you must know that I have an interest in your daughter Asami and I have come for your blessing that I might court her. First off I need to tell you that my name is not ‘David Stirling’. I assumed that name here in the Yukon to hide my real identity from those who might do me harm. It is a dangerous place to be for a man such as myself. My real name is Sir Archibald Kirby-Macdonell and I hail from Scotland although Canada has long been my adopted country. I know you will think my false name confirms that I am not trustworthy but I have declared my real name to you at some personal peril. I trust you will take that as some measure of my integrity and as it happens, my good intentions toward your daughter.”

Asami’s parents had no idea what to say, so they said nothing.

“From the moment I first set my eyes upon your daughter, I have behaved like a foolish schoolboy. My clothes have never been cleaner and your meals are so good that I am gaining weight and yet I still seek excuses to return to your shop, just so that I might see Asami again. You must think me foolish but all I am asking is that you give us permission to speak openly and to share our stories. I don’t know what might come of that but I do know my feelings for her are strong and I think hers are for me, although it is difficult to know with any certainty because we don’t speak, we ‘talk’ only with our eyes and exchanged glances.”

Archie stopped to catch his breath.

” I do know one thing and on that I lay my honour. I am a good man of decent values and will not betray any trust you extend nor any fanciful dream your daughter may harbour.”

Asami’s parents decided to allow the couple to speak openly with strict conditions; they must always meet in the shop or with one of her parents within earshot.

And so it went. Sir Archibald had to travel north for two months to stake his claim on Eldorado Creek but promised to return to Whitehorse and Asami as soon as possible. When he did Sir Archibald was more excited than Asami had ever seen a grown man. He had returned with two sealed reinforced trunks. They were full of gold.

“Asami, you know I love you and want to marry you and now I know I can.”

Asami dropped her gaze, tears streaming down her face.

“Oh, my Archie, I love you as I never expected to love any man and nothing would please me more but it can never be so. We are to leave Whitehorse and move to Deep Bay on Vancouver Island. It is a remote village but it is rich in herring and my people are building a herring cannery to ship herring back to my country. After two years my parents say we will move back to Japan forever.”

They both gazed at one another in silence, tears streaming down their cheeks, knowing that forces beyond them were controlling their lives.

“I will not stop Asami. I will not stop until I can be with you again, wherever that might take us.”

Asami and her family did move to Deep Bay and they thrived in a growing and prosperous Japanese community. She would take long walks along the spit daydreaming about how her life might have been, remembering the lingering kiss that they shared in their last private moment together.

Back in Vancouver, ‘Sir Archibald Kirby-Macdonell’ reappeared, to the great surprise of most of his friends assuming as they had, that he had either perished in the Yukon during the Gold Rush, or that he had simply returned to Scotland, a wealthy man.

Archie and Asami wrote each week they were apart, sharing stories of every day life, sharing their dreams of a life together. And then, on August 20, 1900 a letter arrived addressed to Miss Asami Abiko:

      “My Dearest Asami,

       I live to be with you and with every drawn breath I am committed  to spending the rest of my days with you as your devoted husband, that is if you will have me? I have through good fortune accumulated enormous wealth and have neither need nor appetite to accumulate more. I have lived on two continents in Europe and North America and feel fully satisfied with those experiences. I have but one purpose with what remains of my life and that is to find a way to be with you for the rest of my days. I know it is asking too much of your family, and perhaps even of you, to leave you here in Canada when they return to your homeland next year, so it is this I propose. 

      I will be aboard my merchant ship, ‘The Alpha’, in December when we set sail for Japan loaded with salmon and coal. I will be bringing two chests of gold which I took from my claims in the Klondike, knowing that gold is a trusted currency in any country, including Japan. It is enough money for us to live well and for us to take care of your parents as they get older. We will dock in Deep Bay to pick up coal, not something which will sit well with my captain but as I am the owner of the ‘Alpha’ he will have little choice in the matter. And of course, you my love, are the ‘coal’ I will be picking up. You and your family. Please return my message as soon as possible and fill my heart with one simple word.

                                                Yes.

Your loving Archie.

By return mail on September 15, 1900 Sir Archibald Kirby-Macdonell opened a letter from Miss Asami Abiko, Deep Bay, BC, Canada.

My dearest heart,

Yes. With all my heart yes!

Your loving Asami

In the weeks following, Asami and her parents became increasingly excited. Asami’s mother loved seeing how happy her daughter was and they would all sit around the table sharing stories about Japan and what life would be like when they returned. They knew it would be full of challenges; introducing a foreigner to the closed Japanese society would not be easy but Archie had given them some good ideas about setting up a business and employing lots of people. That would help.

Another letter arrived confirming that the ‘Alpha’ would arrive in Deep Bay on December 15, 1900.  The family prepared to welcome Archie. The entire Japanese community planned a great feast and celebration to send the couple on their way to Japan.

All through the day on December 15, 1900 the winds howled and the sea grew angrier with each passing hour. Asami had never been so scared.

On board the ‘Alpha’, laid low in the water with a it’s hold full of salmon and other commodities for Japanese buyers, the ship struggled through the heavy seas, it’s bow disappearing under the water with each giant wave crashing over it. She was heavy and difficult to steer and nearly foundered in Active Pass as Captain McGregor sought protection from the open waters. It was, he told Sir Archibald, one of the most difficult passages he had encountered in these water in some time and he had implored Sir Archie to heed his advice and drop anchor in the safety of Active Pass for the night. Sir Archie had refused his advice. By nightfall, the ‘Alpha’ was within ten nautical miles of Baynes Sound and the safe harbour at Deep Bay. The storm blew harder and the ‘Alpha’ struggled; the fully loaded steamer was so low in the water the waves seemed to move her at will like a bobbing cork. To make things worse, as night fell so did the sky and a deep fog descended over the approach to Baynes Sound at Chrome Island. Captain McGregor told his lookout to keep a sharp eye out for the new lighthouse on Chrome Island which would provide a navigation guide.

But it was too late.  The lookout suddenly saw the lighthouse. The ‘Alpha’ was steaming at just eight knots but Chrome Island was directly ahead, barely a hundred metres ahead in the fog. The captain knew he would be unable to turn his ship in time.

“Brace, brace!” the captain shouted as the ‘Alpha’ crashed bow first into the rocks that protected Chrome Island. With a mighty shudder the ship pulled back, the propellers damaged and the ship’s engine room flooding. The force of the waves and the wind controlled any movement and the ‘Alpha’ crashed once more into the rocks. Only this time a huge gash was ripped open below the waterline and an unstoppable torrent of ocean water filled the hull.  It all happened in a matter of minutes and those aboard stood little chance of saving themselves. Those who did jump overboard died in the freezing cold water or were hurled against the rocks by the punishing waves and wind.

All aboard perished, among them Sir Archibald Kirby-Macdonell. He was just one nautical mile from Deep Bay and the welcoming arms of Asahi, the woman of his dreams. He drowned, his very last thought of her as he sank beneath the surface.

Fumiko couldn’t stop herself, as tears rolled down her cheeks.

“Oh Mr. Tanaka, that is the saddest story you have ever told.”

“There is more child,” he replied, “You will want to hear the rest of this story.” He continued.

“To this day the wreck of the ‘Alpha’ lays 300 metres beneath the waves lost with her, the entire crew, all passengers and the two reinforced steamer trunks full of the gold Sir Archibald was taking to his new life in Japan with Asami Abako. Treasure hunters have tried to recover the gold but the wreck is protected by treacherous underwater currents and no one has been able to recover the trunks so far.”

“But what happened to Asami, Mr. Tanaka? Did she go back to Japan with her family?”

“No, Fumiko, she stayed. No one quite knows the reason. Some say it was because it was the only place her broken heart could imagine carrying on, that she should could look out at Chrome Island from the spit where they lived and think of her Archie. They say people would see her sitting for hours on the beach staring motionless out toward where the ‘Alpha’ sank. But she was never quite the same ever again.”

Mr. Tanaka explained that Asami did eventually marry a young Japanese boy and tried to be a good loving wife for him but she never shook the deep melancholy which had taken hold of her. They had a baby girl and called her Daitan, the ‘bold and daring one’, but Asami died shortly after childbirth.

Fumiko took a sharp breath, “When was she born?”

“1902” replied Mr. Tanaka.

“My mother was born in 1902!” said Fumiko, “And her name is Daitan.”

“I know Fumiko, that’s why I wanted to tell you the story.  Asami Abako was your grandmother. She lives on in you.”

Next: ‘Alpha: A Love Story Part 2