As the reserach progresses, I have come to realize that 點 (dim or dian) means number of hours.  It is a reference to duration in the old Toishanese and Cantonese expressions. So in Feng Ye Wo’s letter, he boarded the ship for Vancouver on the 18th day of the 11 month.  En route the ship stoped in Shanghai for 5 hours, in Nagasaki for another 5 hours and then in Kobe for 6 hours….

Thank you to all the community volunteers and elders.  This is a great find!