YONGALA WRECKED!

Northern Times (Carnarvon) Saturday, 1 April, 1911.

YONGALA WRECKED

OFF QUEENSLAND COAST.

BRISBANE, March 25.

The steamer Yongala left Cairns (Mackay)
on Thursday and was due at Townsville

on Friday. The serious apprehensions

felt for its safety have been increased

by the fact that two steamers which

left Cairns (Mackay) on Friday have
arrived at Townsville and report that 
they saw no signs of the Yongala. 
Rough weather prevails. There are 
numerous passengers and a large crew. 

March 28.

The Collector, of Customs this

morning received a telegram from the

lighthouse keeper at Cape Bowling

Green, stating that bags of chaff,

pumpkins, bran, and pollard have

been washed ashore. The

Queensland manager of the 

Adelaide Steamship Co. stated that 

the bags of bran and pollard have 

been identified as part of

the Yongala's cargo. The bags in

question were placed in the lower

hold, a centre part of the vessel, and

the fact that they were washed ashore

causes him to entertain the gravest

fears regarding her. The tug Alert,

sent out by the government, has

returned. She found floating two cases

of kerosene, a life-buoy, two pillows

marked A. S. Co., a basket of mails,

and a door with glass bearing the

word " Festina " and the date "1500".

It is supposed the latter is part of the

music room door upon which was the

Company's motto " Festina Lente"

'Make haste, slowly'. Caution does not appear to have been the watchword of this, the 99th voyage, made by Yongala.

March 29.

A telegram received to-day from

the captain of the Tarcoola states that

his vessel made another fruitless

search as far north as Bowen. A

thorough search was made of the

Great Barrier Beef, but no trace of

the steamer nor of wreckage was

found. The Tarcoola has left Bowen

to search as far as Cairns.

March 30.

The steamer Alert arrived in

Townsville to-night from the vicinity

of Wheeler Reef. She brought the

door of the music-room of the 

Yongala, with the top broken off, 

three grating hatches, and two 

lifebuoys. The Alert saw other 

hatches floating in the sea. A search 

made along the beach for twenty-six 

miles by police and black-trackers was 

resultless, as no trace was found of 

wreckage or survivors.

TOWNSVILLE,

March 28.

Wreckage is floating about Cleveland 

Bay. The passenger list totalled 45.

March 29.

A telegram from Cape Bowling

Green states that the coast has been

searched by the steamer Magnet for

five miles south for traces of the Yongala, 

but nothing has been discovered.

MELBOURNE,

March 29.

Another addition has been made to

the passenger list of the Yongala

published.

Mr. Northcote, general manager of

the Adelaide Company, when interviewed 

to-day, said it was evident the Yongala 

had foundered with all hands during 

the recent bad weather. He hardly 

thought any lives would be saved, 

as no boat could live for an instant 

in the sea during a cyclonic 

disturbance. The loss to the company 

would be a large vessel, which

cost £102,000 to build, but this loss

was overshadowed by the loss of life.

March 30.

As the cargo of the Yongala mainly

consisted of produce, there is no

possibility of any search being made

for salvage. If the wreck is discovered 

in an accessible spot, the company 

intends to dispose of it by auction.

SYDNEY,

March 29. 

Mr. Black, manager of the Sydney

office of the Adelaide Company,

referring to the loss of the Yongala

said: "Our masters, and others who 

know the Yongala and have travelled

in her, scout the idea that she has

foundered. What happened, they

think, is either that she struck a rock

or was blown out of her coarse to the

reef. If any passenger got ashore

anywhere, we should have heard

something of them. There seems

little hope, but the search will be 

continued until every vestige of hope has

faded." Captain Boyle, who has had

great experience on the Queensland

coast, thinks that the Yongala was

driven between Holbourne Island and

the reefs forming the western edge of

the Great Barrier.

A Carnarvon resident informs us

that a leading captain on this coast,

in discussing recently the stability

and seaworthiness of our coasters,

remarked; "But I wouldn't like to

travel on the Yongala or Grantala in

a storm."

The wreckage and cargo confirmed that Yongala had foundered. The theory that she had struck a rock was to some extent substantiated by the fact that the cargo discovered had come from the lower hold, suggesting that a portion of the hull had been ripped open. Either that or the cyclone had battered her to the extent that hatches (some seen floating in the sea) had come away. 

The first red flag was raised in the form of comment made: 'But I wouldn't like to travel on the Yongala or Grantala in a storm'. This is reminiscent of similar statements made by passengers who had voyaged on the Waratah. Before March, 1911, there are no newspaper records of passenger-discontent with Yongala or Grantala. The same applied to the Waratah. It seems that once a steamer had disappeared in mysterious circumstances negative witness accounts emerged from the woodwork to take centre stage in the evolving drama. 

But, having said this, Waratah was an inherently top heavy steamer, although it is my contention that she was stable in this respect when departing Durban for the last time. GM (metacentre) in Waratah's case was favourably adjusted by means of significant dead weight lowest down in her hull. 

It will be interesting to explore Yongala's stability status in coming posts...