SCIENCE vs CYCLONES.

The mercury, Hobart, Saturday 16 May, 1931.

SCIENCE v. CYCLONES

Hurricanes No Longer

Dreaded

Experience of S.S. Macumba

Given sea room, the modern steamer is

not imperilled by the fiercest hurricane

which can strike the Queensland coast,

but a recent experience of the A.U.S.N.

Co.'s s.s. Macumba proves that science

has provided a comparatively easy means

of avoiding or nullifying even the most

intractable cyclone. Illustrating the

fact, Captain H. P. Upward takes readers

back to January 29 of this year.

Three factors figure in the Macumba's

feat of actually tracking a cyclone down

the Queensland coast - knowledge of the

law of storms, wireless, and the broad-

casting of advance reports from Willis

Island, 207 miles north-east from Townsville.

Captain Knight did not have the advantage of wireless and a timeous cyclone warning.

Captain Upward says that most of the

hurricanes which affect the Queensland

coast occur in January, February, and

March. They generally come from the

east, and approach the coast between

Townsville and Cooktown. Mostly they

recurve south-easterly, pass southwards,

frequently as far as Brisbane, then move

off E.S.E., increase in area, and disperse.

This would certainly explain why the SS Geelong was subjected to three days of stormy conditions, following roughly the path from Townsville down the coast to Carlisle Island.

Others recurve some distance from the

coast, near the Barrier Reef, passing

southward and eastward, without causing 

much damage. These fierce storms are one 

of Nature's rough blessings.

They bring heavy rain and prevent

droughts, more especially those which

cross Cape York and get away inland.

In order to make clear the Macumba's

successful strategy, it may be explained

that the tropical cyclone consists of an

atmospheric whirl, rotating clock-wise

in the Southern Hemisphere, with spirally

inflowing winds attaining destructive

velocities, ranging from 60 miles an hour 

to, in extreme cases, 120 miles, (Captain Sim 

reported that the winds were between 70 and 

80 miles per hour) while moving along this line 

or progression at a velocity of five to 30 miles

an hour. They were once supposed to be

perfectly round, but are now known to

resemble the shape of the earth - even

elliptical.

The 'cyclone' coming from the northeast, from the direction of Willis Island, would have taken approximately 1 to 6 hours to moved across the stretch of sea between the Barrier Reef and Cape Bowling Green - Cape Upstart. Captain Sim, anchored in Bowling Green Bay, reported that the worst of the gale was between 11 pm, 23 March and 3 am, 24 March - 4 hours. 

DESTRUCTIVE SECTION.

The destructive section of a cyclone

is frequently less than 100 miles wide.

If a ship is in the centre of the storm,

facing with it, there will be a semi-circle 

to right and left, of which the left semi-circle 

is the most dangerous. 

Knowledge of this simple fact enables a 

captain who is being overtaken by a cyclone 

to take his vessel into the right or less dangerous 

semi-circle. 

The Yongala wreck site is within the steamer track between the Whitsundays and Townsville. This suggests that Captain Knight was aware of the dangers associated with altering course closer to the mainland in order to seek shelter. He was also caught between a rock and a hard place, because altering course to approximate the right semi-circle (left-hand), would have taken Yongala too close to the Barrier Reef. He had no choice but to continue within the track on course for Townsville.

According to Captain Upward, a skipper has 

three ways of knowing that a cyclone is

coming his way: the barometer, a wireless 

warning, and the ship's cat. The last of the trio 

is said to be remarkably quick in its reactions 

to impending weather changes.

While the A.U.S.N. steamer was approaching 
Mackay on her last voyage north, very suspicious 
weather began, heavy rain squalls from the east, 
with a slightly falling barometer. On February 1, 
when the Macumba reached Townsville, there were 
strong indications of a cyclone to the north, on the
York Peninsula. The warning signal was hoisted at 
the harbour office, and a message was received that 
a hurricane had crossed the Peninsula from the
west, gone out to sea between Cooktown and Cardwell, 
and ran slowly moving eastward toward Willis Island.

The s.s. Morinda, bound for Townsville, was sheltering 

under Gloucester Head from heavy easterly gales. Wireless 

had enabled her to locate the centre of the cyclone,

and the rate of progression, and, wisely to take precautions.

Willis Island wireless gave technical particulars on February 2, 

which showed that the Morinda and Macumba were on the 

right semi-circle of the line of progression, and that the former's 

best plan was to run north, while the Macumba steamer cautiously 

southward in the wake of the disturbance.

How very interesting. The Morinda could represent the Yongala, running north, and the Macumba, representing the Grantala, proceeding cautiously southward and then taking shelter at Cape Bowling Green. This rationale would certainly explain Captain Knight's decision to 'run north'.

"We sailed at 4 p.m., keeping to a certain 

course," says Captain Upward, "and at 10 p.m.

passed the Morinda, bound north. The weather 

was clear, but a nasty easterly sea was making

both vessels roll heavily. At noon on February 3 

we were well down among the Whitsunday Islands, 

with the cyclone still showing signs of converging 

with our course. If the tendency continued, it was 

evident that we should have to ease up before reaching 

a position at which we would come together.

This part of the coast is the most picturesque 

in Australian waters, owing to its miles and miles 

of island chains, which practically form inland seas.

What a grand tourist resort it would make ! On this 

special occasion, however, I was glad to be getting 

through with moderately clear weather, and was

not thinking of tourist possibilities. On February 4 

a course was shaped inside the Percy Islands. 

The barometer began to fall rapidly, and the ship 

was swept by thick blinding rain squalls of hurricane 

force. Owing to the indraft of the islands, it was very 

difficult to get a true direction of the wind, but it was 

obvious that we were getting too close on the heels 

of the cyclone, especially as the flood tide - a king one 

at that - would cause the storm to incline in our 

direction. I decided to anchor and stand by till daylight! 

It was some satisfaction later to know that other ships, 

ahead and more to the eastward of our position reported

by wireless that they were having a bad time, one captain 

stating that he had passed through the centre of the cyclone.

The barometer fell rapidly and blinding squalls predominated with difficulty establishing the true direction of wind. Such confusing horror. It is interesting to note that despite adequate wireless communication and warning, ships found themselves in the brunt of the cyclone and at least one in the centre. 

  

I was glad that I had not proceeded

until the storm had passed. At 5 a.m.,

the barometer started to rise slowly and

the weather to improve all round. The

wind got more westing in it, and the

cyclone ahead of us gradually curved 

out to sea and was finally reported to

be 100 miles east of Capricorn, moving

E.S.E., expanding and losing force.

Having remained at anchor 14 hours,

the vessel proceeded, and, except for

the expected rough seas, reached port

without trouble. Following as we were,

on the heels of a cyclone, it is necessary

to keep as much westerly as possible in

your wind and to watch your barometer

closely.

Advice to watch the barometer was perhaps the most important take-home message. 

It is interesting to note, in connection

with the barometer, that from 4 to 10,

a.m. and pm; the barometer usually

rises, while from 10 to 4 a.m. and p.m. 

it falls. This is called the diurnal range,

and is most pronounced in the Tropics,

amounting to about one-tenth of an

inch. The movement becomes very

irregular when a storm is impending,

and that is the time to keep a sharp

lookout and heed any wireless warnings.

Sensible guideline (so similar to that relating to the Koombana disaster - see Koombana Revisited). 

Incidentally, according lo Captain Upward, 

the ship's cat becomes as jumpy as the 

aneroid barometer!

Did Yongala have a 'ship's cat' ??

Morning Bulletin, 2 July, 1947.

SEA STREWN WITH WRECKAGE

Captain Rhodes says that the

current belief that no trace of the

Yongala was ever found is wrong,

as the sea between Cape Bowling

Green and Palm Islands was littered 

with wreckage, much of it being 

kerosene in the square tins of the 

day. 

He said that the cyclone was small, 

but of great intensity, the barometric 

gradients being so steep that there 

was a difference of an inch in the 

readings at Cape Bowling Green 

and at Townsville pilot station. The

path cut by the storm through the 

timber at the head up Upstart Bay, 

in which great trees twisted and 

shattered, was most impressive.

What Butler saw suggested that

the tornado swept through the 

Inkerman area on a 30 mile front to

the sea, crossing the coast between

Cape Upstart and Cape Bowling

green. On the northern side of Cape

Upstart there had been a large

landslide and trees uprooted, but

cut off clean about eight feet from

the ground.