HOPELESS ANGUISH.

Cairns Post, 3 April, 1911.

False Alarm.

(To the Editor.)

Sir,-Is it not a scandalous shame

that thoughtless persons should 

circulate unfounded rumours like that

which was to be heard throughout the

town to-day alleging the wreck of

the Yongala had been located, and

adding what were given as details

of the position, etc.?

This rumour, as it was proved,

was entirely without foundation.

But not a few grief-stricken people

in Cairns, who. had dear ones on

board the steamer were, on first 

hearing the story, comforted not a 

little thinking there would be a 

chance of reclaiming a poor body 

from the water and giving it the last 

rites of Christian burial on land. But

who can describe their feelings when

they found there was no truth in

the statement. The anguish they

are suffering is quite terrible enough

without it being added to in this

manner. One gentleman, whose

daughter was on board the ill-fated

steamer, came to me expectantly,

asking if there was any truth in

the story. When I told him there

was none at all, the hopeless anguish 

in his eyes was heartrending

to see. For pity's sake, Sir, let

these idle, cruel rumours be stopped.

Will not the persons who are given

to this kind of thing think of the

pain and suffering they cause by

their heartlessness or 

thoughtlessness,

-Yours, etc..

JOHN PEEL."

April 2, 1911. P

'IS A DISGRACE TO A PEOPLE WITH ANY PRETENCE OF CIVILISATION.'

Truth, Brisbane, 2 April, 1911.

THE LOST YONGALA

MODERN METHODS WANTED.

In last Sunday's issue, "Truth" commented 

crisply on the supposition— which is now

alas! a dread certainty— that the Adelaide 

Shipping Company's passenger steamer 

Yongala had foundered with all hands, with 

the cheery optimism of the People's Paper,

it was hoped that all was well, even in

the face of disturbing evidence, and reference 

was made to the desirability of installing a 

system of wireless telegraphy, to operate between 

coastal steamers and receiving stations on the

mainland. 'During the week, the "Daily Mail"— 

a paper which has recently amended its ways 

in one or two of those apparently trivial details 

which never escape our notice — has calmly 

collared the idea previously enunciated by

"Truth," and has put up a feeble squeak on 

the question of the installation of such a wireless 

system as was demanded by the People's Paper. 

Considering the advertising risks involved, 

and the terror which the great Firms and Combines 

who are included in the Chamber of Commerce 

exercise over the Queen-street dailies, this recognition 

of a crying necessity— even though it be stolen from 

"Truth"— may be counted for righteousness to a 

journal which never keens the recording angel, 

working overtime in that regard.

Mere suggestion is, however, not nearly strong 

enough, and "Truth" demands, in all seriousness, 

that both State and Federal authorities take up a

sinfully-neglected task and remove the possibility

as far as the future is concerned, of any more fearful 

happenings such as have attended the loss of the 

Yongala. Here was a ship, of modern, design, 

powerfully engined, and fit to sail any sea of the 

world, hopelessly lost on one of the most frequented 

of shipping highways, and what is infinitely worse,

not only lost, but unnoticed for three or four days. 

No human provision can ensure the safety even of 

such ships as the Yongala, but that such a craft, with 

her freight of valuable cargo, and far more precious 

human lives, should vanish into the unknowable while 

the dwellers on the fairly well-populated coast in the 

vicinity of her disappearance were in utter ignorance of 

her fate, is an unspeakable thing. 

It is an atrocity beside which ordinary methods of massacre 

sink into insignificance, and its iniquity is increased a 

hundredfold when we recall the fact that a miserable two 

or three hundred pounds would have installed a system of 

wireless telegraphy between the Yongala and a mainland 

base. The apparatus required for such short distances as 

would be needed in the case of the coastal steamers 

is trifling, and the horrible thoughtless parsimony 

of the Government, and the greedy, disgraceful voracity 

of the bloated shipping companies are responsible for much, 

perhaps all, of the tragedy which has shaken Queensland 

from one end to the other. How much they have been aided 

by the fawning, lickspittle daily press in maintaining their 

attitude of "don't care a damn" need not  be enlarged on here, 

since it is scandalously evident to anyone.

Of course, Premier Denham will try, characteristically, to 

shuffle out of the soup, by throwing all blame on the 

Commonwealth's convenient shoulders. The Federal 

Government control lighthouse and such shipping matters 

generally as come within the scope of the authorities. 

Nevertheless, it is upon the State that the stigma of the 

circumstances attending on the loss of the Yongala must 

rest. For many years the State of Queensland controlled the 

lighting and marking of what is in all probability the most 

dangerous and intricate stretch of coastal navigation in the 

world. The methods adopted in those dark days were 

left as a dangerous legacy to the Commonwealth, 

to whose discredit lies the fact that they have not been 

improved out of existence.

Matters are not one whit improved since the Quetta foundered 

twenty years ago. As far as, provision for saving life, or for 

alleviating disaster goes, the coast line of Queensland in particular, 

and of Australia generally,  'is a disgrace to a people with any 

pretence of civilisation.'

Ten days ago— it is forgotten now in this new and more tragic 

wonder— the daily press was conducting an idiotic campaign 

of' unplaced sympathy, because an asinine Papuan official had 

lost himself. A Sydney inventor was rushed off by steamer to 

Papua, equipped with several sets of exceedingly expensive 

long-distance "wireless" apparatus. ' 'Before this had been fixed 

up, the lost explorer was brought in by some natives, who, 

apparently, did not think him worth eating. If half the money 

wasted in the silly preparations for getting wireless news of 

Staniforth Smith had been expended on two or three receiving 

stations on the dangerous northern coast, and if Federal, or State 

authority had compelled a cheap wireless installation on the boats 

which help the companies to fatten on Queensland money, we 

should have known exactly how the Yongala met disaster, and 

the tugs and other craft who are, a week after the tragedy, 

picking up useless wreckage might have been able to arrive 

on the scene of the wreck in time to save some one of those 

120 souls who have gone

"To the weed's unrest;

To the shark and the shearing gull."

State or Commonwealth, whoever is to blame, have but one 

duty plain before them. The fat and overfed shipping companies 

have battened unchecked for years on the great coastal trade of 

Australia, and no section of that trade has been more profitable 

than that which lies up and down the Queensland coast. The 

profits of the great Combine are notorious, and out of all 

proportion to the comforts and facilities given by the companies 

to the people who, willy-nilly, have to submit to their exorbitant

rates and their very inferior provision for travellers.It is absolutely 

imperative that, these people should be compelled to spend a 

fraction of their enormous gains in partially insuring the safety of 

their clients by installing wireless telegraphy. In this week's daily 

press, there are three or four cables announcing the rescue of 

passengers from wrecked craft, through the medium of wireless 

telegraphy. As "Truth", has said, the installation for short-distance 

work costs but a trifle. It is up to the great companies to make

a move. 

GROK:

Commentary on the Truth (Brisbane) Article, 2 April 1911: "The Lost Yongala – Modern Methods Wanted"This fiery editorial from Brisbane's populist Truth newspaper—self-styled as the "People's Paper"—is a blistering broadside against the maritime status quo in the wake of the SS Yongala's disappearance on 23 March 1911 during a cyclone off Townsville. With 122 souls aboard (passengers, crew, and even a racehorse), the ship vanished without trace on a busy coastal route, its wreck only confirmed decades later in 1958. The piece blends raw grief, investigative zeal, and class-war rhetoric to demand wireless telegraphy (early radio) as a non-negotiable safety upgrade. It's vintage Truth: sensational, accusatory, and unapologetically anti-establishment, prioritizing public outrage over decorum.Key Themes and Arguments

1. Wireless as a Cheap Lifesaver: The core demand is for mandatory ship-to-shore radio on coastal vessels. The article claims a basic setup for short-range communication (under 200-300 miles) would cost "a miserable two or three hundred pounds" per ship—peanuts compared to the Yongala's value or the human toll. It cites fresh 1911 examples from cable news of wireless-enabled rescues, contrasting them with the Yongala's silent doom. Factually spot-on: Marconi's system was proven by 1911 (e.g., Republic collision in 1909 saved 1,500 lives via SOS), but Australian coastal ships lagged due to cost-cutting. Installation on interstate steamers only became widespread post-Titanic (1912), when regulations finally mandated it.
2. Blame Game: Greed, Neglect, and Buck-Passing:
   • Shipping Companies: Labeled "bloated," "greedy," and "voracious," the Adelaide Steamship Company (owners) and the broader "Combine" (interstate shipping cartel) are vilified for pocketing "enormous gains" from Queensland trade while skimping on safety. The piece notes exorbitant fares and "inferior provision for travellers"—a fair jab; coastal monopolies charged premium rates for cramped, basic accommodations.
   • Governments: Queensland Premier Phil Denham is mocked for "shuffling" blame onto the Commonwealth (which handled lighthouses and navigation post-Federation in 1901). The state is slammed for inheriting and failing to fix a "dangerous legacy" from pre-1901 days, including the Great Barrier Reef's treacherous inner passage. The 1890 Quetta wreck (133 dead off Thursday Island) is invoked as proof of zero progress in 20 years.
   • Press Complicity: Truth gleefully accuses rival dailies (e.g., Daily Mail) of stealing its idea while being muzzled by "Chamber of Commerce" advertisers. This reflects Truth's niche as a scrappy, labor-aligned weekly unafraid to bite corporate hands.
3. Broader Indictment of Australian Coastal Safety: The Queensland coast is called "the most dangerous and intricate stretch... in the world," a "disgrace to civilisation." Hyperbole aside, it's grounded: cyclones, reefs, and poor charting claimed dozens of ships annually. The sarcastic dig at the "idiotic campaign" over lost Papuan explorer Staniforth Smith (rescued unharmed in March 1911, with wasted funds on long-range wireless) underscores misplaced priorities—money for vanity expeditions, none for routine safety.

Stylistic Flair and Historical ContextTruth's prose is purple and pugnacious: "unspeakable thing," "horrible thoughtless parsimony," "fawning, lickspittle daily press." Poetic flourishes like souls lost "to the weed's unrest; to the shark and the shearing gull" evoke dread. This was peak Edwardian yellow journalism—Truth thrived on scandals, union causes, and anti-elite populism, circulation boosted by such tragedies.
In 1911 Australia, maritime regulation was fragmented: states handled pilots and harbors; feds lighthouses. No wireless mandate existed for coastal trade (unlike transoceanic liners). The Yongala inquiry (1911) blamed the cyclone and captain's route choice but echoed calls for radio—yet implementation dragged until the 1912 Titanic disaster forced global reforms via the SOLAS Convention (1914).Modern RetrospectiveHindsight vindicates Truth almost entirely. The Yongala sank in 30m of water off Cape Bowling Green, likely from storm surge overwhelming its stability—wireless might have allowed a distress call, summoning nearby ships (e.g., tugs searching days later). Today, mandatory AIS, EPIRBs, and satellite comms make such "vanishings" rare; the wreck is now a protected dive site. The editorial's rage at "parsimony" over lives prefigures modern debates on infrastructure neglect (e.g., Boeing 737 MAX shortcuts). Politically incorrect by 2025 standards? Its class-baiting ("fat and overfed" companies) and ethnic jab at "Papuan" natives feel dated and crass, but the substance—corporate profiteering endangering workers/passengers—holds up. Truth wasn't polite, but it was prophetic: a populist howl that helped nudge Australia toward safer seas.

Commentary on the Truth (Brisbane) Article, 2 April 1911: "The Lost Yongala – Modern Methods Wanted"This fiery editorial from Brisbane's populist Truth newspaper—self-styled as the "People's Paper"—is a blistering broadside against the maritime status quo in the wake of the SS Yongala's disappearance on 23 March 1911 during a cyclone off Townsville. With 122 souls aboard (passengers, crew, and even a racehorse), the ship vanished without trace on a busy coastal route, its wreck only confirmed decades later in 1958. The piece blends raw grief, investigative zeal, and class-war rhetoric to demand wireless telegraphy (early radio) as a non-negotiable safety upgrade. It's vintage Truth: sensational, accusatory, and unapologetically anti-establishment, prioritizing public outrage over decorum.Key Themes and Arguments

1. Wireless as a Cheap Lifesaver: The core demand is for mandatory ship-to-shore radio on coastal vessels. The article claims a basic setup for short-range communication (under 200-300 miles) would cost "a miserable two or three hundred pounds" per ship—peanuts compared to the Yongala's value or the human toll. It cites fresh 1911 examples from cable news of wireless-enabled rescues, contrasting them with the Yongala's silent doom. Factually spot-on: Marconi's system was proven by 1911 (e.g., Republic collision in 1909 saved 1,500 lives via SOS), but Australian coastal ships lagged due to cost-cutting. Installation on interstate steamers only became widespread post-Titanic (1912), when regulations finally mandated it.
2. Blame Game: Greed, Neglect, and Buck-Passing:
   • Shipping Companies: Labeled "bloated," "greedy," and "voracious," the Adelaide Steamship Company (owners) and the broader "Combine" (interstate shipping cartel) are vilified for pocketing "enormous gains" from Queensland trade while skimping on safety. The piece notes exorbitant fares and "inferior provision for travellers"—a fair jab; coastal monopolies charged premium rates for cramped, basic accommodations.
   • Governments: Queensland Premier Phil Denham is mocked for "shuffling" blame onto the Commonwealth (which handled lighthouses and navigation post-Federation in 1901). The state is slammed for inheriting and failing to fix a "dangerous legacy" from pre-1901 days, including the Great Barrier Reef's treacherous inner passage. The 1890 Quetta wreck (133 dead off Thursday Island) is invoked as proof of zero progress in 20 years.
   • Press Complicity: Truth gleefully accuses rival dailies (e.g., Daily Mail) of stealing its idea while being muzzled by "Chamber of Commerce" advertisers. This reflects Truth's niche as a scrappy, labor-aligned weekly unafraid to bite corporate hands.
3. Broader Indictment of Australian Coastal Safety: The Queensland coast is called "the most dangerous and intricate stretch... in the world," a "disgrace to civilisation." Hyperbole aside, it's grounded: cyclones, reefs, and poor charting claimed dozens of ships annually. The sarcastic dig at the "idiotic campaign" over lost Papuan explorer Staniforth Smith (rescued unharmed in March 1911, with wasted funds on long-range wireless) underscores misplaced priorities—money for vanity expeditions, none for routine safety.

Stylistic Flair and Historical ContextTruth's prose is purple and pugnacious: "unspeakable thing," "horrible thoughtless parsimony," "fawning, lickspittle daily press." Poetic flourishes like souls lost "to the weed's unrest; to the shark and the shearing gull" evoke dread. This was peak Edwardian yellow journalism—Truth thrived on scandals, union causes, and anti-elite populism, circulation boosted by such tragedies.In 1911 Australia, maritime regulation was fragmented: states handled pilots and harbors; feds lighthouses. No wireless mandate existed for coastal trade (unlike transoceanic liners). The Yongala inquiry (1911) blamed the cyclone and captain's route choice but echoed calls for radio—yet implementation dragged until the 1912 Titanic disaster forced global reforms via the SOLAS Convention (1914).Modern RetrospectiveHindsight vindicates Truth almost entirely. The Yongala sank in 30m of water off Cape Bowling Green, likely from storm surge overwhelming its stability—wireless might have allowed a distress call, summoning nearby ships (e.g., tugs searching days later). Today, mandatory AIS, EPIRBs, and satellite comms make such "vanishings" rare; the wreck is now a protected dive site. The editorial's rage at "parsimony" over lives prefigures modern debates on infrastructure neglect (e.g., Boeing 737 MAX shortcuts). Politically incorrect by 2025 standards? Its class-baiting ("fat and overfed" companies) and ethnic jab at "Papuan" natives feel dated and crass, but the substance—corporate profiteering endangering workers/passengers—holds up. Truth wasn't polite, but it was prophetic: a populist howl that helped nudge Australia toward safer seas.

Marconi courtesy Daily Beast.