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
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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
