INQUIRY NOT TO BE HELD IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA.

The Sydney Morning Herald, Monday 29 May, 1911.

THE YONGALA WRECK.

BRISBANE, Sunday.

In connection with the loss of the steamer

Yongala, the Premier has received a telegram

from the Acting Premier of South Australia

stating: "The Marine Board of this State does

not consider it its duty to hold an Inquiry

into the disappearance of the Yongala."

Mr. Denham is referring the matter to the 

Attorney-General for his opinion on the 

constitution of the Inquiry which it is 

proposed to hold in Queensland.

How intriguing. Why would this have been?

The Brisbane Courier, Wednesday 31 May, 1911.

LOSS OF THE YONGALA.

INQUIRY TO BE HELD IN

QUEENSLAND.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL'S OPINION.

When the Premier (Hon. D. F. Denham) 

received information that the Government 

of South Australia would not hold an 

inquiry into the loss of the Yongala, 

Adelaide being the port of registration 

of the vessel, he sought the opinion of the 

Attorney-General (Hon. T. O'sullivan) on 

the position of the Queensland Marine 

Board in making an investigation. 

Mr. O'sullivan wrote: 

"I am of the opinion that an inquiry into the 

wreck of the Yongala can be held by the 

Marine Board of Queensland - By section 

11 of the Navigation Act of 1870 the board 

has power to inquire into any matter in 

connection with wrecks or casualties. 

Under section 3 of the Merchant Shipping 

(Colonial Inquiries) Act, 1982 (repealed 

by the Merchant Shipping Act of 1894), 

every court or tribunal then or thereafter 

authorised in a British possession to make 

inquiries as to ship-wrecks or other casualties 

affecting ships was empowered to hold an 

inquiry into a shipwreck or casualty occurring 

to a British ship on or near the coast of the 

British possession or to a British ship in the

course of a voyage to any port within a

British possession. Before the coming into 

operation of the Merchant Shipping Act

of 1896 the Marine Board of Queensland

had power to inquire as to shipwrecks so

occurring. Section 478 of the Act of

1896 provides 'that the Legislature of a

British possession may authorise any court

or tribunal to make inquiries as to ship-wreck 

or casualty so occurring. This section is more 

restrictive in its terms than the corresponding 

section under the Act of 1882, but was not, 

I think, intended to take away the powers 

possessed before 1895 by the Marine Board 

as to holding inquiries in cases such as that 

of the Yongala. (R. V. Mason, 0 W.A., L.R. 134.)"

The Premier said yesterday afternoon

that the State Treasurer is the authority

for issuing instructions to the Marine

Board, and as soon as he returns to 

Brisbane such instructions will be issued to

hold an inquiry in regard to the loss at

the Yongala.

This was a strange turn of events. That there was almost a refusal on the part of the Government of South Australia to hold the Inquiry begs questions. From a practical point of view there would not have been logistical obstacles to holding the Marine Inquiry in Adelaide. I can only think that there remained some form of animosity between the city of Adelaide and the Adelaide Steamship Company which might have had a negative impact on the outcome of the Inquiry. See:

http://yongalarevisited.blogspot.co.za/2016/08/complaint-against-custom-regulation.html

It will be very interesting to take a detailed look at the Marine Board Inquiry transcript which I intend to do shortly.

Marine Board and Customs Officers, South Australia 1885 (courtesy Arthur Collection)

TOP OF A MAST SEEN.

The Mercury (Hobart) Tuesday 26 September, 1911.

THE LOST YONGALA.

SUPPOSED TRACE OF THE

VESSEL.

TOWNSVILLE. September 25.

The captain of  the German Australian 

steamer Annanberge last week

reported to the harbourmaster that on

the trip up the coast in the neighbourhood 

of the Nares Rock, he saw something 

which resembled the top of a mast of a 

vessel a few feet along the water, but 

he was unable to say whether it was 

floating or stationary. Being anxious to 

catch the tide at Townsville, he did not 

investigate. This is regarded as possibly 

connected with the ill-fated steamer Yongala.

Not, as it turned out.

SEARCH ABANDONED.

The Advertiser (Adelaide) 15 April, 1911.

THE YONGALA

SEARCH ABANDONED. 

Brisbane, April 14:

Mr. Wareham, manager of the Adelaide

Company, stated to-night that so far as the

company was concerned, the search for the

wreck of the Yongala had been abandoned.

It had been intended to send the small

steamer Pelican to make a final survey of

the reefs, but the weather conditions 

prevented tile Pelican leaving port, and 

it was decided to give up the search. 

With reference to the offer of apparatus

for revealing objects some distance below

the surface of water. Mr. Wareham

said when the apparatus is received from

Melbourne he will ask Captain Mackay,

the portmaster, to have it tested in 

Moreton Bay. If the test is satisfactory the

apparatus will be tried at Nares Rock and

at other reefs.

Concerning the company's contribution

to the Yongala relief fund, Mr. Wareham

said the directors would contribute, but

the amount would depend on the relief 

required.

By 14 April, 1911, all hope of Yongala disabled and adrift, was abandoned. This was 3 weeks after Yongala failed to arrive at Townsville. Compare this with the case of the Waratah which disappeared off the South African coast, July, 1909. Searches continued well into 1910 - an almost obstinate refusal to accept the harsh reality that Waratah and her 211 souls were lost.

The Adelaide Steamship Company directors did not see the point of further expense incurred by on-going searches and giving false hope to relatives of those lost. The Lunds, owners of the Waratah, on the other hand persisted with the notion that their flagship could not have foundered in a storm of 'exceptional violence' or due to any other cause. 

One does wonder what role was played by value of cargo??

There were no reports or rumours of valuable cargo aboard Yongala. Waratah on the other hand was rumoured to be carrying a vast amount of gold and silver. Appeasing the vain hope of relatives was one thing, recovering valuable assets was quite another....

SS Yongala

SS Waratah

How very similar these two steamers were - both lost without a trace.

PLANS.

The Brisbane Courier, Saturday, 1 April, 1911.

THE WRECKED STEAMER YONGALA.

' * ', SECTION PLAN" OF S S. YONGALA. / The parts of the vessel from which wreckage and cargo came are indicated as follows :-A, bucket rack; B, bath grating from lava tory j C, pillows ; D, doors ; E¿ mail bags ; f, bran, potatoes, pumpkin«, &c. Help

SECTION PLAN OF S S. YONGALA.

The parts of the vessel from which wreckage and cargo came are indicated as follows :-A, bucket rack; B, bath grating from lavatory C, pillows ; D, doors ; E, mail bags ; F, bran, potatoes, pumpkins, &c.

Yesterday was the eighth full day which

has passed since the Yongala disappeared,

and still no direct evidence is forthcoming 

of the extent of the disaster which

has all too certainly overtaken her. The

only fresh information is the discovery

of a case of pears on the coast near

Cape Bowling Green, which may or may

not have come from the Yongala. In

view of the other wreckage already picked

up, the probability is that the case came

from the insulated space of the Yongala's

holds, which would further confirm the

supposition that the fine steamer has gone

to pieces. 

The images below taken from the Trove newspaper report are difficult to make out in parts. However, it is clear that produce from the insulated hold marked F strongly suggests that the steamer 'came apart' releasing this cargo. There is another possibility that the after hatch breached and the sudden inundation of tons of water could have liberated cargo.

There is no secret that the wreck of the Yongala is intact and does not confirm the former hypothesis. The after hatch must have been the weak link during the final moments of the doomed steamer.

A DANGEROUS COAST.

The Sydney Morning Herald, Wednesday, 29 March, 1911.

YONGALA WRECKAGE

WASHED UP ON THE

COAST.

CARGO FROM LOWER HOLD.

NO TRACE OF PASSENGERS

OR CREW.

ALL HOPE ABANDONED.

TOTAL OF 141 SOULS ON

BOARD.

... wreckage washed ashore at Cape Bowling 

Green, a notoriously treacherous spot, and 

elsewhere, is ominous, and little hope remains.

The Yongala had on board 141 souls all told

— a crew of 73 and 68 passengers in all classes

It is feared that all have been lost.

According to the wreck report, there were 48 passengers and 72 crew = 120. How could such a discrepancy arise? In fact other sources quote a total complement of 122. 

See: 

http://ahoy.tk-jk.net/macslog/Themysteriousdisappearanc.html 

for passenger and crew names.

IN THE TEETH OF THE GALE.

Cape Bowling Green, where what is believed to be portion of the Yongala's cargo 

came ashore yesterday, is an extremely dangerous portion of the coastline. Shoal 

waters extend for a considerable distance eastward, the banks in the vicinity are 

constantly shifting, and the tidal streams set strongly and irregularly over them. 

The lighthouse stands 70 feet above high water, and shows a light visible 44 miles. 

Great caution is necessary when navigating in this neighbourhood. So much water 

is thrown over the Barrier Reef and through the Barrier openings by the heavy sea 

that the currents in the inner route become very erratic at such times.

These conditions might explain why a mariner in a previous post suggested that Captain Knight should have hauled north-north-east after clearing the islands, perhaps to avoid the 'shoal waters extending for a considerable distance eastward''. The 'erratic currents' would certainly have contributed to deteriorating circumstances within a tropical cyclone. It must have been terrifying last minutes. 

On Monday, as on Sunday, excited crowds

watched the notice-boards at the G.P.O. in

Brisbane, and with every passing hour their

anxiety increased. Many were waiting for

relatives and friends. But no news came

until yesterday. With the finding of the

wreckage the watchers gave up hope.

WRECKAGE IDENTIFIED.

The Queensland manager for the Adelaide

S.S. Company, Mr. E. B. Wareham, stated

that the bags of bran and pollard had been

identified as part of the Yongala's cargo, which

had been shipped at Brisbane. The bags had

been placed in No. 3 lower hold, a secure 

part of the vessel, and the fact that they had 

been washed ashore caused him to entertain 

the gravest fears regarding the vessel.

This suggested that the hull had been ripped open or the main hatch had breached inundating the vessel with tons of water which displaced the cargo.

Cape Bowling Green is 40 miles south of

Townsville. A message from Townsville 

received yesterday stated that wreckage was

floating about Cleveland Bay, and that a 

number of oil drums, coal baskets, timber, 

etc., had been seen.

Last night a search boat reported on returning 

to Townsville that a quantity of wreckage had 

been found in the vicinity of Keppel Reef, 

including two cases of kerosene, two

bathroom gratings, portion of a cabin 

trunk, two lifebuoys bearing no marks, 

and two pillows marked "A. S. Coy."

Kerosene was stowed on Yongala's deck. If ever there was movable cargo it was this! 

A TERRIFIC STORM.

The weather along the Queensland coast 

towards the end of last week was exceedingly

bad. It has been very severe, in fact, for the

past fortnight.

Captain Milson, of the steamer Guthrie,

which arrived in Sydney last Wednesday from

the north, reported having met the full force

of the cyclone which passed over Northern

Queensland, wrecking the township of Port

Douglas, and doing great damage also at 

Mossman and other places.

The force of the gale, he said, was terrific,

and his vessel was in danger all the time

the gale lasted. The indications of the storm

were seen before his vessel reached 

Rockhampton, and on the afternoon of the 

16th inst. he brought the ship to anchor 

inside Low Woody Island. Two anchors 

were lowered with 120 fathoms of chain on 

each. During the afternoon the wind increased 

in violence, and the sea rose rapidly until it 

was impossible to move about the decks. 

Two lifeboats were blown or washed from 

their tackle, all movable obstacles were 

washed overboard, the tarpaulins were 

stripped from the hatches, and the top of 

the bridge roof was blown away. A change in 

the wind caused a most dangerous cross sea, 

which continually swept the ship fore and aft, 

and several times she was almost thrown on 

her beam ends.

A vessel in light trim, Captain Milson said,

would have a poor chance in such a gale.

Yongala was in light trim and the description of a dangerous cross sea throwing the vulnerable steamer onto her 'beam ends' ---> rolling over, is most sobering.

The steamers Cooma, Taiyuan, and Wodonga, 

appear to have experienced the same weather 

as the Yongala, but reached their destination safely.

Captain Mackay, of Brisbane, speaks of the

storm as of quite exceptional violence, and

points to the fact that the Taiyuan had two

of her boats blown away while sheltering

north of Dent Island.

Note that most of these vessels took shelter and dropped anchor. Why did Captain Knight not do this?

"DID NOT PASS."

The steamer Grantala, a sister ship to the

Yongala, arrived at Brisbane on Monday, after

a trying trip from Cairns, during which she

had to run into shelter from the hurricane.

It was usual for these two boats to pass each

other, in the night between Townsville and

Bowen. They should have passed on Thursday 

night — the night of the storm — but Captain

Sim, of the Grantala, saw nothing of the other

vessel's lights. He was not surprised at this,

in view of the dirtiness of the weather, which

he described as the worst he had experienced

during the two years he had been in charge

of the Grantala.

Captain Sim also made the sensible decision to take shelter in Bowling Green Bay. It was unlikely that he would have seen Yongala's lights under these circumstances. The wreck site is 11 miles from the Cape Bowling Green Light and possibly as much as 17 miles from the position of the Grantala.

A DANGEROUS COAST.

Cape Bowling Green, where part of the cargo

has come ashore, marks a very dangerous

part of the coast. The light is visible 14 miles

out at sea. Mariners are warned to exercise

great caution when navigating the waters 

of this neighbourhood.

Not all mariners exercised great caution on the night of 23 March, but there again perhaps Captain was committed to a course and destiny.

In January, 1890, a very heavy easterly and

south-east gale, with torrents of rain, was

experienced by H.M.S. Dart in the vicinity of

Cape Bowling Green. The barometer fell to

29.68. So much water is thrown over the

Barrier Reef and through the Barrier 

openings after a heavy sea that the currents 

in the inner route become very erratic at such

times. The Dart was set 33 miles north 60

degrees west in 24 hours, and subsequently 

10 miles north 50 degrees east in 12 hours.

In 1875 the Gothenberg was totally wrecked

on one of the reefs in the vicinity of Cape

Bowling Green, and the steamer Quetta was

wrecked north of that point some 21 years ago.

The point has been thoroughly made that the section of coast in question was challenging at the best of times and treacherous in a cyclone. The rapidly dropping barometer on board Yongala should have been sufficient warning of conditions to be expected. In light trim one does wonder what was going on in the minds of master and officers....