KENNETH SAUNDERS; FREDERICK BROWN; HENRY ADAMSON; CAPTAIN MACKAY - OPINIONS.

The Argus (Melbourne) Tuesday 13 June, 1911.

William Kenneth Saunders, chief officer

of the Grantala, said that he was for two

years second mate on the Yongala. She

was a first class ship, well found in every

respect. It was Captain Knight's practice

to go inside the islands except when the

weather was very bad. He did go outside 

on a few occasions while witness was 

with him. Witness's opinion was that the 

Yongala hit something.

Frederick Kirket Brown, chief engineer

of the Grantala, said that be had been

second engineer on the Yongala. He had

never known the coal to shift. The 

ballast tanks were filled and emptied 

independently of each other, so that the 

ship could be trimmed as required.

Henry Adamson, superintendent engineer

of the Adelaide Company, said that he

never had the slightest fear of the 

Yongala under any conditions. The 

Yongala was tested for stability as well 

as speed. The Yongala had never had a 

breakdown, nor had there been one with 

the company's other vessels. He did not 

think the Yongala disaster could have 

been due to any mishap to the machinery, 

which was the strongest he had seen on 

the Australian coast.

Captain Mackay said that he thought the

board was perfectly satisfied as to the

stability of the ship.

The Inquiry into the loss of the Yongala convened 2 1/2 months after the disaster. I shall return to the details in later posts, but for now these witnesses gave an impression of closing ranks. It was never going to serve the purpose of establishing the truth by parading ASC employees before the Court. They were unlikely to offer confirmation of a compromised steamer or a 'reckless' master while attempting to further their careers within the company. 

But it is interesting to note reassurances relating to underlying concerns:

- Captain Knight preferred the more dangerous and shorter inside passage except when the weather was bad. However, 'on a few occasions' strongly suggests that Captain Knight, as on 23 March, was more inclined to take his chances weaving through the islands in 'thick weather'. Captain Sim of the Grantala stated that Captain Knight always used the inside route. 

- Suggesting that the Yongala hit something was plausible and would explain the discovery onshore of cargo from the lower hold. Partially-submerged ship wreckage could have presented such an unpredictable obstacle but was unlikely to have resulted in the rapid disappearance of a 350 ft. steamer. 

-  Mr. Brown brought up the subject of 'shifting coal' and 'independently filling and emptying ballast tanks' in a positive reinforcement context, which suggested that these issues were on the table as regards contributory cause/s with an obvious reference to stability.

- Mr. Adamson used the interesting word 'fear' to reassure the Court that Yongala was safe. Again a negative slant on a positive opinion. Yongala's machinery was not in question as she was not discovered adrift. But having said this if her engine had failed she might have gone broadside to the cyclonic gale - not a good thing.

- Finally Mr. Mackay 'thought' that there were no official stability question marks hanging over the Yongala. He covered himself in case something to the contrary emerged during the course of  the Inquiry.

The scene is set for interesting exploration to come....