Cairns Post, Wednesday 14 June, 1911.
'George Dibble, master mariner,
said he was familiar with the coast,
and had worked out a theory as to
what might have happened to the
Yongala. He thought Capt. Knight
followed the usual inside course
between Armit and Gumbrell Islands,
because all the masters he knew took
that course in all weathers.'
Despite attempts by numerous expert witnesses to establish the unequivocal fact that Captain Knight was not a risk-taker and used the outside passage, this master mariner shot these attempts to pieces with his candid admission. It was nothing short of an indictment of practices tolerated along this treacherous stretch of the Queensland coast.
However, Captain Knight et al were superb navigators and although the distance between Armit and Gumbrell Islands is only one mile, this inside passage was safely negotiated in all weathers and conditions of visibility. The final outcome for Yongala and her souls had nothing whatsoever to do with navigating the inside passage.
The Queensland Marine Board representatives, on the other hand, stopped at nothing to steer the Yongala out to sea via the outside passage. The fact that residents of Cannon Valley collectively saw Yongala passing en-route via the inside passage was 'suppressed' by the Court and if acknowledged, would have opened Pandora's Box.
The stakeholders, including the Adelaide Steamship Company and the Queensland Marine Board, were literally lining up to clear their collective name and avoid the wrath of a grieving public...
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