SUMMARY ARTICLE - 1931

Bowen Independent, Thursday 5 May, 1931.

LOSS OF THE S. S.

“YONGALA”

IN 1911 CYCLONE.

DISAPPEARS WITH 217 PERSONS

ON BOARD.

By GEORGE TURNER.

On Thursday 23rd March, 1911, a

special forecast was posted at Bowen

Post Office at 5 p.m. notifying the public 

that a cyclone was imminent and

was travelling in the direction of Bowen. 

Although no official cyclone warning was issued at any time by the Commonwealth, centralised Meteorological Bureau in Melbourne, a local warning was issued, which in turn was communicated to Brisbane and thence back to Flat Top. None of these warnings were received in time for Yongala or Grantala.

At. 7 p.m. the wind increased to gale force 

and continued throughout the night but 

abated towards morning and veered 

from S.E. to W. It was found that no 

very serious damage had occurred 

but several outhouses were unroofed 

or collapsed and all telegraph lines were 

interrupted with one exception and 

communication by wire or mail was 

seriously delayed. The rain fell for 

24 hours was 400 locally and Proserpine 

reported 770 points. Floods occurred on 

the railway and Bolmwaha train could not 

get beyond Salisbury and had to return to 

town. The citrus crop, which was then well 

forward, suffered serious damage, most of 

the fruit being shaken off and many trees up

rooted from floods and wind. The A.U.S.N. 

Coy’s office, then on the beach at the foot 

of Herbert Street, was.badly knocked about 

and all books and stationery injured from 

driving rain and spray. The steamer “Grantala” 

which left Townsville at 4 p.m. on Thursday ran 

into a cyclone and took shelter, under Cape 

Bowling Green and did not reach Bowen until 

3 p.m. on Friday.

Passengers describing their experience,

stated that they had a very bad time

and considered themselves lucky that

the ship had come through the storm.

They had seen nothing of the Yongala,

the sister ship belonging to the same

service, which had left the anchorage

at Flat Top before the storm warning

reached her. She was making for 

Townsville and Cairns and carried 136

passengers and 81 of a crew. On Saturday 

when it was ascertained the Yongala had 

not reached Townsville or been sighted on 

the way serious fears for her safety began 

to be expressed and steps were taken to 

ascertain her fate. Dent Island Lighthouse 

reported her as passing there at 6 p.m. on 

Thursday .and residents at Cannon Valley

Beach saw her pass there just as darkness 

was setting in and the night promising to be 

a very stormy one. The local police were 

instructed to search the beaches in the 

neighbourhood and did so but found no 

wreckage. The steamer Ouraka arrived at 

Bowen at 3 p.m. on Friday after searching 

from Townsville without  success. She proceeded 

as far as Mackay and returned North searching 

the outer reef. The Tarcoola passed Bowen at 

5 p.m. on Thursday searching from Mackay to

Holborn Island and returned later to

the pilot station and signalled that she

had found no trace of the missing

steamer. It was then reported that

the tug Alert from Townsville had

picked up wreckage one mile south of

Cape Bowling Green. Mr. Lyons, the

local Harbour Master was instructed to

send the Tarcoola and Belief to that

locality. They left at daylight next

morning, also Mr. Blee’s motor launch

with the owner, Mr. Barton and pilot,

crew on board. Mr. Switzer, Pilot, reported 

from Cape Bowling Green their arrival there 

but that no wreckage had been picked up. 

The Alert on her return  to Townsville reported 

definitely that she had found fresh wreckage 

belonging to the Yongala Including a cabin trunk, 

a lifebuoy marked s.s."Yongala'’ and the message 

stated that all hope of the safety of the ship 

had been abandoned. Further search about

17 miles N.E. of Cape Cleveland revealed a 

half door belonging to the music door, 4 hatch 

gratings, feather pillow, and a small walnut 

cabinet with two drawers badly battered. A

mail hamper was also picked up containing 

a parcel identified as having been sent by a 

Brisbane firm by the Yongala’s mail. A quantity

of other wreckage was also sighted but the 

rough sea prevented its recovery. A search along

the beach about one mile from Cape Bowling 

Green revealed 2 bags of chaff, 2 bags of pollard, 

1 bag of pumpkins, 1 bag bran; 2 cases kerosene, 

a lifebuoy, without marks, 2 bath room gratings, 

2 pillows marked A.S. Cos., part of a cabin trunk, 

a long board evidently part of a cabin fitting, 

10 feet oar, upper half of glass door, hamper 

of mails and a case of oil marked IT.M.S. over

Cairns. It was„at first reported that the vessel 

had struck Nares Bock near Holborn Island and 

some evidence was given in support of this surmise 

when a brass ring was found embedded in

the rock but on examination at Brisbane it was 

declared to be a gas ring from a big gunshell 

probably fired at the rock by some war vessel 

having target practice. Many residents of

Bowen and other North Queensland towns 

had relatives on the ill-fated vessel and the 

search was continued privately and by the 

Government for months afterward but the 

actual cause of the disaster has never been 

definitely settled. No bodies were ever recovered

and the position, time and cause of her loss

remains a mystery.

And so it was - Yongala entered the annals of great maritime mysteries. The wreck was discovered and is now a popular diving site. Yongala is largely (and beautifully) intact which suggests that the gale and seas of that stormy night overwhelmed the tender steamer, taking her quickly to the bottom roughly 11 n miles off Cape Bowling Green. 

Yongala did not strike rock or reef.

Although there have been suggestions that Captain Knight took risks (eg. Glanworth disaster) I believe that circumstances were against him 23 March, 1911. He passed through the inshore, inside passage, Whitsunday Islands, at a time when visibility was adequate and a gale starting to mount from the south (8 knots). He believed that a storm system was coming up from behind and attempted to outrun it, not realising that he was steaming into the heart of a hybrid cyclone.

The Adelaide Steamship Company were in the business of providing relatively top heavy steamers to service coastal ports, many of which had limited draught access. There was a demand for luxurious accommodation - elevated - and substantial cargo transportation. Such cargo, particularly refrigerated, was dependent on seasonal factors and there were times when their steamers operated without full component of dead weight. This was a fact of business and not a reflection on risk-taking.

The 164 tons of pig iron will remain an issue of sensitive controversy. It served a purpose but created an uncomfortable passage for wealthy commuters. The company was between a rock and a hard place in this regard and elected to restore Yongala to her inherently tender condition which created a far more favourable rolling pattern. But it took exceptional storm conditions to reveal the harsh reality that relative tenderness did have fatal limitations.

Cargo was transported on deck which probably in large part was due to the limited loading and off-loading facilities at various ports, including Flat-top. I do not believe it was reckless 'laziness' but a necessity to maintain strict tide-controlled schedules and ease of access. It was an issue which should have received more attention at the Inquiry, which I have come believe, was biased in favour of the coastal service. The Court was fully aware of limitations and accepted that great expense would he required to upgrade service ports along both the Queensland and Northwest coasts. These changes would come in time but would require great investment of resources.

The need for further lighthouses was aired and communication between these facilities and passing steamers improved with the increased deployment of morse-lamp signalling apparatuses. Wireless communication on board steamers was to be incrementally introduced and complimented by development of land-based stations. I do not believe a wireless on board Yongala would have been of any help at all, March 1911 due to the limitations of land-based stations and fellow steamers carrying sets.

I believe there were errors in the timeline and Yongala could not have been sighted off Dent Island at 6.30 pm, 23 March, for the simple reason that in order for her to cover the roughly 100 n miles to her final position, which was confirmed at 11.45 pm by the chronometer discovered at the wreck site, she would have to have maintained a ridiculous 19 knots - very difficult to maintain even with a favourable 2 knot current. 

I believe Yongala was sighted by the residents of Cannon Valley at about 6.00 pm passing through the inner, inside passage. The storm had not yet struck (use of the word 'promise') and visibility was reasonable - it was a fair judgment call on the part of Captain Knight. I believe all of the above was an attempt on the part of the Court to suggest that Captain Knight had used the outside passage for fear of repercussions. 

I'm sure many of the families of those lost felt short-changed by the Inquiry, but as in the case of the Waratah, there was not one shred of physical evidence confirming what had caused Yongala to founder and where. The Court were severely limited in this regard and used it to its advantage.

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