BOTTLE MESSAGE.

The Daily Telegraph, Sydney, 14 December, 1911.

THE MESSAGE FROM THE YONGALA.

IS IT A HOAX ?

The finding of the bottle-paper supposed to be

from the missing steamer Yongala, which foun-

dered with all hands off the Queensland coast

in March last, occasioned considerable interest

in shipping circles yesterday, and speculation

was rife as to whether the paper was really

genuine.

Mr. Wareham, the Queensland inspector for the 

Adelaide S.S. Co., who is at present in Sydney, 

had a telegram from the Mackay office of the 

company, giving the information of the finding 

of the bottle-paper, and he is taking the necessary 

steps to have the message sent south to him to 

Brisbane for the purpose of comparing the writing 

with that of "J. West, chief cook," on the ship's 

articles at Brisbane. At present considerable

doubt seems to exist as to the paper message

coming from the missing ship. Cross currents

and the numerous islands in the locality would,

it is pointed out, lessen the chances of the bottle-

paper drifting to the position where it was picked

up is about 100 miles south of of the place where

the Yongala is supposed to have been lost. The

Yongala which was in command of Captain Knight

left the Mackay anchorage at 1.40 p.m. on March

23, and was reported as having passed Dent Island

at 6 p.m., the same day, but was not subsequently

heard of. A small portion of her cargo was picked

up on the coast and reefs to the north-west of the

Whitsunday Passage. No fewer than 120 lives were 

lost in the ill-fated steamer. The message found at

Westhill, and sent to Mackay, was written on an

envelope and read: "S.S. Yongala: Terrible storm,

8.30 p.m.. It's a case of good-bye - J. West, cook."

courtesy Google Earth
If this was true and Yongala making an average of 16 knots, the message would have been thrown overboard in the vicinity of Holbourne Island and Nares Rock. If there had been another more than 3 hours to go, surely some attempt would have been made to seek anchorage or get people off in lifeboats??

courtesy Trove.