INTER-STATE LINER YONGALA WRECKED

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7399, 29 March 1911, Page 1

INTER-STATE LINER YONGALA WRECKED

GREAT LOSS OB LIFE BEARED CARGO WASHED UP DISASTER ATTRIBUTED TO HIDDEN ROOK By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright (Received March 28, 8.50 p.m.) SYDNEY, March 28. Brisbane telegrams announcing the finding oE cargo and wreckage from the vfceamer Yongala, now several days overdue at Townsville from Mackay, have caused grave fears that the worst has befallen the vessel. Cargo is drifting ashore at Cape Bowling Green, a promontory that juts out on tho eastern side of a bay of the same name, and lies about fifty miles southeast of Townsville. The flotsam includes bags of chaff, pollard, and bran, and pumpkins, which are recognised as part of the cargo that was shipped in tho Yongala's lower hold at Brisbane. Another message states that oil drums, baskets, and a quantity of timber, have drifted ashore in Cleveland Bay, a few miles south-east of ‘ Townsville. " THE SHIPS* COMPANY SEVENTY-ONE • OF GREW : SEVENTYTHREE PASSENGERS. (Received March 28, 9.30 pan.) SYDNEY, March 28, Tho officers and crow of the Yongala totalled seventy-one, as follows; Master—Captain W. Knight. First officer—Williams. Second officer—-Harden. Third officer—Cameron.. Purser —Roberts. Carpenter—Miller. Boatswain—‘Mackenzie. Seamen McGinnea, Jones, Baylon, Woods, Gale, Lewis, Freest© n, Johnston, Walsh, McDonald, Merchant, McDonald, and Paton. Engineers—Parsons ' (first), Hamilton (second), Donaldson (third). Miller (fourth), Eawrence (fifth); and Nelson (doakeymau). Firemen—Galvin, Donacbi, Voigh.t, Uggdahl, Todd, Metcalfe, Diamond, Gumbloton, "Norrie, Daveson, Lellico, Gallaher, Reich, and Goldsmith. Stewardesses—Misses English, Lambriok, and Andrew. Stewards—Mawby (chief), Harris (se- ■ cond), Rintone, Sheplin, Reid, Cross, Morrison, Sullivan, Ward, Craig, Finlay, Armstrong, Costello, Rankin, J. Cook, Gordon, Fes, Emmerson (storekeeper), and Elliott (pantryman). Cooks—West (chief), Guneval (second), and Robertson (third). Butcher—McPherson. Baker—Marah. . Sculleryman—Houston. Boys—Howard, McNamara, and Dayle, . THE PASSENGERS. From Sydney—Main waring, Carraroo, Kearesoa (the latter two Italians); Misses Buxton, Butler; Mrs Murray, three children, and maid. From Brisbane—Mesdames Reath, Davids, Rooney, Elsdaie, Woodward, Inn, Marboy ; Misses Rooney, Murray, Buxton, v Uhr, Carroll, Shannan, McGee; Messrs Reath, Rooney. Dette, Parton, Stack, Elsdaie, Voney, Fulton, Must, Lin, Schneider, Buckenridge, Davis, Barclay, Jolley, Manmey, Real, Bonnarder; and thirty-one in the second saloon. ' STRUCK HIDDEN ROCK A. THEORY AS TO CAUSE OP THE DISASTER. (Received March. 28, 10.30 p.m.) BRISBANE, March 28. Tho fact that tho cargo washing ashore comes from the lower hold is taken to indicate that the Yongala struck a hidden rook, and had her bottom plates ripped out. Tho steamer had 700 tons of coal on board, and a similar quantity of general' cargo. LATEST NEWS PATHETIC SCENES AT COMPANY’S OFFICE. (Received March 29, 0.10 a.m.) BRISBANE. March 28. Throughout tho day crowds of relatives of those on board tho Yongala. besieged tho Adelaide Steamship and the newspaper offices, awaiting; tidings, ■ . . When, news of ’the finding of the wreckage was posted some pathetic scenes were witnessed. Several search steamers are out. and a careful examination, of the reefs and

islands in the vicinity of the supposed scene of the wreck has been ordered, that possible survivors may bo picked up. Tho full number of passengers on board is not definitely known, as the local office does not know how many, if any, landed at Mackay. Thirty-one was given as the number in the second saloon on leaving Brisbane, and it probably included at least two of those named in the Sydney list. Little is known as to the identity oi the passengers. Mr Rooney was head of a Townsville firm of timber merchants. Mrs Davids was the wife of the general manager of the Mulgrave sugar mills. Miss Uhr was matron and Miss Buxton a nurse at the Townsville Hospital. Mr Stack was the Adelaide Company’s accountant at Townsville. VALUE OP THE SHIP MARINERS’ OPINION OF HOW WRECK OCCURRED. (Received March 29. 1.5 a.m.) BRISBANE, March 28. The general manager of the Adelaide Company states that the Yongala was pn© of the latest vessels in. the fleet and was valued at <£90,000. The total amount of insurances is in the vicinity of .£60,000. Tho vessel had about 1800 tons of cargo on board, which, it is believed, was insured. Some of the company's captains, interviewed, expressed the opinion that the Yongala struck a reef in Flinders Channel. On© -surmises that Captain Knight intended to* make the passage between Holborn Island and tho outlying Nares Rocks, and when the storm broke he edged away to make the outside passage, but that he did not edge sufficiently or left the manoeuvre till too late, and was driven on the rocks. There would be no hope of-saving lifo under such conditions. Cyclonic storms of such violence would smash, the boats to pieces before they reached the water. The Yongala would sink quickly in deep water. ' MORE WRECKAGE DECK FITTINGS AND BAG OF HAILS. (Received March 29, 1.14 a.m.) BRISBANE, March 28. Further wreckage has been washed ashore, including tho Yongala's deck fittings and a bag of mails, WHEN LAST SEEN SHIP "WAS FIGHTING THROUGH • A CYCLONE. BRISBANE, March 28. Captains of arriving vessels report that there was a severe cyclonic storm, with blinding rain, at the. time tho Yongala was off Dent Island, where she was last sighted. The island is beset by reefs. The Yongala, belonging to the Adelaide Steamship Company, of Port Adelaide, was a steel vessel of 3664 tons, built in 1903 by Armstrong, Whitworth, and 00., of Newcastle, England. Her dimensions: Length, 350 ft; beam, 45.2 ft; depth, 35.5 ft. Cleveland Bay is an arm of the eea on which Townsville stands. It is divided from Bowling Green Bay by a peninsula about twenty-live miles in length terminating in Capo Cleveland- , ' Dent Island, near which, the Yongala was last seen, is one of the Cumberland group, about 150 miles south-east of Cap© Bowling Green-