["Nor'-West Hurricane", The Northern Times (Carnarvon, WA), Tuesday 26 March 1912, page 7]
NOR'-WEST HURRICANE
PLAYS HAVOC AT BALLA BALLA
OVER TWENDY LIVES LOST.
HEDLAND UNDER WATER.
BARQUES WRECKED AT BALLA.
CAPT. MAGUINNESS DROWNED.
BULLARRA LOSES HER FUNNEL.
Perth, March 23.
Roebourne "spoke" to Port Hedland at 3.45 p.m. yesterday. The postmaster reports speaking eight miles from Port Hedland, where a terrific hurricane is raging. Immense damage has been caused everywhere. There is a foot of water in the post office. The foreshore roads have been washed away and a lot of boats damaged. The houses are all flooded.
(From a correspondent.)
Roebourne, Mar. 23, 3.30 p.m.
It has been blowing a gale on the coast since last Tuesday up to to-day. News came through today that the sailing vessels Concordia and Crown of England and three lighters were wrecked on Depuch Island, and there the dead bodies of Captain Maquinness, wharfinger for the Whim Creek Company at Balla Balla, and Mr. Thomas Hill, manager of the Federal Hotel at Whim Creek, were found along with the mate and the steward of the Crown of England. Possibly some survivors may be found on Depuch Island, but it seems unlikely.
Considerable damage was done at Point Sampson to the wharf, some 60 fender piles and about 30 feet of the T-head being carried away.
...
Point Sampson jetty is greatly damaged. All the springs and piles are damaged. Sixty piles altogether are gone. There is no chance of steamers coming alongside and all cargo will have to be lightered to Cossack. The tram line has been washed about on the two marshes, but otherwise is in fair order.
...
Later, 4.27 p.m.
The s.s. Bullarra, after a bad time, anchored in Cossack Roads about midday, having lost her funnel and some forty head of cattle. All else is safe. She is awaiting instructions from the Perth office of the Adelaide S.S. Co.
(From our own correspondent.)
Roebourne, March 25.
There was a severe blow at Port Hedland at 3 o'clock of the afternoon of the 20th inst. (Wednesday), when the s.s. Bullarra (Capt. Upjohn) left for Depuch Anchorage (Balla Balla) to pick up witnesses for the Whim Creek murder case. The weather was so bad that he put right out to sea. At five o'clock the weather was cyclonic and the vessel labored very heavily. At 2 o'clock on Thursday afternoon he took soundings and found a sandy bottom at 40 fathoms. At this time she rolled her funnel out, and could not keep her head up to the wind, so the captain put weather cloths in the after-rigging and on the after-sail to try and bring her up in the wind, but these were blown away twice. He then let go one anchor with 120 fathoms of anchor chain to bring the steamer's head up to the gale, which she then rode through. One hundred and ninety five bullocks were aboard, and forty of these were lost. There were also two passengers on board, but these are safe. When the weather cleared the boat was 27 miles north and 15 miles west of Legendre Island. The steamer is now lying off Point Samson effecting repairs. The captain intends building a galvanised smoke stack and proceeding on his voyage.
...
Balla Balla also had a very severe storm on Wednesday night, attended with great loss of life. The Crown of England, a barque loading copper from Whim Well mine, broke into pieces. The other vessel, the Concordia, is on the beach and there is every likelihood of re-floating her. A lighter, with fourteen witnesses on board for the murder case in Roebourne, was lost with all hands. The bodies of the wharfinger, Captain Maguinness, and of Mr F. T. J. Hill, licencee of the Federal Hotel at Whim Creek, have been recovered in the mangroves. The bodies of the chief steward and of the first mate of the Crown of England were also found floating in the sea. Several bodies were washed ashore on Depuch Island. Two Japanese were on the island for three days, but swam ashore this morning. Three luggers have been wrecked, namely the Karrakatta, belonging to Mr. Scanlan, the Clara C. Blackman, and the Spider belonging to Mr. Ellery.
The town of Port Hedland is believed to be a total wreck. The telegraph line has been down since the storm. The last information received from that town was on Friday afternoon, when the postmaster walked along the causeway and some eight miles out connected to Roebourne by the aid of a field instrument. This journey took him 7 1/2 hours to accomplish.
Not much damage was done at Whim Creek and at Roebourne. Nearly eight inches of rain fell at Whim Creek and over eight inches at Roebourne. The rain gauge at Cossack overflowed, so there must have been over 10 inches.
Later.
Captain Olsen, of the Crown of England, was brought to Balla Balla from Depuch Island this morning. He reports having buried six bodies on Depuch Island, all of them sailors belonging to the Crown of England.
Point Sampson jetty is greatly damaged. All the springs and piles are damaged. Sixty piles altogether are gone. There is no chance of steamers coming alongside and all cargo will have to be lightered to Cossack. The tram line has been washed about on the two marshes, but otherwise is in fair order.
Perth, March 25.
Reports from the telegraph stations on the North-West coast contain particulars of a terrific storm which raged on the 20th inst., the result of which was that several men lost their lives and some vessels were wrecked. Roebourne reports that a willy-willy raged at Balla Balla on Thursday and Friday and two large sailing ships which were loading ore and a lighter with seven witnesses on board for the murder case were wrecked. One of the ships was smashed and the other went ashore. Many lives were lost. The bodies recovered include that of Capt. Maguinness, the wharfinger, and Mr. Hill, a publican of Whim Creek. A few survivors can be seen on Depuch Island, which is adjacent. The Koombana is safe at Derby. All communication with the North is cut off. Nine inches of rain fell and there was the biggest flood for fourteen years. The Bullarra arrived at Cossack after a three days' journey from Port Hedland, instead of the usual ten hours. Her funnel was carried away and she drifted against full steam and both anchors down for 24 hours. All are safe. Whim Creek reports that the ship, Crown of England, brake in pieces, and eight men from her are missing. The bodies of the first mate and steward have been recovered. A cutter has been despatched to Depuch Island in search of survivors. Telegrams received by the Public Works Department indicate much damage to Point Sampson jetty and washaways on the Roebourne-Cossack railway. The telephone wires are down in every direction. There have been serious inundations on the Port Hedland foreshore. The effects of the storm were felt at Geraldton, and the roof of the police quarters at Mount Magnet was carried away. Meagre reports state that Port Hedland is in a bad way. Onslow and Broome escaped. At Balla, the lugger Clara was wrecked off Depuch on the 20th, and four colored men and one white are still missing. The luggers Karrakatta and another supposed to be the Britannia were anchored near the Clara and have not been seen since the blow. Two others which were also near have not been seen. Eleven bodies have been recovered.
SOME MORE DETAILS.
NAMES OF LOST WITNESSES.
Perth, Tuesday afternoon.
The latest particulars from Depuch Island state that 16 whites alone have been buried there, including Mr. Hill, Captain Maguinness, and Mr. Thompson. The latter, a surveyor, was found in the rigging of the lighter Clyo. Amongst the witnesses in the murder case, Kellerher, Shehan, Love, and Nagel are still missing. Two Japanese, who swam ashore from the lugger Clara reported that the boat, four members of the crew and the white mate, were all lost. All the Cossack luggers are believed to be safe. Only the edge of the storm struck Roebourne and very little damage was done. Eleven survivors have been brought to Balla Balla from Depuch.
SIMILAR HURRICANE AT LA GRANGE ON MARCH 6.
...
AB notes:
Bullarra's position when the weather cleared reported to be "27 miles north and 15 miles west of Legendre Island".
