MISLEADING WITNESS ACCOUNT.

Daily Commercial News, 14 May, 1912

Captain Challoner, a pearler in the 

North-West, had reported that on 

March 19 he was six miles from 

Bedout in a 'dead calm sea and 

glorious sunshine.' From midnight

the wind increased, and at 5 a.m.

there was a big sea. From 2.30 to 

6 p.m. on the 21st there was a 

fierce hurricane, which was worse 

than the 'willy willies' of 1908 and 

1910. From other reports received 

from the North-West witness continued, 

it appeared that the hurricane was one 

of the worst that had ever been

experienced.

Although a less than subtle attempt had been made to draw the Court's attention back to the vicinity of Bedout Island and conditions conducive to the loss of SS Koombana, the man in question was actually referring to Bezout Island, 123 miles away, well within the cyclonic forces as per image below.

courtesy Google Earth and Trove