Andersen and Pottinger

The Queenie Alice was a two-masted ketch built in 1908 from seasoned jarrah. Asquith & Lynn built her in 1908 in their Coffee Point boat yard, for Robert John Lynn, a Fremantle agent. She was registered at Fremantle as number 11 of 1909, and her official number was 124998.Her dimensions were 95 x 24 x 7.33 feet [28.96 x 7.31 x 2.23 metres. Her gross weight was 132 imperial tons. The Coffee Point boatyard can still be seen, now in ruins, of course.

Queenie Alice took her maiden voyage under command of Master Charles Andersen on 15 October 1908. Master Andersen’s previous command was the ketch Olive. Loaded with cargo for fishing and pearling settlements, she made her way to the northwest. An early consignment was delivery the parts of the Cape Inscription Lighthouse.

Aside from her role in the pearling industry, and her coastal tramp work, Queenie Alice was important to the Point Cloates whaling station and proved successful in salvage work. She was tasked with searching for survivors from the ill-fated Koombana and found the sole survivor, the cook Anktee Kotala.

In May 1910 the Queenie Alice salvaged the cargo from Pericles which foundered off Flinders Bay, so much cargo the steam ship Una had to tow her. During the rough weather the tow line parted, and the boats became separated. Una found Queenie Alice, steadfastly hanging onto her salvaged cargo. The cargo was sold by auction in Fremantle.

Queenie Alice’s shallow draft meant she struggled to make headway. Steam ship Una worked with her, towing her to and from salvage sites. In February 1911 they went to salvage the barque Glenbanks which foundered off Legendre Island with 1000 tons of copper ore. In March 1912 she lightered the ore carrier Crown of England.

Needless to say, the crew of six Europeans aboard Queenie Alice were at the core of her success on the West Australian coast. The men worked hard aboard and drank hard ashore. At the end of 1909 the crews of Queenie Alice and Una attempted to pass themselves off as tourists so they could obtain alcohol at the Club Hotel. They appeared before Justice of the Peace P Stone and were fined five shillings each.

There is a record from the Fremantle Police Lockup in 1912 showing crew member William Pottinger was detained overnight and discharged in the morning.

On 10 July 1913, Queenie Alice lay at anchor, and because she was carrying explosives she was moored in “the stream” outside the Port Hedland anchorage. The crew headed ashore to drink and socialise. Around 7pm they returned to the jetty. The new jetty had a strong railing, but no lighting. Carl Andersen and William Pottinger walked off the edge of the steps, falling 15 to 20 feet into the water.

The crew grabbed a life belt and threw to Captain Andersen. Harbour Master Thomas was on his way home and he saw Captain Andersen fall. He sped to the jetty, and helped rescue him. He surfaced but paid no attention to the life belt. Instead, he swam to a pile and clung to it. His crew pulled him out of the water in a state of collapse. First aid was rendered, and the harbour master took Captain Andersen to town for medical aid. He died shortly after, despite being in the water only a few minutes.

Captain Andersen was born in Norway in 1866. He was 47 years of age. He married Inger Gjertune Wilhelmsen in 1897 in Norway. They had three daughters. They emigrated to Australia, landing at Fremantle in 1905.

William Pottinger was born in England in 1868. He was 45 years of age. At the time of Captain Andersen’s rescue, the crew did not mention William had also fallen into the water, and it seems they did not realise he was missing. He was in the water for several hours before he was found. At low tide the next morning some local people on the jetty saw his body near the steps. They tried to get William’s body into a dinghy but were unsuccessful and called for help.

Inquests for the two men were concluded on 9 and 10 July 1913 before the Coroner Dr Browne, Resident Magistrate. The jury for the inquest of William Pottinger consisted of Messrs D Rider, foreman, Anton Aiusaum and A.E. Clark. They returned a verdict of accidental drowning whilst under the influence of liquor.

The jury for Captain Andersen’s inquest included Messrs N Mauger, foreman, HR Willick and WI Taylor. Their verdict was accidental death “caused through shock by falling off the steps into the water”. Both inquest reports added a rider stating that lighting and more railings should be placed at the jetty.

Captain Andersen and William Pottinger were buried at the Port Hedland Pioneer Cemetery on 5 July 1913. Neither have headstones.

Captain Cumming was sent to Port Hedland to command Queenie Alice and return her to work. She continued to work from the pearling grounds along the coast, adding wool to her list of cargoes. She still got called away for salvage work and urgent provision supplies when coastal communities experienced crises. She also carried guano from Depuch Island. She sustained some damage over the years and showed signs of wear and tear.

By 1919 Queenie Alice had been left abandoned in Roebuck Bay. She was purchased by RJ Lynn, MLC. She was capable of holding 300 tons, although she was limited to lightering at Wyndham. She finished her days there being towed around the anchorage, loading and unloading visiting vessels.