["Rough Weather During the Christmas Holidays", Northern Public Opinion and Mining and Pastoral News (Roebourne, WA), Saturday 01 January 1898, page 2]
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Passengers by the s.s. Albany, which arrived at Cossack from South on Thursday, report enduring a terrible experience on the voyage between the Nor'-West Cape and Ashburton roads, where the vessel was caught in a terrible cyclone. So fierce were the elements that all on board were in fear of the steamer sinking at any moment. A long succession of heavy seas broke over her, pouring streams of water into the saloons and engine-rooms, and putting out the fires, and at times her hull was almost completely submerged. Every moveable thing on deck was washed overboard, including some tanks weighing 8cwt. each, and the vessel was filled up to her bulwarks with water.
Onslow, it would appear, was within the inner zone of the storm. The jetty was damaged to an incredable[sic] extent by the force of the wind and sea. The decking was stripped and many of the piles were actually drawn out of the ground, and others placed very much out of perpendicular. Full particulars were not to hand when we went to press.
