They were Lamont Young, one of the NSW Mines Department three geological surveyors, his field assistant, Maximilian Schneider, three fishermen from Batemans Bay, Thomas Towers, the owner, William Lloyd and Daniel Casey.

Mr Young and Mr Schneider were in Bermagui to report on the Montreal Goldfields, while the fishermen had been on a trading trip to Bermagui.

The boat was sighted once more sailing north under light canvas at 10.45am by Henry Keightley, police magistrate at Moruya, as he was taking some people to church in his buggy.

At about 4.30pm William Johnson was riding along the beach at Mutton Fish Point (eight or nine miles from Bermagui) when he saw a boat on the rocks.

There was no one near it but Johnson didn’t want to examine it alone.

He went to find Albert Read who lived two miles away and together they went back to the boat.

There were five bags full of personal belongings in the boat, an open book with Lamont Young’s name on it, and someone had vomited in the forward part.

Read took the book and went to the Bermagui Police Station and reported the find to Senior Constable Berry.

Berry saddled his horse and called on Mr Keightley to join him.

When they arrived at the boat Berry took an inventory of the contents of the bags.

There were Lamont’s belt pouches and pocket books, two cigar cases, two pairs of spectacles, clothing, two sheath knives, baskets, bedding, geological specimen bags, one toothbrush, picks, eyeglasses, razor, flute, one pair boots and one odd one, surveyor’s papers, bedding, spurs and sundry other personal belongings.

Mr Keightley saw no evidence of a struggle and reported to the Department of Mines that “a boat has been discovered this morning stranded on a rock, with a lot of gear, supposed to belong to a fishing party”.

“Books, etcetera with name of Lamont Young on them.

“I fear sadly he is lost with all hands...”

Berry took to bed with a fever but when he returned to duty he found that Constable Barter had found three short studs and a pipe where there had been remains of a meal and a fire.

Had Lamont Young not been on board the disappearance of five men would not have attracted much interest, and the Bermagui Mystery would not have received the publicity it did, but Young was very well connected and his mother even wrote to Queen Victoria for her help in solving her son’s disappearance.

The Queen didn’t assist the grieving mother and through her personal secretary said that the matter would have to be brought to “Her Majesty’s Notice through the Secretary of State for the Colonies”.

To be continued next week.