ENGINE COMPARISON WITH YONGALA.

The Advertiser, Adelaide, Thursday 18 February, 1909.

A NEW STEAMER

ARRIVAL OF THE KOOMBANA.

A SPLENDID VESSEL.

The Koombana is a steel screw steamer of 

4,399 tons gross and      3668 tons

2,679 tons net and        2182 tons

How many variations did the press publish!!

..and was constructed by Messrs. Alexander Stephens and

Sons, Linthouse, Glasgow. The same firm built the Cooma

of the Howard Smith line; the Wyreema of the A.U.S.N. Co; 

and the Makura an 8,000 ton vessel engaged in the 

Pacific mail service of the Union Company. Their speciality

is high-class passenger ships, and in the Koombana they

have succeeded in turning out a vessel which is second

to none on the Australian coast.

Externally the Koombana strikes the observer as a

magnificent vessel, well-proportioned, symmetrical

and with the lines of a fine seaboat, which the voyage

out from Glasgow proved her to be without doubt.

A feature is her double-cased funnel with a bonnet cap

(similar to Yongala). The principal dimensions are (here we go):

Length between perpendiculars: 340 ft.     tick

breadth: 48.2 ft                                           tick

depth, 20.8 ft.                                             draught not depth  

Compared with the Yongala, the new steamer is 12 ft.

shorter (almost - Yongala, 350 ft.), but has 3 ft. more 

beam (correct). The Koombana has five decks, 

the lower, (orlop 'tween deck) main (spar), spar 
(lower promenade), promenade (upper promenade)
and boat (total: 6 and the topmost navigation 
deck could be considered a seventh!). 

....a most ornate dome goes through the lady's drawing

room and other light is obtained by Stone's patent ports.

The drawing room is of dried sycamore and satinwood,

with purple moquette upholstery.

...the promenade deck is 220 ft. long (which if true 
accounted for 65% of length - giving substantial structural 
strength and additional buoyancy). At the after end of it is 
the smoking room, in oak and scarlet peganoid seats. It is 
fitted with a bar, lavatory and bathroom and writing desks. 
The bulk of the first-class cabins are situated on the spar deck 

(shelter), but a number have been provided on the
promenade deck. Their great feature is their roominess, 
alleyways on both sides, their large ports and electric fans in 
each berth. There is accommodation for 100 passengers in the 
first saloon, and for 130 in  the second-class accommodation, 
which is situated right aft. The latter saloon is of oak panelling, with 
teak  pillasters and teak dado. A smoking room is also provided 

and the the sleeping berths are well up to the standard.

The Koombana's engines are of the triple expansion type,

with cylinders 28, 46, 77 in. by 51 in. stroke, and steam is 

provided by four of Babcock and Willcox's water-tube

boilers, at a working pressure of 223 Ib. to the square

inch. On her trials the steamer attained a speed of 14.6

knots over a distance of 100 miles.

Compared with Yongala:

The propelling machinery for the vessel

consists of a set of triple-expansion engines, 

built by the Wallsend Slipway and

Engineering Company. Ltd. the cylinders are 

of 32, 51 1/2 and 84 inch diameter

respectively with a stroke of 54 in.

which can supply steam at a pressure of 180 lb. 

per square inch.

The Koombana carries a large general cargo on a 

comparatively light draft, beside 300 head of cattle,

for which there is special provision on the main deck.

Yongala was a faster steamer which seems to correlate with the comparative dimensions of respective cylinders.

That there was even mention of a 'light draft' supporting 6 decks must have raised some concerns at this early juncture of Koombana's service.