WRECKAGE IDENTIFIED.

THE WRECKAGE IDENTIFIED.

The "West Australian"' of April 3 writes -

"For 15 months Captain Clark was chief

officer of the Koombana, and left in June,

1910, to take up his present position with

the Harbor Trust. On being acquainted

with the report by Captain Townley of the

Gorgon of the finding of a panelled door

25 miles west by north of Bedout Island,

he said he could positively identify the

wreckage as having belonged to the

Koombana. In his opinion this would be 

either the door leading from the chief steward's

room or from one of the pantries, or from

an entrance to the scullery leading to the 

cattle deck from the main saloon entrance.

These particular doors were dark on the

outside and painted white on the inside.

The studs referred to in the telegram were

used throughout the ship to prevent doors

from slamming (being covered with rubber

for that purpose). From the description

he had no hesitation in saying that the

wreckage belonged to the ill-fated steamer.

Regarding the position in which the

wreckage was found, Captain Clark stated

that it was evident the vessel had come to

grief some considerable distance to the

westward, and that the wreckage had been

borne landwards by the set of the tide,

which always follows on a severe blow in

the Nor'-West. Although he had never

experienced a cyclone in the Koombana,

he had gone through some very severe

blows, and undoubtedly she was the finest

little sea-boat he bad ever sailed in."

It is very interesting that Captain Clark insisted that it was 'evident that the vessel had come to grief some considerable distance to the westward' contrary to what captain Mills of the Minderoo and captain Townley of the Gorgon said with reference to the accident site being in the vicinity of Bedout Island. I believe he was trying to displace the site of Koombana foundering as far into the 'heart' of the cyclone as possible to justify her demise on the grounds of perils of the sea. 

How these mariners closed ranks in favour of the Adelaide Steamship Company!

courtesy Google Earth

courtesy Trove