DOOR DESCRIPTION

KOOMBANA WRECKAGE FOUND.

The Premier of West Australia has received the 

following message from the Resident Magistrate at Port

Hedland : —

'Captain Townley, of the Gorgon, reported on arriving 

here to-night, 25 miles north by west of Bedout Island,

we sighted a white panelled piece of wood. Stopped and

picked it up. The description is : Panelled door, painted

white, one side has been polished. The other fittings

were marked with crossed flags, and Walker and Hall in

brackets, and ornamented with a Grecian urn. The

door had apparently been forced off by pressure, as both

handles on the white side were gone, and on the reverse 

side had been driven in. 

What is interesting about the description is that the door was intact and showed evidence of having been forced out of the frame by a uniform force such as that exerted by a volume of water possibly when the steamer rolled over onto her port side.  This makes more sense than 'shredding' wind destruction in the middle of a cyclone.

We proceeded after stoppage,' and passed through several 

small pieces of wreck, one a painting stage. Others were 

apparently small pieces of board. An unusual number of 

birds were about.'

Birds do suggest that there were bodies adrift, not necessarily seen by the crew of the Gorgon.

On Tuesday last the Premier received' the following

telegram from the resident magistrate, Broome :— 

'Message just received from postmaster, Pt. Hedland, reads :

'Jones, of steamer Gorgon, just ashore. Found door

of stateroom 50 miles from here, north of Bedout Island,

where there is a lot of small wreckage. There appears

to be no doubt.'

Mr. Moxon, manager of the Adelaide Company at 

Fremantle, said in his opinion there was no doubt that the

flotsam comprised portions of the Kocmbana's fittings, the

description received from the company's manager at

Port Hedland clearing up any doubt in that regard. The

floating door was evidently from the chief steward's

cabin, leading off from the saloon entrance on the spar

deck, the leather-headed nails being used for the purpose 

of hanging nick-nacks upon. 

courtesy Trove.