The Daily News, Perth, 27 March, 1912
WHERE IS 'M.Z.P.?'
THE UNANSWERED CALL. -
THE KOOMBANA'S WIRELESS.
INTERESTING THEORY EXPLAINED.
- 'M.Z.P.! Zip, zip, z-z-z-z, zip!
M.Z.P.!'
All around the coasts of Australia,
and far into the Indian Ocean the
aerials of the wireless-equipped vessels
have been sending off Hertzian waves
with the above inquiry.
'M.Z.P.!' 'M.Z.P.!' - with tireless
energy the inquiry is being made, for
those letters represent the wireless
designation of the steamer Koombana
and along the western, southern, and
even eastern coasts of Australia, are
countless instruments seeking to get
in touch with 'M.Z.P.' and to 'receive'
an 'answer', even if it be the dreaded
distress signals, 'S.O.S.' or 'C.Q.D.'
So far no reply has been received,
and although from a hundred-and-one
different points the blue sparks have
flashed from the instruments, and the.
continuous snapping of the message
has been followed with tense eagerness
by a listening at the detector for
a reply, ever so faint, the Koombana's
instruments have remained silent, and
her whereabouts remains a mystery.
From many a high power and low
power instrument has the monotonous
signal gone forth, but nowhere, as far
as can be learnt, has there been picked
up a reply. This fact led a 'Daily News'
reporter to make some inquiry as to the
wireless installation on the Koombana
and some interesting particulars were
gleaned, particulars which lead to the
hope that after all the vessel may be
safe, yet particulars also which have
their grave side.
When the Koombana was at Fremantle
last, it was found that some slight mishap
had occurred to her wireless and an expert
late at night had to motor to the port in order
to fix matters up. This was successfully
accomplished and tests made proved
that the instruments were in good order.
Here it may be explained that the Koombana
is fitted with a standard power installation
enabling her to send messages up to 250
miles in the day time, and considerably
further at night time, according to the state
of the atmosphere. In addition to this, she has
an emergency plant, which is worked, not
with a dynamo, but on the dry cell principle.
This will only allow of messages being
sent up to 100 miles, and would, with
use, work itself out in about 40 hours.
Some vessels, too, carry three aerials
— that is, the wires stretched from
mast to mast to receive messages —
but the Koombana had but two.
In charge of the wireless on the steamer
was Mr. Lyon, a young operator from
one of the Commonwealth post offices,
who had been recently broken in to
wireless and whose first trip in charge
this was.
In conversation with a wireless expert
our representative was given an
interesting theory of what may have
happened to the Koombana to explain
why she had not been heard of per
wireless. Said the expert: 'You see,
in a big storm such as raged up there
it is quite possible that the Koombana
may have had her aerials carried
away, one or both of them. This
would necessitate a considerable delay,
more or less in extent, according to
the damage done. There is material
aboard the steamer for the repairing
of the wireless, but probably, with the
little experience, Lyon has had this
work would take longer than usual.
Again, supposing the Koombana
shipped some very heavy seas, and
the water found its way down to the
machine room, this would have the
effect of putting out of action the high
power portion of the installation, and
from that time the Koombana although
able to receive from all over the place
messages through her 'detector',
would be quite unable, except
with the 100-miler, to send any or to
answer.
Thus, we may say, the position
may be that the steamer is disabled
somewhere, and is effecting repairs,
and. all the time hearing the 'M.Z.P.'
signal all day and all night long, and
perfectly unable to reply.
For, of course, by this time, she would
have exhausted the dry-cell machine,
and even if that were not the case it
is not likely that there are any steamers
fitted with wireless within 100 miles of
the Koombana to pick up her
message's.''
"How would the atmospheric conditions
affect the sending and receiving of
messages?"
"That is a very important point. You
must know, you see, that for some
obscure reason or other it is easier to
transmit messages east and west than
it is to send them north and south.
So there, you see the messages being
sent out for the Koombana are nearly
all going north and south.
There are, doubtless, operators on
the other side making a chance of
picking up the vessel. They may through
some extraordinary, favorable circumstances,
succeed— if the steamer is afloat —but
the odds are against, owing to the
great extent of land to be passed over.
The atmosphere has a wonderful lot
of influence in the sending of messages.
This is, of course, only natural, seeing
that the messages are sent through the
air. But it is a wonderful thing, but a fact,
that by means of 'the' detectors attached
to the wireless instruments — so sensitive
are they— atmospheric disturbances,
thunderstorms, etc., can be registered
long before the barometer registers their
approach.
And in the Nor'-West, at this time of
the year, the air is, so to speak, full
of electrical atmospherical disturbances,
all of which militate against successful
long-distance wireless."
"Usually you receive quicker replies
when calling up a vessel?"
"Yes. - As a matter of fact, I know
myself of an instance where a steamer,
and quite recently too, just leaving
Adelaide, sent out a certain urgent
call, and within half an hour received
no fewer than 22 replies. All day
long and all night long messages are
being snapped out across the water,
and one gets tremendous surprises at
times, in messages being heard which are
being sent from all sorts of unthought of
places.
Yes, if the Koombana is above
water — and I fancy she is, for
she is a splendid sea boat — I think she
has had a mishap to her machinery,
which has prevented her from steaming
and consequently put out of gear
her wireless."
And still through the air, calling,
calling, calling, travels the vibrations
of the *'M.Z.P.,' zip 'zip, z-z-z-z, zip,
'M.Z.P.' message — unseen fingers
searching and prying into every hook
where ether is, and still no answer
and no message. Where is 'M.Z.P.'?
This is a fascinating insight into the early days of wireless communication. As yet, the west coast did not have any wireless stations to receive or transmit messages. Communication relied exclusively on the limited number of steamers carrying wireless sets. Certainly, most of the older coastal steamers did not.
An interesting point is made that although the emergency battery-operated unit might have been working, there were unlikely to have been steamers carrying wireless within the narrow 100 mile range to receive a distress call.
Harry Lyon was clearly a novice, which introduces a number of potential operator-related limitations during a crisis at sea.
Furthermore, Koombana's wireless had experienced some form of malfunction prior to departure from Fremantle, a problem which might have resurfaced after departing Port Hedland, 20 March. We know that Koombana was in communication with the steamer Gneissenau whilst at Hedland.
Furthermore, Koombana's wireless had experienced some form of malfunction prior to departure from Fremantle, a problem which might have resurfaced after departing Port Hedland, 20 March. We know that Koombana was in communication with the steamer Gneissenau whilst at Hedland.
Shipping water might have been the final straw for the more powerful unit compounded by the two aerials coming adrift.
We shall probably never know the full details of that awful day and moment, but this comprehensive report gives us important insights.
THE WIRELESS.
Hedland Advocate, 30 September, 1911.
Wireless on. the s.s.
Koombana.
The enterprising A.S.S. Co. has
the Nor'-West mail boat equipped
with Marconi wireless apparatus.
All along the coast great interest
has been manifested in the equipment,
the details of which were courteously
explained by the operator, Mr J. L.
Mulholland. In order to obtain an
efficient service the Marconi Wireless
Co. insists on the working of both ship
and stations by officers trained to
obey the same rules and regulations.
Hence the apparatus on the
Koombana is the property of the
Marconi Co. and is worked by that
Co.'s own operator. It is the usual
ship's set, as installed on the English
mail boats. There is also an
emergency set aboard, which is
worked independently of the
ship's electric supply.
On Wednesday night of last
week, while off Hedland (on the
up-trip) the Koombana was in
communication with the Karoola,
which vessel was steaming past
Cape Leeuwin. The Karoola recently
communicated with Cocos
Island over a distance of 2,250
miles.
During the trip from Fremantle
the Koombana communicated for
several days in succession with the
Ascaulus, Osterley, China, Seuvic,
and the Karoola.
There are now nearly 600 merchant
ships fitted with the Marconi
wireless system.
The Pilbarra Goldfield News, 25 April, 1912
The Koombana.
PROBABLY FOUNDERED MARCH 21.
According to Wireless Message.
Picked up in Bali Strait by Steamer
Montora.
Perth, April 19.
The steamer Montora arrived at
Port Darwin from Singapore last week,
and brought the last message from the
Koombana.
While passing through Bali Strait
on March 21, going towards Singapore,
she spoke the Koombana. The wireless
operator said he failed to catch the
message clearly, but he learned the
Koombana was in trouble, and the
message ended with confused signals.
This was a further, intriguing dimension to the Koombana disaster. The captain of the Montora later denied this exchange of messages.
Hypothetically speaking could such an exchange have taken place given the range of Koombana's wireless as outlined in the above reports - maximum 250 miles during the day?
The site of the disaster was 700 miles from the Bali Straight. It does seem unlikely, given the north-south axis as referred to, even under the best of circumstances.
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