41["The Loss of the Koombana", The Sunday Times (Perth, WA), Sunday 07 April 1912, p10]

Discovery of Wreckage - By the Gorgon and Minderoo - Leaves No Doubt - As to the Fate of the Vessel - Grief of the State - In Memoriam Services to be Held - A Relief Fund Opened

...

The first news of the discovery of wreckage was received by the Deputy-Postmaster-General from his officer at Port Hedland at 7:45 p.m. on Tuesday, in the following brief but ominous message:--

Portion of Koombana found 50 miles from here by the s.s. Gorgon. Lots of small wreckage about Bedout Island.

The news of the arrival of this message spread like wildfire through the city, and people attending the theatres and other places of amusement that evening lost all interest in the various entertainments through the sudden gloomy pall which enveloped everybody and everything.

...

The same evening the Premier received a wire conveying the information that the captain of the Gorgon, which had arrived at Port Hedland from Broome, had reported that he had found the door of a state-room 50 miles from Port Hedland, north of Bedout Island, where there was a lot of small wreckage. This information was subsequently confirmed by the following wire received by the Premier from the postmaster at Port Hedland:--

Captain Townley, of the Gorgon, arrived here tonight. He reports that while steering south, 6 deg. true west, 25 miles west by north of Bedout Island, he sighted a white panelled piece of wood and picked up same. This was a panelled door, painted white on one side and polished on the other, the fittings being marked with the crossed flags "Walker and Hall," in brackets, and ornamented with a Grecian urn. Door had apparently been forced by pressure - both handles on white side gone and driven in on reverse side. Written in hard pencil is "State first-class entrance, 429 J. D., Builder Jones." The lock is marked "W. F. Ramsay and Co., Newcastle-on-Tyne." Proceeding, the steamer passed by several small pieces of wreckage, one being a painting stage, others apparently small pieces of wood. The birds were about in unusual numbers.

A somewhat similar telegram was received by Mr. W. E. Moxon, manager of the Adelaide Steamship Company, from the company's branch manager at Port Hedland, and Mr. Moxon hazarded the opinion that the door which had been picked up was apparently one of those at the saloon entrances from either the spar or hurricane decks, and there seemed to be every indication that it belonged to the Koombana. He counselled all to resign themselves to the possibility that the Koombana had been lost.

...

There were further developments on Wednesday, when a telegraphic message came to hand from the Resident Magistrate at Port Hedland to the effect that Captain Mills, of the steamer Minderoo, had reported on his arrival at the place that he had picked up a smoke-room settee, a red cushion, and part of a cabin drawer 70 miles west of Bedout Island, and the bottom boards about 50 miles west of that island. Mr. Moxon expressed the opinion that the settee and red cushion belonged to the Koombana's smoke-room. Messrs. Dalgety and Co., the agents for the owners of the Minderoo, also received a wire conveying the above information from Captain Mills, who added:--

Abandoned further search at sunset on Tuesday, and consider the ship is lost in the vicinity of Bedout Island.

Thursday saw the complete abandonment of all hope, and Mr. Moxon made the official announcement (by posting it up in the windows of the Adelaide Steamship Company's offices at Fremantle), that the ill-fated Koombana had been lost at sea.

...

AB notes:

quotable:

"The news of the arrival of this message spread like wildfire through the city, and people attending the theatres and other places of amusement that evening lost all interest in the various entertainments through the sudden gloomy pall which enveloped everybody and everything."

Not "west by north" but "north by west"; I have checked this against the transcriptions of Gorgon's log.

An official announcement posted in the window of the ASS Coy office in Fremantle.