Daily News (Perth, WA : 1882 - 1955), Monday 15 February 1909, page 9


A FINE NEW STEAMER

? -v ? THE S.S. KOOMBANA. BUILT FOR NOR'-WEST TRADE. A MODEL OF SiTYLE AND COM. ' FORT, .

As stated In our columns of Friday, the Adelaide ? S.6. Co.'g new steamer KOOMBANA, whieh arrived in port from (London on Thursday,' and left again on the following day for Adelaide and Melbourne, has ;been special, ly built for the Nor'-iWest trade. 'She has 'been sneclally designed for the

tropics.' Such were the words addressed by Mr. S. T. Maxfleld, the sup. orlntendenf ci! stores for the Adelaide Co., when showing a ITDally News' representative over the vessel. The Koombana Is a steel screw steamer, of 3J60 tons, and was constructed by Messrs. A- Steven and Sons, Ltd., in. their yard, Linthouse (Glasgow). Her . principal dimensions are: — 340ft, .between perpendiculars, by 48ft. ?ln. beam, .by 20ft. 8in. depth. She was constructed under the British Corporation shelter deck rules as an up-to-date cargo and passenger steamer, carrying first .and second? .class passengers, and a large t number of cattle, as well as a considerable amount of genera' cargo.. The vessel was named Koombana toy Mrs, S, Elgar, of Brisbane, wife of one of the company's superintendents, and was named after the district of Koombana, near Bunbury. In every respect, the build.

ers have paid the fullest attention to ventilation and light,, thus doing away with that element, of. stuffiness eo apparent on some, of .the. passenger ?boats, So particular, indeed, has the company been 'In order to allow passengers; to overcome the heat of the Nor'West, that actually six decks are built one on top of the other. Undermost, is the lower hold, where the cargo is .rejjosltedyand which ?is set aside for refrigerating space. On top of this, is the Orlop deck; then comes t;he main deck, on which the cattle are placed (fore and aft). Next is the Bpar deck, where a great number of cabins are positioned, and on top of this is the hurricane, or boat deck. Yet, again, on top of this is the navigation bridge, which is open for first-class passengers! it will be seen that the decks occupied by the passengers are situated far up from the water, and the extremely plentiful ventilation provWed,. and the numerous electric fans that are to toe seen everywhere, make it possible to bo cool in any clrcumtances. She is capable of accommodating 300 passengers, in a style only to be looked for In such mammoth liners as the Mauretanla and Lusltanla, Perhaps the most interesting fact in connection with the new boat is thatsho has refrigerating machinery on board capable' of dealing with about 800 tons, besides which she has her own ice-' making plant aboard— an innovation' that should prove very acceptable! when the Koombana visits the torrid;

Nor'-West. As Is usual In the Adelaide Company's 'boats, arrangements ' for the shipping and discharging of. cargo are very modern and complete. She Is replete with hydraulic cranes, except at No.' 1 hatch, where, owing to the position of passengers' berths, it has been «J«emSd inadvisable to erect ?a crane. The pressman, first paid a visit to the captain's bridge, where his eyes were opened as to the advance of maritime Invention and Ingenuity. The moB,t remarkable 'of these innovations Is the telephone switch, which connects the bridge with the captain's cabin, the, poop, and tho engine-room. This telephone is used In case of emergency, or when the officer on the bridge wants (to be more explicit in 'his orders to the engine-room. .' For ' instance, if he wanted to give' the orthodox order 'Full speed astern,' H would not be sufficient for him to indicate the

danger the vessel was In. He could on the Koombana, however, just telephone' down to the chief engineer and give him an order such. as 'Give her all' you can.' Then there is a! telegraph on the bridge, which is used to communicate with the officer in charge, aft, when the- vessel is about to moor, and in case of the steering gear going wrong there, is also a. telegraph which' communicates with the man in charge of the patent wheel aft Another interesting change on the bridge is the establishment of a portable chart table in a glass, which can be carried Into any position. Two electric sidelights are on the starboard and port side of the vessel, but In case of anything going wrong In. either an auxiliary ofl has been, built

on or runnlngdowri on either side. Perhaps, to a lay mind, the most interesting portion of the ship's electrical effects is the erection of four discs in the wheel-house. Should anything go wrong with the . masthead light, the side light; or the bridge lights,' a colored flame flares up' in the respective discs; should'no'atteritlbn be paid to this flame- an- electric bell rings In the disc, and ? the damage Is ascertained exactly six seconds- after It, has hap^ pened. All the first-class staterooms are constructed -on' the Island system, each division- having a separate en. trance from the- deck, -while easy access is obtained to the ealoon. Electric fans are fitted In eaoh cabin. The drawing

and smoKe rooms are locaieci on me promenade deok, and both are handsomely appolntodr Special attention has been-pal-l to .the colors of the unholstery, an effective scarlet shade predominating In the Bmoke-rooin, while In the. soolal -room a harmonious and restful tone .Is prdduced'In purple. The social or drawlngraora Is fitted with portable .lounges, . .and furnished in, Waring and.Co.'s best style. The walls are treated .with sycamore, the panels are executed, in satlnwood. At one end .la an elaborate bookcase with mulllon?ed frames. and bevelled glass, and con-' talnlng an up-to-date library, and a (Broad-way, piano, two Chippendale writIng desks, occasional tables, electric fans, etc, .are also Included In the furnishings. The ceilings are composed

of whlte:palnted canvas with giltedged floral design. The main entrance to the saloon Is handsomely panelled In mahogany, and the stairway leading to the promenade deck Is of the same

material, with carved pilasters. The dining-room In the first saloon has seating accommodation for 75 people. It Is roomy, and well ventilated, and the oak panellings and green upholstery, give a quiet but withal pleasing effect. In the culinary department one sees . some really remarkable innovations. The most up-to-date appliances are provided in the galley and panfrtfis. a fpahiro. nt the kitchen being a

patent electric egg- boiler, by means of which an egg can .be boiled id suit each Individual's taste— soft, medium, or hard. In the bakehouse an electrically driven dough-mixer Is fitted up and 300 loaves a day ' can be turnsfl out if necessary. Ample bathroom and lavatory accommodation is provided, and, generally speaking, the fittings throughout are of first-class description. On the main deck, running fore and aft of the vessel, excellent provision Is made for the carriage of livestock—an important branch of the Nor'-West trade. Besides the ordlchambers are fitted up with a capacity of 1,800 tons. of cubic space. With the exception of one steam crane at the No. 1 hatch for'ard, all the cranes are worked by hydraulic ' power. Clayton's fire extinguisher and fumigating Dlant Is carried on board.

The Koombana was brought out to Australia by Captain J. Bees, late of the s.s. Bullarra, and he will retain command of the new vessel. The steamer left for Melbourne on Friday afternoon to be docked. Site will return to the West, and leave Fremantle on her initial trip to :the Nor'-West on March 12. It Is interesting to note that the vessel derives, her name from Mr. R. Forrest's 'Koombana' timber mill, near Bunburjr. * Not the least interesting item in connection' with the appointments of the boat is the carrying of a motorlaunch. This craft Is to be used when the Koombana misses . the tide, at Various Nor'-West ports, and she will be sent ashore if^ncoesaajy. ', ? 'I want,' said -.Mr. Mpxoh to a 'Dally News'.' representative, 'to' refute, the suggestion that .the KoOmibana will be found too good for the -Npr'.iWest trade, and taken off.- She was built expressly for that purpose.' : ?