["No News of the Koombana", The Sunday Times (Perth, WA), Sunday 31 March 1912, page 1]
...
A CATECHISM OF CYCLONES
According to McNab's "Catechism of the Law of Storms," cyclones may be either circular or incurving, and the latter is regarded as being the more dangerous owing to the more frequent changes of the wind at any position at any given position in the cyclone. A circular cyclone has the wind blowing around a small vortex or centre spot--which in time becomes larger as the cyclone grows--and is a region of calms, disturbed at times by terrific shifting squalls. One question asks--Why is there such a dread of the storm centre? And the answer is--Because in it a ship is liable to be overwhelmed by its tremendous pyramidal sea, aided by violent gusts of wind from different quarters, these having flat calms between them.
A cyclone may only move at a rate of 4 or 5 miles an hour, gradually increasing to 15 or 20 miles, but this does not mean the speed of the wind around the centre, which may be up to 100 miles an hour. Owing to the revolving nature of the cyclones different vessels in it may have different winds. Cyclones increase from five or six miles diameter in latitudes 10 deg. to 500 miles in latitude 25 or 30, and even to 1000 miles in lower[sic] latitudes.
The centre and the hinder part of the storm is the worst, that latter being where the storm has just passed over. The centre has a peculiar sea of its own, the water rising in great pyramidal heaps and literally throwing itself about in all directions, making it difficult for a ship to live. The signs of an approaching cyclone are--the weather becomes unsettled a day or two previously and a long rolling sea sets in from where the storm is. The barometer begins to fall, the thermometer to rise, as the atmosphere becomes more sultry, and ultimately the appearance of a dense bank of cloud betokens that the dread visitor is at hand. As it draws near the wind rapidly freshens and seems to be tearing great ragged pieces of cloud from the bank. The sea now begins to run higher and cross, the sky presenting a wild and terrifying appearance, while the true hurricane wind comes in ever increasing squalls. When fairly involved the ship will find herself in a dreadful war with the elements, sea and sky literally mingled together, the wind coming in irresistible gusts in rapid succession with a whole gale from broken stowage. In some cyclones there is much lightning, but the thunder is inaudible amidst the roar of the storm.
According to theory the centre space should be calm, but experience has proved that this is not always so. In it one may encounter terrific gusts from any point with calms between, while the sea boils and rises in great pyramidal heaps. It is reckoned dangerous to run in any cyclone with the wind dead aft, highly so if in the dangerous quadrant or if in any portion of an incurving storm. The "Barometer Manual" advises that when the ship lies in the direct line of the advance of the storm, the most dangerous of all - run. And in all cases act so as to increase as soon as possible the distance from the centre, bearing in mind that the whole storm field is advancing.
The gentleman who loaned us the "catechism" remarks - "Richardson says in the West Australian there is no hard and fast rule. What nonsense! The Koombana as last seen by the Bullarra was in the dangerous quadrant, and the instructions are you must not let the centre pass over you. Therefore the Koombana should have run south-west to escape. When one sees in cold print this talk about "plugging through" it makes one exasperated at such ignorance."
