Upon the filing of a petition as provided in this article, the clerk shall at once notify the judge who shall refer the action to one of the general examiners or to a special examiner. It shall then become the duty of the examiner to make up a preliminary report containing an abstract of the title to the land from public records and all other evidence of a trustworthy nature that can reasonably be obtained by him, which abstract shall contain:

(1) Extracts from the records and other matters referred to therein which are complete enough to enable the court to decide the questions involved;

(2) A statement of the facts relating to the possession of the lands; and

(3) The names and addresses, so far as the examiner is able to ascertain, of all persons interested in the land as well as all adjoining owners showing their several apparent or possible interests and indicating upon whom and in what manner process should be served or notices given in accordance with this article.

The preliminary report of the examiner shall be filed in the office of the clerk of the superior court on or before the return day of the court as stated in the process unless the time for filing the report is extended by the court. The report shall be prima-facie evidence of the contents thereof.