The Human Radio Set

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 94, 22 April 1939, Page 2 (Supplement)

The Human Radio Set

ByDouglas Walters

ADVENTURES BEHIND THE NEWS

I HAD arrived back home from the office, tired and fed up with radio. It had been a particularly busy day and I had spent a long time in a 8.8.C. studio. ' There has been a sailor to see you," I was told as 1 closed the door. "He has walked all the way from Tilbury and is most anxious to speak to you. He said he would be back this evening." A sfiilni- I'vi. in Tilbury? Ami it was quite h Inn;. Hulk from Tilbury to West London. I liHil nut Inn;; to wait before a terrific tattoo on the front door knocker announced the arrival of the sailor. 1 opened the door myself and saw a short, etockily-built man of about 50, dressed in a blue jersey and dark grey tweed trousers. He seemed rather surprised when he learned my name. This happened five years ago, and I think he was expecting to meet a man of :nore advanced years. From iiiiside his cap he produced a very greasy and dirty cutting from some American newspaper and by way of introduction thrust thie under my nose. It was a short account of a television experiment I had conducted the previous year, and my name and address was mentioned. Number one mystery was solved—for thie explained how he had found me. I suggested that he should come upstairs to my laboratory, where we could talk undisturbed. I felt that there was something mysterious about this little man of the sea. A few seconds later I was convinced about this, for he had hardly got half-way up the stairs before

lie gave a shout of pain and, claspin? his right knee in botli hands, promptly fell over. I asked him if he was hurt, but he said. '"No, I am used to it. It is those bla-led wireless ni(v.~;i «os. Unit 1 pick up.' . Here was something sensational, fiii- obviously not even a wireless vali'e could have been concealed underneath that jersey or in those trouser pockets — let alone a complete radio receiver. A human radio set —what a story! A freak of nature perhaps, but just think' of ;i man who could listen In the world's broadcasting stations without a Mi set. The idea seemed alisurd. and yet liciO was a man telling me that he could hear radio messages ami. what was stranger still, the distant station was apparently able to inflict pain upon him. I knew that there had been rumours of human radio sets and to-day there are somewhat similar cases under observation in America. Upstairs in the privacy of my laboratory, which is covered from ceiling to floor with radio apparatus, meters, switches and "Danger" notices, T listened to an amazing story. The little sailor told me that when he was ship's carpenter aboard a trading ship plying between North and South America he was accused (if the theft of some articles from the first mate's cabin.

He was perfectly innocent and wae lucky enough to discover the actual culprits, two stokers who had the stolen property in their bunks. Before these two men were put in irons they sworn that the sailor would never forget it for one minute for the

rest of his life. '"We will follow you by wireless wherever you go," they said. "And do you know what they did, sir?" lie said, leaning over until his sunburned and wrinkled face was only a few inches from mine. "After they were released they built a powerful wireless station somewhere in South America, and since then they have started giving me the hurts." "Giving you,the hurts?" I asked in bewilderment. "Yus," he replied, "they call.* me up liy wireleee and —wait, the swines are at it again—oo-oh!" And once again the little sailor man lea red about as if he had had an electric shock. He wae out of breath when he continued: "I hears them say. 'And liow do you. like that one?' and "Here's another for your neck.'" And he immediately "lipped his neck with both hands and fell on the floor writhing in apparent agony. Then the truth slowly dawned on me. I once heard in the course of conversation with an eminent (specialist that there is a rare form of mental disease which affect* the patient in such a way that he imagine* he is receptive of actions and words from distant persons. Then the sailor reeled off a list of well-known persons in New York to whom he had talked and begged me to investigate the matter. I felt honoured that 1 had been linked with these distinguished scientists and doctors, but this did not help me in finding a way to get this man out of the house, for I had been told that this form of hallucination can sometimes turn to violent actions. '"Von are ffoing to help me?"' he implored. "Yes," 1 replied, "and T will tell you what 1 will do. You see that apparatus over there." and I pointed t.. nvy high power short-wave transmitter. '•Well, at exactly noon to-morrow 1 will broadcast a message to you to tell you to meet me at a certain bar in London. Then if you are really a human radio set. you will hear me and we can discuss the matter further." At noon the following day I thought of the sailor, as T drank my g'ase of beer. I wondered what message he imagined I was sending him. And T also thought what a good story it niisht have turned out to he. And would a human radio set need a 10/ license?