SURPRISING BROADCAST.

Press, Volume LXIX, Issue 20788, 23 February 1933, Page 13

SURPRISING BROADCAST.

WIRELESS LISTENERS STARTLED. (FftOM OOR OW* OO&RESPONDESI'I'.) LONDON, January 10. Thousands Of wireless' listeners on Sunday afternoon were startled by a cry of "Police! Police!'' which followed the sudden breaking off of a peaceful concert of classical music. At the moment the 8.8.C. Orchestra was playing a Mozart selection, and the dramatic nature of the interruption caused many .'people to wonder whether tragedy—or armed banditshad intruded at Broadcasting House. Within a few minutes, however, the orchestra resumed. The 8.8.C. explanation is piquant. The words were not "Police! Police!" but "The priest! Th 6 priest!" and they 1 were accidentally Superimposed On the London regional programme by a crossed line. "What happened was this," said an Official. "The London Regional and the National began together. The first was transmitting the 8.8.C. orchestra from the studio, and the second Joan and Betty's Bible story by E. E. Appleton, from Cardiff "The children's Bible story was coming in on a land line from Cardiff to Broadcasting House, and from there sent out to the transmitter. During a change or or of batteries one of the leads from Cardiff was • hooked up by mistake to th ; j line going out to the London Regional station. '' The result was that the London Regional cut Out for a few seconds, and during that time Mr Appleton's voice came through with the words, 'Tho priest; The priest!' "The mistake was noticed almost as soon as it had been made, and, of course, corrected. That is all." Hundreds of telephone calls jammed the lines of tho 8.8.C.* and the newspaper offices, but it was not until Monday morning that the public was made acquainted with the cause of the Strange incident. Weeds beside railway lines in Britain are in for a bad time. A new "carriage" has been designed; it bears a tank and a spray pipe. As the vehicle goes along weed-killer is sprayed out when necessary.