HELPED EVERYWHERE

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 36, 12 February 1931, Page 12

HELPED EVERYWHERE

USE OF WIRELESS <

| A GRATEFUL ACKNOWLEDGMENT

When the first news of the Hawkes Bay disaster was distributed it became the immediate concern of the newspapers to send representatives as rapidly as possiblo to the scone and to devise means of! communicating their reports to headquarters. Notwithstanding the experience of the Murchison earthquake only ninoteen months earlier the conditions wero without precedent in New Zealand, and the difficulties proved unexpectedly great. The experience of the "Evening Post" in this emergency is hero briefly recounted, partly as a matter of general interest, but more to execute a pleasant duty of recognising the invaluable and willing assistance which came, often uninvited, from many quarters. It was, of course, assumed at first •that the roads' to Napier would 'probably bo impassable in the neighbourhood of Napierj indeed for some hours it was not known how far inland the disaster had spread. /However, a car set out as soon as possible, carrying reporters, cameras, and emergency rations. If this had been stopped on the way by wrecked roads, its crew would have got to work there and had its own means of returning or sending "copy" cither to a convenient telegraph office, or, ■if necessary all the way to Wellington. .' About the same time,another reporter left the city by a Wellington Aero Club's aeroplane, at short notice, with the essentials of his craft. This machine reached Napier, after an excellent flight, at about 4.30 p.m., but as the pilot had to leave immediately for' Wellington again, it was useless as a means, of sending news. Trouble experienced on the return journey, moreover, delayed the receipt of- the few scribbled words sent by it. COMMUNICATIONS GONE. "The Post"; Car arrived hours later. Both parties found all wires in and round Napier down, and though the repair linesmen were working towards the town from inland, it was seen that it would be some time before the wires were available. The post office was in flamesy all telephone communicationwas broken, and the general confusion and absence of authoritative statements made it necessary to ,use the greatest discretion in the .selection of facts presented by those'interviewed. The fact was that no one person knew anything definite about the occupants of a building,' though each knew some- j thing about some of them. Some said I the nurses' home held 30, others said 19, while the number of dead, Varied with each informant, even whereAthese were speaking in the best;of faith. !No contacts were made between "The Post" representatives for two days, but all spent the night until nearly daybreak collecting news as authentic as it could be under the circumstances. A visit to the telegraph office temporarily established in the South School showed that it would be useless to put anything on the wires there, as the mass of private and Governmont messages had jammed the wires for an indefinite period. One representative, unablo to find a car for hire free of community engagements, took service car .to Waipukurau, to find the wires not only jammed there with sheaves of messages, but work being piled on a harassed staff by telephone from Hastings, whore the railway wires were being used, and from Napier. Only the first few words of his long message reached "The Post" late that afternoon The car party put their faith in an aeroplane from Hastings, but this had trouble and landed at Danneviirke, another wad of "copy" failing to reach Wellington until the next day. OFFER OF RADIO LINK. . It "was early evident in tie city that all ordinary means of transmission were undependable, but on Tuesday afternoon "The Post" received an offer of an independent line of communication which promised to be very valuable —a portable short-wave radio equipment available that day. . The offer was made'by Mr. W.M. Dawson/ head of the radio technical staff of Philips Lamps, Ltd., at Wellington, and was of a most generous character. Mr. Dawson, at the time engaged on other urgent work connected with ,the effort to. get into touch with the missing yacht Windward, hastened through that work and, in the course of a few hours, assembled a complete transmitter and receiver and the batteries needed for the power supply. This work was far advanced before he knew the offer could be accepted. The, preparatory work done by Mr. Dawson involved arranging with three local short-wave experts to listen for and receive his transmissions—a duty which, all concerned knew would occupy many weary hours of either waiting or hard work. The problem of transporting the equipment he promptly, solved by loading it intp his' own car and driving it, with a "Post" reporter,^ to Napier, where it arrived, after a short sleep on the way, on Wednesday morning. Thanks to the courtesy of the Hawkes Bay, Club, whicli "Post" representatives made use of as headquarters,l Mr, Dawson was provided with a tall flagstaff as aerial mast, and in a short time, with clothes line, and bottles to eke out his supply of insulators, he had erected a serviceable aerial and rigged up his transmitter under an awning. Within limitations over which the patient operator, who worked for over two days with little rest or, food and only a few hours of sleep, this radio link did fine service for "The Post." Mr. R. Slade, also of Philips Lamps, was .on duty for hours on end in \ Wellington, endeavouring in vain to communicate with his colleague, who was heard only fitfully in Wellington. Mr. Dawson eventually passed on his Press message to Mr. Banwell, of Linwood, Christchurch. This amateur operator voluntarily accepted a heavy duty session and passed his message over to the Telegraph Offifce in fine shape. Keadors interested in the radio aspect of this matter will find it discussed in the wireless notes in this issue. Tho use of a radio, link in this way is forbidden by the regulations, but the rule was on request readily waived, sharing the fate of .a good many other red tapoisms in face of the crisis. Subsequent batches of "copy" and photographs came to hand by various ways— by aeroplane, by fast car, by the hands of strangers who hardly waited to be thanked. WILLING COLLABORATORS. Nothing could have exceeded the courtesy extended to "Post" representatives by everyone approached in Napier, the courage in adversity of whoso people was marvellous. So many people whose names were not known to "Post" representatives went out of their way to help, that it is with diffidence that the few names known are mentioned. The Hawkes Bay Club members and officials were not only useful but glad to be. Dr. Fitzgerald's help has already been acknowledged. Mr. J. B. Speakman, who met the aeroplanes on arrival—lie is an old war,pilot (D.C.M), and wished to help the airmen, took the whole party uptown in his car, and, though he, like everyone else- in Na.pier was full of

self-infused tasks, found time to put the pressmen on the right track. The police, including their head, Inspector Cummings, vwere invaluable as a source of such reliable information as was obtainable. The work of SubInspector Lopdell and tho police _in charge of the morgues and of the lists of identified dead, was extremely dimcult, but Press arid public will long remember their efficient courtesy and untiring work. Commissioner Wohlnian himself was able to spare time to give the pressmen assistance, i The confirmation of reported facts was almost impossible at short notice, and both police and the bluejackets helped the Press immensely by "killing" wonderful stories, and keeping the news issued reliable. Mr. :J. Masterspn, of Hastings, brought a "Post" representative from "VVaipukurau to Hastings. The journey was a long one, as the back of the car was filled with: bread, for distribution, and neighbours live far apart in; the country. The helpfulness of others invaded the "Post" men's experience almost as they started. The "radio car" called on Mr. Croado and Whyte's, Ltd., the Carter ton bakers, to buy some bread. It was a late call, but they turned out and- packed into the rear of tho car every loaf of bread and buns in their premises. Then they positively refused payment. "It's going to the right place,** iiray; sal*-