THRILLING RADIO RESCUE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 4872, 18 February 1933, Page 4

THRILLING RADIO RESCUE.

-WHO WAS THE N.Z. “HAM”?

The dramatic rescue by an amateur radio operator in New Zealand 6f an unconscious man in a gas-fill-ed shack at Teller, Alaska, ninety miles north of Nome, by electrical whispers from his l'adio key, has been revealed (says the N.Z. Radio Record and Home Journal). Colonel Claire Foster, of Carmel, who acted as one intermediary in the rescue, told the amazing tale to the “San Francisco Chronicle.” The rescued man proved to be a former war “buddy” of Foster.

The principals in the thrilling rescue across 10,000 miles of land and water were Clyde Devinna, outstanding movie cameraman for a large film company; Colonel Foster, a millionaire amateur radio operator; the New Zealand operator, and an Alaska operator at Teller. The •time was 2 a.m. on January 10th. Devinna carries a short-wave portable radio receiver with him everywhere he goes. When he was filming “White Shadows,” “Pagan,” and “Trader Horn,” he took it with him, and between '“shots” pounded the key and chatted with amateurs all over the world.

His contracts from the middle of Africa were famous in radio history. When, a few months ago, lit established headquarters at Teller, Alaska, for certain movie pictures there, his familiar call was heard again over the night lanes as • lie chatted around the gloge with his little radio set. ,

One morning Devinna ivas ’chatting with the New Zealand amateur —the top of the world talking to the bottom, 10,000 miles away. Suddenly Devinna’s signals slackened, broke, then died away entirely. The New Zealand operator sensed at once that something was wrong. When Devinna did not come back on the air, the New Zealander began calling Pacific Coast stations.

“Come in,” lie called. “Any WG stations please answer —emergency.” I Colonel Foster, listening to this and that in the night lanes, heard the insistent soprano of the New Zealand transmitter. He was a WG station, and answered the call. The New Zealander explained what had happened. “Why, Devinna is a buddy of mine,” said Foster. “I’ll see what I can do.”

With his powerful set, 8000 miles closer to' the North Pole than the New Zealander, he began calbng Teller, Alaska. Luck functioned again. There was one other amateur operator on duty at Teller beside Devinna. He heard Colonel Foster’s call and replied. Colonel Foster explained the situation and asked the operator to investigate. The Teller operator donned snowshoes and skin coat and dashed off across the snow to Devinna’s cabin. There rvas no answer to his knock and he smashed in the door. There lav the cameraman unconscious on the floor from carbon monoxide fumes of a small gasoline heater. His fellow-operator dragged him into the open air and ran for a doctor. An hour later Devinna was out of danger.

Colonel Foster, gnawing his nails in Carmel, waiting for a response from the North, could only sit in patience. Finally his call “WG lIM” —came down from the North —from Teller.

“Thanks, old man —we found him —lie’s O.K. now—that was pretty close.”

In glad relief Foster snapped a call to New Zealand.

“Fine work, old man,” he said and told what had happened. Later, from Teller, came a message of thanks to Colonel Foster and the whole “ham” fraternity of amateur radio operators from Devinna, the man whose life they had saved. It would lie interesting to know the identity of the,New Zealand operator concerned, and to hear his account of this dramatic longdistance rescue.