RADIO SUMMONS HELP.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18468, 3 August 1923, Page 12

RADIO SUMMONS HELP.

V;t/ : '. v't;; —— "..."',';■»»'" .;";;'.'.,..-; ':"7.'7y- .''•'• t't- - : -'7': CASUALTY ON STEAMER. REMABKABLE AMERICAN CASE. The steamship West Cahous, tying at anchor in Baltimore harbour about nine ;-• miles from New York, needed help about 5 3 o'clock one /morning recently, > and ' .4' needed it quickly. A member of the crew had fallen into the hold and had '."<' been seriously injured. The captain of ."■"; the ship'sent out a wireless broadcast ask- ' ing for help. The call was picked up, not in Baltimore, but at Cape May, "about t 100 miles eastward. As 'Cape May was 1? separated from'the ship by parts of New,, ' t Jersey and 1 Delaware and by the East-■'."' ': ern Shore of Maryland,' ~no direct; help-.-from there was possible. -, ' ■'■ ;■ But the operator' was on the job," ; - continues an : announcement; by the New 11; York Pqbhc Health* Service. "Promptly Tv he consulted:the distance list, in the -Baltimore telephone directory and called up the residence of the Public Health Service surgeon in charge of the Marina HospitialL.;in' Baltimore— miles to the west. "The surgeon.';-. roused from sleep, received the ' ' message,. /; asked him ; to radio certain,emergency treatment to tho West Carious, and to direct the captain . to send a boat to 1 a; certain pier in Bal- ' ,' timore, where he ': would find,a surgeon .', f iwaiting to go.out to the ship 7 with him,;?t ' and''so, ih the' middle of the night;' in; ~ ■ less than an hour, a wireless-controßed, .»t sea-going jsmbulance Carrying ■; a ; vpublia J health; service-officer .reached .the; side .of ' the injured sailor and brought him later; to the hospital." ' ■ >". Vln '/-connection yith seanjen's: right, to ,; free radio medical service, it is pointed out: that ' some masters of; ships'; may nofi' !' '■. as yet; have'been /fully: informed, so Surgeon-General Hugh S. . Cummings has ; directed '■ that "f ppster^*giving ; ' full 'inform- ■ °c ation be forwarded': to all .vessels of the" -: American^ Merchant Marine.' This medi- ; .■, cal ' service is really a'■; sort of subsidy t/r----to ; merchants .ships and sailors.; : A cen-rt' ; l, tury and a; quarter* ago, when" Congress \\'] established the - Public . Health .-' Service,? *■--.', ■■ under the title of -the Marine Hospital Ser« • vice, it directed it to render medical aid to every .American seaman who applied tit ' it, and that for this each seaman should . pay 20 cents a^mbnth; This was ih 1768; ■ inTB7O the tax was doubled", but in 1888 -", ■ «t was ■ abolished, fand ; since then all such ■ aid has, been' rendered free. Even the t't - expense ot calling', the '/service by radio from/ away r out at sea is-borne by the ':.■;'■} radio : companies h without expense to ship -■:' or sailor. , • " , •