BROADCASTING FEAT

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXII, Issue 19478, 24 December 1925, Page 16

BROADCASTING FEAT

TALK FROM HARBOUR BED. | SYDNEY STATION’S TEST. SYDNEY, Dec. 11. In their quest to provide ever-vary-ing information for the great listen-ing-in public, the broadcasting stations of Australian are going further and further afield. The latest was to broadcast a talk by divers from the bed of the Sydney Harbour. It is only st few months ago that a similar feat was performed for the first time in the world’s history by an American j diver, and last Sunday’s feat, accom- , piished under the direction of 2.FC, which has listeners in New Zealand as well as lall over Australia, was the first attempted in the southern hemisphere. The unique experiment was a great success. The station received many notifications that the description by the divers had been clearly heard. The scene of the divers’ “walk” was that part of the Middle Harbour where great sewertigo pipes are being laid (the work was recently described in a special message). The divers were Mr. George Jack, foreman diver in charge of this work, and Mr. Nor man Friend, a Sydney scientist, who has carried out investigations under the water on previous occasions. A description of the divers’ dress was broadcasted prior to their descent. Diver Jack carried, in addition to his usual equipment, a largo knife in a sheath case at his side, and a long spear in his hand in the event of being attacked by a shark. Both of the 1 divers, las a matter of fact, saw a shark while they were under water, but it swam quickly past them without making an attack. During the period the divers were under water air was constantly supplied to them by manual pumps at a pressure of 301 b to the square inch. Mr. Friend explained in his address from under winter the wonderment with which ho viewed the surrounding scenes amid a veritable forest of seaweed growing in great profusion as far as the eye could see, its leaves writhing and twisting in a most uncanny fashion. A strong tide was running at the point where tlio descent was made in 70 foot of water, and this made progress difficult. When tho divers ascended the top of one of tlio huge concrete pipes it was evident from their remarks to each other that progress was exceedingly difficult, and at this point conversation ceased. Mr. Jack explained that Mr. Friend had just slipped from the top of the pipe, and was making his

way to another plart of the harbour bed. The conversation was carried on under water by the divers bringing their helmets together, tho brass and ■water supplying tho conductivity necessary to permit their speech being car ried from the speaker to the car of his colleague. Telephonic apparatus brought the speech to the punt, from which tho descent was made, land it was then transmitted into tho microphone and “put on the air.”