THE DIVINE SPARK.

Hokitika Guardian, 17 May 1924, Page 4

THE DIVINE SPARK.

A WIRELESS EPIC. “EOR THOSE IN PERIL ON THE SEA.” ' (By 7. R. N.) Hie warm sunny weather with which Sydney had been blessed lor so many weeks had drawn to a close, and smiling sunshine had given way to dull grey skies, Tho first touch of winter had arrived, bringing with it a squally south-easterly wind, the mists, and the rain. During the day Sydney had shivered, and overcoats, goloshes, and warm scarves, which for so long had been forgotten, had been brought out and worn, and in quite a number of homes fires had been lighted. During the day business had gone on ns usual in the city, but with hardly an exception complaints regarding the change in weather conditions had given way to the usual cheery greetings between friends. Sheltered city dwellers grumbled as they left their offices tit the close of the day and hurried towards flic first available trams, and ferries which carried them to the comforts of their homes. The wind increased in violence, and the streets of the great city were almost deserted, and as the evening passed on Sydney settled down to sleep, still complaining about the weather,

and in most eases silently expressing thankfulness at not being compelled to spend the night on some sort of duty in the open.

Along the coasts the wind howled with gale force. A special warning had been issued to shipping during the early portion of the evening, and as the night grew older, the keen eyes of the watchers in the signal stations

along the coasts noticed that the seas

were rising ominously. One or two small colliers crept into Sydney Harbour, their decks slippery, their funnels white with spray, and their wearied crews, clad in dripping oilskins, thankful to pass under the shelter of the Sottih Head into the calmer waters inside Port Jackson itself. Some even smaller craft which had attempted to make a northern trip find

1 icon compelled to return to port, and, anchored in the harbour, were content to await the abatement of the storm’s wild play before once more venturing out into the open sea. THE DREADED S.O.S.

And while Sydney slept the wind increased in violence, until along the coasts it howled with hurricane force. Great grey rollers hurled themselves towards the shores, and a little wav imm land the ever-rising sens made conditions dangerous for even larger vessels. Some fifteen or sixteen miles away from the storm-swept Sydney Heads the lingo steel lattice tower supporting the aerial system tit the Sydney Radio Station reared its gaunt Irame towards a sullen sk.v, and a howling gale whistled a hymn of hate through the guys and aerial wires. Inside the small buildings situated not far from the foot of the great tower a tired operator "listoned-in” to the whole Pacific ocean. The night had been, like most nights in a coastal wireless station are. a busy one. Commercial traffic had been bandied and controlled, many shipping messages had spe.t through the ether, bad been duly “logged” and despatched by land line from the big station to the addresses for which they were intended; weather forecasts had been tran-mittud. and others received from vessels “util there,” and last, but by tin means

leart. the special storm warnings which had been issued earlier in Hie day bad been Hashed with the speed of light to the many ships at sea on the Pacific.

The greater portion of the evenings business bail, however, been put through, and within a short space ol time most of the ship operators who

wz re now cn watch would have tutu oil in" lor a few hours’ well-earned lest. The operator at 5 .1.5., as the big station is familiarly termed by wireless men, was almost waiting lor a relief, and who knows but wlmt hiihollgllts were of those with whom he iiad been cnmmmiical ing earlier in liie evening. Suddenly, through miles oi space, came the high note of a foreign ship station, a station with which lie had been in touch earlier in the evening. This time, however, it was not the monotonous duh-du-dah-de-dah the general call sign used by all commercial stations prior to the transmission ol code signals relating to some particular message—but the three quick, sharp dots, lollowed fir three dashes and three more sharp dots—the (Beaded S.O.S. call—and it startled the lonely and tired operator into sudden life.

'j i e huge aerial, towering hundred' of ie-'t aloft. had caught the far faint bail winging swill ly through tile night across miles of the stormy Pacific ocean, conveying to all who beard it the fact that somewhere on the face of a storm-swept sea a stricken vessel, carrying many human beings, had be(*u bat test'd by tbe storm ami wasMn immediate danger. TO THE RESCUE.

But others, too, had heard the call

Away out at sea. on board of a huge interstate liner, a vessel, a blaze ol light from stem lo stern, ami rushing proudly before the gale on her trip north, an operator bad picked up the message. An English cargo steamer, also bound north, bad intercepted the cry for help, and i:i the wireless house of a lean grey cruiser, a vessel visiting waters strange to her! and bound on a diplomatic mission, the magic notes of the wireless signal from a stricken Japanese cargo steamer were received.

The dramatic message stating the exact danger which threatened toe vessel, and the code indicating her exact position, come through the other with very little delay, and threeships. two peaceful merchantmen and one war-like mass of machinery, swung in their courses and headed with all speed for the scene of the trouble. Up in the big land station just outside of Epping the lonely operator held down his key. and through the startled other the divine spark crashed out, carrying with it a message of hope and of cheery comfort lor those “in peril on the sea.”

The night passed on. and when morning dawned the magic voice of the wireless still spoke its message. Although separated by miles of waste waters, the operator at Sydney Radio was able to toll the world that a British warship had reached the scene, and was standing by ready to afford every assistance. Nationalitq, creeds, and beliefs counted not tall. Human lives were in danger, and merchantmen and man-o’-warsmen bad joined hands *in rescue work. Tbe divine spark bad drawn together East and West.