The Southern Cross

Radio Record, Volume II, Issue 41, 26 April 1929, Page 8

The Southern Cross

Was "SOS." Heard? ooo Analysis of Messages A MIDST the general joy at the rescue of the missing Southern Cross aviators, we have not so far seen any examination of the authenticity or otherwise of the message reported to have been: picked up by a Melbourne enthusiast as possibly from the Southern Cross. With the publication of Ulm’s..diary, and its record of the thoughts and’ movements of the men. we haye taken the trouble to check up on the dates, with a view to ascertraining "whether or not the message reported by the Heidelberg enthusiast was genuine. It "would seem on the facts of. time as revealed by this examination that no such’ message was sent :from. the Southern Cross on the day in question. . It will be interesting later, when possibly permits for a fuller examination of Ulm’s diary, to, investigate the matter further. . Meantime, for the benefit of listeners the position may be summarised as follows :- On Aprit 4 a cable message was dispatehed from Melbourne reading as follows: "An experienced wireless enthusiast named Y. George, of Heidelberg. thinks he has picked up a message from the airmen. He was listening on 34 to 35 metres wavelength at 9.15 last night when, amidst staties, what appeared to be a mutilated message came through, reading: ‘Smith will try again in ~~ a

morning.’ Indecipherable words followed, then: ‘Peller turn. Men eating wild fowl’. The message then faded badly. My. George thinks it came from someone. with very little power, using an ordinary receiving valve as a transmitter. With the discovery of the Southern Cross the record of each day’s events kept by Lieutenant Ulm became available. From this record the following extracts are made, which show that no messages were sent until the evening of Sunday, April T:Saturday, Apyil 6-This was our worst day. A ’plane passed within + miles of us. This was after we had neurly killed ourselves marching up the hill keeping the fire alight. Just after we returned from Darlinghurst Hill and had lit the Coffee Royal fire. Smithy heard a ‘plane. All worked furiously stoking. up a big: snioke. fire. He passed us not more than five miles away at 2.50 p.m. This decided us to haye a tree down to jack up a wheel (to work the radio generator). Smith and I worked without rest for two hours, while Litch. kept the flies off, and we won. We got the tree down, but it knocked us up that a ’plane had passed. It was terribly disappointing, and we cursed the pilot. "Sunday, April 7.-We got the wheel jacked up by noon. This has been Smithy’s big day. He excelled himself. He never stopped working, making a friction wheel on which to run the generator and finished it. with a penknife only, in the blazing sun, tormented by flies. Then Smithy rigged an engine starter handle in _ the outer end of the axle, making wooden bearings with a knife. We took off the generator. Mac spent an hour wiring it up. Smithy mounted his little wooden drive on the generator, and we had a practice run. Mac was in the ----

cabin at the set, Smithy and Litch turning the 44-inch whéel, and myself holding the generator on. the wheel, making the friction drive. We generated nearly one half an amp. There were loud cheers from Old Mac. He says that we can transmit, but the trouble is we can’t keep it running more than ten seconds at a time, so we worked hours to-night winding the wheel, while Mac sent SOS and other signals. Our best hope is that someone picked up and reported to La Perouse, which we receive excellently here. April 8-.... Last night Mac heard all the stations again; but there was no news for us. Smithy is knocked out, but most of our heavy work is done, and we are resting from the more strength-sucking efforts of turning the generator. Each turns for ten to fifteen seconds, then all rest for a quarter of an hour. The tobacco ran out to-day. We tried to smoke leaves, They were awful. On the foregoing summary it would seem that the Heidelberg report, although doubtless given in good faith, (lid not emanate from the’ Southern ross.