Thrilling Midnight Broadcast of City Fire

Radio Record, Volume V, Issue 2, 24 July 1931, Page 8

Thrilling Midnight Broadcast of City Fire

‘At about 11 p.m. last Saturday night, listeners to 2Y A were thrilled to hear the announcement that the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company's building, a block away from the station studio, was on jire, and that 2Y A would stay on the air to broadcast a commentary. The description which followed, given by Mr. Clive Drummond, station announcer, was above criticism, and must have kept thousands of listeners from their beds. |

MICROPHONE was placed on the parapet of the main studio window, and by leaning . out over it the announcer could command an excellent view of the burning building-about fifty yards away and on the opposite side of the street. oo The building, which occupies the greater portion of a roughly triangular-shaped block, was soon surrounded by a mass of theatregoers and others who had seen the fire from a distance and had driven or walked to its location. With characteristic promptitude, the.

fire brigade was soon on the scene, but it appeared to the onlookers that the hold » the fire already had, coupled with the high wind which was blowing, would render hopeless any attempt to save the building. The broadcast commenced to the accompaniment of the shrilling sirens of the fire brigade engines, and the excited hubbub in the street below of people and cars hurrying to the scene of the fire. A fascinating description was given of Featherston Street -a. fairylarid of motor lights and, near the fire, a seething mass of curious spectators. . , "Though the fire broke out on the side most remote from the studio, the flames could be seen leaping inte the air ‘above the building. Early in the broadcast, two of the station staff were given roving commissions to collect any possible news and report at intervals to the studio. Thus listeners were able to hear how firemen with hoses were raised on the ends of telescopic ladders above the level of the blaze, and how from these vantage points hissing streams of water, under terrific pressure, were directed in the centre of the

holocaust beneath. Because of the heat of: the advancing flames and the thick billowing clouds of smoke, which often completely enveloped the fire-fighters, it was necessary from time to time to shift the ladders with their burdens to less precarious positions. As the outside walls of the building are | of brick, these fortunately were in no danger . of collapsing, but their presence, assisted by the strong northerly wind, caused such a draught that the flames ferociously licked and roared skywards. we The bitumen streets, wet and glistening ~~

black, were, as Mr. Drummond commented, criss-crussed by a maze of hose leads, and’. over all was a thin haze of spray, forced out at minute crevices in the joints by the terrific pressure within. . AT about 11.35 p.m., the position seeming to. be unchanged, the sporting summary was presented, and a few minutes later the announcer once more took ‘up his position at the studio window. ; a By this time the flames, despite all efforts, had spread toward the front of the

building, and shortly afterwards listeners heard that great tongues of flame were licking through the upper story windows. Trom = iis vantage point, Mr. Drummond could see the flames were shooting perilously close to the power lines, and warned listeners that if the station went off the air it would be due to a power shortage. The station operators in preparation for this contingency brought out the emergency battery gear. The: shouted orders of the firemen, the hiss of the hoses, the roaring of the fire supplemented by intermittent explosions, combined with the sight of huge gouts of flame silhouetted against red-glowing clouds of smoke and.accentuated by the darkness of the night, formed the basis of a superb commentary by the 2YA announcer. To broadcast off-hand a description ‘which would convey in full to listeners feature of such a scene was ‘undoubtedly a. difficult task, but Mr. Drummond proved fully equal to the occasion. His picturesque, vivid account was as thrilling to listeners as if they had been eye-witnesses of the spectacle. ‘Later it was announced that the Miramar Fire Brigade was on its way to: assist, and within a few minutes the engine siren was heard in the street below. ‘The engine pulled up almost underneath the studio window, and the hoses run out, as the announcer aptly described, like motor tyres which appeared to shrink as they rolled along. Throughout the broadcast the street noises and the shouts. of the firemen formed a realistic background to the commentary.‘ Toward midnight a subdued red glow. showing through the second story windows: indicated that: the fire was eat-

ing its way downward. The glow however, did not increase, and soon died away, ‘for firemen within the puilding had: succeeded in controlling this new outbreak, Excitement was caused among the crowd when an unconscious fireman, evidently overcome by smoke, was carried by several of his comrades from the burning building. Restoratives were applied, aud under the influence of these, and of the fresh air, he soon revived. As the fire was spreading, the pumping engine was commissioned and fresh hoses, spouting water at the rate of hundreds of gallons a minute, could now be brought to bear on the conflagration. On one occasion listeners were told how a fireman at the back of the building was playing a hose on the furnace within, and how several times the water spouted through the blazing front windows to the discomfort of those onlookers directly in its path, but to. the amusement of the more fortunate. Shortly after it was apparent that the blaze was diminishing, and that the firemen in their fight against enormous odds were, as the announcer put it, "winning out." The crowd began to disperse, and once more Featherston Street be- came a maze of traffic and peoplehomewayd bound. And thus ended one of the most thrilling "stunt" broadcasts ever put over the air. The following curious incident, which. occurred during the evening, is worthy of mention. An employee of the Loan and Mercantile Agency, who lives at Karori, a suburb of Welling-

ton, was called from his bed at about 11,30. p.m. by a long-distance call from the head of the Blenheim branch of the firm. ‘The latter, who had heard the broadcast commentary, wanted further particulars from a man who lived in Wellington, and who knew nothing of the fact that his firm’s buiiding was on fire! On another occasion one of the operators at the transmitter on Mount Victoria, a mile away, phoned the studio to say the transmitting room was hazy with smoke. In addition to numerous phone rings from local listeners, distant calls were also re ceived at the studio from listeners in Auckland and Christchurch, remark ing that the broadcast was coming over well, and was one of the most thrilling ever heard.