Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-11-17

N wexford, ireland, once tOId mi
Solemnly that radio was causing
distress among the little folk; thai
they lived within the range of radio
vibrations. and that while the wave i'm.
pulses did not come to them as sound
they were most disturbing and hac
caused the migrations of many fairies
to remote places. / had supposed thai
this friend was the only person in thu
world who was thinking about this, but
here today is letter from Gavin Dis.
hart, coal miner. who says some of hi;
mates are worrying about radio driving
the Tommy Knockers" out Of thu
mines.
Text Of DiShart's Letter.
I reproduce Mr.. Dishart's letter. post
marked Wilkes-Barre, Pa, as an In
tensely interesting document:
Dear Mac: You have a good
Scotch name, so am sure you will
be giving a bit of your valuable time
to hearing about something that is
causing a deal OF bother and argu-
ment among the lads in the coal
mines. There is a Cornishman called
Walter Andrew who has a great store
Of knowledge about the Tommy
Knockers. These little creatures are
kind-hearted little people, and they
will give a man warning of a cavern
or an explosion by tapping on the
face OF the shaft. Sometimes we
coal miners think we haven't q friend
in the world, but we always know
that the Tommy Knockers are look
ing out for us. Many's the life that
has been saved by these wee things
with their knocking. Well, this Wal
ter Andrew is pumping water out of
an old stump, when along comes an
other big Cousin Jack and says the
companies ought to put radio in
every level of the mine. so we could
have music when we were working.
Walter Andrew stops pumping and
looks as If he would be at the other
mans throat.
Would We drive out the few
Tommy Knockers we have left?" he
yells. with all this squealing and
blathering coming right through the
earth. it's bad enough for them as it
is. With one of these radio boxes, with
its great din filling the mine, how
could we hear them knocking, even
If they weren't panicked and driven
away? The day would come when
we'd all be caught in a cave-in, with
never word Of warning from the
little people"
The other man was strong-headed,
and we had to tear them apart and
quiet them as best we could. Since
then there has been such a great
believing and arguing among the
men that three times the pit boss has
had to stop it. Yesterday a powder
monkey stole the picks of two of
them to keep them from bashing
each other with them.
To have a bit of peace, it was
thought best that write you. And
would you be interested to tell us If
there be likelihood that the radio
could come into the great blanket
veins where the Tommy Knockers
hide and cause them worriment?
Respectfully,
GAVIN DIsHART.
Being somewhat unschooled in both
,oal mines and Tommy Knockers, do
lot feel quite up to this. Perhaps we
mould make it an open forum. Can
my one tell what the radio is doing to
he little people" particularly the
Tommy Knockers?
Thanksgiving Program Elaborate.
Speaking Of the little folk" and folk
aleS in general, the Thanksgiving day
broadcast of electrically recorded folk
# the most interesting radio events of
he year. These records were gathered
" q special expedition last Summer,
into remote places in Eu-
ope They we're gathered by portable
ound apparatus In England, Germany,
rance, Scotland. Italy, Austria, Hun
AIRY and the Balkans, and also include
lie native music of the United States,
t will be q two-hour program, broad
asst by 80 stations. AS It Is electrically
ecorded, a national network will not
,e necessary for the broadcasting.
Think of a quaint old song, such as
hat Yorkshire song, "To Be a Farmers
Boy" being picked up magically and
ent around the world hundreds of years
Ifter the boy learned to reap and sow,
Gavin Dishart's Tommy Knockers and
Ieevish over this competition in magic.
Nothing which these old folk tales re-
ord seems more miraculous than this
business of waiting them to millions in
ar countries on the air waves.
Announcer ScOrns Financial Tip.
A few weeks back, when the market
vas beginning to lurch, just before the
zig slide, heard a story that a certain
ado operator had been offered some
rast sum by a Wall street buccaneer to
announce false quotations at critical
line to start slump and enable the
'ears to clean up. The brave announcer
corned the offer, and the market
dumped on its own account. The story
sounded like tank melodrama, and such
INQUIRY as I found 1t possible to make
convinced me that it was. 1t did, how
yer, touch up the extremely important
ole which radio now plays in the big
market doings. I am informed that
rom 100000 to 100000 persons
we're In on this recent stock excitement.
Many of them were getting quotations
rom the radio. Unquestionably quick
Ind concerted stock movements are the
'eSult of this national dissemination of
market news. I received letter from
;. L. Hartley, doing some Fall shooting
Up near Danbury, Mass, in which he
laid he had been saved from the loss OF
/ good slice of his fortune by getting
radio market news in his shack in the
woods. He was able to keep in con-
,inuous touch, and wired his brokers to
sell with the first ominous beginning Of
,he slide.
Test in Broadcasting Music.
Leopold Stokowski, receiving thou
sands of letters about his symphony
of October 6 and November 8,
discusses the technical requirements anc
possible future Improvements in broad
casting music from large instrumental