Evening star., 1937-01-31
LOUISVILLE RADIO
CUTSFLOOD TOLL
WHAS Credited With Saving
Thousands by Handling
Pleas for Aid.
By the Associated Press,

LOUISVILLE, KY, January 30-
The first weak call of S o S from Jack
Binn's fingers on the sinking liner
Republic in 1909 grew today to a new
record Of radio calls for help-1s,500
separate dramatic appeals in five days
over Station WHAS while Louisville
fioundered in flood.
With lights gone, an emergency en-
gine pumping only one-third of the
normal power into the microphone,
the station never left the air during
the worst five days and nights in the
city's history. Without this central
clearing house for bringing aid TO
those trapped by rising waters, Louis.
Vile probably would number its dead
today in thousands, instead Of hun
dreds.
Over the station went the appeals Of
Mayor Neville Miller, bringing hun
dreds of airplanes. railroad trains,
police, seamen. trucks. with medicines,
food. relief supplies, for the citys 200
900 homeless.
Station a Madhouse
The station was a madhouse Of
orderly confusion. Thirty-seven in
coming telephones, kept open at any
cost, poured the calls for help TO mes
sengers who rushed each call to micro
phones.
The announcements averaged 1920
trucks equipped with battery sets along
the waters edge, and boats RADIO
equipped, told where lay the desper-
ately i'll, where families, and sometimes
hundreds at time were trapped in
groups. At least 100000 persons were
taken from homes this way, then
directed by radio to the refugee camps.
The announcements aeveraged 1900
for each "a hours of the five worst
days. Ninety per cent of these mes
sages were orders to listeners to send
aid to specific addresses.
Volunteers Helped staff.
In this time. no regular member
of the staff would rest of his own
accord. Volunteers flooded the
broadcasting rooms on the second
floor of the darkened Courier-Jour-
nal Building. Barry Bingham, CO.
publisher of the paper. and head Of
the radio station. slept a few hours
night in his Office.
Bingham, who Is only about 30,
was walking by young volunteer
doing yeoman work copying telephone
messages. The volunteer apparently
mistook him for some one else who
had been running messages.
Hey, john" the volunteer yelled.
Where you been? Rush these to
the studio, and hustle back. got
million more"
John" dutifully carried the mes.
sages and returned.
Got cigarette, John?" asked the
volunteer.
John" had. and he put one be.
tween the volunteers lips.
John" did so we'll carrying mes
sages that the volunteer had no fur
ther complaints He still doesn't
know his messenger boy vas the
owner of the place.
Forced to Sleep.
When Bingham found employees
about to collapse from lack of sleep
and strain, he'd take them aside and
offer a couple Of headache" pills.
The next thing the victim knew, hs
had slept several needed hours.
One dramatic incident shook the
studio. Wednesday night. when orders
to police to shoot looters on sight
were being broadcast, two men were
sent from the station to break into
a store with permission Of the owners
and carry supplies to a hospital The
men left and an announcer started
TO- the mike to warn police in that
section not to shoot these two. The
announcer got there just as Mayor
Miller went on the air for half an
hour and could not be interrupted.
The station had bad 80 minutes.
The men turned out to be first class
looters in the cause of mercy, for the
police never did see them.
An idea for Canarie<.
With women calling in and de.
manding their canaries be saved. one
dazed employe almost got to a micro.
phone with a suggestion that the
birds be crossed with trout so that
they could swim to safety themselves.
Last night Rabbi Solomon N. Bazell
started across Beargrass Creek in q
boat to broadcast his weekly service.
The boat capsized and he was wet
to the waist. An organist burst into
the studio with this startling state.
r1ent:
I've got the rabbi out here with
no pants and some whisky to keep
him warm.
The rabbi, q gallant figure, broad.
cast his services in . Dizzy Dean
sweatshirt.