Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-11-24

OuI Iilt dIcI Us dIlO lIlt oil ClSdI
Fed me principally.
Signals Confusing.
What with one siren picking up
bther the wall may continue for
eral minutes, which is a long
be if you're waiting for it to be
II to resume a conversation. But
oors you are more apt than not
to hear it at all-which is why
public buildings air raid wardens
PIX their head in, blow police
istles and shout, and why just
ide the revolving door of the Dor
fster there is always a big sign
y 4 feet square which says either,
fr Raid Warning" or "All Clear
The practice of one siren picking
another was continually confus-
to me when it came to the all
ar. The all clear signal is given
the same siren that gives the
rning. The difference between
warning signal and the all clear
hal is that during the warning
note rises and falls. I think
done by simply turning the
Fn off every time it gets we'll
und up and then almost i'm
diately starting it again.
n the all clear signal the siren
bids up to its top note and stays
Fre. So that when one siren after
Dther picks up the all clear sig
|, lust after the first siren has
lived at its highest note the
Fond one begins winding up TO its.
that the confusion sounds quite
e an alert.
Sure to Be Another One.
lust as nobody pays much atten-
n to alarms during the day, no.
hy pays any mind to all clears
ring the night-for they are
host certain to be followed pres
Fly by another alarm.
That first evening in the Dor
ester, the siren was no more than
curiosity to me. I was interested
be hearing the real thing at last,
Fprised only that it was not
ider and more ominous than it
S.
About five minutes later the raid
gan. There is a good deal of
bate in the papers about when
government should sound the
lrm-that is, how long before the
ders will arrive over the city.
The raiders, of course, have been
lowed up from the Channel and
central bureau knows where
th enemy ship or squadron is,
itch way it is coming and how
st. Some people who write the
pers seem to think the timing of
F alarm does not give them
ough minutes to find and get into
shelter.
Watches From Window.
The first attack l watched out
e bathroom window, like the all
ID warning I heard, was more of
curiosity and a spectacle than
her a dramatic or a SOLDERING eX-
rience.
First there was the thud of a gun
er the horizon, then another and
other. When the clouds are low
e crash of the guns echoes into a
mble that is exactly like thunder,
off and continuous. But on g
ar night such as my first, the
6charge of each gun is individual
ID distinct. Ten seconds after the
st gun fired over the horizon,
tteries on the edge of the city
Fixed up the refrain. l recognized
other caliber cannon that fired
by rapidly, five or six shots. Pup,
|p, pup, pup, pup. A hollow
lnd.
found Ben Robertson next to me
the window. He said, That's a
faufort. It's Swedish gun. The
ermans use it too" Then against
e skyline a white flash, fan
aped. Naval guns" Ben thought.
There's one in the park right in
bnt of U.S."
I looked into the dark and thought
a crew such as I'd seen by day.
hit on the way from the coast
hnding rigidly about their gun
cir helneted heads thrown back,
otionless, watching the sky. I
fought: They wouldn't be doing
at at night. I said, How do they
m at night?" Ben said, People
y be guess and by God"
Searchlights Probe Sky.
Suddenly first one and two, then
rec, four, five searchlights went
along the edge of the city from
hence the firing came. They shot
raight up. Hard fountains of
kht that seemed to dissolve into
fnity. Ben said he thought they
ached 10000 feet, which is 4 miles
so New York block lengths.
watched them night after night
hd never saw them catch a plane,
tier a few minutes they began to
owe in awkward arcs. They crossed
I'D re-crossed one another. Then
near where two of them crossed,
hy fireworks went off, one, two,
Tree, four sharp white flashes.
"Those are the shells of the guns
bu heard go off few seconds ago,
Id Ben. How long ago?" asked
m. Ten to IA seconds" he said.
yhen a gun goes off near you you
IN count and look up and see the
kplosion of the shell.
More searchlights went on. more
ms went of. But all some miles
way. I was leaning on my elbows
b the window sill. Then suddenly
om right overhead the noise of
be motors came down. The noise
the motors of an enemy plane
yer your head is what stops an air
Lid seeming just a spectacle. The
bise of the motors scared me.
Motors Not Synchronized.
IN New York I live directly under
be beam on which planes travel
est from La Guardia Field. Doug
S DC. SIS with two 1000 horse
bwer motors pass and repass ali
by and ali night. The sound of q
hin motor German bomber 10000
let In the air over London does