Evening star., 1940-12-30
Associated Press
Continued From First Page0

building the lights in the shelter
winked out.
We went first to the Daily Mail
Building a block away, then block
and a half more through crashing
bombs to the building occupied by
the British Press Association and
Reuters, British news agency.
Soon we were joined by other staff
members, who brought along photo
equipment, a typewriter and some
clothes.
Helped Save Equipment.
Wagnon, Yardbough and Edwin
Stout, another staff member, ar
rived and helped save more equip
ment as soon as flremen permitted
entry into the charred building.
Wall and Humphreys stayed at their
hotel to act as q central switchboard.
We soon set up temporary ofhces
in the basement OF the Press Asso-
citation Building and tried to tell our
New York Office that our building
was burned out. but that we all were
safe. The censor refused TO let this
information through Immediately.
We managed, however, to keep a
running story of the raid moving,
though it was necessary to telephone
our account directly to Western
Union.
At last the all-clear sounded and
we went back to find the roof and
top four floors Of the five-story
A. p. Building were burned out.
Water was inches deep in the news
room and basement shelter.
With fires all around in Newspaper
Row, flames broke out again In the
A. P. Building shortly after mid
night and at $50 am, but soon
were quenched.
Communications Fail.
At daybreak we picked our way
through choking smoke in the A. P.
Building to survey the damage.
Water cascaded down staircases and
dripped on soggy newspaper files.
We learned then that our troubles
were only beginning, for our regular
channels of communication failed
and Humphreys had to walk mile
to the Ministry of Information to
telephone New York of our predica-
ment.
Parts of historic Fleet Street
blazed heavily, but the news kept
flowing.
True, there was some delay in
cable transmission, since London
offices of the cable companies are IN
the affected area, but the delay was
not great and today cables were
operating near normal.
Even as incendiary and high
explosive bombs continued to fall.
the newsmen moved to the COM
parative safety of the great con-
crete-and-steel Press Association
Building and once more had the
stories of the raid moving.
Records Are Destroyed.
Back in the A. P. Building,
'morgue" records of tens of thou
sands of news stories-of the coron-
alton and deaths of kings, of war
and happier events-were destroyed.
The building, standing at the
corner of Tudor and Dorset, had
borne earlier scars of the war.
Several weeks ago a high-explosive
bomb pumped into the street few
feet away, blowing out part Of the
basement and starting a fire which
soon was quenched.
Then again in last Friday nights
heavy Nazi raid windows were
broken and the structure generally
was shaken, but the damage was
minor.
Today daylight floods into what
is left Of the upper floors. There
are great holes In the rear wall.
Concrete stairs still stand. A few
steel filing cabinets went through the
blaze intact.
There is q mass of tumbled
girders, tangled wires. The floor
crunches under q mans weight.
Where q few hours earlier printers
and typewriters clattered, the only
sound now Is steam kissing from
cracked radiators.