Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-11-19
Continued From Page A-4)


ting around had gathered that I
had a choice of taking a train to
London that night or staying in a
nearby hotel and going up the next
morning. The Swiss courier said I
would be foolish to take train since
it would dump me in London late at
night and taxis would be hard to
find. Not having tried travelling in
a blackout I took his advice on faith
and was driven in company car to
the hotel. Ten miles of looking out
the window. No visible damage. The
rain had stopped. the traffic seemed
normal and we got to the hotel just
before dark.
My first experience with a black
out was gentle. The American avia-
tors and 1 decided to try it. The
panes of the revolving door Of the
hotel were painted black. 1t had
gotten dark while we were arranging
for rooms and having a drink. Out
side, in the streets of the provincial
town, the sensation was erie rather
eAAoA Aii6AtcIiAiS.
The Dark = New World.
My hotel in London had a black
revolving door I think I shall al
ways remember the sensation of its
spinning me out into the dark. One
second you are in a cheerful, nor
mally lighted hotel lobby full OF
pleasant sounds and talking people
Next-just as if you had fallen
through trap door-you are in
pitch black. You feel it most in
your feet because you don't know
where to put them for the next step
Your eyes are unused and see moth
ing. You put out your hands and
you feel-outside most hotel doors
sandbags. Or the coats of unidenti-
fled people.
That first night the three aviators
and stood together for a few min
utes getting used to it. My memory
is of the clatter and echo of people
walking and of somebody whistling
gaily on the other side of the street
in the dark. Presently the footsteps
made some sense. Clearly there was
a squad of soldiers in hobnail boots
somewhere about, some women
walking slowly on high heels, some
men moving briskly Swish Swish!
Swish! That would be two automo-
biles passing. The automobiles had
tiny lights-one headlight BACKED
out, the other fitted with a slotted
hood that threw a tiny fashlight
beam few feet ahead of it on the
pavement. And red tail lights. But
popped out into blackout for the first
time these lights didn't register for
q few seconds.
Not Quite Heroes.
Finally little Illuminated Ks,
marking distractions in the road
way, emerged We felt our way
cautiously across the street A bus
doomed up, shifted gears and moved
past us. We were not very brave
adventures We walked a block
and a half. decided we might get
lost, found our way back quite
easily.
The sounds Of many people walk
ing in the street in a blackout is
characteristic of provincial towns,
quite uncharacterific of London.
If an air raid warning had come,
the footsteps would have hurried,
then diAppeared. None came.
We had an excellent dinner.
Later in my room I found such
large. stern sign warning me not
to touch the heavy fastenings over
the window that I slept without
opening them. In the morning I
was annoyed with myself for not
having reasoned that once I had
the lights out T could have unfast-
ened the hangings and opened the
windows to my hearts content.
Light Causes Near Riot.
The last day I was in England I
caused q near riot because I had
the window open. woke up in the
middle of the night, and turned on
the light for 80 seconds to see what
time it was. Then I went back to
sleep. A policeman spotted the light
and was for waking up the whole
hotel to find out who had made it.
1 learned of this at breakfast the
next morning without letting on.
You don't have to have the bad luck
to be spotted by a policeman to get
In trouble with light at night
in England. Show a light
and the most casual passerby will
below at you, his voice echoing.
After air raids have ceased to be
simply spectacle you will not need
to be beloved at. You will find
you have q strong disinclination to
showing q light by which an aviator
might steer his way over your head.
In the morning the American
aviators and I hired a car to drive
to London because we thought we
could see more of the countryside
that way.
iii. From to London.
The aviators and I left at 8 o'clock
in the morning. Our bags were
packed on the roof of an old Daim-
Ter car and the four of us rode in
back. We had landed in England.
been there overnight, heard no air
raids, seen no enemy planes nor
damage from bombs. We decided
we would keep track of what we
were able to see on the drive. Two
of us took one side and two the
other. Up to what we decided was
a definite entrance to London-the
city as distinct from its suburbs
we counted exactly Is confirmed"
hits. Four Of these were craters in
fields. Only one of them was dam
age to a working place, although
travelling main highway from the