Evening star., 1941-12-11
Los Angeles Area
BIacked Out After
Afraid Alarm
Unidentified PIunes
Reported Over and
South Of City
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 1.-The
Army's 4th Interceptor Command
extended the Pacific Coasts war
blackouts into Southern California s
vital defense areas for three hours
last night with the statement:
There are planes over and south
of Los Angeles that are unidentified.
This is not a practice blackout."
The Army spokesman said you
can assume" that Army planes were
sent aloft to intercept the unidenti-
fed craft, but there was no state
ment concerning such activity after
the all-clear signal sounded at 11:09
pm. (2:09 am, Thursday, Eastern
standard time).
Sheriff Eugene w. Biscailuz. in
charge of Los Angeles County's civil
ian defense, reported the blackout
was 80 per cent effective. The
county includes nearly so cities with
a population of approximately 3,O00,-
600 sprawled over Ais square miles.
Dawn disclosed many instances
of irate citizens smashing control
boxes and in some instances ex-
pensive neon signs which had not
been turned off. A gang Of so boys,
police reported, took advantage of
the darkness to smash most of the
windows in several block of stores
on South Broadway near Vernon
avenue.
Little Confusion.
Except for a l5-mile radius in the
Los Angeles-Long Beach hsrbor
area and in San Diego, just II miles
from the Mexican border, it was
Southern California'S first blackout.
However, there was little OF the con-
fusion which marked San Francisco's
first alert Monday night.
The blacked-out area extended
from Bakersfield on the north to the
Mexican border and from the coast
inland to Boulder Dam and Las
Vegas, Nev.-250 miles or more in
each direction.
Western Washington and Oregon
observed a modified test blackout.
In Seattle, Fiorello H. La Guardia,
chief of the Nations civilian defense,
told interviewers he was not salts
fed with war preparations but added
after all, we are way ahead of
Great Britain in civilian defense
compared to its first three days Of
the war"
Brush Fires Investigated.
Federal and State officers investi-
gated brush fires at Port Angeles,
Wash, and the Olympic peninsula
which spectators said formed arrows
pointing to Seattle and the Bremen
ton, Wash. navy yard.
Consolidated Aircraft Co. in San
Diego and some Los Angeles defense
plants closed, but many others op-
Grated full blast.
Most Southern Californians &C
cepted the blackout order calmly
and with sense of humor.
In a few scattered areas lights
lOl Ddt
Los Angeles, for instance, generally
was in such pitch darkness that
pedestrians hesitated to cross
streets. Hospitals reported FIVE
times the normal number of traffic
injuries, but were too busy to COM
pile figures In some, surgeons and
nurses worked by small reading
lamps.
Transportation Halted.
Street lights in some sections re-
manned on an hour after the alert
sounded. Officials of the Municipal
Power & Light Bureau explained
they had no master switch.
Interurban streetcars and buses
we're halted.
Hollywood was pitch dark. A few
night spots tried to operate behind
heavy drapes. with freak results
At Ciros, favorite of the movie
stars, the manager reported he was
"all ready for business-but the Gus
toners can't get here"
At Earl CAROLS, however, there
were plenty of customers, dining and
dancing and awaiting the floor show.
But the girls couldn't get there.
They were blacked off the streets.