Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-05-02

n ght we NIX. PIONEERING
thought we ought to find out
what It's all about, and dropped
in on Glenn Richards, head of
the Office of Civilian Defense,
and Frederic s. ShOuman, public
relations director, I'm the midst
of a press conference.
SchOuman with whom we
used to cover murder cases and
such before he became a public
relations counseD was buster
than we've ever seen him.
And why not? When you fig
ure IL out, that test blackout Is
whale Of a JOB with everything
coming at once. The signal for
the blackout has to be distrib-
uted I'm three minutes over an
area of 1000 square miles, and
moro than 100000 people are
supposed to put out the lights.
Selfridge Field and the corner
cigar store out in BEDFORD have
to get their warnings. The war
dens have to be told to get to
work and 100000 automobiles
ESTIMATED number) have to be
brought to halt on the streets.
For the test blackout, you're
supposed TO stay in your car, but
if we have real raid, you
shouldn't. In that case, take to
the nearest shelter.
That and about three other
things will be the main differ
enceS between a test blackout
and the real thing. The other
differences:
Wen keep the street lights
on. Los Angeles had seven or
eight deaths because their first
blackout was too complete.
Factories will keep working.
Certain beacon lights, used for
navigation (by air or otherwise
will be left lighted but would be
extinguished in a real raid.
However, there's TO be no
other monkey business. and the
wardens are supplied with
blanks which they will fill in
and turn over To the authorities
II you don't keep your house
dark.
In fact, even lighting a cigaret
Is dangerous. Under some condi-
tons Tor so they say the flare
Of a match can be seen eight
miles, and the glowing coal of
cigaret for 5000 feet.
Which about finishes up the
high points, except that IL Cd
you are riding or driving a horse,
you must hitch him TO some
thing solid when the bIackout
starts, and (2) If you have a
dog, keep him tied.
This Is to keep dogsAfrOm bit
ing the air raid wardens. expert
ence elsewhere having shown
that It's liable TO happen until
dogs get accustomed to war and
realize that it's no valid excuse
for biting people, regardless of
what human beings do.
BEFORE we got onto black
outs we had another detective
story and forgot 10 tell it. It's
about Sgt. Ed Eggers of the
arson squad of the police depart
ment, who was visiting his god
son at Fort Benning.
They had a . fire there-not
very serious, but puzzling be-
cause they couldn't discover how
IT started. Sergeant Eggers put
himself on the spot by volunteer
ing to look the scene over and
maybe find a clew.
First thing he did was smell
OF the wreckagc. Then he found
a pair of old coverallS and put
his hand in the pockets. Then he
grabbed a soldier and said, Roll
up your pantlegs." 1t solved the
mystery.
Here's how Eggers did IL:
Shifting the wreckage of the
building which had caught fire,
ne got a Whit OF gasoline.
When he put his hand in the
pockets of the coveralls, ID was
to see whether they felt cold.
Evaporating gasoline would
make the cloth colder, and would
last longest around the pockets.
And-lastly-he questioned a
soldier who had been In the
vicinity hut had, up 10 then,
denied knowing how the fire
started.
Eggers, however, was suspici-
Gus and finally told the man.
I'll tell you what happened VI
You won't tell me. You were
cleaning those coveraus with
gasoline. Either you lighted n
cigaret. or the stove set fire TO
the gasoline fumes-no, ID wasn't
q cigaret because then your eye
brows would have been singed,
and they're not.
so IL must have been the
stove. Roll up your pant legs"
The soldier did. The hair on
his legs had been singed.