Evening star., 1942-01-20

Henry MeIemore. have been hoiSt-
ed over the golf course, cabanas or
swimming pools.
Miamians are at loss to UNDER
stand where all of the fantastic
rumors. which have been spread
about their city, got start. Except
for the same sensible precautions
that all other towns in the country
have taken. Miami is just as she
always was. OF course, Miami has
had a trial blackout, and AFRAID
wardens have been appointed, and
the girls are bandaging and tourni-
quoting and memorizing pressure
points just as they are every
where else.
But wild tales have circulated in
nearly all of the other At States that
Miami is now one of the chief mill
tary objectives of the Axis, and that
to come here is like marching into
battle.
The Chamber Of Commerce opened
its files to me and you should read
some of the hundreds of letters il
has received from all parts of the
United States. You would gather
from them that a steel helmet. not
sun suit. is what visitor needs
and that the only safe place TO taks
a sun bath is in a bombproof shelter.
One gentleman wrote from Cincin-
natl asking for true conditions down
here, pointing out that he had q
touch of arthritis and couldn't run
very fast. He wanted to know II
things were so bad that his lack OF
speed would endanger his life.
In a letter signed Mother Of
Three" women said she would like
to bring her children down. but that
she had heard the city was being
evacuated This was Just one of a
number of letters in which evacua-
ton of the city was mentioned.
The Chamber of Commerce knows
the reason for this groundless fear
The day following the Orange Bowl
festival. which drew at least $4,000
one or two day visitors TO the city,
the railroad and bus station and
highways were crowded with persons
returning home. mostly to other
parts of the State The newspapers
carried pictures and stories Of thi,
exodus, strictly out of civic pride
because there had been so many
visitors.
Somehow, throughout the coun-
try. these stories were interpreted 10
mean that the Japanese were ham,
mering at the gates Of the city and
that its fall to the invader was
imminent.
One brave man from Ohio wrots
that he didn't care how dangerous
Miami was at this time and would
/ take his chances on being captured,
but darned if he wanted to come
down here if the place were Sc
covered with barbed wire and tank
/ traps that the wouldn't have any
| decent place to park his trailer.
/ A New Jersey family wrote to ask
if it we're true that in Miami 1t was
possible to feel the vibrations OF
shooting.
Scores of fishermen have written
in asking if it would be safe to dc
deep-sea fishing in small fishing
boats along the coast; that they had
heard that numerous fishing boats
had been torpedoed and sunk by
enemy submarines.
The Chamber Of Commerce Is
| puzzled as to where this rumor
started. To begin with, our enemy
is not so dumb as TO waste an ex-
pensive torpedo on a lot of seasick
anglers, bouncing about in pleasurs
craft.
I, too. have many letters asking
me how FlOrloa Is TINS winter a1lo
whether it is safe to come down.
Well. two-toot Tuesday, here Is my
answer:
Florida apparently is just as ssfs
as 1t ever was. No one here is the
least bit nervous. Life goes along
in its same old sunburned way
There never has been a single scare
or alarm of any sort. The only
difference I can see in Florida this
year is that the gals are evidently
doing their bit to conserve mate
rials by wearing bathing suits that
are new tops for low and new
low for tops.
Distributed by McNsught Syndicate, IncJ