Evening star., 1942-03-04

Charles Kutz. who toured Arlington
and Alexandria, Va, with Gen. L. D
GasSer, chief of the o. C. D. train
ing section: Assistant Engineer
Commissioner Beverly c. Snow anc
Maj. Gen. Walter L. Reed, inspector
( general for this area, also noted just
! one light
Supt. of Police Edward Kelly
reported that up to IL pm. there
had not been a single purse-snatch-
ing or other crime.
During his tour. Commissioner
Young stopped several times to
question wardens patrolling the
streets. Through the night, 10000
were on duty in shifts. sometimes
patrolling in pairs. Commissioner
Young asked all of them he inter-
viewed whether they thought citi-
zens were merely turning off lights
and sitting in the dark or had really
made blackout preparations. The
wardenS some of whom had helped
residents improve on their black
outs, indicated tha+ people had ac-
tually prepared, as they had been
requested to do.
Lights Show at British Embassy.
Along Massachusetts avenue-Em-
baSsy row-only one Office of for
eign government showed lights-the
British Embassy. where chinks of
light cleaned around insufficient
shades.
At the home of a countess nearby,
warden sent butler scurrying
to draw blackout curtains across a
top-fioor window.
Though many of the wardens were
relieved at frequent intervals, some
Of them had arduouS shifts. One OF
them planned to stay on all night
because his fellow wardens were out
of town and another's schedule
called for him, to remain eon..fronl
pm. to IL pm. and again from
2 am. to am
One woman was reported by hel
building warden for refusing tC
comply with the order but Commis.
sioner. YOUNG, who heard the, st ory
from the warden while touring
Georgia avenue, commented. Shell
do it next time when she sees what
others are doing"
A home owner on River road re-
fused at the request of his warden
to turn out his lights on the ground
that he was entertaining When
police were dispatched to the scene
however, they found the occupant
turning out his lights.
Operation Performed.
An emergency operation was per-
formed during the blackout when
DR.. J. Lloyd Collins removed the
appendix Of James Godbold. 8, OF
518l Fulton street NV. The opera
ton took place at $50 pm. half
hour after most of the city with
drew behind dark curtains. Inside
the hospital. however, the lights
We're on as usual From outside, not
a light was visible.
The blackout produced at least
one casualty While attempting to
remove an electric light bulb from
the front room of his home at 4107
w street NV. Zeno Mcdowell
DeWel, 49, colored, lost his balance
and fell, striking a radiator. He was
admitted to Emergency Hospital
with a lacerated scalp. a fractured
left leg and a fractured right wrist.
Stores, restaurants, night clubs
and theaters managed such perfect
blackouts that only by signs or an
occasional light was there any in
dication that they were open for
business. Several of the downtown
theaters used blue lights under their
marquee, not visible from the air,
but the neighborhood theaterS had
only dim lights at their box offices.
Crowd Hears Concert.
Despite the capacity crowd
gathered at Constitution Hall to
hear the Philadelphia Symphony
Orchestra. there was little indication
outside the hall of the activity with
in. Red lights burned dimly under
the marques and two blue lights
gave faint illumination at the Eight
eenth street entrance. The only
restriction on the audience was
the order that all smokers remain
inside the lobbies during intermis-
sion to prevent light from showing
through opened doors.
AS an experiment, one chain of
restaurants eXtinguiShed all the
lights in its restaurants at pm
while employees hustled to put the
blackout materials in place. The
diners were only in darkness for a
minute or two, the management
said.
Some stores closed at 8 pm, in
cluding almost every liquor store
in the Northeast section.
The hotels were particularly cited
by Commissioner Young for their
efforts to comply with the order.
At the Mayfower Hotel, black
shades were placed on the revolving
entrance doors and the inner lights
plete external darkness. In one
large n0tel on pennsylvania avenue,
lights were observed in two rooms
soon after the blackout went into
effect. The two new arrivals who
had forgotten their instructions
were promptly reminded to lower
their blackout shades.
Union Station Ablaze.
Although hotels surrounding IInion
Station were dark, the station itself
took the full measure of its exemp-
ton from the order. Lights cleaned
from almost every window of the
station.
In Virginia two extremes were
reached. Belle Haven, bordering the
south limit of Alexandria, achieved
a complete blackout, even to street
lights, while Fort Belvoir in Fairfax
County was completely alieht. One