Evening star., 1942-08-11
First Surprise BIockout Dissoppoints Officials
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sued last February, he explained
had a description of siren warn
ing system which has since beer
changed.
In tests after February the
change in signal was picked up in
each individual order for a test
No such order was issued before
the surprise test. officials explained
they had been waiting for Army and
Navy approval of a general set OF
regulations.
Calls for New Order.
Commissioner Mason ordered Mr.
Keech to draw up new order about
/. the changed signal Immediately. In
the meantime, violators of this
'-hlackout will be warned, land WE
will prosecute the next time, after
the regulations are brought up tc
date the Commissioner said.
- The Commissioner, who stayed or
the ground while other officials
went aloft to view the Metropolitan
Area from the air, said at some
places no wardens were on duty
and that even at some of the con-
troll centers all required personnel
failed to appear.
= Citing blackout violations, he
said the lights were burning like a
4 beacon" in the Office of his col
league, Commissioner John Russell
!. Young, the defense co-ordinator
! who was out of town last night
Lights at the main control center
from which all civilian defense COM
munications stem, could be seen
~"5 miles away" he charged.
= While the heated session was 60
! ing on at the District Building,
Chief Assistant Corporation Coun-
4 sci Edward w. Thomas was refusing
to take into Municipal Court the
Z cases brought in by police and air
raid wardens this morning.
One Possible Authorization.
. Mr.. Thomas took the facts in each
case and Informed the complaining
witnesses that he would have to
hold up the cases until he was au-
thorized to prosecute.
The prosecutor told reporters the
only possible authorize ton he had to
go on was that he termed ''po-
lice department memorandum, :"
signed by Commissioner Charles w.
Kutz, as acting defense co-ordina-
tor; Col Bolles and Inspector Har-
vey Callahan. acting major and
superintendent of police. Mr..
Thomas said. however, that he
would have to have a regulation
issued and signed by the three Com
missioners, who constitute the gov
erning body of the District.
At an early morning press con-
ference today, before the matter
of prosecution of violators arose
Col. Bolles said the Metropolitan
Area obscured itself from 10 to Is
minutes more slowly than in the
last blackout, although there was q
slight improvement over the last
test in the number of lights still
visible before the "all clear"
Warns of Future Tests.
Warning that in future tests Off
cials will be increasingly diligent in
reporting violations and bringing the
violators into court, Col. Bolles said
ultimately every hour in the "a will
be covered by AFRAID tests.
TITS going to get increasingly
tougher" he declared, Some OF
these days we'll have tests at the
main traffic hours. The people OF
this community should be prepared
for tests without advance warning
at any time from now on
= With flashes of lightning ane
cracks of thunder Stimulating "tht
real thing" sirens sounded th'
alarm at 11:05 pm. The all-cleal
came at 11:30.
Good" for First Test.
"Tne thing did function" admit
ted Col. Bolles. 1T wasn't a flop. l
was a pretty good performance for {
first surprise test. but if it had beer
a surprise raid, it would have beer
just LOO bad"
Emphasizing that only a small
percentage of the total lighting KEEP
the city from a perfect score, Col
Bolles declared that when 80 peo
ple in a block are obscuring thel
lighting and one neighbor is in
different, careless or worse, It's
problem to be solved IN the las
ANALYSIS, by the other 90"
Col. Bolles pointed out that on
light may endanger the lives OF
whole neighborhood.
While he declined to recommen
methods by which the 80 could pu
that across to the recalcitrant nun
dredth, he declared that in som
way neighbors have to make tn
violator conscious "the neighbor
hood expects the lights to go ou
and no 'maybes' about it"
The passengers in the plan
which few over the city for an hou
" and half included Col. Bolles, ,OCl
Director James M. Lands, Gen. |
s, Grant III, OCD chief OF protec
tive services: Engineer Commits
sioner Kutz Chief Air Raid Warde
William j. Mileham, Arllngto
County Co-ordinator Frank c. Han
rahan and Gen Albert l.. Cox, VIII
arranged the trip.
Civilian Defense Director Albel
r. Brault of Montgomery Count
who mad been invited to view tn
county from an Army plane, lost n
way en route to Boiling Field an
never cid go up. He explained ths
he first went to the Naval Air Sta
tion. He was directed to Bolllr
Field but his car got stuck IN tf
mud.
At an airport session following tn
tour, there were no expressions
satisfaction" Col Bolles said.
Also stressing the responsibility
the neighborhood TO see that a
lights are obscnred, Gen. Cox. dt
clared that this is one case Whel
"your neighbors business is yol
business, too
One careless light, he said, mlgf
prove an aiming point for enen
bombers, adding that people mu