Evening star., 1942-05-31
Afraid Protection
Planned for Entire
Steel Industry.
Program May Serve
As Model for Other
Types Of Plants
BY FRANK MacMILLEN,
Wide World Business Writer

NEW YORK, May 30.-What is
believed to be the first plan to
protect an entire industry during
blackouts and air raids is being
formulated by the country's steel
companies. it was learned today.
AS the initial attempt on so am
bilious scale, it is expected to pro-
vide blueprint applicable in many
respects to other types of industry.
Men in the steel business said
score of key executives, working
through the American Iron and Steel
Institute, were compiling a master
plan following individual surveys
for devising means to protect their
own companies properties.
The plans are being shaped, it is
believed, in the expectation that
sooner or later the key character of
steel production and the special raid
and blackout problems presented
by handling molten metal may
bring specific orders from the mill
tary or civilian defense authorities
for protection Of the plants.
Three Phases Covered.
In broad outline, the committees
work has been divided into three
phases:
l. Creation OF internal super
visory organizations within the
plants to have complete charge Of
all raid protection effort; this will
be a sort of central command group
for each plant.
2. Design and creation of special
communications systems for re-
ceiving and disseminating raid
warnings and maintaining contacts
during attack.
3. Direct AFRAID precautions
work within the plants, including
working out details of how to handle
machinery and metals in process;
establishment OF auxiliary police
and fire forces; provision of shelter
for workers during raids; protec-
ton against sabotage during the
blacked-out period.
The master plan, when completed,
is expected to call for a central
communications center IN a pro-
tected area in each steel works, with
a commanding oficer," represent
atives OF plant police and fire forces
and other supervisory personnel to
operate it.
All Parts Connected.
This command post will be con-
xr1t rfe ~ the rIo v1t
probably BY a loud-speaker system,
separately wired and with its own
emergency power. 1t will receive
raid warnings from military au-
thorities simultaneously with civil
ian defense posts.
With adequate warning of an i'm
pending raid-warnings are assumed
to allow a quarter -leeway before the
attack-most plants can be ade-
quately blacked out, metal in process
completed, returned to furnaces or
covered to prevent glow, lights
blacked out and personnel moved
to safety, experienced steel men
asserted.
These are some of the steps which
steel men think can be taken in Is
minutes, in the event Of a raid:
Molten metal being poured into
casting molds can be finished and
the casts covered to kill light.
Hot metal in rolling mills can
often be finished and put under
cover; otherwise it can be returned
to the heating furnace from which
it started.
Metal left in ladies can be covered
and left for an hour or longer.
The tongues Of fire from Bessemer
converters, familiar In pictures of
steel mills, can be shut OF at will
and the tops can be covered.
Every Person Has Job.
An important feature of the plan.
1t was said, will be system by
which each person in the plant,
from works superintendent to shovel
laborer, will 60 at once to an as
signed place and stay there until
the all clear.
This is intended to give the regu-
lar plant police and their emergency
assistants a better opportunity to