Evening star., 1942-03-03

though the War Department occu-
pies so much of the space, it is still
a District owned building and the
District would be responsible for
backing 1t out. Mr. Brooke said he
had no money for the windows
there-since they had venetian
blinds instead of shades.
They can get pretty good black
out by pulling those shades" he
said. Il think it's sufficient as it is"
Mr.. Brooke said he knew that
civilian defense officials had ruled
venetian blinds ineffective, but I'VE
don't consider it necessary to do
anything more at this time"
Superintendent of Police Edward
j. Kelly apparently didn't agree with
him. Unbeknownst to Mr.. Brooke
or even to Howard Ackers, building
superintendent of the East Admins
tration Building-Maj. Kelly pro-
cured blackout cloth and ordered it
hung yesterday, not by building
janitors, but by police janitors.
Kelly Takes Care Of Matter.
Asked where he had gotten the
money, Maj. Kelly would only say
it is being taken care of by the
chief of police
When Mr.. Brooke was asked If he
knew whether the police were doing
anything themselves to blackout the
rooms in which they worked at
night, he responded, mo, they don't
have any money
The police blacked out the rooms
occupied by the public relations
squad, detective bureau, TRAFFIC Divi-
sion and the press.
At the request of the Commission
ers, fire alarm headquarters has been
completely blacked out by means of
paint and blackout cloth.
The individual fire engine houses
have not been blacked out. For
tonight's practice. a dim light will
burn at the instrument boards, and
all lights will be turned off except
when there Is an alarm, when the
lights will be turned on to permit the
flremen to slide down the pole to
their engines. No plans have been
made to obscure this emergency
lighting.
No Materials Requested.
Instructions have been issued to
the three water pumping stations
not to turn on any lights unless they
are absolutely necessary because of
a breakdown. According to Hum
phrey Beckett, superintendent of the
Water Division, the stations can
operate regularly without lights, but
he has been thinking about getting
blackout material for the engine
room SO that his men would not have
to sit in darkness in case Of a
nightly blackout.
He said he would fix up the en-
gine rooms las soon as we can get
materials" but said he had not yet
even put in a requisition for the
materials.
Public Welfare Director Conrad
Van Hyning also started out by
saying, I'VE haven't any money"
and also ended by saying, mo, I
don't think we've asked for any,"
The welfare institutions are in
varying stages of preparedness. The
least prepared Is the one nearest to
a known military objective-the
Home for the Aged and Inf1rm at
Blue Plains, which is right next
door to the United States Naval
Laboratory and Magazine and just
down the river from Boiling Field.
Industrial Home Ready.
Mr.. Van Hyning said the inmates
of Blue Plains 60 to bed early, but
admitted that the hospital was a
problem.
"I don't imagine the blackout
thing has been fully covered from
the standpoint OF longer blackouts,"
he said. We'll have to see II We
can't get some shades for the hos
pital."
Supt. Otto Cass of the Blue Plains
institution said he had asked for
blackout materials, but had gotten
no response from his request.
At the Receiving Home for Chill
dren, an official said he had received
no instructions from the welfare
Office, but planned to put blankets
up to cover the windows in the dor
mitory.
The Industrial Home School for
Children on Wisconsin avenue, with
a good supply of youthful labor, took
matters into its own hands and pre-
pared screens with burlap covering
and wood frames with chicken wire
to take care of blackout and window
shattering eventualities. The of11cial
there said he had taken the initia-
tive in the matter and had received