Evening star., 1942-06-02
Capital Halls
All Activities
In Raid Drill
Streets Empty Quickly
In Daylight Practice;
Officials Pleased
Pictures on Pages B-1 and XII

Washington stopped on dead
center for IS minutes today while
the city'S first full-scale daylight
AFRAID practice was held.
With the wailing of the raid sirens
at approximately 1920 m, Capt.
tai teemnig with the normal activi-
ties of work day turned at a fash
into a ghost city Of silence and
emptied streets.
Traffic stopped in an instant.
Streetcars stayed where they hap
pened to be. Buses and automo-
biles drew in to the nearest curbs.
The streets were deserted except
for policemen and civilian defense
workers, who patrolled their areas
seeing that people were inside the
nearest buildings. whether they
happened to be theaters, restaurants
or Office buildings.
Everybody stopped work as alarm
systems within buildings supple
mented the outside sirens. and en-
ployes gathered at designated places
Of shelter.
White House Gates Closed.
When the Washington Yellow
signal reached the White House,
warning the alarm was 90 minutes
distant, helmets and gas masks we're
distributed to employees and they
took assigned stations. Police and
secret service men closed all gates,
while soldiers stationed outside came
inside the fences and took emer-
gency posts.
AS the sirens screamed the test
raid warning an ambulance and two
flre trucks dashed to the White
House in practice maneuver.
At the State Department. Secre-
tary of War Stimson and Secre-
tary of the Navy Knox were con-
ferring with Secretary of State Hull
when the alarm sounded. The three
cabinet officers Immediately left Mr..
Hulls office and went to a shelter
on the second-foor corridor outside
the Secretary's sanctum. They
stayed there until the all-clear was
heard.
Undersecretary Of State Sumner
Welles and Admiral William D,
Leahy, returned Ambassador to
France, comforting in another Office.
joined a group in a corridor shelter
| area.
Young and Bolles Pleased.
Commissioner Young. co-ordina-
tor of defense, and Col. Lemuel
Bolles, defense director, returning
from an inspection tour during the
alarm, were well pleased at the re-
suit.
Everybody co-operated splendidly,
said Col. Boles, adding that there
would be another daylight test
shortly"
william A. Van DuZer, director of
vehicles and traffic, congratulated
Washington motorists on their CO.
operation in observing all traffic
and safety regulations during the
test alarm He added that there
was no confusion either when the
alarm sounded or the all clear sig
nal was given"
The Capitol Building was one
place exempt from alarm regula-
tlons. Several committees kept 60
ing during the simulated raid. On
the House side, the Rules Commit
tee and an Appropriations subcom-
mittee on deficiencies remained in
session.
House Office Buildings in Test.
But the two House Office buildings
observed the alarm carefully. More
than $500 members of Congress,
secretaries, clerks and committee
witnesses and spectators went to
corridor spaces designated shell
ters. The II wardens directed the
evacuation" without confusion.
At the first blast of the sirens, all
activity at the War Department
halted. Guards ran through the
long corridors blowing whistles.
But, since the old Munitions Build
ing has no raid shelters spotted,
Army officers and civilian employees
remained at their desks. The elec-
trio current in the entire building
was cut off and it remained silent
and darkened for Is minutes.
In the public schools the teach
ers, carrying out prepared plans
smoothly, moved the children into
corridors considered the safest
places in the buildings. No con-
fusion was reported
Girl aides and patrol boys helped
usher the children to their shelters.
In some schools the pupils were
entertained with music, stories and
poetry while thety waited for the
all-clear.
F Street Cleared Rapidly.
Downtown F street was cleared OF
pedestrian and automobile traffic
almost before the sirens had stopped
wailing the alert. Within l minute
the busy thoroughfare was bare of
its shopping throngs. only white
(See AFRAID TEST, Page ABB