Evening star., 1942-08-18
Sirens

plete the circuit and actuate the
valves and controllers which oper-
ate the sound making devices.
IF we can get the relays said
Mr. Friede. I'VE can rig up home
made affair but you can't find re-
lays on junk pile
Late last night, the contractor
involved in the treasure hunt mott
fed Mr.. Friede the relays had been
unearthed The contractor was Or
dered to make his purchase on the
spot since on previous occasion,
when four orders were involved, the
critical items were snatched away
overnight after being spotted by
local engineers.
More Horns Promised.
Jubilant that the search is over,
Mr.. Friede is not too discouraged bv
the fact it will have to begin again
when the four steam horns and II
Air horns now on order are delivered.
Delivery has been promised any
day now on the four steam horns,
for which the pipe installations al
ready are in place No promise has
been made on delivery date for the
ii air horns, although the city al
ready has the compressors and
tanks for them, in some cases al
ready installed. To get the mate
rails for connecting the horns to
the central circuit so that they, too
will operate by pushing a button in
wolves another search.
Controller Friede began seeking
the horns, tanks, wires, switches.
relays and all the other gadgets for
effecting a foolproof, automatic
warning system a month after Pearl
Harbor.
With what at that time was high
priority rating, the orders began to
come in, although even that re-
quired shopping around-a few
horns here, plumbing installation
there. All the tanks were second
hand.
AS Priority Not Good Enough.
On April "a, the city succeeded in
getting an A3 priority rating for
local circuit equipment for operat-
ing the steam horns. This order
included the central control cabinet,
rectif1ers. volunteers and ammeters,
control cabinets for each horn. sets
OF storage batteris and the relays.
80 The manufacturing company with
whom the order had been placed
informed the city June Is that the
priority was not high enough. In
formally advised by WPB that no
higher rating could be given, a
search was made OF local suppliers,
second hand stores. contractors
with leftover materials from other
jobs and scrap piles District en-
gineers worked with the contractors
for the installation job on the
search.
That was only one example. the
trying last one, of months of effort
Steam horns would come of the
assembly line only to be taken over
by Army and Navy officials in the
plants and there would be another
delay. The search took District en-
gineers to New York, Baltimore and
the nearby areas.
Every Tip Followed.
Every tip was followed up and the
District wasn't the only treasure
hunter in the market. Scouts were
out from every city along the East
ern seaboard, all looking for the
scarce equipment.
Fifteen major contracts were
signed with different outfits in ad-
dition to agreements with local con-
Germs for use of air and steam IA
cilities. Besides that. contractors
working on the job with the assist
ance of District engineers made
dozens Of separate purchases in
Washington and elsewhere.
Eventually, said Mr.. Friede, the
city hopes to get regular equipment
instead of a makeshift homemade
affair, but we aren't waiting"