Evening star., 1943-03-02

lean Society Of
Wheelmen. but
1t would be of
i'm m q u rable
Henry P. MeLemsrs. value to me now
as grope about In the London
blackout.
Occasionally If had the blood Of
a distinguished hoot owl coursing
through my veins I would be able
to see a foot or two In front Of my
face and thus keep from damaging
the sides Of historic buildings with
my head and shins.
Only the other night. I had . Vi
cious set-to with one Of the lions at
Trafalgar Square. For full Is min
utes there In the pitch black dark
ness We fought head to head and
it was not until had conquered him
and was preparing to place my foot
on his name and issue a Tarzan yell
did q bobby take me by the hand
and suggest that follow him to my
hotel.
The London blackout onicially be-
gins when the sun goes down but It
really begins when the sun comes
up In the morning and lasts . full ~
hours. This Is because Mother Ma
ture. probably foreseeing q global
warfare with all-out bombings for
the 1940s, provided London with q
wintertime climate that must have
been copied from a wet flannel pa
jana top.
Takes Air in Sips.
When you awaken in the morning
and habit causes you to bound to
the windows to throw them open and
greet the blessed sunshine and
bright, crisp air you are greeted by
combination Of elements that
would chase Lionel strongfort and
Bernarr Macfadden back to their
beds. London's winter air Is the
only air in the world that q visible
to the naked eye. It is as easy to
see as II 1t were made Of feathers
and rice pudding and discarded
chess boards.
One has to learn how to breathe
1t. Just to start breathing 1t as one
would normal air Il foolhardy. It
must be taken in small sips at first,
else ones nose and lungs will rebel
and refuse o cooperate.
BY noon the sun, which must get
time and half for operating in the
section, has cleared away the at
mosphere to such an extent that
those wearing bifocal glasses and
blessed with 1920 eyesight can sec
as far as 10 feet In front Of them.
But this visibility lasts only an hour
or 50. BY midafternoon the sun
has had its spirit broken and Lon
doners start walking through 4 cup
custard again.
When night falls and the lights
Of the city are turned out and the
blackout officially begins, there Is no
describing the darkness. You get the
same effect as II your eyes had been
turned around and you were gazing
into the inner secrets Of your own
head. Londoners don't seem to
mind this Stygian darkness, how
ever. They are out on the streets by
the tens Of thousands and you have
never seen such = friendly place.
Bumps Into Friends.'
I have met thousands Of London
ers and thousands of Londoners have
met me, head-on. It really Is a town
where one literally bumps into
friends" One Of my closets friends
is = retired major who poked me in
the ribs with his can as I kicked
him in the shins near Piccadilly
night before last. We walked along
together for few blocks and during
that time I was knocked down by or
knocked down q soldier from Coun-
Gil Bluffs, Iowa, . WAAC from
Waterbury, Conn, and . fellow who
runs a dog harness shop In Bloom
ington, Ill.
Gradually you come to know the
city by feel. BY cropping I have
learned the contour Of many Of the
famous buildings in London. Dur
ing the daytime when the city Is
slightly visible, never know where
I am, but turn me loose at night and
I can grab a railing and tell whether
1t belongs to Buckingham Palace,
Leicester Square or the Falstan Pub
and when I trip over curb and
take the skin OF my knees can
tell by the height Of the curb and
the amount of skin removed whether
I have fallen In the Strand or In tho
Maymarket.
After walking about London dur.
Ing the blackout I understand tho
true meaning Of the phrase London
can take It," The mighty city has
withstood the kicks and butts Of.
millions Of feet and heads since the
war started. A weaker city would
have caved in and given up, but not
London. Now with thousands Of
Americans humping into her all
night she is in for an even moro
dreadful pounding, but she'll stand
1t. Tonight I plan to go back and
finish Oh that lion 1T Trafalgar
Square. His name is Leo and he is .
sucker for a -ight-hand punch.
Tons of Supplies Reach