Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1950-10-16
Proposed Plan
Wou|dC|earJ Jail
For Hospital Use
A-Bomb Emergency
Proposal to Go
To Commissioners

IA b4oA1 w S1Co1 viz ~ AoO1IC4o
out of District Jail and turn it
over to Gallinger Hospital in event
Of an emergency will be proposed
TO the District Commissioners
it was learned today
The author of the plan is Don
cid Clemmer. director of the Dis
trict Department of Corrections,
who said he arrived at it after
studying Germany's methods of
dealing with its prisoner popula-
ton in World War II.
Under the Clemmer plan. Short
termers confined to District Jail
Oh drunk, disorderly conduct or
lesser offenses would be turned
loose.
Fel0ns to LOrtOn.
The more serious offenders. the
felons. would be sent to Lorton
Reformatory at Lorton, Va.
Part of the civilian staff of the
Jail, particularly those on main
tenance jobs. would remain at
the Jail to keep it going under
the new management.
7 When the move would be made
if approved-would depend on
civil defense officials, Mr.. Clemmer
said. 1t could be done after an
emergency was declared or after
an attack appeared likely.
1t was pointed out that the Jail
is neighbor Of the hospital and
that, in case an atom bomb burst
here, the problem of caring for
casualties would tax all available
space and medical facilities.
Other Developments.
There were these other civil de-
tense developments:
/. Inspector John E. Fondahl,
acting civil defense director, said
after a conference with Federal
officials today that apparently rs
per cent of the Federal buildings
here have basement space suit
able for sheltering their occu-
pants in an air raid.
2. Engineer Commissioner Cor
don r. Young charted the course
for organizing an emergency well
fare service at conference this
afternoon.
The conference with Federal
officials brought together Alan B.
Mills, Washington architect study
ing shelter problems, with Off
Gals from the Military District of
Washington and the General
Services Administration. Inspec-
tor Fondahl described the meeting
as the first of a series planned
to coordinate District civil de-
tense and Federal Government
security measures.
In addition to discussing shell
tiers, the officials looked into the
possibility of expanding the num-
Der of guards in Federal build
ingS and in event Of an attack,
mobilizing off-duty guards out
side the damaged area for assign
ment to wherever they are needed
most.
At the conference on the pro-
posed emergency welfare service,
Gen. Young forecast that city-wide
surveys will have to be made to
determine how many refugees can
be crowded into existing dwellings
and how many places for possible
mass feeding are available.
He pictured a situation where
families might be separated,
homeless and penniless after an
atomic attack, where those who
found shelter away from home
might not be able to get back to
their homes for days because of
disrupted transportation and
where an unknown number of
refugees would have to be housed,
fed and even financed.
Gen. Young mentioned the pos
sibility of tent cities and dormi-
tories for mass housing but added
that at least in the beginning the
plan would be for refugees to
double up with the regular occu-
pants of undamaged structures.