Evening star., 1952-12-13
Afraid Test
Spurs Move 10.
Improve Plans
Drill for 81, 900
Is Held Generally
Satisfaction, However

Is Helo 0eneToliy
Satisfactory, However
Civil defense leaders in Govern
ment buildings were ready to start
ironing the wrinkles out Of their
preparedness plans. tested IA q
mass air-raid drill yesterday.
In general. however. they ex-
pressed satisfaction with the test.
which sent an estimated 325, 900
Federal and District workers and
school children to designated
shelters.
Ferdinand Kaufholz, jr.,. deputy
director for Civil Defense Of Fed
eral Buildings, said first reports
indicated that the move to shelter
took an average Of only three and
one-half 10 four minutes In q
building.
He said he expects it to take
about two weeks for all reports on
the drill to be compiled to permit
an overall evaluation.
Two imaginary atom bombs
exploded" in the test, one at!
Tenth and NJ streets NV. and
another tlree-quarters of a mile
south Of the Pentagon. Civil de-
fense warning apparatus was
sounded throughout the city, butt
the general public did not par
ticipate in the drill.
$4,000 Casualties"
Workers and students returned
to their desks after Is minutes,
but the casualty reports con-
tinued to flow into the Federal
Buildings Services Control Center
at Seventh and D streets S.W.,
during the afternoon.
Nearly $4,000 "casualties'' were
reported. Especially hard hit
among the 88 buildings dam
aged" were the Navy Annex In
Virginia-"d "demolished"- the
Civil Service Building at Seventh
ana r streets NV.
The center dispatched ambu-
lances. a bulldozer. a generator. an
air compressor. trucks and labor
ers, a mounted water tank, q
heavy crane and mobile rescue
units.
Two workers in a building at
Fourth street and Independence
avenue S.W. actually were lowered
down q ladder from a second story
window on a stretcher.
Building Wardens Praised.
Mr.. Kaufholz praised the per-
.formance of building wardens. He
Joined with District Director of
Civil Defense John Fondahl in
hailing President Truman and the
District Commissioners for their
support OF the test. They sug-
gested that similar interest must
come from leading private citizens
to make the local program effec-
tive. ii s.
At the Pentagon. the three top
floors were evacuated as the 81 900
workers there went through the
drill.
Max c. Schwartz, head air raid
warden for the District, said he
was very pleased" at the results
in the District Building, where
Commissioner F. Joseph Donohue
joined some 700 other city en-
ployes in the basement.
At the Interior Department.
Secretary Chapman walked down
stairs with other staff members.
Interiors head warden, Joseph
Aftree, assistant to the director
OF the Division of Administrative
Services, estimated that $500
persons there took shelter on
lower floors or in the tunnel be-
tween the two buildings.
Reaches Into Courts.
At the courthouses, warden's
whistles shrilled through the dig
nifty Of some courts in session.
In Municipal Court, prosecutors
were busy keeping defense and
Government witnesses separated
as an estimated 500 members of
the court staff, witnesses, de-
PENDANTS and visitors descended I
to the basement.
The Agriculture Department
had set up. II special first aid
stations in its shelter areas. The
cost Of medical and other sup
plies there was met by contri-
buttons from department agencies
and other housed in Agriculture
buildings. at the rate Of so cents
per full-time worker.
More than 1,700 Government
employees have received training
in basic fire fighting in the region
al GSA Guard Training School.
With cooperation of the Ameri-
can Red Cross, an estimated 10000
employees are trained in first aid
and organized by building war
dens into first aid units.
Maryland and Virginia civil de-
fense authorities and Col. Fon-
dahl watched the test operation att
the control center.
m Au -