Windham County Observer

Defense Forces In City Mobilize For Coming Blackout

Volunteers To Get Final Orders Tonight At General Meeting In Municipal Building.

Plans Are Perfected For Test Thursday

Defense workers will get their final instructions for Thursday's blackout of this entire area at a general meeting at 8 p. m., tonight in the town hall, it was announced this morning by Carl E. Weeks, chairman of the Putnam Defense Council, as units of the civilian defense force in Putnam and other towns in this section of the state prepared to meet the test that will show how well they are trained to meet an actual air raid.

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Mobilize For Blackout
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With the sounding of the imminent danger alarm at about 9 p. m., Thursday, all lights with the exception of those specifically exempted under the trial conditions, are to be blacked out or extinguished to give army and other defense officials an opportunity to observe the speed and effectiveness with which the area can act to frustrate possible enemy air attack.

Putnam police and a detail from the Civilian Defense Company will see to it that all vehicular traffic, including trucks and busses as well as passenger automobiles, are brought to a standstill at the side of various streets and roads entering the city. Vehicles will remain at the side of the road with all lights extinguished for the duration of the blackout which is expected to last 15 or 20 minutes.

Store owners, responsible for putting out unattended lights, such as those in window displays, corridors and apartments, were asked by the Putnam Defense Council to make some arrangement to extinguish the lights when the alert sounds or to leave the lights off when they vacate their store or building for the day. By actual count of the police department, 22 violations of this order were observed Saturday night and the Defense Council is insistent that the violations end.

As outlined in city regulations for the blackout, which appear in another column in today's Observer, the alert signal will be a series of short intermittent sounds on the city's fire alarm system. The "all clear" signal, denoting the end of the blackout period, will be two short blasts on the fire alarm signal.

Under the direction of the Chief Air Raid Warden Henry DuBois, over 150 wardens were preparing to cover all streets in the city and to warn residents to extinguish lights that show from the outsides of homes. Headquarters for the air raid warden force will be in the Gilman Block on Main Street where ten telephones have been installed to handle any phase of an emergency. The air raid signal for the city will emanate from this point and wardens will report any damage to this center. Wardens have been instructed to cover areas in the vicinity of their homes. While no "sectors" or "posts" have been established in Putnam, it is the hope of Warden DuBois to lay the foundation for such advanced work in Thursday's test and others that may follow.

Police, aided by about 40 members of the Civilian Defense Company, will take their posts at the 15 various entrances to the city to control traffic. Cars will be ordered to the side of the road and drivers will be instructed to extinguish their lights. They must remain in this condition during the entire period of the blackout. The Police Department expects it will have 15 policemen on duty supplemented by about 40 members of the Civilian Defense Company during the blackout. All traffic will be halted with the exception of cars engaged in emergency work.

The remainder of the defense company, under the direction of Commander Francis H. Murphy and his aide, Thomas W. Mahan, will take up posts vital to the life of the community.

The police station will be headquarters for the traffic control group and it is expected that Putnam High School will serve as the center for the guards.