CITY OF MYSTERY

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2358, 14 January 1915, Page 7

CITY OF MYSTERY

* —♦- : — ' fiPHE 1 LIGHTS 0' LONDON SNUFFED. Romances'- lave 'beett woven; fround the lights of Londonj and : at' least" one successful'play relies for its cognomen on the gleaming lights of London.' According to Mr. Justice Chapman, the lights, are not gleaming too much-after dark at the present .time, and anyone depending on them is apt to lose his ,way. ' Steaming into London on one of the country trains is like entering a city of mystery," said His Honour in the course" of ;an interview. "Before London is reached a guard comes" through tho train and carefully pulls, down every blind. This is done in or'der that? the brilliantly-lighted' train may not serve as a guide to the river or any particular spot for venturesome enemy, air-oraft. Everywhere there are anti-air-craft guns—on Lambeth Bridge', Victoria < . Embankment, and other ■ places adjacent to the great edifices. 'All tram-cars and 'buses have to shut out their , lights when crossing the river -and vigorous measures have been taken to suppress all big lights outside, and even within the important buildings ( in London. "Some time before I left a compe-tent.air-man was sent up after dark, armed with a paper-bomb, with instructions to throw it on to Buckingham Palace—this as a- test of the efficacy of light-suppression. He was totally unable to locate the palace," but made a guess at it, and threw his blank bomb. It was found at -Sydenham, some five miles, away from the-palace. This meant that it was now impossible for air-craft to locate the important buildings in .London after dark. No lights are allowed on the river barges, so it is imj possible for aviators to sight the water Las a guide to Westminster. • "In every port I visited searchlights played incessaiitly throughout the night. Down the Thames Estuary searchlights searched the heavens and sea for a sign, of foreign craft. At Plymouth I counted no fewer than sixteen searchlights going, and .I counted the same number when. I visited the Firth of Forth in Scotland. It -was the same in every..port coming out. At Colombo I had a. breakdown with the motor-car , and. did. not reach the town until 2 a.m., at' which hour the port searchlights were glancing and flashing-over th# ocean in all direotions." I