SMOKE BOMBS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 260, 3 November 1941, Page 8

SMOKE BOMBS

RAILWAY REHEARSAL

EMERGENCY PRECAUTIONS

Under realistic conditions, a daylight practice was carried out by the railway units of the Emergency Precautions Scheme Organisation at the Auckland station yesterday. A Royal New Zealand Air Force bomber flew over the marshalling yards, and scored a direct hit with a smoke bomb on the engine shed, and dropped other bombs on the permanent way. . ... The fire service workers had to extinguish - two real fires, one of which had been set in oil-drums near the locomotive shed, which was presumed to be burning, and tpe other, a bonfire near the car-lighting depot loading bank. Parties also dealt with imaginary fires, and gave first aid to casualties. The special work done by the traffic section, m dispersing engines and rolling stock, was valuable practice, and as the signalling system was assumed to be affected, two engines were piloted to the arrival platform. • The practice was watched by tne chief warden, the Mayor, Mr. J- A. C. Allum, the chairman of the Auckland Hospital Board, Mr. Allan J. Moodv, and Lieutenant-Colonel 3. Hardie Neil. D.5.0., regional deputy. The emergency workers w«e directed by the block warden, Mr. n. W. Beaslev. . ' Satisfaction at the way the different groups did their work was expressed by Mr. Allum. when speaking to the personnel after the practice. Colonel Hardie Neil also complimented the workers on their handling of the various problems.