World War Two

Vineyard Tests Its Strength in Mock Bombing Raids

The Vineyard called out its civilian defense organizations on Friday and again on Tuesday to tackle actual problems such as might follow the dropping of bombs by hostile planes. The whole affair was a kind of sham battle hitherto unknown, in which men, women and children were summoned from peaceful occupations in civil life to show how they could defend their community against the demoralization and damage of bombing. No planes roared overhead, but the practice was none the less realistically carried out.

Mosquito Boat A Menacing Visitor To Harbor Craft

A prim feature of the regatta was the visit of one of the new mosquito boats, or P.T. boats so called, to the historic port of Edgartown, where fighting ships of many a generation have put in for one reason or another, yet never presented such a sight as this. Commanded by Capt. A.

38 Register Here: 22 Are Island Residents, 16 Non-Residents

Thirty-eight young men registered in Dukes County on Tuesday, in compliance with the selective service act, which required all men to register on this date who have become 21 since the first registration. Of those registered Tuesday, sixteen were non-residents, and twenty-two residents of the county.

The non-residents were allowed, as before, to register wherever they might be, and their cards will be forwarded to the committees in their respective home towns and cities. The list, by towns, was as follows:

Uncle Sam on the Vineyard

Apropos the observation station at Peaked Hill, where a drive to the summit is now under construction, and likewise the report of a similar station to be constructed at Gay Head, near the lighthouse, it now becomes known that the reason for two such stations so close together is that the boundary lines dividing the Boston and Newport coastal defense areas converge on the Vineyard in such a way as to leave part of the Island in each district.

Build Road to Hill Top Observation Post

Work began on Tuesday on the road from the Middle Road to the top of Peaked Hill, the contract having been awarded to R. W. Balam, Boston con­tractor, who is engaged in putting through several jobs on the Island. The road is to be surfaced, after the grading is completed, and will supply a government way to the observation post that is planned for the Island’s highest point.
 

Foreshadowing of War as Big Guns Boom Nearby

The Vineyard had a faint fore­shadowing of the tumult of war this week, when windows were — rattled and houses were shaken by the firing of big guns at Camp Edwards on Cape Cod and by target practice by two warships offshore.
 

Defense Plans Pushed Forward Rapidly Here

Plans for the protection of property and persons on Martha’s Vineyard in the event of a war emergency have been pushed forward this week by the special committee appointed for this purpose by Governor Saltonstall. A meeting was held at the town hall in Tisbury on April 3, at which all the town chairmen were present, save one. H. M. Crist presided as coordinator. Others present were Dr. Francis C. Buckley of Oak Bluffs, Raymond V. Chipman of Tisbury, Francis A. Fos­ter of West Tisbury, Leonard C. Van­derhoop of Gay Head, and Richard L. Colter of Edartown. Ernest J.

Government to Take Only Part of Hill

The section of Peaked Hill which the government proposes to take for the purpose of establishing a signal station represents only a small part of the Peaked Hill property so-called. The entire property comprises 150 acres, and the part chosen by the gov­ernment is a four and a half acre plot, which includes the site of the triangu­lation point monument previously erected there. It is not, as a matter of fact, the highest point of the Vine­yard’s loftiest eminence, 311 feet in height, but it is regarded as line of the most beautiful. It is the peak nearest the Middle Road.

Completes Search Aimed at Acquiring Peaked Hill

Garrett Hagen, of the United States Department of Justice, has completed a search at the registry of deeds in Edgartown looking toward the acqui­sition of Peaked Hill by the federal government for the purposes of a sig­nal station. The hill at present is owned principally by John Wesley Whiting. Preliminary surveys were made some time ago.
 
Mr. Hagen was assisted by a secre­tary and representatives of the federal engineers, and was accompanied also by a car and a chauffeur.
 
 
 
 

Vineyard Observation Posts to Participate

The six Martha’s Vineyard observa­tion posts will participate with the 700 similar posts scattered throughout New England in the communications test of the Air Defense Command which will be held this morning be­tween the hours of 10 a. m. and 12 noon. The test is being given for the purpose of instructing observers of the Aircraft Warning Service and setting up a well-working telephone circuit between each observation post and the army information center at Mitchel Field, New York, headquar­ters of the Air Defense Command.
 

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