The sirens became better when using compressed air. Atmospheric conditions sometimes bounced the sound into the hills or up the coast, yet it couldn’t be heard in the immediate vicinity! Since any one person not observing blackout conditions could be disastrous, all hard-of-hearing individuals who couldn’t hear the siren, needed to register with the authorities, to have a block captain contact them. As a result, Salz Tannery had to close at 4:15 o.m., so employees had time to shop.Īir raid sirens across the county were at first powered by Model “A” Ford engines.
Because one couldn’t rely on streetlights to get home should a blackout occur, the City Council moved business closing time to 5 p.m., so people could get home before sunset. The Seabright light turned out to be the Kelly Hotel sign viewed from a distance and was unplugged as downtown managed at last to extinguish all its lights. 8 blackout, with the exception of the downtown, and a mysterious red light reported in Seabright. 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor attack, the entire town had succeeded in a Dec. Yet this was considered an embarrassing failure under newly imposed World War II blackout regulations. Twinkling Christmas lights, neon commercial signs, and colorful theater and hotel marquees gave a cozy glow to downtown Santa Cruz, as a beacon for festivities and shopping.
