Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-11-07
ENGLAND SEES
HAND OF FOE
Believes Foundations of German
Factories Meant for Siege
Guns.

London, Nov. 5.-London has beer
greatly excited by the report that 6
German owned music-printing plant
in lWillesden, a prominent manufact
uring suburb Of London, has an i'm,
mense building whose heavy concrete
foundations, -lOors and roof as well
adapted to the use of siege guns.
Twenty of the German employees OF
the firm were taken into custody and
military experts are Studying the
building carefully. Meantime the eX
cited public is fully convinced that
the plant was designed to act as a
German base for attack upon London
proper. The building unquestionably
occupies a strategic position. 1t
stands high with a clear range to Cry
stall Palace. Willesden Junction,
where two main lines entering Lon
don center, is but a short distance
from the plant.
However, the English architects
who designed the building and super
vised it's construction eight years ago
say it is similar to many other print.
ing plants and has no heavier founda.
tins and floors than are required
where heavy machinery is to be in
stalled.
The building is about two hundred
feet square on the outside and is con-
structed about a court sixty feet thick.
The English manager of the concern
says this unusually thick foundation
was laid as the firm expected to add
additional stories to the plant when
business expanded. A concrete roof
covers most of the building.
Discovery by the allies that Ger.
many has prepared concrete bases for
its howitzers serraptitiously in many
places in Belgium and France has
all English men suspicious of possible
| German preparations in England.
Uninterrupted View.
In discussing the Willesden factory,
the Sunday Times says: ''In a situa.
ton which commands an almost un'
interrupted view of that great tract
of London which lies between Willes'
den and the Crystal Palace is discov'
cred a building whose roof, floor and
foundations are constructed of excep'
tionally thick concrete and might ap'
parently be employed as the emplace
ment of a heavy gun, in fact, n Of
those 17-inch howitzers for which
such careful arrangements were
found to have been made around Ant
werp and Namur. We are very fal
from suggesting that the premises a
Willesden were deliberately arranged
Considering the German workmen, i
is at least probable that in the even
of an attack upon London the atten
ton of the Germans commander!
would have been called to that con
venient concrete floor, even if the.
had not known of it before their ar
rival.
Carefully Prepared.
1T is highly probable that there d.
exist such places around London ant
in the n~eighborhood of our great fort
ress positions which have been care
fully prepared for siege guns, and tn
chief value, to our late authorities t.
search for them.
THE suspicion that many wireless
equipments are operating in Londol
was justified by the discovery of sucl
a plant in the home of a German pre-
lessor. As wireless apparatus can b
operated for so short a distance a
from London to the European coas
without an outside tower the discoy
cry of illicit wireless stations is yer,
difficult. The Times advocates tina
the War Office issue a statement stiI
ulating that persons found shelterin
such apparatus will he treated a
spies and handed owe to militar
power"