The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1914-11-04
VERY
DISQUIETING
LONDON EXCITED OVER STATE
MENT THAT PUBLISHING
HOUSE CAN BE USED
FOR GUNS.
Is Owned by German and Location
10 Very Threatening-other
Places Susplcioned

tGorrespondenee OF Associated Press)
IONDON, Nov. 3.-London has
been greatly excited by the report
that German-owned UNDERMINING
plant In Willesden. a prominent manu-
featuring suburb of London, has an
immense building whose heavy con-
crete foundations. floors and roof are
Wei 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 IL stands high. with a clear
range to Crystal Palace Willesden
Junction, where two main lines enter
ing London center, Is but a short dis
lance from the plant
However, the English architects
who designed the building and super
vised its construction eight years ago
say IL Is similar to many other print
ing plants and has no heavier founda-
tons and floors than are required
stalled.
The building is about two hundred
feet square on the outside and is con-
structed about court sixty feet
square. IL is but one story and the
foundations are of concrete and sir
feet thick. The English manager or
the concern says this unusually thick
foundation was laid as the firm eI-
pected TO add additional stories to the
plant when business expanded. A
concrete roof covers most OF the
Discovery by the allies that Ger
many has prepared concrete bases for
Its howitZers surreptitiously in many
places in Belgium and France has
made all Englishmen suspicious OF
land.
In discussing the wfllesden factory
the Sunday Times says:
In situation whick commands an
almost uninterrupted view OF that
great tract of London which lies be-
tween Willesden and the Crystal Pal
ace Is discovered a building whose
roof. floor. and foundations are con-
structed OF exceptionally thick con-
crete and might apparently be EN-
ployed as the emplacement OF a heavy
gun-in fact. one OF those 17-inch
howitzzers for which such careful ar
rangements were found TO have been
made around the Antwerp and Ma
muir. We are very far from suggest
ing that the premises at Willesden
were deliberately arranged Consid-
ering the German workmen, IL Is at
least probable that in the event OF an
attack upon London the attention or
Aht Nfl GOulIndu0eIE NOul0
have been called to that convenient
concrete floor, even II they had not
known OF IL before their arrival
1t Is highly probable that there do
exist such places around London and
IN the neighborhood OF our great fort
ress positions which have been care
fully prepared for siege guns, and the
chief value. to our mind. OF the Willes-
den discovery, is that II may be ex-
pected to stimulate authorities TO
search for them.
The suspicion that many wireless
equipments are operating in London
was justified by the discovery OF such
q plant in the home OF a German pro
fessor. AS wireless apparatus can be
operated for so short a distance as
from London TO the European coast
without an outside tower the discovery
OF Illicit wireless stations Is very dit
hcult The Times advocates that the
war office issue q statement stipuiat-
ing that persons found sheltering such
apparatus viii be treated a. spies and
handed over 20 military power"