Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-11-07
LONDON NOL0NGER
IN NERVOUS STATE
Receivers From the Scare Pro-
duced by the Big Ger
man Airships.
STORY OF FOES ACTIVITY
HAS WIDE CIRCULATION
City Startled by Report That "Un-
known" Aircraft Was Seen Float
ing Over Arsenal.
BY HERBERT COREY.

LONDON, October 1S-All at once
London discovered that it was nervous.
What would happen" Londoners be-
gan to ask each other, IF the Germans
We're to Gomez"
The airship did it. Up to that time
London had been quite calm and I'M
disturbed. Her 100000 went their in
dividual ways and paid mighty little
attention to the fact that a world war
was going on so near that almost the
thunder of the guns might be heard
1t wasn't precisely stupidity. 1t was
more a careless reliance upon the army
in the field and the navy in the North
sea. Then that airship shocked London
out Of it's philosophic calm.
at an early hour this morning." the
London papers reported. AN unknown
airship was discovered floating over
Woolwich arsenal.
That airship was discovered floating
over Woolwich arsenal at precisely the
right moment to set the Cockney nerves
a-tWittering. Two days before a de-
stroyer had picked a German seaplane
out OF the channel waters Off Harwich.
1t was announced that 1t carried a
freight of bombs, which were Destroy
ed The two men who formed it's crew
had blandly refused to give any in
formation as to their plans. The Lon
don papers refrained from printing any
deductions they may have formed as
TO the reason why that seaplane was
just off the English coast. But the
amateur war expert in the street was
less reserved.
THE Germans will be dropping bombs
on London next" he said.
Truth Was Unavailing.
Next day the papers told the whole
story OF the stray airship over Wool
witch arsenal. it was an English ship,
it appeared, out on trial run. The
soldiers all along the line had been
warned not to fire upon it. But the
truth did not soothe London's nerves.
The very obvious fact that intelligent
precautions were being taken against
hostile airships-as shown in the form
of the sorders to the troopS-brought
home to London for the first time the
fact that 1t bomb-droppirg enemy
might appear in the clouds over this
city. 1t is true that guns had been
the roof OF the War Office and several
of the other larger buildings. Every
one knew this. But no one had paid
the slightest attention to it. 1t was
that zone of soldiers around London.
all on the lookout for fostiles in the
sky, that brought conviction. Next day
an official paragraph appeared i'll the
press that was most disquieting:
The secretary of the navy makes
this announcement for publication:
All aids to navigation in England and
Scotland, both by day and night, may
be removed at any time and without
any further warning than is contained
in this announcement.
That meant-that could mean-but
one thing. For the first time since
Napoleon encamped his troops across
the channel at Boulogne, upon the
very spot where in 1914 the English
while waiting to go to the rescue of
the French, England was preparing to
resist an invader 1t is no great won
der that London became decidedly
nervous--or as nervous as is possible
to so stolid an organization. The eff
feet was heightened by hySteric let
tiers in the press. Women We're urged
to form rifle brigades. Elderly viragoes
charged through the street with Il
union jack in one hand and a white
feather in the other. Now and then
they corncred young men of service
able age:
which will you take:.' they de-
manded, shrilly. Choose"
But Scare Did Not Last.
Men in public places began to discuss
the probable amount of ne ransom that
Germany would demanod from London.
They agreed that not a penny less than
$500. 100000 would be exacted. But the
mood did not last. London settled
down again to calm reliance that Eng
lands defenses would be sufficient A
little reflection had dispelled the panic
Every one knows. of course. of the
English fleet which is holding the
waters of the North sea and the chan
mel against invasion. But that is mere
Is the outer line of defense. England
eastern coast is trimmed with forts