The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-11-01
Material Damage Ir-
Aicted by Possible
Dropping of Bombs by
Germans Small Com
pared to Moral Effect

camp Oh tHe SHONy DdlJleHeluS tnat
raid Will probably be made at night.
While We hear much of the bomb drop
ping capabilities of dirigibes we are
| apt to overlook one enormous advantage
of the airship over the aeroplane, and
that is Its ability to travel safely and
surely at night. The German Zeppelins.
| the Schultz LAM airshlps and the Par
| sevals have made long reconnolsances,
| some extending through an entire night.
| during which they maintained constant
| communication with headquarters by
wireless. AS winter approaches the
| Zeppelins Will be more active, as active
as the aeroplanes allow them to be.
1t is the little aeroplane that bothers
| the big dirigible. To attempt a day
| light attack on London the Zeppelins
| would not only put themselves in DANCE
| Of fire from land Notifications with
guns especially adapted for overhead
| shooting. but they would run the risk
| of being attacked by a squad of fast
moving aeroplanes, which would event
ually wreck them. II the proposed in
vasion by air Is to be done by day you
can rest assured there will be Zeppe-
| Inns with an aeroplane escort. How
| ever, such an attack would be fool
| hardy. The big mission OF the German
dirigible seems to be a nocturnal one.
In addition to England's great fleet
Of aeroplanes, what is there to fore
stall Zeppelin attack on London? Thei
English means of defence against di-
rigibles are astonishngly inadequate.
The French have regular artillery for
attacking dirigibles. but in London there
| are very few guns for this purpose.
Paris has found itself helpless to ward
off the German aeroplanes that have
dropped manfestos and bombs in Its
streets. London will find itself CORE
spondingly helpless.
| There has been some talk of cutting
the sky with great paths of searchlight1
| to detect the approach or presence of u
dirigible. That is possible, but how
does 1t guard against bomb throwing
In the last analysis the aeroplane Is
the only means to fight the dlrlgible
but what can the aeroplane do in tn
dead OF night? 1t is not the dayligh
manpuvres that England fears; 1t is
the dread of providing by night thai
strikes deep in the heart. With the
aeroplane useless so far as night recon
| noitering Is concerned. the drigible Is
| supreme as nocturnal menace.
There is one great service the British
| airmen can perform and that is to cross
the Channel and destroy the huge .dirigi-
| bes as they are anchored in their sheds.
This has already been attempted and tn"
| effort proved successful in one instance.
Lieut.. Mark and Lieut. Sippe made II
| raid on the Dusseldorf airship shed.
dropping bombs from n height Of 500
feet, which went through the roof and
destroyed a Zeppelin. The report OF
this daring exploit was officially an
nounced by Commander Spencer Gray
Of the Navy.
Walter Runciman, president of the
English Board Of Agriculture, In dis
cussing the possibility of airship attacks
on London, said only recently:
THE Zeppelins would not have 1t all
their own way. The British flying corp
have already paid their respects to the
Dusseldorf arship sheds and have
pledged themselves to dash their ma
chimes right through the hostile air
}, ships If necessary, even If both are
brought to earth as result"
This would seem to be the only way
of attacking the Zeppelins If they APP
e pear over London at night. If London
4 received word beforehand of a diriglblr
j attack by night and could summon her
i air fleet and possibly get reenforcements
I from France, the great German dread
4 noughts would find themselves caught
= in trap. However, such possibility
1 is remote. AS military men have figured
Y IL out Germany will use her airshps at
I the time and in the way that will prov
= NOSE effective. What that way will b"
and when that time will be she vii
s make sure that only she herself knows
4 The effect of such an attack on
[ | London, like the attack on Antwerp
a will have its material and its mora
$ side. The actual damage that can be-
). | inflicted by fleet of Zeppellns over the
9 great English city is small compared
: to the moral effect. The dirigibles can
rain bombs day and night on the CITY
= If the aeroplanes and land batteries d.
not modest them AS in Antwerp they
: can drop incendiary bombs which vii
start fires; they can drop bombs al
great SCATTERING power which wi
/ destroy public buildings, arsenals, 81
But taking it all in all the total damag
Z that can be accomplished will be SINAI
y compared with the fear they cause tn,
q great population at large.
o The moral fear that seized AntweIi
has been wildly portrayed by HerbeI
Corey. He wrote:
Imagine city of 400, 900 people with.
= out a light-wilhout so much as
!, candle-without a dim line shown
- where the window blind ends and III.
window casing begins-and fill every
breast in that city with sheer. cold
n shivering fright. Then you may imagin,
: what night means in Antwerp.
n AT o'clock every one is in the HON,
IS and every light must be out. At
lie o'clock Antwerp goes into total eclipse
e No proving Zeppelin can drop dealt
y into an unilluminated target. The shat
- tering rattle of an automobiles exhaus
upon the street in the daytime bring
% the cry:
,s "a Zeppelin For the moment al
le is CONSERVATION. 1t is for the mora
= effect that we use the Zeppelin tn
le Germans have said. Well, they secure
n. the effect they wanted when the,
q dropped bombs in Antwerp. The mate
e, rial damage is trfling--as damage goe
" in war time-and but few lives wer
IF lost But Antwerp has been frightene
as perhaps no other city of 400 900 SOU
r ever was frightened in modern times
re BY day crowds point at the shattere
he roofs and torn walls where the bomb
is fell.
I'd They talk of nothing else in tn
m cafes. bomb Is dropped into ever