Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1914-11-08

Printing Establishment, With
Slx-foot Cement Basement
and Strong Roof Cause Of
Alarm.

ispHltHf tci. 70 ltDnuuH mas ht'h
greatly excited by the report that
Germanowned muslc=printing plant
IN Willesden, prominent manufae-
turing suburb OF London. has an inn
mense building whose heavy concrete
foundations. floors and roof are well
adapted 10 the use OF Siege guns.
Twenty Of the German employees Of
the firm were taken into custody ana
military experts are studying the
building carefully Meantime the ex-
cited public is fully convinced that the
plant was designed 10 act as "A GER
man base for attack upon London
proper. The building unquestionably
occupies a strategic position. II stands
high with a clear range to crystal
palace. Wllesden junction. where two
main lines entering London center. Is
but a short distance from the plant.
However. the English architects
who designed the building ana super
vsed IFS construction eight years ago
say II Is similar to many other print
! ing plants and has no heavier founda-
tons and floors than are required
where heavy machinery Is to be IN"
stalled.
The building Is about two hundre"
/ feet square on the outside ana Is con
NIIutlfu UDIui 'Vuit HtnAt ht''
square. II Is but one story and me
/ foundations are of concrete and six
feet thick. The English manager Of
the concern says this unusually thick
| foundation was laid as the firm ex-
pected to add additional stories 10 the
plant when business expanded. A CON
crete roof covers most Of the build
Ing.
Discovery by the allies that Ger
many has prepared concrete bases for
| Its h0wltzers surreptitiously IN many
places IN Belgium and France has
made an Englishmen suspicious OF
possible German preparations In Eng
land.
In discussing the Willesden factory,
the Sunday Times says: in a sltua-
ton which commands an almost un-
4 INTERRUPTED view Of that great tract
of London which lies between Wilies=
den and the Crystal palace Is dlscoV-
cred a building whose roof, floor ana
foundations are constructed OF ex-
ceptionally thick concrete and might
apparently be employed as the em-
placement Of a heavy gun. IN fact,
one Of those seventeen-inch howitzers
for which such careful arrangements
were found TO have been made aroune
Antwerp ana NNHuIs we dit WY
far from suggesting that the prem
ises Mt Wiilesden were deliberately ar
ranged, Considering the German
workmen, Il is at least probable that
in the event of an attack upon Lon
don the attention of the Germans
commanders would have been called
to that convenient concrete floor, even
If they had not known of II before
their arrival.
1T is highly probable that there dc
exist such places around London ana
In the neighborhood of our great for
tress positions which have been care
fully prepared for siege guns. and The
chief value, 10 our mind, OF the
Willesden discovery Is that It may be
expected TO stimulate authorities te
search for them.
THE suspicion that many wireless
equipments are operating in London
was justified by the discovery of sucn
"A plant in the home OF German
professor As wireless apparatus car
be operated for so short distance al
from London TO the European coast
without an outside tower the diseov-
cry Of Illicit wireless stations Is very
difficult The Times advocates thai
the war office issue statement Sup
ulating that persons found shelterinp
such apparatus will be treated as
spies and handed over to military
power"