The star-independent. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1904-1917, 1914-12-17
Scarborough Receivers
From the unexpected
Bombardment by the
German Squadron
FEELING ONE OF
BITTER ANGER
Big Resort Hotels on Esplanade Tempt
ing Targets for Rain of Shrapnel
and Lyddite shells-Woman Liter
ally Blown to Pieces

Scarborough, Via London, Dec. II,
S.l5 A. M.-The Queen of English Wa.
tering Places has recovered to-day from
the unexpected bombardment and the
feellng is one of bitter anger at the
town s helplessness when under the
guns of the German squadron.
me first warning sound of distant
hrlng, which attracted little attention
except from the military authorities.
came at $50 in the morning. At s
clock three German war craft, which
the majority of witnesses agree were
one battle cruiser and two lighter cruis
ers, loomed out of heavy fog so close
underneath the cliffs that they were
unable to train their guns on the wire
less station on the heights.
Great Damage to Hotels
However the big resort hotels on
the espanade of the old town offered
tempting targets and rain of shrapnel
and lyddite shells began to fall in this
section, doing great damage to the ho-
tells and destroying houses and shops
In the poorer districts. A woman in
one of these shops was literally blown
to pieces.
One OF the light cruisers seemed to
De doing most of the firing. First she
let go with her stern guns and then.
maneuvering further out, devoted her
oroadsides to the most conspicuous
buildings on the higher ground. AS the
result of this bombardment three shells
round target in the Scarborough hos
pltal, one tearing chimney from the
roof, another striking the nurses QUAR-
ters and the third demolishing the orna-
mental facade above the entrance. The
wall of the old castle, which looks for
midable, but which has been unoccupied
for hundreds of years, was preached bv
an eight-inch shell.
Residential Section Suffers
The gunners got the correct eleva-
tion of the wireless station, but failed
to injure it, most of the shells falling
IN an adjacent field, the turf of which
was completely ploughed up by them.
Some of the better class of resi-
dences began to suffer one of the first
being the home of Russell Rea, mem
Der of Parliament for the district. His
life and that of his wife were saved
by the..fact that they had gone down
for an early breakfast and were in the
kitchen, the only part of the house
untouched. the rest being a total wreck.
At the same time a shall house occu-
pied by soldier, his wife and their
child and nephew was struck bv an ex-
plosive shell, reducing the place to
wood and killing the whole
family
Whole Row of Houses Wrecked
The bombardment had now been on
for fifteen minutes and the town was
given five minutes breathing spell. |
The streets were cleared of people when
the light cruiser, after turning, brought |
a new broadside into play. The Ger
man squadron then faced what looked |
like a deserted city. The gunners di-
rected their attention to the railroad |
station, with the result that whole !
row of houses, including a church in
nearby street. were wrecked, but with !
out loss of life, as the occupants had |
sought refuge. This second lombard |
ment was more violent than the first,
but did less damage.
At the expiration of this second
fifteen minute period of firing the war
ships drew off in a portherly direction
and when the people of Scarborough
again heard the booming of their
dreaded guns at 8 O'Clock the town
of Whitby, up the coast, was the vic
tim.