Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-09-21
Passengers Reaching Nc,D
York on the Orduno Tell
hrilGng Stories of Re-
cent Fight in Sky.

NEW YORK. September 2o.--A hand
rul of persons from the millions who
saw the first Zeppelin raid over the
heart or London on the night Of Sep
temhcr S. reached New York to-day
aboard the steamship Orduna with
thrilling stories of tho fight in the sky
between the invaders and British air
craft
There were said to have been three
Zeppelins In the fleet. although those
who told the story to-day had seen but
one. They circled over the theater and
hotel district OF London, dropping ex-
plosive and inccndiary bombs. One of
the latter. il was said, destroyed by
lire an entire block of warehouses
within five minutes walk of ST. Paurs
Church. An explosive bomb ripped
through sixstory tenement in the
center OF the city. shattering the build
ing from top to bottom. and killing a
dozen or more men. women and chill
dren as they slept
Several bombs. according to the cye-
witnesses. fell near three hospitals I'm
a cluster. the central one of which was
the Opthalmic Hospital. full of
wounded soldiers. All three buildings
were rocked to their foundations. and
not pane OF glass was left intact.
The patients had to be moved into tho
street. where they lay for hours on
their cots. while the damage was re-
paired.
STORY OF AIR RAID
PIECED TOGETHER
Pieced together from accounts given
ny the Orduna's passengers, the story
OF the air raid was follows:
Ihc raid occurred between 10:45 and
ll:l5 O'Clock on the night of Septem-
Der S. raid the previous night having
reached the eastern section of the city,
but not the heart. Persons aslccp in
the Metropole. the Victoria and other
hotels were awakened by the incessant
whirr of aeroplane engines as the Brit
ish air feet took wing to repel the
invaders. Just as the Zeppelins ap-
peared over the Strand. most of the
theaters were pouring their crowds
into the street.
According to some passengers,
panic impendcd when the first word of
the approaching aircraft was passed
from mouth TO mouth. The lights were
turned off, and women in evening
clothes fought for taXicabs and other
vehicles TO take them home. Other
passengers said there was no panic
but that great wave OF fear seemed
to engulf this section of the darkened
city before the an,iaircraft guns began
TO pop away.
Suddenly, from every section OF Lon
don, the sky was swept by long white
beams from scores OF searchlights.
nf
in resting upon what they sought.
When the Zeppelin was found. a dozen
or more searchlights focused their rays
upon il. stretching back to scattered
points in the city like the long. white
ribs of a fancy fan.
AEROPIANES SEEN CROSSING
SEARCHLIGIIT HEAiS
Two searchlights finally centered on
n Zeppelin, while the others continued
TO search the sky. Already the air
was dotted with aeroplanes which
could be seen frequently as they
crossed tho searchlight beams, circling
upward The roar Of guns from the
city was punctuated at intervals by the
explosion of bombs which fell in New
Gate Street. not far from ST. Paurs
Cathedral; In Holborn, in Cheapside. in
Bloomfield Street. near the Liverpool
Street Station. and near the waterfront.
in that section in which st. Paurs is
located
The Zeppelin seemed TO fioat lazily
above u.s. said Miss a. :. latham OF
sydney Australia. who was staying AT
the Victoria Hotel, near Charing Cross
1T reminded me OF nothing so much
as greal. long sausage"
"MS wife and watched t,.
peln from a balcony of our hotel, the
Metropole," said Alexander McNab, of
Bridg eport, Conn.
''It went directly over the hotel and
dropped bombs around us"
There was hardly a space Of five Sec
onds during the ten minutes or more
that the searchlight beams rested on
the raider. eycwitnesses said. that the
sky was not frightened by flashes OF
exploding shells. AS the noise of can
nonading grew louder. those who had
fed to cellars came into the streets
Thousands walked the streets, or stood
in groups. gazing upward. dressed only
in their night clothes
BURSTING SHELLS SIIATorER
ALL AROUND XEPPEIIN
The bursting shells, lighting the sky
IKE neteOrS shattered INTO sudden fire
all around the Zeppelin. The spits Of
flame seemed to he finding their target.
Meantime. the Zeppelin maneuvered
over the Holborn section, circling at
least twice. These maneuvers ended
when Il she'll burst almost directly un-
der the aircraft's bow.
swerve. sudden dip. and the
searchiights lost the Zeppelin. Then
they were OH her moment after, and
1T was seen that She appeared TO be
going down by the head. For a few
seconds she lowered as IL uncertain
what TO do. then righted herself,
pointed her nose slightly upward and
ascended so rapidly that within
minute or two the scarchlights could
find her no more. There were no fur
ther bomb explosions thereafter.
London went to bed that night hot'I
with wrath, but not in fear. these pas
sengers said. The next day they went
out to see what damage had been done
Having noticed that the sky In tho
vicinity OF st. Paurs Cathedral had