Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1915-03-24
zEPPELINS DROP
BOMBS On PARIS
Eight Persons Are Injured by
Explosives.
MATERIAL DAMAGE SMALL
Berlin Declares Airship Raid Was in
Pevenge for BombarGment of
Alsatian City-Invaders At
tackled by Aviators.
By C. r. BERTELLI.

International News Service Correspondent.
Paris, March 22.-The first Zeppe-
lin raid on Paris was carried out early
Sunday. Four bombs were dropped in
the city and 13 in the suburbs. Seven
or eight persons were injured, one Sc
riously, but none fatally. The mate
rial damage was slight.
Take Raid JocularIy.
The raiders were driven off by
French aeroplane patrols and the fire
of antiairship guns. One of the raid
ers appeared to have been hit.
In their retreat the raiders dropped
bombs on Compeigne, Bibecourt and
Dreslincourt. Some were explosive
and some of incendiary character No
damage was suffered at these places.
Probably the most remarkable feature
Of the raid was the department of the
population.
Warned of the coming of the Yep
pelins, men and women clad in night
attire tiocked in gay and jocular pro-
cessions from their sleeping apart
ments to the streets, or in the case
of the more discreet, to the cellars OF
their homes. The discipline of the
city's residents was marvellous. There
was a complete absence of panic.
City in Darkness.
When the Zeppelins approached
whistles were blown and the sleeping
residents aroused, all lights were ex-
tinguished and when the raiders ar
rived over the city the capital was
completely obscured
1t was beautiful starlit night.
There was a light westerly breeze
blowing The approach of the raiders
was signaled from at least twenty
places.
Half dozen aeroplanes were wheel
ing upward to beat them off and high
angle guns were blazing from several
different points
One of the airships was silhouetted
in the starry sky by the aeroplanes'
searchlights. whose binding rays
logged its course until it flew out of
range beyond the capital.
Save Monuments.
At a height of 1000 feet this dirigi-
was expressed it was not a Zeppelin,
but smaller type Of airship. The
shells aimed at it all exploded too
low, but. considering the enormous
difficulty of fixing the height at
which the airship was coursing. the
fire was very good and served its
purpose of preventing the raiders from
hi oh
it could fulfill its military mission.
It was the rapid appearance of an
aeroplane squadron, each machine
flashing a small, but powerful
searchlight-that prevented the raid
ers from attacking the center of the
city. with it's historic monuments.
It is a curious fact that, despite the
thunder of the guns and the crash
ing explosions of the bombs punctu-
ating the roar of the engines of the
battling craft, the vast majority of
the inhabitants of the southern Sec
ton of the capital slept on undis-
turbed
Many Sleep Peacefully.
1t was in the northern and east
ern central districts where the alarm
was greatest, though even here,
where the danger from the bombs
was either present or imminent, ]
failed to find trace of panic.
In the course of an automobile
tour of these districts, which | made
while the Zeppelps were still ma
neuvering within view, | found all
the upper stories of the apartment
houses had been evacuated by orders
of the police, and that the people
generally had taken refuge in the
cellars or in the janitors' quarters.
Everywhere the department of the
people was remarkable. The "qui
vive' lasted for three hours, the bu-
giles rallying the people to bed again
shortly after four o'clock. The dan
ger was over.
Raid Was for Revenge.
Berlin, March 22.-The war office
gave out the following official state
ment on the bombardment of Paris by
Zeppelins:
ITO render more impressive our re-
ply to the misdeeds of two French avi-
ators in attacking the open Alsatian
town of Schlettstadt, German airships
dropped several heavy bombs on the
fortress of Paris and on the railroad
junction at Compiegne."
nEcTR0YEn MANY VII ACES