Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-10-15

IuOutuS neIOfe tue QpeIttk VI tiS WIZ W
study and liked 1t SO we'll that she re-
NAMED working in behalf Of the relief Of
the stricken Belgians. The letters were
written last month and describe the
damage done and excitement caused by .
recent Zeppelin raid.
Highgate. n. W.
London, Eng.
Sept 18TH, ISIS.
My dear Alice:
fear you think me a very bal CORES
pendent, and i own the soft impesch-
ment Letter writing to me Is, generally
speaking, q great burden. l think 1t is
because my writing IL so iilegible. You
will have heard a little news of the raid
from young Charlotte, no doubt. but per-
haps I can add some items to her &C
count
When realized that the Germans were
really In the air above us and that all
they wanted was eur destruction. the re-
sponsibility Of having Charlotte with us
came strongly upon me. ran down
stairs and called her to follow. We saw
the Zeppelin, which was damaging North
London, hang like q small crescent moon,
three miles up. All London's search
lights were concentrated on 1t and on ans
other which followed 1t. The noise was
tremendous. Our gun got oyer-heated
and damned at the muzzle. and also
kicked and knocked down Its fence and
broke the wireless. i should think it was
q full FIVE minutes we stared awestricken,
as all the guns around We'd with each
other in hitting the Zepp. One shot did
"a
veloped themselves in q cloud and went
OF.
One bomb fell in nay sister Lily's old
garden at Henden. and the house 10 de-
moiished. Every roof down the road has
lost tiles and almost every window is
broken, burst inwards. There were some
narrow escapes. In garden Ave min
utes' walk from US, a bucket full Of
shrapnel from our hill gun was picked up.
and piece also in Kentish Town Police
Station. Considering that more than y
bombs were dropped, very little damage
was done. and although the bombs were
dropped close to some of our principal
buildings, none were damaged. 1t Is re-
ported that Count Zeppelin led this raid.
A friend of mine who is helping with
massage at Tulsa Hill in a hospital. said
she saw from a high window four Zepps
and above them six of our aeroplanes
firing on them. She said 1t looked as il
all the stars had moved from their places
and gone mad.
We are not anxious or fearing the next
raid, as report says the French have
lent US a feet Of aeroplanes. and though
the Germans have tried to get here most
nights lately, they are always stopped.
Ny sister May. who liveS at Margate.
says that in daylight last week she saw
an Aviatik pursued By two Of our planes.
She has very anxious nights, as they
often visit Margate. and that day they
had dropped 1e bombs near her.
do feel for you very much for your
anxiety for Charlotte, but we are not
afraid for we feel that God Ia keeping us
from these attacks. The strain and anx-
iety' of war is telling on us sli. see a
difference in the faces Of those / know;
many have gone gray in hair.
What surprised me most. during the
raid. was the sudden exodus of people
from their houses; they poured out and
encamped on Parliament Hill. with their
babies and bidding, and continued to DO
so. each night. until ordered of when q
spy was caught near the gun. Many
spies have been causht-and shot, who
were found signalling. Some Of them do
this up chimneys or from motor cars.
Attempts have been made to poison the
reservoirs. but they are well guarded.
Thanks for your last letter. Alice:
fear Charlotte 10 not having q very
bright visit over here. and / am able to
get out so little / cannot take her about.
Yours affectionately.
NELL.
Highgate Road. London. N. W.,
~ Sept. Is. 1915
Dear Mether-As the last letter wrote
you-the one about the air raid-was
rather abrupt. I'm finishing It now.
The next morning Mrs. Russell and
went down to Holhorn to see what dam
age was done. ana II was terrific. Great
tall buildings completely Quilted out-and
noticed that, In nearly every casa, tbs
roof OF the building and all the insides
were blown clean out. leaving the four
walls standing like an empty shell. One
Of the bombs struck passing motor bus.
and the fragments Of it were found later
on the roofs Of the tall buildings near 1t,
A Red Cross Johnnte's wife told me that
her husband was in HolboFn at the tims
the bus ives struck, and the first thing
he saw when he rushed into the street
was some hody'e hand. II was his joo TO
collect tbs limbs and fragments Of the
people In the metor-bus and piece them
together in ordsr.to and out bow many
there were. Isn't that awful work 10
have to do! There we're seven people In
the bus,
The next afternoon wsnt to 0olAars
Green where two bombs were dropped,
one Of which fell h the rad ana didn't
explode. The Whites house vas prs<4y
badly damaged. Some Of the tllss we're
torn OF the root. leaving . No hole.
All thsiT windsws. sxesp& one. wses
blown ont. siass. Had easemeas. frame
work and ~. A pases % . nsishhsFing
fence, and . fsv pounds ~ earth and
rocks came saflias ts.Feueh back w1n-
dow into bed, In which luckily, no one