Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1915-12-08
German Doctor Gives Vivid De-
Scription of Air Raid.
One Feels Just as Defenseless Against
an Attack by Aeroplanes as Against
the Power of a Thun-
derstorm.

Berlin.-The Vossische Zeitung con-
tains a vivid account of an air raid
by a French squadron Of aeroplanes
from the pen of a German doctor, who
says:
Il was at work in my room Tin the
top floor of a hoteD when l suddenly
heard the sound of firing, which grad
UaIly came nearer and nearer. Ha!
Hal That's an enemy aviator some
where near, and he's getting a greet
ing from our antiaircraft guns, but
the short, sharp shots became more
and more frequent and followed more
closely one upon the other. And now.
tack-tack-tack, the machine guns
Join in. Whatever is up?
Il go to the window which, being on
the top story. gives me a view of a
good stretch of sky. True enough,
there's the beggar already in sight
He hovers at a great height. amid a
regular collection of white shrapnel
clouds. But what's this now? Here
comes a second, and third Yes, and
a fourth and a fifth. More come up
from the side, more and more.
There's a whole squadron over the
town. I count, fourteen, sixteen,
twenty-in a serried column they
come flying up with regular intervals
between the machines, with an adj
vance guard and flank guards Is it
to be a regular attack? Come down
below. blares a trumpet It's the sig
nal for everybody to clear out of the
streets and take aviation cover
The trumpet signal becomes more
imperative. In a twinkling the streets
are clear, and it is high time. for al
ready there is a rafting on roofs and
pavements. Shrapnel bullets are COM
ing down. And now-and l shall new
er forget it-a fearful, horrible crash,
or rather roar, like the roar of an ami
NAL. Those fellows in the air have
dropped their first bomb. | begin to
think that my room Immediately I'M
der the roof is not altogether suita-
bic place in such circumstances. On
the stairs / meet others of the same
come from the front and had just lain
down for a long, unaccuStomed but
well-earned sleep, and were cursing
freely at this inconsiderate disturb
ance. AS we go down the stairs the
beast roars a second time. The next
bomb had fallen. Then we hear, in
the voice of command: Take avia-
ton cover The group breaks up. |
stand for a moment irresolute | don't
know the ground. Then young cap
tain laughiugly takes my arm, saying:
Come with me, doctor; it's no bravery
to wait till a thing like that falls on
your head
And so we go down narrow stair
case leading into a little corner of the
cellars under the house which. as 1
now find, is built on a very ancient
foundation Of extensive vaults. Under
a massive stone arch we have a COM
Portable room, the captain who took
my arm first lieutenant, staff sur
geOn, two landsturm men, a college
professor and myself. There is even
an electric light
The racket and din outside gets
worse and worse Clearly we can per
ceive that the hideous row comes
nearer and nearer. And now it is
quite close. Then a fearful bang and
roar. There must have been an ex-
plOsion quite close to me. The house
and even the massive cellar arches
tremble 1t is just as in a wild thun-
derstorm, when the thunder follows
close at the lightning's heels one feels
certain that struck something quite
close, and one feels just as defense
less against such an aviation attack
as one is against the power of thun-
derstorm
Bang! This time still wilder and
nearer. Through the crannies of the
cellar there drifts in from the street
something misty. AT first one can't
tell whether it is smoke or dust. If
it Is smoke from a confiagration close
at hand, the position is not exactly
pleasant one. The problem becomes
the more problematical owing to the
electric light going out. The wire
must have been hit. But as we