The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-11-22
Tells of Terror When French
Air Fleet Bombarded Town
Like Lightning Flashes Shells Dropped from Sky Burst in
Streets and on Buildings, While People, at Signal, Fled
to Aviation Cover" in Cellars

clear. and 1t is high time, for already
there Is a rafting on roofs and pave
ments. Shrapnel bullets are coming
down. And now-and l shall never forget
it-a fearful, horrible crash. or rather
roar, like the roar of an animal Those
fellows in the air have dropped their
first bomb. 1 begin to think that my
room Immediately under the roof is not
altogether 4 suitable place in such cir
CumstarCCs- On the stairs 1 meet others
OF the same opinion. They are officers
who had come from the front and had
Just lain down for a long. unaccustomed
but well-earned sleep. and were cursing
freely at this inconsiderate disturbance.
As we go down the stairs the beast roars
second time. The next bomb had
fallen. Then We hear in the voice Of
command. Take aviation cover The
group breaks up / stand for a moment
irresolute. / don't know the ground.
Then young captain laughingly 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 a narrow stair
case leading into a little corner OF the
cellars under the house which. as now
find. is built on a very ancient founda-
ton OF extensive vaults. Under a mas
sive stone arQ6 We have a comfortable
room, the captain who took my arm. a
first lieutenant, a staff surgeon, two
landsturm men. a college professor and
myself. There is even an electric light.
Like Peals of. Thunder.
The racket and din outside gets worse
and worse. Clearly We can perceive that
the hideous row comes nearer and
nearer. And now 1t is quite close. sThen
a fearful bang and roar. There must
have been an explosion quite close to
me. The house and even the massive
cellar arches tremble. II is just as In
wild thunder storm when the thunder
follows close at the lightning's heels one
feels certain that struck something quite
close and one feels just as defenseless
against such an aviation attack as one
is against the power of a thunderstorm.
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 1t is smoke or dust II II is
smoke from n migration close at
hand, the position Is not exactly a pleas
ant one. The problem becomes the more
proolematical owing to the electric light
suddenly going out The wire must have
been hit. But as We breathe the mist
in we find it has a horrible, but not
smoky taste.
All Over at Last.
Bang! Bang! worse and worse come
the roars around US In our heroes cellar.
We think the next minute the hotel IT.
self will be struck. and then how are we
going to get out of our subterranean wig
wan? But gradually the din becomes
less. The fellows have evidently gone
Quickly up and out in the hope of stil
seeing something. Yes, there they are
over the railway station. which is some
distance on"
The doctor then proceeds to describe
some. Of the damage done. The houses
on both sides of his hotel had been
struck by bombs. In one the whole in
terror was wrecked. and II was from here,
he says, that that strange mist came.
Five OF the occupants had been killed
on the spot. The market presented a
horrible spectacle. a number of horses,
which there had been no time to re-
move, having been blown to pieces