The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1915-09-23
AMERICANS TELL OF
RAID ON LONDON
Great Damage Caused by Bombs
Hurled From ZeppeIinS.
MAIN PART OF CAPITAL HIT
Passengers Arriving at New York on
the Liner Orduns Say That Brit.
ish Airmen Engaged the Enc
my During Night Attack.

New York, Sept. 21.-A handful OF
persons, from the millions who saw
the Zeppelin raid over the heart OF
London on the night Of September
s, reached New York aboard the
steamship Orduna with thrilling
stories of the fight in the sky be-
tween the invaders and British air
craft, and other details Of the dam
age inflicted which had hitherto been
suppressed by the British censor.
There were said to be three Zeppe-
Inns in the fleet, although those who
told the story had seen but one.
They circled over the theater and
hotel district of London, dropping ex-
plosives and incendiary bombs.
Entire Block Destroyed.
One Of the latter, it was said, de-
stroyed by fire an entire block OF
warehouses within five minutes walk
Of ST. Paul's church.
An explosive bomb ripped through
gix-story tenement IN the center OF
the city SCATTERING and killing dozen
VI ihOl hOhIClI SH'
as they slept.
Several bombs, according to the
eyewitnesses, fell near three hospitals
in 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 a pane OF glass was left intact
The patients had to be moved into
the street, where they lay for hours
on their cots while the damage was
repaired.
Pieced together from accounts
given by the Orduna's passengers, the
story of the air raid was as fol-
lows:
and 11:15 o'clock on the night OF Sep
TENDER ., raid the previous night
having reached the eastern section OF
the city, but not the heart.
Persons asleep in the Metropole,
the Victoria and other hotels in the
center of the city were awakened by
the incessant whir Of aeroplane en-
gines as the British Air feet TX
wing to repel the invaders. Just as
the Zeppelins appeared over the
Strand most Of the theaters were
pouring their crowds into the street.
Panic In Streets.
There, according to some passen-
gers, a panic impended when the first
word Of the approaching aircraft was
passed from mouth to mouth in whis-
pers. The lights were turned off, and
men and women in evening clothes
fought for taXicabs and other vehicles
to take them home. Other passengers
said there was no ranic, but that a
great wave of fear seemed to engulf
this section OF the darkened city be-
fore the antiaircraft guns began to
pop away.
Suddenly. from every section OF
London the sky was swept by long
white beams from scores Of search
lights. The tops of these beams were
not long in resting upon what they
sought.
When the Zeppelin was found. a
dozen or more searchlights focused
their rays upon it. stretching back to
scattered points in the city like the
long. white ribs of a fancy fan.
Two searchlights finally centered
on Zeppelin, while the others con.
tinued to search the sky for more air
craft Already the air was dotted
with aeroplanes which could be seen
frequently as they crossed the search
light beam. circling upward.
Tho roar OF guns from the city was
punctuated at intervals by the explo-
sion OF bombs which fell in Newgate
street, in Holborn. in Cheapside, in
Bloomfield street, not far from the
Liverpool street station, and near the
water front of the Thames river n
that section of the city in which st.
Pauls is located.
Looked Like Sausage.
The Zeppelin seemed to float laz.
lily above us, said Miss A. S. Tat.
ham Of Sydney. Australia. who sta yed
Mt the Victoria Motel, near Charing
Cross. 1T reminded me OF nothing
so much as a great fat sausage"
My wife and ! watched the Yep.
pelin from a balcony OF our hotel. the
Metropole." said Alexander McNab OF
Bridgeport. Conn. 1T went directly
over the hotel and dropped bombs
atround u.s."