The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1915-12-02
German Doctor Gives Vivid De-
scription of Air Raid.
One Feels Just as DefenseIess Against
an Attack by AeropIanes as Against
the Power Of a Thun-
derstorm.

Berlin.-The Vossische Zeitung con-
tains q vivid account of an air raid
by a French squadron of aeroplanes
from the pen of a German doctor, who
says:
II was at work in my room Tin the
top floor of a hotel) when / suddenly
heard the sound of firing, which grad
ually came nearer and nearer. Ha!
Ha! 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 a third. Yes, and
O fourth and a fifth. More come up
from the side, more and more.
There's q whole squadron over the
town. count, fourteen, sixteen,
twenty-in a serried column they
come flying up with regular intervals
between the machines, with IN ad-
vance guard and flank guards. Is II
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 1t is high time, for al
ready there is q rafting on roofs and
pavements. Shrapnel bullets are COM
ing down. And now-and l shall ne"-
er forget tia 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 o Immediately In
der the roof Is not altogether a suita-
BILE place in such circumstances. On
the stairs / 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
w~ell-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-
tion cover The group breaks up. |
stand for a moment irreeolute. / don't
know the ground. Then a young cap
tain ~laughingiy takes my arm, saying:
Come with me-. doctor; It's no bravery
to wait till q 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
foundation Of extensive vaults. Under
a massive stone arch we have a COM
Portable room. the captain who took
my arm, q first lieutenant, O 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 q fearful bang and
roa There must have been an ex-
plosion quite close to me. The house
and even the massive cellar arches
tremble. II 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
lcss against such an aviation attack
q one n against the power Of q thun-
dorstorm.
"n4ug! 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
tan whether 4 = smoke or dust. II
II II smoke from q coniagration close
~ hand.-tho position 4 not exactly 3
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