Bridgeton pioneer., 1915-03-18
WAS IN DUNKIRK
DURING AIR RAID
Mrs. Rin0hart Tells of Attack
on French Town.
EIGHTY BOMBS WERE FIRED

Safety-Looking From Her Window
After Bombardment She Saw Anbu-
Ianees Going About Picking Up Dead
and Wounded.
Mrs. Mary Roberts Rinehart, Amer
lean writer of mystery stories, humor-
GUS sketches, magazine articles and
noon recently in search of war adven-
lures A few hours later, before the
feeling of the ships motion had worn
of, fourteen German aeroplanes circled
over her hotel and dropped eighty
bombs all about her. Here is her
story:
81 had just landed and settled my
self comfortably at the hotel when the
fun started l was finishing dinner,
about o'clock, l should say, when
the fog siren In the lighthouse began
blowing and the alarm bell In tho old
tower around the corner fsom the ho-
man air craft. TAsu ths arse bomb
1en Shortly aftsswaS6 6a.svwsd
tAss u De civilians vas NaSeAasly
akas IN the 6Snkna res9. Ara
ASaaH rsnaAa tAssS tnne
"a Belgian ofaess ssecsns~sasAsA shnA
% n he second Aoew bshhy. ThA
pase q a. hees, hAd EAs vheR - b.
tna seknatsd ssvssAl nDars fsan tn
Suo6 and at least one room removed
from the street 30 got IN Q corner.
Then the lights went out, leaving the
place in darkness thick enough to
smother. At intervals came the ter
rife crash of a German bomb or the
thunder OF an anti-air craft gun ON the
beach. l was not at all happy. This
was my initiation under fire. l like
adventure, but would rather be eased
into it. Plunges like this are always
upsetting. e.I
-... Hotel Was Not Hit. a..
There was but a handful Of people
where | was. Il don't know and. never
have discovered swhere0t the Others dis.
appeared to- L do hears sthough, that
the hotel cellar is "a large gohe. ><g.s.r q
"-The firing continued -four! about two
hours, a nd we finally had Soffee served.
The bombs dropped all about the sho-
tel, but none upon 1t. After 1t was !all
over we discovered we had chosen the
worst place in the whole hotel to hide
from bombs. Had shell fallen above
the stairway after piercing the roof it
would have dropped right down to
where we sat and probably exploded
on our coffee table. decided to re-
tire. The officers regarded the vidt OF
the German Taubes as the harbingefs
Of Zeppelins, which would In all prob
ability arrive between midnight and
8 or o'clock. Still I needed the rest,
and of l went.
"Once in my room, l opened win
dow looking upon the big square. Not
a soul was to be seen, but ambulances
were going about as If of their own
accord, picking up the dead and
wounded. 1 shivered and went to bed
by candlelight. I don't know how
long l lay there dreading the coming
of the Zeppelins. ~. e. ..,.s
- When the zeppelns Came: .r@ae.;:
Il aWoke' with a painful START; The
bells In the tower around the%ceruer
We're changing away. A hoarse siref
was sounding from the direction Of TIE
harbor rhe Zeppelins had arrived
81 got out of bed and found dress:
ing gown. l located the door tommy
room and went out into the hall. rt
do QrY In Y1ou ~
q soul seemed to be stirring. groped
down the hall, miles and miles it Seem
ed to me. Then l heard a noise 1 |
stopped. 1t seemed to come from q
room at my left
Shoe Shine Gave Relief.
ut came neutrality-suspicious.,
swish-swish, swish-swish! For min
ute / was too much a-trembae to make
out what it was then. All Of a sudden
recognized the sound. Some one was
blacking boots.
"You can't imagine how good the
noise of some one shining boots can
sound. With a sigh of relief | went
back to my room. Ii a maid could be
calmly shining the shoes Of the guests
Of the hotel l was certain no Zeppelins
could be lowering over her head
Il found both matches and candle
easily enough now And l looked at
my watch. 1t was three minutes past
e. The bells | had heard were the 6
O'Clock chimes The siren in the har-
Dor was merely that of departing or
arriving vessel
"Closing the curtains tight and snuff
ing the candle, / tumbled back into nv
bed and did not wake up again until
nearly noon"
Legislators Vote to Smoke.