The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1916-07-28
DODC|NC The BOMB
Easy to Sidestep a Missile Flung
: From a Zeppelin.
SIMPLE RULES FOR SAFETY.
Provided Person Can Sight the Air
ship Before 1t Gets In It's Work,
Dashing Out of Its Range Is Merely
a Matter of Seconds and Agility.


ship Before 1t Gets In It's Work,
Dashng Out of Its Range Is Merely
a Matter of Seconds and Agility.
There are well defined rules for the
avoidance of Zeppelin bombs These
rules, it seems, depend upon the laws
OF spherical perspective, and however
esoteric and complicated the calcula-
tions upon which they are based the
actual practice Of bomb lodging is
relatively simple and easy to master.
When a Yep" is sighted in the otling
the first thing to do is TO determine its
course. This is done as follows: II 1t
appears to be standing on end and is
practically vertical you are, leaving our
of account any cross wind there may
be, pretty nearly in its path and should
get ready to run to right or left-that
is, at right angles to the course 1t is
pursuing Even if you are directly in
its path there is no danger from the
bombs except when it Is nearly over
your head.
And because the bomb takes a very
considerable time to reach the earth
probably twenty-five seconds when the
Yep is at an altitude Of mile you
will have a reasonable time to side
step" it even after seeing it start.
But any one who can't run hundred
yards, which is about the limit OF the
destructiveness Of one of these mis-
siles, in twenty-five seconds, especially
with the stimulus OF bomb chasing
him, hasn't very much excuse for not
being blown up In this athletic age.
If, on the other hand, the Yep when
sighted appears to be tipped one way
or the other-that is Its front or upper
end points to the left or right-you are
in no danger and can watch its destruc
tive fireworks without amy of the un
pleasant thrills associated with the
peril of imminent death. II the bow
appears inclined to the left the vessel
viii pass to the left, and II tipped the
other way, OF course, to the right
Some allowance, however, must be
made for cross winds, as these great
unwieldy bags have a very consider
able side drift.
1t is said TO be usually easy to make
these observations by means OF the un-
aided eye with sufficient accuracy to
protect oneself. But in case the Zep
should appear very close to an upright
position it may help the observer to
get into a place where the vessel is
partially covered by the edge of
house, a fagpole or other vertical line
If the Yep appears to be climbing the
edge of the house or the 1agpole to-
ward the zenith the observer is likely
to have an immediate personal interest
In It's visit. la ease there is no house
or hagpole available plumb line made
by g stone tied 10 d string Will serve
the same purpose.
By following these few simple rules,
says Professor Il. G. Pickering, there is
little excuse for any one on the lookout
and able to get about with reasonable
speed being caught by either a Zeppe
lin or an aeropIaue bomb.
Ii may be Ut interest while on the
subject to make a few abstracts from
the description by a British scientific
observer of the fall of these bombs:
The bombs could be heard approach
The whistling noise-a little like the
tearing OF calico or the noise made by
a gigantic rocket became ii crescend0
Shrek Of terrific intensity just before
the bomb struck the ground and the
explosion occurred estimated the
height Of tie Zeppelin as about 1900
feet, and, ueelectlug air resistance, this
would give tbe bombs a final velocity
of about 500 feet per second. The ac-
tual speed was probably less than this
and is considerably less than the veloc-
ity OF sound Q,1OO feet per second,
which accounts for the fact that the
bombs can be heard before their ar
rival
Standing. as / was, at about 200
yards from where one Of the bombs
fell the noise Of the actual explosion
did not appear to be very loud. The
reason is probably to be sought In the
almost complete numbins Of ones
senses. The feeling was much the
same as if one had been given a hard
blow between The eyes with a bolster
or some relatively soft object ] heard
q piece OF bomb zip past me and after
ward found it imbedded in a balk Of
timber about two yards from where I
was standing
Upon the explosion Of the bombs a
huge cloud Of black smoke rose into
the air The destruction caused in
their immediate neighborhood showed
a curious freaElshuess The worst
harm was done in what appeared to be