Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-04-01
Airship Comes Down Off
Thames Estuary and Sur
renders to Patrol Boat.
NINETY BOMBS DROPPED
IN NIGHT EXPEDITION
Five Aerial Craft Are Believed to
Have Participated-Results
Not Fully Known.

LONDON April 1.-One of five Yep
pelins which visited the eastern coun-
ties of England during the night. drop
ping some ninety bombs, was damaged,
presumab bly, by British anti-aircraft
guns. and came down off the Thames
estuary. 1t surrendered to British pa
troll boats The crew was saved. but
the airship broke up and sank while
being towed in.
Twenty-eisht persons were killed
and forty-four injured i'll last nights
air raid, according to official figures
given out today.
The raid of last night was the TWEEN
ty-second of the war. The lost Yep
pelin was the third of her class to
come to grief in these raids. The Off
cial statement says:
During the night a damaged Zeppe-
lin was observed to come down off the
Thames estuary. On being approached
dered. The crew was taken off her
and she was taken in tow, but she sub
sequently broke up and sank"
Ninety Bombs Dropped.
Five Zeppelin alrships participated
in the raid. Thus far it has been as
certained that about ninety bombs
were dropped by the invaders. An Of
fetal statement regarding the raid
says:
"An air raid took place last night
over the eastern counties in which
five Zeppelins are believed to have
taken part All the raiders crossed the
n1o
and steered different courses.
"At present about ninety bombs are
reported to have been dropped in va
rious localities in the eastern counties,
but the results are not known.
1T is further reported that hostile
aircraft visited the northeast coast. but
no details have yet been received"
Advance Signs of Raid.
Although no formal warning was is
sued to the population, the usual signs
of an approa ching air raids were mani
tested in London by the calling out of
special constables. by the darkening
of the streets and by the stopping of
train service above ground. Even the
ompibuses and street cars in many sec
tions either discontinued service or ran
in limited way. Thousands of persons
were unable to reach their homes, and
for the greater part of the night the
police stations were crowded with way
farers seeking shelter.
Weather Fine and Clear.
An exceptional feature Of the raid
was the fact that the weather was fine
and clear: there was no moon. but the
stars were bright. Toward midnight a
slight haze came up. but it was not
sufficient to obscure the landscape
/ from the view of aviators or anti-air-
craft gunners. 1t was such night as
the experts thought would oblige the
airshipS TO keep at a very high altI-
tude if they hoped to escape damage.
The handling of precautionary meas
ures in London worked more smoothly
| than ever before, showing that the ma
| chinery for the protection of the me-
tropolis was in efficient shape. Small
crowds in the streets watched the skies
| in quiet, expectant manner.
! AT $50 pm. one Zeppelin was re-
| ported seen over London, travelling
! slowly at a great height. telegram
| from correspondent ON the east coast
! said that Zeppelin was seen soon
! after 9 o'clock sailing in northeastern
! ly direction.
! Guns Fire on Raider.
| An eyewitness of Zeppelin in flight
and it's encounter with anti-aircraf'
guns describes the scene as most
thrilling one. The Zeppelin, which APP
| peared to be of larger type than tina,
of previous visitors, flew at a con
siderable height The glitter of its
surface as it passed overhead attract
| ed the attention of hundreds of per-
sons, who came out of doors to gaze
| upward despite the instructions given
| TO remain under cover.
, The searchlights that played on the
raider illuminated it effectively and
{ shells from the guns that opened fire
could be seen bursting all around it
| One gunner claimed that he had Sc
I cured hit. the Zeppelin thereupon
being seen TO turn about and proceed
| toward the coast, apparently damaged.
|