Evening star., 1917-10-02

Despite the intensity Of last nights
air raid on England, the official figures
show that the four groups of German
airmen. making their sixth attack in
eight days, inflicted comparatively few
casualties by the bombs they dropped.
Lord French reports today that ten per-
sons were killed and thirty-eight in
| jured.
While Britishers are urging reprisals
for the German attack on London, the
French are actually conducting such
| retributive enterprises. Sunday night
| they bombarded the German city Of
Stuttgart. 100 miles behind the frontier.
| and last night the reprisaIs were con-
| tinued on a larger scale. Stuttgart
again was visited by French airmen.
and the Prussian city Of Frankfort-on-
the Main. with about 100000 popuia-
tion and more than 125 miles from the
French border. also was subjected to
aerial attack. The Prussian towns OF
Treves and Coblenz were other places
bombed by the French raiders.
Ten Dead; Thirty-Bight Injured.
1
LONDON. October 2-In last nights
air raid ten persons were killed and
thirty-eight injured.
| Londoners, despite the repeated Ger
man attempts to drop bombs upon tho
city. are standing the test we'll Last
night when, sQuadrons of raiders sue
| decided in getting close to London and
some Of their number over the city
there was no panic and no untoward
incidents.
| Immediately the &C ming of the raid
ers was signaled the people in the
| streets scurried for cover. while motor
buses and carts drew up to the curb.
where the passengers alighted quickly.
Within five minutes the streets were
deserted virtually and strange silence
| fell over the city.
Shepherd in Refugees.
Most of the Offices and shops had
closed before s o'clock to permit their
| employees to reach their homes, and
there was only a fraction of the num-
Der of persons on the street as under
normal circumstances With the gath
classes, particularly the women and
children, had gathered at the tube sta.
tions around the Guild Hall and St.
Paurs and other places Of refuge. The
police and special constables aligned
them in files and when the warning
was given they were shepherded into
the refugees without confusion or
crowding. The theaters which are open
had small audiences, and the majority
of the restaurants were almost de-
serted.
The air battles over London have be-
come so much matter of course that
minutes in the firing the buses started
running again and the people nockeo
into the streets.
Thrilling Battle in Air.
While a terrific barrage was kept up.
with the bursting shrapnel furnishing
one of the greatest pyrotechnfcal dis
plays London ever saw. a thrilling bait
tie in the air took place between enemy
aircraft and British ayiators in the
northern district, according to special
constables, who said they witnessed it
by means of powerful binoculars. AL
though the machines were thosuands
of feet in the air. the fire of the ma
chine guns could be heard distinctly
below When the echoes from this tight
the city ceased. but il could be heard in
the distance, indicating that the enemy
was being driven off under heavy
bomba rdment.
According to a report from an Essex
district heavy mist which came up
while the raid was in progress caused
one raider to lose his way while going
back to the coast The German few
yery low and could be seen clearly. and
appeared to be enveloped in ring OF
bursting shell. Seemingly trapped. the
airman began a series of dips and other
hair-raising stunts. He succeeded In
breaking through the shellfre and
made for sea pursued by a streak OF
gunfire.
AS soon as the signal was given in
London that all was clear the streets.
tubes. restaurants and hotels resembled
New York on election night. There were
great crowds everywhere laughing and
ioking and many were singing. Others
were searching in the bright moonlight
for fragments of shrapnel for SOU
venirs.
Although details were slow in COM
ing in. il was apparent that the bar
raee of the anti-aircraft guns again
was effective in thwartfng the German
efforts AS on other nights. the guns
made it SO hot for the raiders that
their one concern being apparently TO
unload and get away.
Bet on Time of Raids.
The growing confidence of Londoners
in the ability of the anti-aircraft guns
to keep the raiders at bay was shown
hy the fearlessness and good behavior
~ the crowds. The tactics of the Ger
mans are SO well known that they
cause spirited betting among sports
men as to the time of probable raids.
-hat the Germans work like automa-
IONS and are not yet able to deceive
ANYBODY but themselves
EARLY editions of tho morning news
ma apers, which were sought eagerly by
the crowd, which had remained up
late, point to the feebleness Of the Ger
man boast to burn up LoHdon.' They
~. Of IN (SNf/nnnVsQ lVfnR