The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-02-21
LODGING RAYS OF
 SEARCHLIGHTS IS
 EXCITING PASTIME
Alarm Is Sounded Through All Parts of England When Big Airships Are Finally Sighted
By the Commander of L-120. (F'ourth 1nstallment)

My second lieutenant and 1 carry on a conversation that is, as much as our duties and the roar of the motors will permit.
 He is heading for England on his first trip, and he asks me thousand questions, every one of which seems to him to be of the utmost impor- tance. I fully understand his excite ment and how he looks forward to this night.
 Of course, I gladly answer all his ques- tions and tell him every detail of my past experience which can be of any of my last attack-how I steered toward England, how we picked up the River Humber and how the battle finally began when bomb after bomb was dropped, after which flashes of fire frightened the sky.
 My chief engineer has just left one of the engine rooms to go to the next, and the noise is deafening during the brief time the door is open for his exit. The roar is so loud my voice hardly reaches the ear of the officer right alongside me.
 ON SHARP LOOKOUT
 All of us are continually on the sharp lookout, and no exchange of words is necessary beyond the brief commands, for the crew. seems to be part of the mech- anism of our great air cruiser.
 It grows darker and darker, and our comrade ship to port has disappeared from our sight. As the hours pass, the crew brings out the baskets of provisions, and a good meal with few sips of hot tea works wonders with us. We sight fleet of fishing boats, stretched out in a long line, lying near their nets. Twenty or thirty can be easily distinguished. The of the Doggerbank, and it is the season for herring fishing.
 Of course, there are no Germans there and most of the Englishmen are engaged in war. The majority of the fishermen appear to be Dutchmen, but have to be careful anyway Frequently Englishmen are concealed in the fleet since the British admiralty uses every device to get reports of approaching German zeppelins as early al possible.
 British patrol boats are not, as rule, so far out, but the so-called harmless fishermen" are only too glad to assist these regular scouts of the admiralty, performing double duty for their country in this way The wireless report is easily transmitted:
 Enemy airships on their way to att tack!"
 We fly over the fishing boats in wide circle and then lay our course to west ward into the rays of the rapidly set ting sun. Ahead of us, thin smoke streak can be seen. The first scout boat!
 '.Rudder hard a-starboard!" I give the order.
 f LODGING A BRITISH SCOUT
 It is necessary that we elude this scout boat, and white clouds, fortunately, are between the L-120 and the scout which still protect us from his vision. The as- cending rudders are used, and our giant ship easily obeys them as she raises her nose first and goes higher and higher. In a few minutes we are above the protect ing clouds, and then we quickly come about on our regular course again. AL though we had been good distance from the scout, the great noise of our propel- lers may have been heard while rift in the clouds may have given the enemy an opportunity to see us earlier than would be necessary or even we'll for us
 Now complete darkness has comeback night-just as impenetrable as the com mander of a Zeppelin could hope Not even star or the dimmest light is wis., ible There is absolute darkness on all sides, but the air cruiser continues on her course undaunted and made invisible by the protecting curtain of clouds We show no lights. for everything is closely covered. We continue our sharp watch over the sea, but observe nothing.
 We know we are rapidly approaching the English coast and expect to sight it any minute I have no other guide but my compass. for there are no lighthouses to mark our course.
 There! .......... A bright flash of light shoots into the night sky. and we see sparks all around like swarm of glow worms, blown about by the wind. Patrol boats! Some fireman must have been careless at his work, like an Engiishman, and the wind is now blowing about the
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