The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1917-07-08
Considerable Loss OF Life
and Some Property Dam
age Is Suffered,
AIRMEN MOVED
4 TERRIFIC SPEED
Planes Were Attacked by
Artillery and Chased by
English Birdmen.

London. July about twenty
enemy airplanes bombarded London
today according to an official state
ment by the war office.
The raiders were attacked by artil-
lery and a large number OF British
airplanes. The results were unknown
at noon.
The raid occurred at about 9:30
o'clock this morning Thousands of
persons crowded the streets, many
of them women and children. The po-
lice and soldiers, had difficulty in
holding back the people. Many per-
sons were seen at windows. Anti
aircraft guns throughout the city
and British airplanes Immediately
engaged the hostile craft and for a
time the sound of exploding bombs
and the vicious reply of guns was
deafening. Straight over the city
flew the squadron of raiders, pursued
by bursting shrapnel.
The sun was shining brightly but
the sky was overcast with haze such
as is so favorable to raiders. Not
withstanding the haze, however, the
Germans were visible plainly to the
people in the streets.
The raiders appeared most sudden
~ and few persons realized that .
raid was in progress until the sound
of bombs began to be heard.
The Germans were travelling at
! tremendous speed. They appeared to
be at a lower altitude than in the
/ last raid when they exacted such Il
heavy toll of life in London.
The following official account of
the raid was given out:
Lord French reports that about
$3.50 o'clock this morning hostile air
/ craft in considerable numbers, prob
! ably in two parties, appeared over
! the isle Of Thanet and the east coast
! of Essex. After dropping some
! bombs in Thanet, the raiders pro-
ceeded in the direction of London
! Moving roughly parallel to the north
bank Of the Thames, they approach
! ed London from the northeast. Then
changing their course, they proceed
ed north and west, and crossed London
| from the northwest to the south
| east. Bombs were dropped in var
ious places in the metropolitan area
! The number of raiding airplanes is
at present uncertain, but was prob
ably about twenty. They were at
tackled by artillery and by large num-
beers of our own airplanes, but reports
as to the results Of the engagements
and as to damage and casualties
have not yet been received.
! Damage was done in the heart OF
London by the raid which was one
of the greatest if not tha greatest
ever attempted by the Germans
over the metropolis
The raiders came from the north
and left by way of the south. The
glass in some of the streets resembles
that in the streets Of New York fol
lowing the explosion on Black Tom
Island last July.
The West end and fashionable
| northwestern residential suburbs haC
a superb view Of the approach. From
the further northern fringes of the
city the raiders swept onward il
close formation, more than a score
in number.
The squadron which had been fly
ing high then began a swift tobog
gan. its speed increasing tremendous
" and the planes soon reaching {
level evidently less than a thousand
yards in their swoop toward the cen
trail detectives.
! Meanwhile from all directions anti
aircraft batteries were working like
machine guns. Bursting shrapne
dotted the air around the raider
with snarling, vicious black puffs o
smoke. 1t seemed impossible for the
raiders completely to escape from the
atmosphere of curtain fire surround
ing them. The raiders, however
pursued their course, holding thei
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