The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1917-10-21
FRENCH WRECK
5 ZEPP RAIDERS
German Air Fleet Intercepted
After London Sortie and
Chased All Over France.

LONDON, Oct. 2o.-Eleven Zeppelins
TOOK part In the raid on England last
night. They killed twenty seven per.
sons and injured lfty-three, but they
paid q heavy price for their raid. Fate
was close upon them when they turned
east toward the coast OF France, and
they had hardly reached the mainland
before an innumerable flock of French
airplanes. warned from England, rose
to meet them.
In a few minutes the great feet Of
zeppelins was scattered all over France.
each one Of the huge craft with a swarm
Of hornetlike aeros buxzing about II. and
one after another, at least four. prob
ably Ave. Of them were brought to earth
in flames
One Zeppelin was brought down in
flames at Rambervillers. near the AL
satan border. several hundred miles
from England. and two others we're
forced to land there.
Another Zeppelin was brought down
by anti-aircraft guns at St. Clement,
near Lunevile
third airship was so damaged by
French airmen that 1t was forced to
land at vergennes In the Cote dor.
A fourth was brought down by gun
fire at Lamarche, In Haut-Marne.
A fifth. after being chased through
central France by French hiers, was
forced down at Gap. in the Hautes-
Alpes.
All the places mentioned are along
the Swiss and Italian frontiers, $50 to
400 miles from London in an airline.
except Gap. which is nearly 500. The
destroyed Zeppelins must have been
chased by French fiers clear across
France. scattering wildly like flock
Of frightened birds attacked by hawks.
No Bombs Dropped In France.
None OF the Zeppelins dropped any
bombs in France; they were using their
utmost efforts TO escape. to get back
over German territory as quickly as
possible. but the warning was sent so
swiftly to France that they had little
chance after crossing the English Chan
mel.
OF the twenty-seven deaths In Eng
land. seven persons were killed outright
trict OF London and thirteen by a tor
pedo which destroyed three houses In
the residential quarter. OF the latter
victims. eight belonged to one family
a mother and her infant, four girls and
two boys. 4 lodger In the same house
also was killed.
II IL reported from an eastern county
that seven Zeppelins remained overhead
there for several hours last night and
Ill t~S ,,l.,
ber of incendiary nature. No casualties
resulted, but a farm building and an
inn were damaged and two horses were
killed In a field. Most of the bombs fell
in the open country.
This was the first Zeppelin raid in a
year. In London the people who had
received an early warning Of the ap-
preaching aircraft had left their shelters
and were going home when a bomb fell.
breaking many plAe glass windows.
The sound OF The bomb was unlike that
OF any in a previous raid. 1t was less
shrill and heavier.
The raid was a complete surprise to
the people Of London and even after il
was over few knew that the aircraft had
passed over the city. For the first time
the Ieppeins muffied their engines and
so far as the people were concerned
were unseen and unheard.
Airship Menace Not Mastered.
The Evening Nc,cs commenting on the
raid says:
Last night another Of our fond war
delusions-due. we suppose. to the
phlegmatic perversity OF our national
character--was shattered, Statements
from authoritative quarters made at
various times had led us to believe the
airship menace had been mastered. How
far this IL from being the case IL shown
by tho official report.
'It may be pointed out that the moon
"a feeble one-eet Mt eight minutes
past T. 1t seems. therefore. that the
moon In not the factor In German air
calculations which most people SUPPOSE"
The silent raid is the name given
to the Zeppelins' visit to LONDON last
night Many Londoners awakened this
morning with the feeling that there was
n good deal TO say for the official Wow
AGAINST warning Of niaht air raids, Al
though warning was given early In the
evening the people, after waiting hours
for the sound of gun firing, went to bed
believing the raiders had been inter-
cepted of the coast. Then suddenly
two loud reports startled light sieepers,
hut as nothing followed a majority
thought II merely was the firing OF anti.
aircraft guns in distant districts.