The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-09-26

 were killed and 70 injured in last nights air raid over London.
 The Zeppelins which crossed the York shire and Lincolnshire coasts, did not penetrate inland being driven off more over by gunfre. Three women were ln- jured.
 Only two airplanes at the most pene- trated the defenses of London last night, 1t is reported officially.
 OFFICIAL REPORT
 The following official report was given out by Lord French, commander or the home defenses:
 .'Airplane raid: The latest reports con- corning last nights airplane raid show that the group of raiders which ap- preached London was driven off by the fire of antiaircraft guns. Only one or at the most two machines, penetrated the defenses. The casualties in all the raided districts reported by the police Up to the present are: Killed b, injured 70. The material damage was not great
 .tAirship raid: Enemy atrships crossed the Yorkshire and Lincolnshire coasts between midnight and a. m. There IS no evidence of their having penetrated to any distance inland. They were driven off by gunffre from various defended To- calities, which they attempted to ap- proach Bombs were dropped at one coast town, three women being slightly injured. Little damage was caused.
 DAMAGE WAS SLIGHT
 Viewed by daylight this morning the damage resulting from the visit of the German raiders to- London last night appeared surprisingly slight. The num- Der of bombs dropped in the London dis trict was small and the practical results almost negligible.
 The chief damage visible was broken glass. In one spot where heavy bomb landed squarely in the middle of the street, hole four feet deep was torn in the pavement. The concussion of this bomb broke glass over several acres, n cluding windows in neighboring hotels
 Only three persons were killed by this explosion. All were standing in door way, watching the explosion of shrapnel overhead In this district about half dozen persons were wounded. mostly by breaking glass Wagon loads of glass were swept up from the pavements and carried away early in the morning.
 Two or three other bombs which fell in London caused even less damage.
 FORCED TO LEAVE
 It appears that the fierce battle which the British airplanes and antiaircraft .,r- tillery put up forced the raiders to leave London without dropping any consider able part of their cargo of explosives One of the London districts received sev- eral bombs with rather less important results than on the occasion of previous visits by raiders. Two bombs fell ia the Thames near the bridge. throwing column of water so high that it splashed clear over the walls.
 The enemy remained over London at a great height for th- greater part If two hours and the raid appears to have been on pretentious scale. but 1t was even more abortive than previous at tempts. Although the visitors arrived early in the evening, Londoners have taken to heart the advice of the authori- ties about seeking cover, and this ic- counts in part for the small number If casualties. It is safe to say, however. that at least three-fourths and probably four-fifths of the casualties were suf- fered by persons who had failed to take cover or persisted out of curiosity in watching the overhead spectacle from tho inadequate shelter of balconies or door ways.
 suburban county official named Lap wood dropped dead from over-excitement during the raid.
 There were nearly 100 persons in the American Eagle hut on the strand when the warning was given. These included about a score of American women vol rnteer workers. The usual routine in the case of an air raid was carried through without a hitch, everybody being sent to shelter in the cellars and ground floors of nearby business buildings and the hut was locked up.
 It was supposed that everyone had needed the warning and left the hut. but q soldier who was sleeping in the dormi- tory was left behind. having rolled over for another half minutes snooze after the warning had been given He was re- awakened suddenly in the darkened hut by piece of shrapnei from the British barrage coming through the rooI near found all the doors locked. Finally he made his escape by a window and hur-