Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1917-07-11
GERMANS RAID OVER LONDON.
81 Persons Killed, 141 Injured
Large Fleet Engaged.

London, July 1.-The second de-
scent upon London by squadron Of
German airplanes was made this
morning between and 10 O'Clock,
when the business section Of the city
was most crowded.
Although the German contingent
was larger, more daring, more delib-
crate In its methods and descended
much lower than on the visit of June
13, the number of killed and wound
ed was, according to the first official
roll, roughly, one-third the previous
casualty list. The destruction of
property may have been greater.
Battle Above City.
The flight Of the Germans over
London lasted about 20 minutes.
English airmen engaged them for
several minutes over the metropolis,
and anti-aircraft guns were firing
briskly, dotting the sky with s rap
mel puffs, but without success so far
as concerned the destruction of any
OF the 20 or more machines which
constituted the invading force.
The admiralty was able to report
tonight, however, that naval airmen
who followed them to sea brought
down three machines. A British
squadron sent up from Dunkirk to
intercept the returning raiders did
not encounter them because they had
taken more northerly route, but
the British airmen met and Destroy
ed seven other German machines.
Good Raiding Weather.
The morning was one OF haze,
weather most favorable fer croasing
the channel without being observed.
On their former visit, made in simi-
lar weather, the Germans kept high
up in the mist, but to-day when they
neared their detectives, most of them
descended. Their formation was
like flock of wild geese as they ap-
preached, and neither the British
pursuers nor the guns we're able to
scatter them until they spread out
before letting loose the bombs.
All London Knew 1t.
Hundreds of thousands Of people
on roofs, from windows and gathered
In the streets saw the remarkable
spectacle; all London heard the
noise of battle; at first there were
few minutes when the anti-aircraft
guns were crashing sharply and the
machine guns were rafting aloft.
Then came three or four minutes
when the heavy explosion Of bombs
and the shattering Of glass was the
dominant sound; then a few min
utes, when the artillery fire receded
into the distance.
The Germans steered course
across London from northwest to
southeast. They dropped the last of
their supply Of bombs on section Of
workmen's dwellings and crossed the
Thames Some observers saw n
giant airplane piloted the squadron
and that the bomb carriers were in
the center, hanked by scouts for fight
ing off the British airmen.
The low altitude and slow pace at
which the Germans crossed London,
and the daredevil way they circled
over their objectives, has caused
great surprise. When first seen they
were steering steady course from
the northwest, evidently in the act OF
making long sweeping curve, which
would ultimately bring their heads in
the direction Of home. They COM
pleted the Vancouver over the
Thames, and as the British machines
came into the picture the raiders
quickened their pace.
4 fierce running fight ensued be-
tween a strong force Of British ma
chimes and the raiders toward the
mouth Of the river. The machines
flew fairly low and the rattle Of ma
chine guns was distinctly audible
from the ground. None Of the Ger
mans had been brought down when
the combatants disappeared from
view, but the British squadron con-
tinued the pursuit and engaged them
heavily.