Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1918-09-04
HOW PARTISAN
AIR RAID FEELS
Red Cross Inspector Tells Thrh-
ing Story of Desperate
Moments.
NOISE ACCOMPANIES ATTACK
Xsnk Engineers Go About unperturbed
while Reseuinq nIured-Vietins
Are Sent to the Sisters
Of the Poor.

washington.-w of q German
s4r raid on Paris. one of the American
Red Cross inspectors gives a thrilling
account Of how American troops and
Red Cross workers give aid to the city
IN such desperate moments. he de-
scrabes an air raid in this fashion:
Nowhere is there any sound but the
echoes OF footsteps. Not a street light
is TO be seen, not a single ray Of light
nothing but the inkiest and most TN
penetrable darkness. Then all Of ne
noise Ia the world seems TO break loose.
Clang-clang-clang booms the tocsfF--
like a gigantic pneumatic riveter work
ing on a colossal bell Whoos-o
shrieks4he siren, running up and down
the scale in an awful wall
sThe streets come TO life. Doors
open ana slam shut. The sidewalks
are full Of ghostly figures hurrying te-
ward the caves. where the inhabit-
ants have fitted up cots and hunks
They get mp now TO make a sitting
place for the newcomers. The chill
dren go to sleep with their heads on
their mothers shoulders, and girl
in the unifOETn Of q street car condue~
tor swaps yarns with a PoIlu in dingy
blue. In the last raid the front trucks
of Der car were thrown from the rails
by the displacement Of air caused by
an exploding torpedo. The car and
its inmates we've unhurt. The Poilu
looks mite fncredulous and muir
murs: 7 can we'll believe you, made
moisehe'
Arches Bsrraee Sky.
Outside the naise continues for
about three or four minutes and then
subsidies as q new noise starts-the
Arches, or autiaircrft guns. which
commence 10 bark furiansly from half
q dozen different points Searchlights
rake the sky. The Arches continue
their cIamox. but they are not firing
at anything. merely keeping up bar
rage fire TO prevent the Bocbes flying
over the city.
suddenly there is an earthrock-
ing whoom. No doubt as TO where the
Boches are Who0fn. whom. whoom
One involuntarily ducks and tries
turtlewise TO cover HIS head with his
shoulders. A hideous noise resounds
up and down the deserted street
falling walls, and the tfnkling and
crash Of showers Of broken glass and
roofing tiles.
Through the glass and litter OF the
street an American Red Cross camoi-
nette comes blowing its way. One OF
the city fremen stands on the running
board.
Anybody here from numbers 40
10 SIP he calls. A half dozen voices
yell out that there is.
ais everybody here from those
numbers? Was there anyone left in
either of those buildingsr
There is an anxious calling back
and forth and a rapid counting OF
noses All here is the answer
Send Victims to Poor Sisters.
Good Not much left OF those two
buildings. Don't enter the ruins I'M
Ill they have been inspected by the
engineering department Go to the
Sisters Of the Poor IL you want food
or a place TO sleep.
"A half-mile away a bright red glow
gets larger and larger and lights the
sky. A FIRE has broken out In the
railroad yards and Is making great
Roadway. Several cars OF oil are burn
ing hercely and spreading to cars OF
merchandise.
j. Two railroaders have got hold OF a
switch engine and are shunting out
whole strings Of cars.
"Do you know anything about
these French engines. sirT asks the
impromptu engineer. I can't find the
d brake
= THE FIRE Is eating its way toward
a pier on which stands a line Of
drums Of gasoline.
"'Come on. boys roll these kegs o.
gas outa here yells the corporal. and
the line Of drums starts trundling
down the pier. II is internally hot
and the average man knows just how
hot gasoline can get before II begins
to misbehave; but the line never wa.
vers.
"'Roll 'em along. boysl Keep ZEN
going. Everybody has got 10 die some
time
Little by little things become quiet
er. The fires die down. The Arches
stop. Now the tocsin sounds again.
this time with slow. stately measured
beats. This is the 'all's clear signal.