The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1918-03-07

Seachltghts Put Out the Moon Out
er Dcfcnses Begin at the
North Sea

London Defense Area. Feb. IT,
$40 p. m. st. Denis Western Aero
drome. Fifteen great gray Gothas
in row on the ground. each with
the black crosses on its wings and
it's bombracks loaded with twelve
long, gray bombs if the newspaper
cartonists have given you the notion
that all bombs are small and round
and black with q fuse sticking up
out of them like a lone hair In dan
druff cure ad-forget it,. The flight
commanders arrival is the cue for
the pilots to disperse to their ma
chimes, don goggles and gloves and
climb into their cockpits. The flight
commanders machine is the first to
go roaring down the lone of flares.
The other fourteen follow one by
one, until the windows rattle with
the deep buz of thirty 260-horse
power Mercedes engines in the sky.
The buz continues until the fifteen
heavy. machines have done their 10,-
900 feet in thirty minutes and have
manoeuvered into formation after
dark ughD, when it dwindles to a
finally goes out. The formation. fly
ing like ducks at 10000 feet, is NOV
ing northeast to avoid the Dunkirk
squadrons, and then to bear west
from Holland at ninety miles an hour
for the Thames and London. some
200 miles away.
1925 p. m. An open field down
the Thames. A thin moon and a few
stars overhead, and rows Of uproot-
ed mangoldwurzels underfoot. There
Is nothing human in sight save a
dark building whose low. fiat shape
recalls an adobe on a Mexican mesa
one Of those utterly out Of way
spots to which one is directed with a
jerk Of the thumb and a blunt "up
there" Everywhere about it. the
clear. cold quiet of a vast solitude.
A khaki figure. stamping his clog
shod feet on the friZen ground
alone at night in winter in a field in
the country-discloses a gate in the
fence around the dark building.
Only the production OF ones pass
provokes him to any interest. and
presently he leads one across the dark
compound into the white warmth of
the little room which is the work
room. bedroom. club and mess-"mid
pleasures and palaces!" he laughs as
he introduces one to its extra chair
of the second lieutenant, Royal
Field Artillery, attached to the home
forces and serving in the London de-
tense area. In London they describe
| him simply as out on the barage.
1t was rather a monotonous Job,
he admitted cheerfully. but the re-
lieving officer got around as aften as
he could. He didn't get lonely at
any rate Once he'd been stationed
In West Africa a hundred miles from
any white man; that's where you got
linesome. ETC.. etc.
He had happened at the moment
to be engaged in fishing a Zeppelin
indicator for the gun, but he laid It
by. called an orderly and informed
him there would be two trays of din
ner instead Of one. poked up the coal
fire in his little stove and we dispos-
ed ourselves to await the two trays.
People who think they know higher
mathematics frequently conclude
when they attempt to understand
these simple Zeppelin indicators;
that they really know nothing at all
about mathematics.
And at 7:55 p. M. an electric gong
suddenly jerked him to his feet. He
grabbed a shrapnel-proof helmet and
couple Of pinches of cotton from a
drawer. dashed to the door, stopped
and turn with: Grab that other tin
hat and come out. And better take
some Of that cotton for your ears.
And keep your mouth open when the
gun begins-it'll be easier on your
ears!" and was out the door into the
darkness OF the compound even be-
fore the gong had dwindled into it's
lingering diminuendo. grabbed
some cotton and slammed the door
shut as l followed him out into the
binding darkness. putting my tin
nat on as l ran. / have worn hats
which fitted me a good deal better.
but so far as 1 know. l am the first
newspaper man to watch London's
antlaircraft defenses at work during
raid.
A scurry of feet across the COM
pound. A succession of cries, fur
louly lound and fast: 'Ro call numb
one!" Print" "Vwo!" "A-aye!"
"Three!" "Eeyah!" f." etc., etc,
etc. "Zishn!" Another quick scurry
or feet. Silence-and two button
lights bulge yellow on two khaki
chests, and three shaded lights pop
silently yellow on the guns dials and