The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-04-26
Mistaken for AsphyxiatiOn
Gas from Bomb Dropped
by German Raider
SIXTY WOMEN AND.
CHILDREN CRUSHED
Subway Station in Paris-Doors To
ward Which frightened Crowd
Rushed Opened Outward.

Rushed Opened Outward.
PARIS, March IS, correspondence of The
Associated Press Fumes Of a bottle OF
ether used to revive a fainting woman,
mistaken for asphyxiating gas from a
bomb dropped by German raider, caused
the panic at the Metropolitan subway
station in which 60 or more women and
children were crushed to death or smoth-
cred during the Hun raid the night OF
March IL.
The crowd had remained outside the
subway station waiting to hear the Ger
man bomb explode before taking to cover.
A woman in the crowd feeling i'll, her hus-
band held flask Of ether to her nose.
what SMELL said someone. The re-
mark, overheard back in the crowd, was
taken to suggest gas. From. that step to
| "asphyxiating gas was easy. In less
time than it requires to tell it the report
went through the crowd that the last bomb
that exploded near by was gas bomb.
| That caused a mad rush of the crowd down
| the stairs OF the subway station against
doors opening outward. In the press the
doors couldn't be opened until score OF
| children and two score women persisted
| False lists OF places where bombs fell
were circulated, these presumably by
agents OF the enemy to work upon the
morale of each different quarter. Fantas-
tic stories were spread about the German
aviators flying low enough at certain points
to fire with their machine guns upon the
fleeing people The fact is that not a sin
gle German machine could be seen clear
| ly enough to identity it, yet the story
worked upon the minds OF lmpressionable
persons.
The conduct of the audiences in the
different places of amusement may be
taken al indicative Of the attitude OF Paris
toward the raiders Few spectators LEFT
their seats when the last raid was an
nounced toward the middle of the per
formancc
Sylvan playing the role of the old wins
grower in the Noces Corinthiennes at thu
Coincide Franchise. interrupted himsc
long enoogh' to say simply: Il am toll,
they are sounding the alarm then wen
on with his monolog Between the act
the spectators went to the cellar but re
turned Immediately after inspecting tn
taken there for safety
At the Folies Bergere the orchestr
played different one OF the nationa
anthems OF the allies after the report 0
each explosion and the audience san
those they knew At the Foles Marign
on the Champ Elysees, a piece in whic
the atrocities Of the Huns are represented
enthused the crowd by reason Of the con
parsons with the work Of the raiders.
At the Vaudeville, Galipaux, the Merle
1 Of "Chanticler'' continued his monolo
after announcing the raid. then passed III
hat for the benefit of the victims
| Throughout the raid there were peopl
/ IN the streets in every quarter in Paris
There were more than a hundred on tn
l Place de fOpera Just outside the entranC
| to one Of the subway shelters At ever
corner people caught away from the
homes disdaning offered shelters and groI
ing their way homeward as well as the
could, exchanged information as to whei
they were. unable to perceive anything
the pitch darkness
All persons abroad had the right 70 e
ter the first building they came to an
doors were opened at the first summon
but the wayfarer III most cases simp
wanted 10 know where he was
I Hundreds felt their way through heal
Of broken glass and climbed over debr
at points where bombs had Just falle
giving them the sensation of scrambli1
over a battlefield Paris had become
] part of ''the front