Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-04-25
HUN BOMBS CEASE
TO BRIGHTEN PARIS
Weeks Ago Ether Bottle Mis-
taken for Gas Charge From
Raider Caused Fatal Panic.

Paris, March 27.-Fumes OF bottle OF
ether used To revive faintIng woman,
mistaken for asphyxiating gas from a
bomb dropped 10y German mir raider,
caused the panic at the Metropolitan
Subway station in which sixty or more
women and children were crushed to
death or smothered during the Hun raid
ON 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.
\ woman in the crowd feeling i'll her hus-
band held flask OF ether 70 her nose.
What n smell, said someone. The re
mark, overheard back in the crowd was
taken to suggest gas. From that step TO
'asphvNlatIng gas was easy. In less time
than II requires 10 tell IL the report went
through the crowd that the last bomb that
exploded nearby was "A gas bomb. That
caused 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 chll-
dren and two score women perished.
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 fiying low enough at certain
points to fire with their machine guns
upon the fleeing people The fact IS that
not a single German machine could I've
seen clearly enough 10 identify 1t, yet
the story worked upon the minds OF inn
prcssIOnable persons
Now the conduct Of the audiences in the
different places Of amuscpent may be
taken as indicative Of the changed attitude
OF Paris toward the raiders few specta-
tors left their seats when the last RAID
was announced toward the middle Of the
performance.
SYLVAN, playing the role of the old
wine grower in the 'Nocos & Cornthlcnncs
at the Coincide FrancalSc. interrupted
himself long enough to say simply, Il am
told they are sounding the alarm, then
went on with his monologue Between the
acts the spectators went 10 the cellar but
returned Immediately after inspecting the
fine collection Of busfs that had been taken
there for safety
Al the Folies Bcrgere the orchestra
PLAYED a different one of the national
anthems OF the Allies after the report Of
each explosion and the audience sang
those they knew At the Fohes Narigny
on the Champs Elysees a piece in which
the atrocities of the Huns Is represented
enthused the crowd by reason OF the
comparisons with the work Of the raiders.
At the Vaudeville. Galipaux, the
FfMerle" Of Chantccler. continued his
monologuc after announcing the RAID, then
passed the hat for the benefit Of the VIC
TINS
Throughout the raid there were people
in the streets IN every quarter IN Paris.
There were more than hundred on the
Place de IOpega just outside the entrance
TO one Of the subway shelters. At every
corner people caught away from their
homes, disdaining offered shelters and
cropping their way homeward as ~ell as
they could. exchanged information as 10
where they were, unable to perceive any
thing in the pitch darkness
All persons abroad had the right 70 enter
the first building they came to and doors
were opened at the first summons, but the
wayfarer IN most cases simply wanted 10
know where he was.
Hundreds felt their way through heap
Of broken glass and climbed over debris
st points where bombs had just fallen,
giving them the sensation Of scrambllng
over battlefield. Paris had become a
part Of the front