The New York herald., 1921-07-30
CITY in THEORETICAL
RUINS FROM AIR RAID
Huge Buildings Laid Low,
and City Hall Wrecked
by Bombs.
FLEET is WIPED OUT
Survivors Flee Stricken
Island Seeking Shelter
in the Country.
GEN. MITCHELL SAYS so
Report of Attack on Metropo-
lis by Bombing Planes Gives
Reds Big Victory.
GEN. MITCHELL SAYS so

The sun rose to-day on city whose
tallest tower lay scattered in crumbled
bits Of stone across City Hall Park
and around the ruined beauty of the
old City Hail. The ugly Federal Build
ing huddled in shambles. A little fur
ther south a desert Of stone lay where
formerly the graceful skyscrapers Of
the financial district had reared their
tops. The largest liners in the world,
tideous hunks of twisted metal, showed
most of their superstructure above the
water as they lay beside clusters Of
steel and wood which once had been
piers. Bridges did not exist. Every
where that an important public or pri-
vate building had stood was desolation.
The sun saw, when its light penetrated
the ruined city. hordes Of people on foot
working their way slowly and painfully
up the island. A few started with au-
tomobiles. but the masses of stone build
ings barricading the avenues soon halted
their vehicles. Rich and poor alike,
welded together in a real democracy of
misery. headed northward They car
ried babies. jewel cases, bits Of furni-
ture, bags, joints Of meat and canned
goods made into rough packs.
Atlantic Fleet Helpless.
Always they looked fearfully upward
at the sky, save when their shuddering
gaze dropped for a moment to bodies
which lay, like revellers overcome, in
grotesque attitudes Of stiffness, thick
about the city Few bodies showed
marks Of violence, the majority had died
swiftly of poison gas What other thou
sands Of bodies lay concealed under the
stone ruins the toiling refugees SEEM
ingly cared not Their business was the
grim one of self-prescrvation, and they
staggered northward. each for himself
toward the narrower waters where they
might possibly cross by boat or raft to
the comparative safety of the country.
Similar scenes were being enacted In
smaller magnitude at Philadelphia and
Norfolk. The Atlantic fleet, which
should have prevented the catastrophe.
was itself nothing but few bits of
metal projecting above the restless
heave of the ocean, with here and there
a bit Of wreckage which had floated
clear bearing few surviving "gobs."
This Is the picture painted by Brig.-Gen.
William Mitchell. second in command
VI Tie AIT oeTVlCe, ana OLneT Objects
who took part yesterday in the theoret-
ical air raid on the city in the largest
bombing machines and swiftest scouts
of the service. 1t was an attack which
drew thousands Of spectators to all the
open spaces Of the city shortly after
noon and kept them straining their
necks upward to where the fleet de-
stroyers rained theoretical tons of dyna-
mite. TINT and deadly gas bombs on
the stricken city.
The attack upon New York was led
by Gen. Mitchell. who was at the con-
trolls of a De Haviland plane. with his aid,
Capt. st. Clair Street. acting as his
observer. Shooting swiftly around the
less rapid bombers and first TO fly over
the city was a little one man Thuiras
Morse scout plane. At times this little
scout attained a speed of ITO miles an
hour, almost three miles minute.
Fly at 5000 Feet Altitude.
The seventeen bombers, comprising
the real strength Of the attacking force
of the Red" fleet. followed First in
the line was huge Caproni. which, as
II dealt out it's own projectiles of de-
struction. wirelessed back to officers
crouched In the cockpits of fifteen Mar
tin and one Handley Page bombers the
targets which they were to bomb. The
officers at the range finders, 5000 feet
above their detectives. released bomb
after bomb of 100 to 1000 pounds.
Bombs Of lesser size. designed not to
destroy buildings but people. were
dropped In much greater numbers. and
their deadly fumes permeated the city
| streets.
| In command of the two bombing
sQuadrons into which the force of big
planes was divided were Major Leo
Walton and Major r. ]. Hanley. One
pursuit group. designed to shoot down
defending aircraft. was headed by Capt.
b. B. Baucus. In all seventy men took
part in the attack. which killed thou
sands and destroyed billions In property.
| The attacking fleet represented a
Red" air raiding force which had es-
tablished a base at an isolated point
eight miles north OF Cape Hatteras.
| In previous theoretical attacks Norfolk.
| Richmond. the Newport News Navy
| Yard the League Island Navy Yard
and the city of Washington have been
| levelled.
On the nights Of July c2 and 20 at
tacks we're made successfully on Lang
ley Field, Virginia, where the defending
"Blue" force OF planes was concentrated.
Then followed the attacks on the help
less navy yards and Coz cities. The
attack on Philadelphia was made yes
terday by force OF twenty De Haviland
bombing planes.
According to Gen. Mitchell. the at
mospheric conditions yesterday were
ideal for a raid. At 5000 feet the air
craft could not be seen we'll enough 70
give anti-sircraft gunners a really good
mark. while the city was plainly visible
TO the attackers. After the first as
sault the planes came lower and then
roared away to Mitchell Field, where
the remnant OF the Blue" force was
driven off and the conquerors landed
in safety.
ROCKAWAY LANDLORD