Evening star., 1940-10-16

of Dunkerque on the French
coast last night, setting large
fires and apparently causing
great damage, the Admiralty an
nounced tonight.
Py the Associated Press.
LONDON, Oct 16-Rescue squads
dug today for the dead, the wounded
and dying and uninjured persons en-
tombed in one of the worst overnight
bombardments in 40 days of con-
tinuous air siege Of London, while
Nazi planes roved the coasts of Eng
land, Scotland and Wales.
The Air and Home Security Min
istries, calling the night attack
widespread and quite Wanton," said
the number killed was greater than
in other recent raids, but consider
ably" less than in early September,
when the German Air Force first laid
siege to London. and damage like
wise was not so great"
The greatest of one-day casualties
in September were 400 dead and
400 injured, September 9, accord
ing to official estimate.
Despite widespread reports Of the
presence of Nazi raiders by daylight,
the Air and Home Ministries said
there has been hardly any enemy
activity over this country today"
Few Bombs Dropped Today.
Apparently the principal objective
of the daylight planes was recon-
naisSance.
Bombs are reported only in one
coast town in Scotland and at one
point in the West Country" the late
afternoon communique said. No
damage or casualties are reported
In London rescue workers, digging
in frenzy at tons of masonry which
turned several air raid shelters into
tombs, siphoned liquid food TO those
buried alive to sustain them until
they could be reached.
Raiders Back Quickly.
Almost without pause the Ger
mans followed up with fresh thrusts
here, and near Liverpool, the great
port on the west coast, as well as
along the south and east coasts and
over coastal regions Of Scotland and
Wales
In midafternoon the raiders
penetrated defenSes to London.
where two alarms developed In less
than 80 minutes.
Even while the all-clear was
sounding after the first alert there
was heavy fire from the city's outer
ring of batteries. The steady all
clear note of the siren scarcely had
died away before the modulated
wall again sounded the danger
signal.
The cold October dawn lighted
many a scene of devastation and
death in London.
SchoOlhouse Leveled.
A schoolhouse used last night as
an air raid shelter had been leveled.
The biggest delayed-action bomb
yet dropped on the city lay slum-
bering menace to a widely known
building. A famous London square
was piled with the debris of shat
tered buildings. A whole block OF
apartment buildings was blown to
pieces. Countless dead and injured
lay in the ruins.
At one place where the dead and
dying could be brought out they
were placed on the Uttered pave
ment to await the attention of over
taxed ambulance crews.
These were but parts of the cen
sor-shaded picture of London under
the German bomb racks.
The Ministry of Information
charged that the overnight raiders
streWed their bomb cargoes indis-
criminately. hitting homes as well
as industries and utilities.
$50 Tons of Bombs Dropped.
Unofficially it was estimated that
$50 tons of bombs were dropped By
from 200 to $50 planes during the
night.
The large bombs scored direct hits
on the two-story schoolhouse, in
which an undetermined number of
LondonerS had taken refuge.
RescuerS reported they had dug
out most of those buried alive and
all still in the ruins were believed
to be dead Most were women, chill
dren and old men, it was said.
A rubber tube pushed through
piles of brick, cement and wood
work was used to feed some of the
living still entombed.
A physician said that many of
the refugees who escaped from the
building at the time of the blasts
literally were blown out.
Hitler delivered them into the
ambulance" he commented
Tons of tumbled masonry and
woodwork had to be moved to reach
the entombed. Many were seriously
injured.
In one London area % bombs fell
within a small radius, hitting a Ro-
man Catholic Church, a school.
apartments. factories and numbers
of shops and small houses.
Is Boys Found i'm Basement.
Rescue workers digging in the
debris of youth hostel had given
up hope of finding any one alive
when a policeman heard the muff1ed
sound of voices. Renewed digging
uncovered Is boys who had been
asleep in the basement. Most of
them were unharmed, but two or
three others were known to be dead.
A priest was trapped with three
other boys, but little hope was held
that they still lived. One of those
rescued had been pinned down by
timbers and stone. Unable to move,
he kept up running conversation
(See LONDON, Page A-50