ANOTHER ZEPPELIN AIRSHIP RAID

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2459, 12 May 1915, Page 5

ANOTHER ZEPPELIN AIRSHIP RAID

EIGHTY BOMBS DROPPED ONE WOMAN KILLED IN HER BED (By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright.) London, May 10. A Zeppelin airship dropped 80 bombs over the Southend and Westcliff districts at 3 o'clock in the morning.. The aerial raider flew over the Marine Parade at Southend. > When the airship, which was using a searchlight, was sighted, the town hooter sounded a warning to the people to remain in their houses, but hundreds at Southend, Westcliff, and Leigh rushed into the streets. There was no panic when the bombs were dropped. Fires occurred at sereral different places, and spread rapidly. Woman Killed In Bed. One of the bombs missed the gasworks, and wrecked a house in York Road, injuring a sofdier who was asleep. Several explosions shattered windows within half a mile. Another bomb niissed St. Erkenwald's' Church", which is on a conspicuous hilltop. Another set fire to the buildings in a builder's yard near St. Erkenwald's. One bomb wrecked a house at Prittlewell, occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Whitewell. The bomb crashed through the house, and ignited a bed. The wife was killed while in bed. The husband was severely injured while trying to extinguish the flames. Inoendlary Bombs cause Many Fires, Incendiary bombs, dropped at Southend and other places, consisted of a care of tarred rope, saturated with chemicals and bound with wire. They were sufficiently heavy to ponotrato the roofs. The. fuse was apparently lighted before they were dropped. They proved hard to extinguish. Tho damage at Southend and Prittlewell is estimated at £10,000. One bomb was dropped near a prison ship on which 1200 German civilians are interned. There were many narrow escapes. One bomb orashed into the bedroom of two .sisters, and fell a few inches from the bed. It ignited the bedroom. Raider Driven OR By An Aeroplane. One family escaped from a burning houso by jumging from 'the windows. A boardinghouse was gutted, but the occupants escaped. There were a dozen outbreaks of fire at Westcliff. An attempt to bomb tho gasworks at Leigh failed. Bombs were dropped all round the Queen Mary Hospital, 'also on Canvey Island. It is feared that considerable damage was dono on the island. ' Ten people were injured at Southend. Spectators state that the Zeppelin was fired at when passing Pitsea, and believe that it was hit. It Appeared to bo in difficulties when passing Romford. GERMAN STATEMENT ON THE RAID. (Rec. May 11, 9.20 p.m.) London, May 11. A German official communique states: — "Our airships bombed a fortified place at Southend."