Visited By Zeppelins

Horowhenua Chronicle, 13 December 1915, Page 2

Visited By Zeppelins

A New Zealandor, at present residing in England, writes: — "I've come home from a long tour ot inspection to see »St. Paul's in the glow 01 a Zepplui tire, and also—in paiu—to get near tho lire, and I've sat 011 the doorstep with the landlady (who hud tramped the samo route in a half-dressed condition), conversing with the passers-by, but I must write to you before going to bed to record the fact that they have been hen.'. They camo in a Zeppelin, which travelled in the full glare of the searchlights and looked a fairy thing, bright, almost translucent. It passed right over this house and hovered! lor so iong over/the particular spot which 1 selected long ago as the safest place to run to, that 1 ran elsewhere, and found myself shut in little blind alley, hocauso the gates leii'i ing into the big gardens (which 1 ha I made for) were locked. The thing was dropping .bombs; you saw them coming nndi instinctively covered your eyes. When they seemed coming still nearor i ran up tho steps of a house, when: so mo soldiers were standing, and said : 'May I come in!" It was not till » heard their interested talk that I realised most'oL tho booming was fi:om our own anti-aircraft guns, and that the smoke drifting about 'its' sides was 110111 our shells. The "thing was Hying pretty low and moving more slowly, but suddenly, and I can't imagine how, it disappeared ; whether it tell or managed t' shoot up to a great height 1 don't know; where the soarcnlights played suddenly there was no /jcppolin. it was a horrid experience, but not as bad as an earthquake, and-while probably the effect on the nerves is greater—it was not as acutely distressing as tho approae.li to the dentist's. We walked back, a. strange man accompanying us, and insisting loudly that though the thing looked overhead, it was probably miles away—and all the windows broken in a street two blocks away and two bombs there. While we talked 011 the doorstep an elderly lady appear-

eel in the next door area. iSho olimuod up the steps auu peering through the railings asked: 'Are there any Zeppelins near hero. .Did i hoar a noise?' lint to bo more explicit :—A have spent the early part 01 the evening in a district in the 'Eastern Counties' visitod by the Zepps last night, and seeming the pulvorised ruins or two small houses whose inmates liau been killed. Thousands 01 people anil 'children wore down there. Had only been home half an hour and was finishing off some work -wlion there was a loud bang made mo drop everything and fly to put my shoes 011. The next bang that madie me drop everything near. I' put out my light, flew fpr my coat, and sat on the stairs and ptu my shoes on. Ol course I'd no idea the thing was really near us, for one can hear the report lor miles, but when we rushed out and looked up there it wa.s overhead sailing very placidily and hovering. 1 had an idea it Hung its bombs lor« and aft, and that at the sides one Would be fairly safe, but when it began to turn 1 made for the gardens with the locked gate. .It was diopping incendiary bomb's, and as .1 took it every report of our gujrc was ah exploding bomb you may imagine how alarming it all \vat~- A lot of our most precious things were wiped out, but all the land-marks tortunately are safe. Next morning: I went down to hear where the fires were, and set olt to St Paul's. As we went up to .uudgate Circus and saw the lacade ami tower looming through a dull rosy mist I said I felt us if wo were in a chapter by 11. 0. Wells, and I'd rather not lie. AVe walked a long way out could only get glimpses ol the lire down long vistas. The streets were guarded and cordoned bv soldiers, specials and scouts the police being busy with more active work and ol course patrolling everywhere. I'm going out to look at the wreckages quite near here, but I must fcuy 1 have very little curiosity for such sight-seeing. 3lrs has been at it most, of the morning, and because she says the sight fascinates her in spite ol her self, she has been twftiiT'to look at a wrecked' house in, weft, six minutes from here as a crow, or as the Zepp flies. It is a tiny house in a small street, but there were thirty'children living in it and yet only one was killed. One old lady who had a room there, which hasibeen completely smashed, up, is wandering about telling everyone '1 must get some knick-knacks.' 'And she hasn't got even a floor,' say.« Airs E. The streets thereabouts were littered with glass, ft was like walking on an oyster bed. One man who was in one of the theatres said the audience heard the explosions, but as the play was nearly over the actors went on playing splendidly, and the audience did not allow its nerves to oe shaken even by the firing of a pistol at the wind-up. lie saidi the undergrounds were packed with people." - rT*'T?Tnr-iiiii' |> y^ w TT