BRITAIN.

Taranaki Daily News, 19 October 1915, Page 5

BRITAIN.

RECENT RAID ON LONDON. OFFICIAL BEPOBT. FIVE ABBAS VMTED. Received Oct. 16, 8.20 p.m. London, Oct. 18. fhe Press Bureau official "Eyewitness" ■tates that the Zeppelin which raided , London flew high to prevent destruction from anti-aircraft guns. The darkening of metropolitan area, together with the Zeppelin'g height, certainly prevented the enemy from discovering the exact position' of of importance. The official Berlin report proves that the raiders were grossly in error in their i belief as to where they dropped bombs. The raid occurred at an hour when practically none except children were abed. The places of entertainment were fall, and the' population were going about their ordinary pleasures and businesses. Though hundreds of thousands heard the bonfcs and guns they remained calm and free from panic, and there was less excitement than on previous ■ occasions. NO PANIC. The official warnings to tage sneiter . were better observed. Most people, when the guns ceased; went quietly to bed. In the second raid, about midnight, on another part of London, the sounds of the explosions were plainly heard in the theatres, bnt there was a commendable absence of panic. In five distinct areas was the raid distinguishable. . In the first there is little or no residential property, but I chiefly large business buildings, with wide streets;. Here four high explosive . bombs fell in the streets, and a fifth at the back premises of targe buildings which were thronged with people. A bomb penetrated the railways, melted the gaspipes, and started a fire which lasted for several hours. Almost all the glass in the neighborhood was destroyed, and. there were a number of casualties, all the victims being either sitting in front rooms or walking the streets. In the second area was a large block of residential fiats. A bomb fell in a garden and two rooms on the ground floor were wrecked. Another bomb demolished the top storey, but there were no casualties,' In the third,'area was a large modern building of ifcinforced concrete, with , steel and concrete roofing and flooring. A bomb dropped on the roor did little damage, but an old building near by was unable to withstand the explosion. Fortunately the inmates of this had been warned by previous explosions, and had taken refuge on the lower floors and escaped. _ The Fourth area was composed entirely of working-class houses and small shops. One group of houses was entirely destroyed by a single bomb, but the householders' exhibited the utmost heroism and coolness. The last area, a suburban one, was entirely of detached and semi-detached houses. Here the largest number of bombs was dropped. BAD MARKSMANSHIP. A striking feature of the bombardment was the number of cases in which the bombs missed the buildings and struck the gardens only. There were many astonishing escapes. A mother and her daughter who were sleeping in an upper room were thrown into the street, and both escaped death. A bomb .which fell in the centre of a house killed two children and severely injured a third, and" also the father and mother. Twenty houses in the same road had the doors and windows blown out. Another bomb fell in a street where a youth was saying goodnight to a girl. He was killed and the girl injured, while an old man who was standing on the pavement had an arm blown off and died.