MOTHER COUNTRY.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 September 1916, Page 5

MOTHER COUNTRY.

THE ZEPPELIN RAID. FIFTEEN TAKE PART. ONE DESTROYED; ONE CAPTURED. 2S KILLED; 19 INJURED Wellington, 'Sept. "23. The High Commissioner reports, under Jnto London, Sept. 24, 12.55 p.m.:— Fifteen Zeppelins made a raid last night on the South-Eastern, Eastern and East Midland Counties, Lincolnshire being the principal county affected. Three of the raiders approached London, two from the south-east and the other from the east, and eventually reached the London districts. The damage caused was 28 killed and 90 injured. Two raiders were brought down in Essex. One was in flames, and the crew mid everything was destroyed; the other, with a crew of 22, was captured. London, Sept. 34. Two Zeppelins were brought down in Essex. One was intact, and the crew was captured; the other was 'burned. A special correspondent telegraphs: : 'An airship pased over here at midnight, md about ten minutes later we saw her going southward. The guns were busy and shells were 'bursting all round the airship. It then proceeded northwards, the guns suddenly ceased, and the airship disappeared. Her engines were clearly heard again within twenty minutes. Apparently she was seeking tD escape homewards. For another ten minutes there was heavy gun firing, and next, as "hells were bursting round the airship, a red spot glowed, seemingly the size of a small football. Flames swept along the back, and almost immediately the ship was in flames from end to end. It was like a fiery shooting serpent, the liames stabbing the sides. The airship's tail went straight lip her nose down, and her back seemed to break. Tljen there was a headlong dive of the burning wreck. EXTENT OF DAMAGE. '•? The latest official message says that probably more than twelve airships participated in the raid. The damage in the provinces was slight. One east 'Midlauds town received a number of bombs, by which two persons were killed and eleven injured. Dozens of houses and shops were wrecked. , There were no other casualties outside the metropolitan area, and although numerous bombs were dropped, the damage was insignificant. In the metropolitan area 17 men, '8 women, and 3 children were killed and 81) injured, including 54 children and women. Much small property was damaged. 'Fires were caused in two factories and a railway was damaged in two places. No 1 military damage was done. ON A BIG SCALE. THRILLING INCIDENTS. ANTI-AIRCRAFT GUNS AND AEROPLANES BUSY. Received Sept. 25, 11.10 p.m. London, Sept. 25. Eye-witnesses' stories of the raids in t'ie eastern counties of London show that the raid was on the biggest scale and full of thrilling incidents. Public excitement was equally divided over the destruction of the- artisan districts in south-eastern London and the tragic end of the burning Zeppelin and the comir surrender ef the officers and crew of a first-class Zeppelin to the sleepy inhabitants of a lonely country village Five Zeppelins were engaged in the raid on Essex. They dropped eightyfour bombs. Thanks to the authorities' piecautlons, they failed to discover levng oi populous villages. The chief victims were sheep, poultry and rabbits. THE DESTROYED ZEPPELIN The burnt Zeppelin was travelling at terrific speed. It dropped incendiary and high explosive shells in East Anglia, and •was greeted with an inferno of shell fire, but it seei/pd to escape from the searchlights. The inhabitants were congratulating themselves on all being ended, when the Zeppelin returned, flying very high. When the monster fell, l.y a miracle it narrowly missed two cottages, only smashing the front windows. A few moments later, the crew hammered at the door of the cottage. The wily laborer inside pretended to be asleep, but heail the commander swearing. The laborei put bis wife and fhildren in a back-room and escaped through a. window, and brought up a constable. They met a body of men who replied to their queries in broken English that the Zeppelin engine bad e v pioded and that they were prisoners of war. The Germans did not offer resistance. They appeared to be unhappy and dejected, but quite submissive. They were conveyed to a detention camp. A SAE INCIDENT. One sad incident was that of a soldier i'n special leave from the front to see his dying father. Ht arrived only to find the home in ruins-, his father killed, and bis mother and sister unconscious in the hospital. The soldier scrambled into the ruins and gazed pitifully. Then he flung himself on the debris and sobbed unresfrainiidly. The artisan districts in London suffered severely, especially the small working-class houses. . A number of people are suffering from gas poisoning, suggesting that asphyxiating bomlis were dropped. IN PURSUIT OF THE ASSASSINS. Eye-witnesses record the fire spectacle of several British airmen going in pursuit of the assassins. Though the Zeppelins were very high, the Britishers soon were in hot. pursuit. i The crew taken prisoner were most timorous and seemed to fear being lynched. The commander asserts that the descent was due to engine trouble, lut the chief engineer hotly disputed the statement. Received Sept. 2.">, 7.30 p.ir.. London, Sept. 24. It is confirmed that a Zeppelin of a reeent type was destroyed. It descended slowly, in a zig-xagging manner, the iniiimander trying to reach Hie ground. The screams of the crew when jumping were heard-.