TEE AIRSHIP RAIDERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15950, 22 June 1915, Page 8

TEE AIRSHIP RAIDERS.

ANOTHER VISITS ENGLAND.

DAMAGE' AT SOUTHEND.

WOMAN BURNED TO DEATH.

The German ltist for. murder is still unsated, wrote a correspondent of a London paper, from ' Soutbend-on-Sea on May 10. This morning Southend-on-Sea was visited by a Zeppelin airship, which dropped nearly 100 bombs indiscriminately over an area of five square miles, killing a woman and doing damage. to the extent of about £20,000. The dead woman was Mrs. Whitwell. The bomb which caused her death made' a hole 2ft square in the roof of the house, and fell into the room in which. the husband and wife were asleep. Immediately it burst into flame, and in a few moments the room was on fire. Mr. Whitwell first carried his invalid daughter out of the house to a place of safety. He then returned for lis. wife, but the fumes," flames, and smoke were too much for him, and before he could reach the bedroom he wafl almost overeome. He jumped from a window and fell heavily to tie ground, injuring himself so sevorely that he had to be taken to, the Victoria Hospital, where he lies in a critical state. His wife perished in the flames. Of damage to property there was abundant evidence in the towns to-day. The heaviest loss was sustained by Mr. Flaxman, whose", timberyard in Southchu'rch Road was gutted, a great quantity of timber being completely destroyed. : ■ V; Special Constable's Story. ' . A vivid "account of the coming of the invader was: given, by Mr. William Ledicott, of the special ,• constabulary :—I was on the way to Cobweb Corner with other constables, when we heard the rush of an airship's propellers, he said. . On, going into the centre the road and look- 1 ing in the direction of Leigh, we saw an airship coming along, fairly high up, "from seawards, She, came on until she was exactly over the Cobweb Corner.* Gradually she turned again, and then for four minutes—l timed her— hovered in the air. Her engines appeared to be stopped, and ,she showed no lights. She was painted a slate grey. A moment later the Zeppelin • re-started her. engines, and immediately a bomb was dropped. It fell in the centre of the road, where it made a large hole, but failed to explode. Then another fell in London Road. It was of the incendiary kind, and I ran up .and put it. out. Then a bomb' fell on a house, and started a fire. I went off to the station to give the alarm, and motor and horse fire engines passeu me on their way to another fire which had just started in another part of the same street at" "a boarding establishment. At the corner of Boston' Avenue I picked up a tomb vrtncYi had i&\\e& to do anj damage. The General Alarm. , By this time a general, alarm had been given. Loud blasts on the hooter had roused from their sleep those of the inhabitants who had not yet been awakened by the explosions. People rushed from their houses' into the street. They were variously clad. Some had managed to put on coats and boots, but others "crouched in the streets in their night clothes. The special constables had been mastered, without a moment's delay, and soldiers had also been brought out to help. The first bombs had been dropped at an hour when the last shadows of night mingled with the first faint glimmer of- dawn. Not a street lamp was alight, and in the grey chill morning the firemen dashed from one outbreak to another. In eight different park of the neighbourhood flames were shooting up. As fast as the men, who fought gallantly against great odds overcame a fire in one part of the town, another broke out elsewhere. For the hail of incendiary bombs grew' rather than diminished in volume. They were scattered far and wide indiscriminately until I nearly a hundred had been flung on the undefended townspeople. In the circumstances it is remarkable that order was so well kept, that there was a total absence of panic, and only one life was lost Whet. I vieit£d the police station late this afternoon 89 bombs had already been collected, and it -is certain that there are others to be accounted for. In some in- I stances bombs fell into the roadway and did no damage at all, in ethers they merely injured coping stones or ploughed holes in gardens. 6 Departure of the Airship. From Leigh the Zeppelin passed over the marshes to Canve-y, and then back to l sea, following the coast, Two houses were struck in Leigh. The roofs of the houses were pierced in each case, but the damage done was not considerable. By a quarterpast three the airshp was''heading for the sea At Leigh people saw the sky red with the glow from the fires she had ignited. Up to this hour the weather had been fine, but with dawn a white mist rose from the sea and rapidly enshrouded the grey envelope of tha airship . The people of Southend are 'no more impressed bv the visit of the raider than were those of Bury and Ipswich. On everv hand to-day I have heard expressions of admiration for the excellent work of tho special .constables and firemen. The? must have done wonders. s