SHELLING THE AIRSHIP

Timaru Herald, Volume CIV, Issue 15980, 5 June 1916, Page 3

SHELLING THE AIRSHIP

TILL? lI,LIN G SPECTACLE. j Quo vf the most vivid accounts of how a Zeppelin u';is hit comes to bo furnished througu tho decision, of a iamiiy tluijb it would not bo lucky to move mfco their new house on Ist April says London "Da.Jy 'telegraph," in its account of the raids on England and boot-land m April. They were moving uom ono town on the Great Eastern Kail way to another. The hour was late undertaking such an ©Tent of ciomestic importance, but the jouraov hnn^+i ,M i\ a^ d they sfcartcd witt the thev r i f-, 0 0 cloc ? v " 031 Friday night + ¥ * oiild lmve arrived in what was to be a new sphere of thetir life. smalf'Ss 7 ' halted a t %ij wa , s Ponged in darkAl'S &Lv & SS^SS: humming" sound from th© swolW , d - be ieard - Slowly it Vol T e ifc cached the ear 1, ] ot an imm ©nse boiler overcharged with steam. Just when tho nerve strain upon the passengers was Becoming intense, unsuspected search--1 Q nts rent the gloom with their overpowering beams, and the ra>.der appeared, surounded by a hurricane of siiells. 1 ljobably m the darkness it had mistaken its altitude. It may have been pi oping for landmarks in what it berpu i? n offenslv ® countrys.de. Ibe head of the marooned family did not talk of it as a "cigar in the sky" but as appearing about a couple "of yards or so in length. Then, in a dramatic moment, a shell burst with exceptional brilliance apparently right against the centre of the aircraft. Previously the Germans had been frantically endeavouring to escape their terrible plight. They had dropped twenty bombs in twenty seconds. The time had. come for them to put into operation the manoeuvre by wh'.ch they iiad, on the occasion of the successful raid against Paris, avoided the fury of the French guns. Steadily the nose of the Zeppelin rose in the air, and ! before the astonished spectators could assure themselves of the evidence of | their sences the airship was actually in a vertical position. It was '-itting on its rudders when it shot—there is no other word for it into the darkness of the heavens.

Bulb our men knew of the. uses of the additional propellors with which the new zeppelins are fitted. Jumping-jack tactics did not take them by sprprise. Twice the searchlights found the air monster, and twice it was the centre of exploding shells. But, much to the disappointment of the eye-witnesses, the air-ship did not catch lire. There was no: grand and terrifying climax, as when th© French gunners brought down their z&ppelin to. earth like a blazing torch. Instead there was darkness, and the torturing thought that after all the enemy might have escaped. After more weary minutes the news came that out of the ni,ght cans of petrol camel hurtling down, upon a neighbouring common. There was an obvious inference to be drawn. The raider was desperately endeavouring to maintain his buoyancy, and avoid the doom which stared him in the face. To civilians it was not gi ven to know more. But their vigil was not ended. Many hours had still to pass before theiir journey could be resumed. While the men Were tramping on the platform to keep themselves warm and the women were gratefully receiving the hospitality of people who resided nearby, the silence of the night was again broken by the noise of the air raider. On this occasion, which must have been between two and three o'clock in the morning, the sound of twelve _ bursting bombs was heard, hut the invader was not seen by the people on the train. Final'y, the news came from the coast that thoiigli six zeppelins had been seen flying homewards, one was infesting. Soon afterwards pelenrssion was given for the train to resume its journey, and, with its tired , burden of people, it reached its destination ait a quarter to 5 on Saturday morning, in-. s-+ead of at five minutes past nine on Friday night.