Jasper County Democrat, Volume 20, Number 37, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 August 1917 — SAW GERMAN RAID ON LONDON [ARTICLE]

SAW GERMAN RAID ON LONDON

International Harvester Man Mas Near an Exploding Bomb. A. J. Gaston, a traveling salesman for the International Harvester company, was in Rensselaer this week assisting the local agents, Kellner & Callahan. Mr. Gaston returned from England last month after being there since March. On July 7 Mr. Gaston was in London and witnessed the German air raid on that city. He was on one of the principal streets and got a good view of the German airships participating in the raid. One bomb dropped by the Germans landed within a block of where he was and killed forty-nine and injured 150. There were thirty-four German machines over the city at one time and they were finally driven off by eighteen English planes. Mr. Gaston gave a very definite account of the situation in England at this time. Exceptionally high prices for all commodities prevail, gasoline being 9 0 cents a gallon, and its- use is restricted to those purposes absolutely necessary. Kerosene is 24 cents a gallon, but many kerosene tractors are in use on the farms as they are still more economical than horses with the exceptionally high prices of feed that prevails. i The market price of potatoes is $24 a bushel, and all other foodstuffs are equally high, and their use limited and curtailed to the lowest minimum. Yet the people of England can see nothing but the ! ultimate defeat of Germany, although they expect the war to continue possibly two years longer.