UNDER FIRE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 300, 18 December 1937, Page 9

UNDER FIRE.

PAN AY'S WOUNDED. British Correspondent Tells What He Saw. BOARDING STORY CONFIRMED. United Tress Association.—Copyright. (Received 12 noon.) LONDON, December 17. Giving a dramatic eye-witness description of the sinking of the anay, Mr. C. M. McDonald, "The 1 lines correspondent at Nanking, who was aboard, confirms that Japanese machine-gunned the vessel atter the bombing and also machinegunned survivors making for the shore in boats. He adds that a Japanese motor boat approached and later iked half a dozen shots at the Tanay. Then a party of soldiers went aboard. The attack, once begun, left no doubt about its purpose being a deliberate, systematic attempt to destroy the gunboat arid all aboard. Mr. McDonald, after telling of the first attack, says that owing to the rapidity, the noise and concussion it was impossible to detail the attacks which followed, but only relatively small bombs were used Otherwise the vessel would have sunk instantly.

-I he Panay's machine-guns went into action soon after the first attack and blazed away, with the American sailors stripped to the waist grimly firing at oncoming 'planes which swooped lower as the vessel become more disabled.

The chief boatswain's mate, who was bathing when the bombing began, was on deck naked directing the fire. Signor Sandri, Italian journalist, was hit in the stomach and died after liearlv 24 hours of agony.

Meanwhile, the Panay, holed in several places, was slowly settling. The order was given to abandon ship, but the bombing and machine-gunning continued.

No time was lost, however, in getting the wounded away in two small boats. The lirst boat was machine-gunned halfway to the shore and five were wounded, one fatally. All the survivors landed on a desolate stretch of mudbank.

As boats were scuttled the uninjured carried or dragged the wounded through freezing swamps. Finally a motor launch, abandoned by the Chinese, was found and the way'made to a nearby hamlet, thence by land with the aid of Chinese coolies to Hohsien.

> SALUTE TO THE DEAD. - Japanese to Honour American B Victims. 5 MORE APOLOGIES GIVEN. LONDON, December 17. r The Tokyo correspondent of the "Daily Telegraph" says superior officers . of the Japanese Navy with difficulty ; have persuaded Admiral Hasegawa, I naval commander in China, from resign- . ing in order to assume full personal ( responsibility for the Yangtse bombi ings. The Navy Office officials announce that the Japanese Navy will voluntarily, without reference to the United States, fire a formal salute at Shanghai in honour of those killed in the bombing of the Panay. The British Ambassador, Sir TJobert Craigie, pointed out to Mr. Hirota, •Japanese Foreign Minister, that the Japanese apology did not refer to the firing on the British merchant vessels Tuckwo and Tatung. The British Embassy later in the day received a special Note apologising for the firing on those vessels. Further apologies include one conveyed by Mr. Okamura, secretary to the Embassy, who flew to Wuhu and apologised to the commander of the American gunboat Oahu, on behalf of Mr. Kawagoe, Japanese Ambassador to China, for the sinking of the Panay. He also apologised to the commander of the British gunboat Bee for the firing on H.M.S. Ladybird. MANITOBA MOTION. AGGRESSION CONDEMNED. (Received 1.30 p.m.) WINNIPEG, December 17. The Manitoba Legislature adopted a resolution condemning Japanese aggression in China. A motion to boycott Japanese goods and prohibit export of war materials to Japan was rejected.