NORTH SPAIN ACTIVITY

Grey River Argus, 26 April 1937, Page 5

NORTH SPAIN ACTIVITY

BLOCKADE BEATEN Madrid Shelled Again (Aus. A N.Z. Cable Assn ) MADRID. April 23. Five were killed and many were injured during the twelfth consecutive ilav’s bombardment of the city. Heavy calibre shells fell in the main streets. The casualty list is now 200 killed and 250 injured in 12 days. According to the author, Mr Ernest Hemmingway, who is at present Jn Madrid, these heavy and indiscriminate bombardments have no military objective, states a North American Newspaper Alliance message. Tn spite of the sight of dead and wounded, and of men hosing the streets to wash away debris and blood, the people are not impressed. They scatter to avoid a bombardment', and return to their employment when the shelling senses and tile trams begin running again.

Bilbao reports that after Government aeroplanes had kept five rebel aeroplanes at bay, a sixth killed ten and wounded thirty before the defenders brought down two or three attackers. The rebels have resumed their land offensive and have occupied several villages and have relieved the hunger of 1500 starving inmates of the Santa Agueda lunatic asylum. NEW CONTROL AT MADRID. DEFENCE JUNTA DISSOLVED. (Received April 25. 7 p.m.) LONDON. April 24. _ The British United. Press Madrid correspondent reports: The . Defence Junta, which came into being when the Caballero Government went from Madrid to Valencia, has been dissolved. The civil authority will in future be exercised by a new City Council, which is being formed, and in which all parties and organisations are to be renresented. Senor Miaja will henceforth act solely as military commander on the central fronts A message from Valencia says the luggage of the Chilean Ambassador was searched as he left Spain. Securities, the export of which is prohibited, were discovered. The Government states that although the Embassy was the centre of espionage activities,_ the Ambassador was shown every consideration. LOYALISTS CUT RAIL COMMUNICATION. (Received April 25. 7.20 p.m.) BARCELONA, April 24. Loyalists claim that a patrol of tWei'.rs Deineitlfiated twenty.seven miles into' insurgent territory and mined a high viaduct, ■which blew up when a train was passing over it, destroying the train, and cutting the rail communication between Terual and Saragossa. BASQUE PREMIER. RIDICULES THE BLOCKADE. (Received April 25. 7 p.m.) - LONDON, April 24. The Basque Premier. Senor Deaquierre, says: “The Fascists’ pretence at a blockade crashed with the arrival of the British foodships>. Moreover, the insurgents have conducted a twentyfour days’ offensive against Durango, and it is breaking down, and the Government supporters hope to see daylight. shortly.” A Bilbao report states that immediately the food ships entered territorial’waters the Government warships Zizcaya and Guipuzcoa escorted them while three rebel warships steamed away as the shore batteries dropped shells a few feet short.

The Basque Foreign Afinister declared that th e entry of the three ships proved Bilbao free from mines, and the fact that rebel warships present and intending to impede the entry of the ships failed, proved that they were incapable of maintaining an effective blockade. Acting as spokesman for himself and for Captains France and Still, the masters of the three successful block-ade-runners, Captain John “Corncob” Jones said: “We kept a course about ten miles from the coast from St Jean de Luz to Bilbao. When we reached Le Quito we met two British destroyers. which followed us as far as territorial waters. “Two rebel armed trawlers began trailing us at daybreak. The Almirante Cervera fired a blank shell and ordered us to follow a course away from Bilbao. “I wirelessed, stating the situation, and shortly afterwards we sighted the Vizcaya and the Guipuzcoa inside terri torial waters.”

Captain John Jones said: “I saw the Basque coastal batteries open fire on the rebel armed tnawler Galerna. “The British destroyers which had been guarding us turned back six miles from the entrance to Bilbao, where we changed our course to enter the harbour, the Almb'ante Cervera sheer'ng oil’-” The St Jean de Luz correspondent of “The Times” says it was the armed trawler which fired across the block-ade-runners’ bows, but the presence of the Hood prevented molestation by the Almirante Cer(vera. REBEL TRAWLERWARNED BY BRITISH BATTLESHIPLONDON, April 23. The official British account from the Embassy at Mondays says a rebel armed trawler-cruiser stopped a British merchant ship outside territorial waters, whereupon the rebel warships were requested to stop interfering with British ships in extra-tenfitorial waters. The rebel cruiser claimed jurisdiction six miles from the coast. Vice-Admiral Blake replied that Britain did not recognise any claim beyond the thrlee-m'le limit- The merchant ships proceeded, but were stopped by a trawler,, which fired across tho bows of one. 11-M-S- Hood repeated the warning, and 10-yal-st batteries at Galeapo opened fire- The trawler then withdraw, and the merchantmen proceeded. Three More British Ships START TO RUN BLOCKADE. (Received April 25, 7 p.m.) SAINT JEAN DE LUZ. April 24.

Two Briti-h food-sh’ips, the “Stresso” and “Thurston,” sailed out of La Pal. lice, which is three miles west of La

Rochelle, en route for Bilbao. These will not’ have the battleship “Hood’s” protection, as the battleship has gone to Britain for participation in t!he coronation review. The “Hood” will be replaced by the “Royal Oak.” Aleanwhile another ship, the “Shropshire,” has al.-o sailed from La Rocm elle. It is believed she is making foi 'Spain.

British Intervention GERMAN PRESS ASSERTION. (Received April 25, 7.15 p.m.) BERLIN, April 24. The German newspapers are vehemently atltacking Britain for permitting her warships to protect the blockade runners. The papers assert that this action is tantamount to intervention in Spain. A REPORTED CHASE. BY INSURGENT WARSHIP. LONDON, April 23. Among- the conflicting reports of the blockade-running is one that an insurgent cruiser fired at one of the British ships outside the three-mile limit. The Hood and the destroyer Friedrake signalled telling the cruiser not to interfere with British shipping. (Received Apr ! 25. 7.35 p.m.) GIBRALTAR, April 24. A Nationalist gun-boat chased the “Seven Seas Sound”, a sister ship to the “Seven Seas Spray’, into Gibraltar harbour. NOT CHASED BY INSURGENTS. (Received April 25, 7.35 p.m.) GIBRALTAR, April 24. The captain of the Seven Seas Sound denies that the insurgents chased him. He says thar, they only asked him his destination, which he gave. INSURGENT CAPTURE CLAIMED. SHIP CARRYING 22 ’PLANES. LONDON. April 24. Insurgent warships ela’m to have captured within the northern Spanish territorial waters, an un-named ship, which was cariying twenty-two aeroplanes. and thirty thou-'and uniforms for the use of Spanish Government troops. A message from Seville says an insurgent submarine claims to have sunk a ' Government merchantman off Malaga and to have run another ashore.