Defenders Destroy In Rebels Path

Northern Advocate, 26 January 1939, Page 7

Defenders Destroy In Rebels Path

(Received 1 p.m.) LONDON, January 25. The French Ambassador has left Barcelona, states a cablegram from that city y and practically all newspaper correspondents have lalso gone.

Communication between Barcelona and the outside world is virtually cut off.

The single telephone line to France is jammed with official messages.

It is estimated that over 500,000 persons have left from Barcelona in the last 36 hours, but 1,500,000 still remain. Three-quarters of the people are without water, electricity or gas. It is stated that the road to Gerona is now under machine-gun fire. The northern sector is retreating. Loyalists are dynamiting bridges and roadways and burning everything likely to be useful to General Franco. jThe majority of the foreign observers are of opinion that nothing short of a miracle can save the city. Lest to Late. General mobilisation and the recruitment of women to dog fortifications was left too late, and the socalled third line of defence consists merely of hastily-built shallow trenches where the battle-weary and inadequately armed Loyalists can do little more than hold out until all' the material necessary for the Government to carry on the struggle is removed from . the city. A message from Paris says a Rebel bomber of German make crashed in the Pyrenees, The crew of five were killed.