CANTON A CITY OF RUIN

Southland Times, Issue 23648, 25 October 1938, Page 5

CANTON A CITY OF RUIN

Hollow Victory To Japanese GREAT FIRES RAGING EVERYWHERE DEFENDERS LEAVE HAVOC IN WAKE (United Press Assn.—Telegraph Copyright) (Received October 24, 7.50 p.m.) LONDON, October 24. With explosions rocking the city and great fires raging everywhere, Canton seems doomed to destruction, says the correspondent of The Daily Mail. The Chinese, determined to leave only a hollow victory to the Japanese, have wrought greater havoc in two days than 15 months of Japanese bombing. The Canton correspondent of The Daily Telegraph estimates the damage at £20,000,000. Fires beginning simultaneously in four quarters of the city spread rapidly, wiping out whole districts The Japanese, who lacked water, dynamited buildings in the hope of checking the flames, which, however, reached two huge ammunition dumps at Wongsha station and exploded them, filling a large area with immense craters.

According to Chinese reports 1000 passengers are believed to have perished when Japanese airmen bombed and sank the steamer Kongsin, nearHochow, 100 miles south of Hankow, says the Shanghai correspondent of the British United Press.

Martial law has been imposed in Hankow, the fall of which, according to an official spokesman in Tokyo, is imminent. Both naval and military forces are within striking distance, and shallow draught gunboats have gone far enough up the Yangtze to throttle the city. Two Japanese radio announcers, beginning on Tuesday, will broadcast regular 10-minute descriptions of the fighting on the Hankow front RUMOURS OF TRUCE Rumours of negotiations for a truce and of Marshal Chiang Kai-shek’s readiness to resign are widespread. It is suggested that Japan is ready for substantial concessions if she is offered face-saving proposals, including Marshal Chiang Kai-shek’s resignation. An official spokesman in Tokyo declared that no negotiations would begin until file Chinese leaders recognized the futility of their present measures and realize that peace in China was possible only with the co-operation of Japan. _ The martial law proclaimed at Hankow includes death to those plotting and spreading propaganda against resistance to the Japanese, providing supplies or information to them ,or harming foreigners. ; Measures ar® De ” ing taken to evacuate the hundreds or Chinese wounded.

The Japanese bombers are concentrating on the masses of refugee junks travelling westwards to safety, and similarly on the hordes on foot. Father Jacquinto has succeeded in inducing the combatants to accept a refugee zone. . __ , All Japanese buildings m Hankow are mined by the Chinese for destruction fire moment the Japanese appear. The fires at Canton virtually wiped out the whole commercial Bund. A change in the wind saved Shameen, the British and American area from the conflagration. , , During the explosions yesterday the keepers at the Pakhoktung asylum abandoned 800 lunatics, for whom British naval ratings supplied the evening meal of rice.

ATTACK ON BRITISH GUNBOAT JAPANESE DELAY AMERICAN LINER (Received October 25, 12.10 am.) SHANGHAI, October 24. Six Japanese heavy bombers attacked the British gunboat Sandpiper. There were no casualties, but two cabins were wrecked and the superstructure was seriously damaged. The Japanese delayed the departure of the liner President Coolidge, refusing to permit a shipment of 100 cases of silver, which they contended belonged to the Chinese. The United States Consul is negotiating with the Japanese Embassy. Britain has protested most strongly against the bombing of the Sandpiper, which the Japanese explain was caused by splinters while they were bombing a troop-laden jupk. The British naval authorities refused a Japanese request to move shipping either from Hankow or from the Pearl river at Canton.