1937-09-22 — Page 7

THE CHINA MAIL, SEPTEMBER 1937.

FOUR-HOUR RAID ON CANTON

Quickly Followed By Second Shortly After Dawn

SEVEREST ATTACKS

YET LAUNCHED

Canton, To-day.

What was possibly the longest air raid in the present Sino-Japanese hostilities was experienced early this morning when an unknown number of Japanese planes paid Canton a third visit in 24 hours.

It is estimated they dropped between fifteen. and thirty bombs, mostly on the northern and east- ern areas

-FINN GUARDS

FIRE ON SOVIET PLANES

Helsingfors, To-day.

Shots were fired by Finnish frontier guards yesterday at se- veral Russian military planes which flew over the border.

One of the machines, had to make a forced landing, and a Fin- nish military commission has left to investigate the incident. Trans-Ocean

FOREIGN LADY AND CHILD "SHOCKED" IN

AIR RAID

Canton, To-day. A foreign lady and her child, sheltering in a dug-out at Tung- shan, were thrown against the wall as a result of a nearby bomb explosion during the Jap-- anese air raid.

Loss of life and damage to property is not di-Lungshankong, north of Macao, vulged officially but foreign observers opine that at 2:30 this morning flying in a

Suffering from slight shock, northerly direction via the Boc-both are being sent this was more severe than in the two earlier raids

to Hong ca Tigris.

Kong-to-day. yesterday.

The alarm was sounded shortly after 2 o'clock this morning and an hour later the thunder of bombs dropping and anti-aircraft fire was audible, with an occasional lull until nearly daylight.

It is now 6 o'clock and the drone of the last plane faded away only a few minutes ago. The all clear signal still has to sound.

Reuter's correspondent spent the night on the roof of the Victoria Hotel and witnessed the burst of flames as each bomb was dropped, followed a second later by the sound of its explosion.

They were sighted at Can- ton at 3.10 a.m. and eventually departed, being chased as far as Chekai, west of Macao, by: Chinese planes.

In the second raid, 27 Ja-

panese bombers are reported to

have participated, arriving over Canton at 7.10 and leaving at 7.30.

During both raids several bombs "were dropped in the eastern, western and northern

suburbs,

`aero- as well as on dromes, where, however, no special damage was done.

Two bombs dropped almost at the front door of the pals- tial Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, which thousands of

Tracer anti-aircraft fire was clearly visible, the shells rocketing across the sky before bursting. Chinese planes are understood to have engag- ed the invaders and machine-guns were distinctly foreign tourists have visited audible at times.

South of the city one plane dropped four green flares, which remained suspended in the sky for some minutes before disappearing. They seemed to mark the line of the river.

From the first street parallel to the Shakee foreshore, a number of what appeared. to be red flares, shot into the sky.

For a moment these were thought to be signals from spies but the blatant -continuation of the lights eventually led observers to believe they were from legitimate Chinese

sources..

THRILLING MOMENT: One extremely thrilling moment was experienced. when a plane was heard over, the north city.

:

TO-DAY'S SECOND

VISITATION

Fire Visible In West

Of City

Canton, To-day. Canton experienced its fourth air raid within 24 hours at 6:40 this morning, when a number of Japan- ese planes, believed to be six, visit- ed the city and loosed off a further load of bombs.

The raid was featured by the A searchlight beam flashed across the sky and a second later anti-air-usual power diving, anti-aircraft fire and so forth, while a cloudy sky craft guns roared forth.

The engine of the machine sud-hid the raiders from the view of denly stopped and for a few brief those who watched on the roofs of

houses in Shameen. moments it seemed as though the plane had been hit, but the loud The all clear signal was sounded.

jat 8.30.

thud of a bomb and renewal of the drone of the plane quickly revealed that it had cut off its engine and then gone into a power dive.

WHOLE CITY AWAKE The night's bombing and shelling awakened the city and Shameen

A fire is visible to the west the city, where a cloud of smoke is climbing to the sky

An official statement regarding the activities of the last two days being withheld at present.

A number of foreign women ön Many of the small foreign com munity soon returned to their beds one rooftop on Shameen were wear- but others took up positions in ing shorts and fin hats-Reuter.

specified refuge buildings and the usual precautions were taken on the island

Daylight found a thin line of smoke hanging over the east- ern horizon.

The all clear signal was sounded 6,25, but Canton has been given

only a short breathing spell..

It is now. 6.40 and the syrens are sounding the alarm again-Renter.

FOUR BROUGHT DOWN

Many 'Non-Combatant

Casualties

Canton, To-day. reliable Chinese source forms Reuter that seven panese planes were sighted

in the past year, while a few private houses were demolished in the west city. Many non- combatants were killed.

The Chinese claim that four Japanese planes were brought down, one in flames near a mi- litary hospital and another

:

It must be emphasised that foreigners in Shameen are in no danger, except in the unlikely event of stray shrapnel or an un- foreseen accident.

A number of foreigners still remain in Tungshan, the only danger there being its proximity to the Chinese aerodromes, which both yesterday and to-day were the objectives of the Japanese : raids. Reuter.

plunging into. the water near Whampoa. The two others have not yet been located. Reuter.

RAILWAY SAFE

The "China Mail" understands that although the Kowloon- Canton Railway station in Can-- ton has been one of the objec tives of the Japanese raids, no damage whatsoever has yet been done at Taishatau.

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