New-York tribune., 1922-04-30
Armies of Rival Generals
in All"Day Battle OH
Wide Front Extend.
ing North of Peking
Aircraft Capture
Govt. Warships
Whole Squadron Surren-
ders in Southern Waters
Under Bomb Attack

PEklNG, Sunday. April 80 (By' The
Associated Press Civil war in China
started from g new source Saturday.
with heavy cannonading in the neigh
borhood of Peking. TIE armies Of Gen
eral Chang Tso-Lill. military governor
o. Manchuria, and General WI Pci.Fu,
military leader OF Central China, who
arc contend.ng for t1e mastery o.
CAtna's Internal affairs, opened fire
along wide front.
AZ near as It IS possible 20 estimate,
tho front extends from Machanc, south
OF Tientssn. on the Pukow railroad,
across the country westward to Pao-
tinsfu, on the Peking Hanko railroad,
thonce northward TO Changsint,en,
twelve miles southwest Of Pekira.
The hostiltics are said to have been
due to an ultimatum from General WI
Pei-Fu, giving Chang Tso-Lin twenty
four hours to evacuate Peking and with
draw his troops from Mukden The
uItimatu-1 was ignored
hS S'HoollOil Nh5 lUllNeT complicated q
to-day according to advices from Sheng-
hai, when the entire southern naval
squadron belonging to the Pekino gov
ernment, was captured by the forces of
Sun Yat-sen, head Of the South China
government at Canton.
Whole Squadron Captured
The squadron captured, these re-
ports stated, included the cruisers Hal
Chi and Hal Chen, the gunboats Gnu
~, 4ung Peng, Yu Chang, Yung
Hslang, Fei Ying, Flu An and Yung An
and the training ship Chao Ho.
The attack was carried out by air
craft in conjunction with South Chi
ncse troops. The aircraft bombed the
vessels at Pah Wu-ten, twenty men
being killed and thirty wounded on
board the cruiser Hal Chi in the OPEN
ing attack, the reports state
Later there was q further bombing
attack on the vessels near Canton, on
The Whampca River the Hal Chi and
the other craft attacked surrenderine.
Artillery Opens Battle
Hostilities were opened by WI Pei
~ at Machang with artillery. Almost
Changsintien WI Pei-fu. who cor
trolls the Peking Hankow Railroad, is
sporting troops from the o~Yaugtse
with view TO turning Chang Tso-lin' s
west wing. located st Changsintien. 1t
is believed that Wa Pei-fu designs to
drive Chang Tso-lin's forces from
about Peking.
The fighting near Changsintien cen
tered around the river crossing known
as the Marco Polo Bridge. Peking was
awakened ut dawn By the sound Of can
nonading, which continued throughout
the day Foreign residents who mount
ed the City Hall could hear the firing
distinctly. From the western hills out
side the city, where many summer
homes are situated, the fighting was
witnessed BY numerous civilians.
Most OF the foreigners returned to
the city OH the advice Of the legations.
They We're also advised to display their
ticularly by the Americans. Some OF
thorities warned that all the gates
would be closed later In the day.
More Marines for Legation
One hundred and fifty American
b!uejackets and marines have arrived
to reinforce the legation. The total
number OF guards at gil the legations
le ABOUT l,OUO.
Advices from Tsingtao and Shantung
report that the Japanese are reinforce
ing their guards along the Shantung
Railway. These had recently been de-
creased in number as result of the
Washington conference.
The American consul at Nanking re-
ports that two Chinese cruisers in SYM
pathy with Pei-3u have departed from
Chefoo and are proceeding for Shan
haikuan, near the Great Wall, to de-
stroy the railroad to Mukden, thus
cutting Chang Tso-lin's rear
The Admiral Of the Chinese fleet has
notified ths government that it is his
purpose TO support WI Pei-fu. In his
message he said: "Thc reason China
is disunited may be attributed to the
militarists. Chang Tso-lln moved in
side the Great Wall without reason.
Unless the Manchurians withdraw we
will use the feet to extermlnate Chang
Tso-lin."
This doubtless refers to the plan to
cut the railroad north of Shanhaikuan.
Evidence Of the feeling of tha Chi
nese in the outlying districts was OBJ
servable in Peking last night, when
thousands OF natives entered the west
ern and southern gates carrying their
valuablcs to safety. All kinds Of vehi-
cles came In loaded with goods and ac-
companied by women and children.
Inside the gates the Chinese transport
CONTINUED on page thrss)