The New York herald., 1922-04-30
Civil War Starts With Bat
tie in District South
of Pekin.
ALL GATES TO BE CLOSED
More American Sailors and
Marines Sent to Legation
Natives Flee to Capital.

SHANGHAI, April 20 (Associated
Press) The forces Of Sun Vat Sen,
lead Of the South Chinese Govern
ment at Canton, have captured the en-
tire southern naval squadron. 1t was
stated in unofficial dispatches pub
lished here to-day by the foreign and
Chinese press.
The squadron captured, these re-
ports stated, include the cruisers Hal
CHI and Hal Chen, the gunboats Chu
Yu, Yung Peng Yu Chang, Yung
Hsiang, Fei Ying. Fu An and Yung
An and the training ship Chao Ho.
The attack on the vessels, which
resulted In their surrender was car
ried out by aircraft, in conjunction with
south Chinese troops. The aircraft
bombed the vessels at Pah en-,
twenty men being killed and thirty
others wounded on board the LII 1851 blai
Chi in the initial ek
state.
Later there was a rtn ing
attack on the vessels near Ga TO-, IN
the Whampoa River the Hal Chi and
the other craft attacked surrendering.
= Civil War Is Started.
PEK1N. April 80 (Associated Press).-
Civil war in China started Saturday
with heavy cannonading in the neighbor-
hood of Pekin. The armies OF Gen.
Chang Tso-Lin, Military Governor OF
Manchuria, and Gen. Wu Pei-Fu, mill
tary leader of Central China. who are
contending for the mastery OF China's
internal affairs, opened fire along wide
front.
AS near as it Is possible to estimate
the front extends fromh Machang, south
of Tientsin, on the Pukow Railroad.
across the country westward to Paoting-
Flu, on the Pekin-Hankow R1ilroadS
thence northward to Changsintien,
twelve miles southwest of Pekin.
The hostilities are said to have been
due to an ultimatum from Gen. Wu
Pei-fu. giving Chang Tso-lin twenty-four
hours to evacuate Pekin and Withdraw
his troops from Mukden. The ultimatum
was ignored Fighting opened at Ma
chang with artillery. Almost simulta-
eously cannonading began at Changsin~
tien. WI Pei-fu, who controls the Pc
kin--Hankow Railroad, Is transporting
troops from the Yangtse with view
to turning Chang Tso-lin's west wing.
located at Changsintien.
Civilians See Fi9hthhE'
The fighting near Changsintien CEN
tered around the river crossing known
as the Marco Polo Bridge. Pekin was
awakened at dawn by the sound OF
cannonading. From the western nils
outside the city, where many summer
homes are located, the fighting at
T,hanrs,ntien was witnessed by numer-
GUS civilians.
Most of the foreigners returned to- the
city on the advice OF the legations. They
also were advised to display their ma
tional flags and this was done. particu-
larly by the Americans. Some OF the
cIty gates were closed. The authorities
warned that all the gates would be
closed later in the day.
One hundred and fifty American blue
Jackets and marines have arrived to re-
enforce the legation. The total number
Of guards at all the legations Is about
1000.
Advices from Tsingtao and Shantung
report that the Japanese are reinforcing
their guards along the Shantung rail-
way. The American Consul at Marking
reports that two Chinese cruisers in
sympathy with Wu Pei-fu have left
Chefoo for Shanhaikuan. near the Great
Wall. for the purpose of destroying the
railroad to Mukden. thus cutting Chang
Tso-lin's rear.
The admiral Of the Chinese fleet has
notified the Government that 1t Is his
purpose to support wu Pei-fu. Thou
sands Of natives entered the western
and southern gates, carrying their val
uables TO safety. All kinds. of vehicles
came in loaded with goods and accom-
panied by women and children. Inside
the gates the Chinese transported their
money and jewelry to the banks In the
legation confines.
The firing appeared to diminish when
darkness fell.