New Britain herald., 1929-06-14
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Warrington. D. C.. June It. Wuchow. whence American citizens wsrs recently urged to flee before tAs city should be bombed by Can. tsness airplanes, is one of the chief commercial distributing points west of Canton, according to a bulletin frsm the Washington, D. c. head quarters of the National Geograpic Society. Wuchow lies on the north hank Of the Si-Kiang or West river which is connected with the Canton post by canal.
 There are no railroads within 200 miles of the city" says the bull letin. Roads radiatins into the surrounding region are almost inn passable for vehicles, 90 Wuchow rsally lives by its riverfront traffic.
 Dtlapidatcd Boats FYl HarbOr
 "Junks, sampans and many other types of native craft fill the harbor. Ocean going vessels can navigate the West river to this point and frequently q huge. funnelled craft noses its way toward the city. The U. .. g. Guam now is anchored at Wuchow to protect American citi- sens.
 Another touch of modern com merce penetrating the depths of China's waterways. is the increasing number of motor boats that skim over the river, passing through lanes of anchored native boats and dedsing others that lazily float here and there under the muscle power of one or two half-naked. yellow- skinned coolies.
 Laden with lumber. indigo. rice and tea, many of the boats come from distant provinces. Here is an old junk with gaping holes only a few inches above the water line. If 1t ever had a coat of paint, there is no evidence of it.
 Smsall B0ats Swarm Ocean Craft
 The smaller boats clustered to- eether near the shore. also are dinSy in appearance. but now and then . red and yellow painted craft adds . gay touch to the riverside panorama. When large boat ar tivss at Wuchow to transport car gees of the smaller ones down. stream to Hong Kong and Canton. there is a rush of small boats which seon entirely surround it.
 To the average traveller. the sing song chatter of the families absard the native boats is all alike. Ons. familiar with Chinese dialects. finls that Wuchow harbor is a tumble of natives from many re- stsns. The dialects of Kwangsi province. of which Wuchow is an important gateway, dominate but there h also the chatter of the kweichew natives and even that of the natives of Yunnan. indicating that some of the boats in the har- bor have been drifting downstream for weeks.
 Fat Of City Occupies P0ntoOns
 '.Wuchow itself begins before the river bank is reached. Now and then in the summer the West river 9oss on . rampage and rises 70 to 10 feet. 9o the business houses that were inundated during these annual floods built offices and ware houses on pontoons which are tied to the shore.
 Beyond the pontoons, Wuchew presents . pacture of typical Chtnsss city that the outside world has not yet marked. There Is no wide quay or bund but from the river bank the narrow. tortuous. ill., smelling streets begin. offering no breathing spaces until one emerEes from tho other side Of the city. Fifty thousand natives and hand. full of foreigners live in these mere passageways.
 "Wuchow's history is one of chronic rebellion which has re- tarded its growth"