The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-04-03
NEA Service Writer

| NEh SefV1cC WFlcE
 Washington-There's always some- thing doing on the Yangtze river. The rest of the American navy goes for years without fighting anybody, but the gunboats of the Yangtze lpatrol are engaged in constant pot shot warfare with armed Chinese who attack it from the rivers banks. l In the last year not one of the eight gunboats has made. trip up the river without being fired upon land 37 attacks have been reported since July.
 But even greater thrills, accord ling to former gunboat officers now stationed here, are experienced in lnavigatin the perilous rapids of Ithe upper river where rocks are Iuncharted and the current in steep lgorges sometimes squirts through at l15 knots an hour.
 Protect Americans
 The patrol is on duty to protect American lives and/ Amreican com- merce on and along the river. Most of the commerce is in oil, including the rare tung oil used by our var lnish and oilcloth industries. Some ltimes naval authorities. convoy American vessels up and down the river and sometimes they station larmed guards with machine-guns laboard them. One American con- lcern operates shipping line of labout a dozen boats on the river. About 1,400 miles of river is pa- ltroled and something like 400 miles lof it runs through mountains and lgorges where there is sometimes 1900 feet difference between high water and low water.
 The Chinese shoot at our gum boats partly because they hate for- leigners but often just for fun, ac- lcording to naval officers. The att Hackers are known as bandits. iwhose ranks are always being aug Imented by ex-soldiers and of whom lone officer estimates there are more lthan 50,000 along the Yangtze. IThere is nothing to be gained from firing on gunboats, except satisfac- Ition, so apparently it's much like Iorganizing a private. shooting party Iafter big game.
 Chinese Are Poor Shots
 Casualties are rare because the iChinese are poor marksmen and be- lcause the American gunboats are } Iwell protected, but a French gum
 boat once came in with some 250
 bullet holes in her hull. The ban ldits are often smart enough to con- iceal themselves at some especially tough spot along the river where lcommander and crew must give nearly all their attention to navi- lgating. They can rarely be seen, las they hide behind bushes and rocks high up on the banks. No lgunboat ever yet failed to return lthe fire and silence 1t, but it Is hard Ito hit any bandits or determine the , Iextent of casualties. The gum boats are armed with anti-air- craft guns because, in the gorges, lit is sometimes necessary to shoot Ialmost straight up into the air. It was proving so difficult to pene- !. trate the high bandit nests few lyears ago that someone thought Ihills above them, causing ava Ranches which often have proved Ithe concealed attackers.
 Lately the bandits have come Iinto possession of some field pieces and not long ago the gum Iboat Tutuila sent one of them fiy- ling into the air with a high-ex- lplosive shell on the first shot from lher aft three-pounder. None of Ithe field-pieces have yet scored a 5 Init. but naval officers fear one ls E Ibound to do so sooner or later, (which in all probability would
 mean the loss of gunboat and Iperhaps of all on board.
 Boats Have Huge Rudders
 About 800 officers and sailors Iman the American gunboats. Nor | mally there are six of the craft 2 leach named after one of our island possessions in the Pacific ILuzon, Mindanao, Guam, oahu IPanay and Tutuila, the two new. lest of which have a speed of 1a knots. But the Monocacy and the lPalos. which had been out of com mission. were recently. put back Unto service. with the increase oi i, lbanditry. The Paios figured in tho {, most spectacular of recent gun. e Iboat exploits a year ago last Juls : Iwhen, as Changsha was footed, | made possible the evacuation oi . Ian Americans and most other for. t Ieigners there.
 . The boats are short and then lrudders are enormous 50 they cas Imake quick turns at marrow lpolnta Ther are armored at th'