Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-24
REFUGEES
THRONG|NG ROOFS
HankoW Panorama of Death,
Madness, Disease and
Starvation.

Starvation.
Continued Prom First Page)
roofs were only partially successful. A
few vendors cruiseo ahout in Samusus.
but the majority Of the roof sitters
lacked even one copper with which 20
buy. 1t soon became dangerous for
the vendors because hunger began 20
madden the sufferers
Despite the colossal difficulties, the
police worked heroically cruising the
streets in boats and attempting TO
maintain a semblance of order. They
had big job trying to pound some
trafnc sense into the 5000 b0atnaent,
many Of whom have entered the city
Tor the first time In their lives.
Machine Guns Mounted.
Most Of these boatment had lived on
the river since childhood. Stern meas
ures also became necessary when 80
600 jtnriksha men. their vehicles use
less or gone. threatened to rush the
more prosperous sections Of the city
and seize food
Ofiicers mounted machine guns on
several small junks and manned each
with q gunner and a squad of rifiemen
with fxed bayonets. II the machine
guns ever are used the death toll will
be heavy, because the surface Of the
water Is thick with refugees
Some Of these cling to tubs, boards.
barrels. baskets or anything else that
Will support them. In the shalIoWer
waters hundreds of beggars stand neck
deep In the food with small children
perched on their shoulders.
The correspondent saw scores Of aged
men and women wading about in water
up TO their necks in search of better
refugees. These aged persons had lacked
strength to fight for places aboard the
few refugee ferries operated by the au-
thorities.
Many of these waders lose their
footing. or. succumbtng to exhaustion,
disappear beneath the muddy waters.
Hundreds In Trees.
From the outskirts Of Hankow came
reports that hundreds Of refugees. left
with no other haven when their farms
were submerged, were clinging 70 tree
tops. Now the floods are uprooting the
trees.
There is no place to bury the dead.
Thousands Of corpses float down the
main stream Of the Yangtze TO vast lake
spreading between Hankow and Nam
king. In portions Of Hankow the stencil
Is unbearable. It would be worse but
for the Yangtze's cleansing current.
Hoards Of mosquitoes are attacking
the miserable, unclad refugees, adding
malaria to the array Of diseases, which
include dysentery and typhoid fever.
Soldiers Attacked.
Hunger driven refugees attacked q
detail Of soldiers here today as the
latter started moving q quantity OF
grain from the native section of the
flooded city. The soldiers called rein
forcements and the crowd was queIled
after the arrival Of junks with mounted
machine guns. Several refugees were
wounded. The refugees had been quar-
tered IN the warehouse from which the
grain was being removed After the
f1rst attack the soldiers summoned the
noating reinforcements, whose arrival
ended the disorder.
Anxiety arose again among the thou
sands of refugees in Hankow and its
sister cities, Hanyang and Wuchanr,
when q stiff wind began blowing This
was feared to be q forerunner Of Q
typhoon.
Residents believed storm woula
hasten the doom OF the three cities.
blowing such volume of water into
undermined foundations that collapse
would Be certain
Committees and public organizations
met today to discuss the flood situation
Heretofore the only real effort in the
direction Of immediate relief on q large
scale had been attempted by the mill
tary, who have herded 400, ZOO destitute
victims on the Wuchang side Of the
swollen Yangt1e river and are feeding
them from meager supplies.
The military. however, was without
means OF combating diseases. The
foul Hood waters, which the refugees.
are drinking. are causing limbs to swell
to horrible proportions.
Deaths Increasing.
The death rate increases daily. the
swirhng Yangtze carrying of its daily
quota OF more than 1000 bodies, inter-
mingled with dead horses. dors and live
STOCK. Human bodies are dumped I'M
tremendously into the river with those
of animals.
It Is apparently impossible. to prevent
thousands Of additional deaths. but
time may save many If food And medi-
cines are provided
Heretofore all efforts of relief bodies
have been devoted TO surveys. calcuIa-
tons and committee forming while the
obviously imperative needs are trans
portation to dry land, food, shelter and
medicines.
The local Kuomintane CPeouIe,s
party has appealed to Marking for
$4,000 600 (Mexican). but money can
buy nothing in the Wuhan area, which
comprises the tri-cities Of Hankow.
Hanyang and Wuchang, but meaeer
food supplies.
River Dropping.
The swollen Yangtze definitely is
dropping at the rate Of two inches daily.
at which rate 1t would require six weeks
TO drain the city Of Hankow The water
still was seven feet above the level of
the Hankow Bund, however, and this
tremendous head Of water extends I'M
mense distances around the wuhan
area. The trt-cttieS could not be more
unfortunately situated.
The upper Yangtze is practically back
to its normal level, but TunRting Lake,
above Hankow, still Is pouring q terrific
volume of water into the Yangtze, which
Is unable TO carry it on because Poyang
Lake, below the city, similarly is dis
charging millions of tons. Hence an
area of thousands of square miles be-
tween Hankow and Marking must re-
main submerged, probably for weeks, I'M
til the Yangt5e channel can again carry
its load.
Hankow's foreign community finds
life Evable, although extremely vexa-
tious and uncomfortable.
Food still was obtainable for them
and river steamers from Shanghai can
insure steady supply at least for their
needs. The local vegetable supply was
ended long ago and local meats are re-
garded with suspicion because Chinese
are salyaging carcasses of drowned an
finals, which they are butchering and
marketing.
Ice Is Scarce.
There Is little ice nhfainahle and