Evening star., 1932-02-08
n the office of the Shanghai-Woosung

in the Office of the Shanghai-Woosung
| Railroad
Close by was the area where a great
fire burned all day yesterday, but to-
night it was practically burned out
More than 300 buildings. most of them
| in the better class section, had been de-
strOyed.
A group of officers, asked why they
had rot crossed the creek into the city
replied only that the Chinese machine
gun fire was very bao,' They mti-
mated they would wait for reinforce
mentS before attacking again.
There were reports additional Japa-
I nese troops had been landed at Woo
sung.
Planes Drone Overhead.
While the Associated Press CORE
| spondent looked over the japanese po-
! Sitions around Woosung late today
WarshipS off shore continued to hurl
projectiles into the city with slight ap-
parent effect
japanese planes also droned over
head, although they dropped bombs
only occasionally. Several japanese
destroyers nearby showed the effects OF
their constant firing into the Chinese
defenSes. They were blackened from
stem to stern.
The scene was dreary, cold and for
| bidding, with clouds of smoke and fog
hanging low over the ocean and the
town nearby.
Within Woosung there was little evi-
dence of civilian life and not a living
soul showed himself. What had be-
come of the civil population 20 one
seemed to know, but doubtless most of
it had been evacuated into the coun-
trySide
There was plenty of evidence, how
ever, that the Chinese military was on
the scene. Whenever the japanese at
tempted to cross the Woosung Creek or
otherwise showed themselves a dead
ly machine-gun fire came out of the
embattled Chinese positions.
Chinese Outnumbered.
The Chinese were outnumbered more
than two to one in the Woosung light.
Chinese forces in the Woosung area
were estimated at only 1000 There
were 1000 japanese soldiers- and 400
bluejackets in the advancing force.
Fire destroyed numerous foreign
style villas and other buildings on
KiangWan road in the no-man'S-l land
north of Chapel. Leveling of the
houses and villas by the flames gave
the japanese an uninterrupted view
toward TIE Chinese front and the coun-
try toward Kiangwan and Woosung.
The japanese caid the villas were
used by Chinese snipers for vantage
points.
The japanese denied any intention
of landing soldiers in the foreign quar-
ter, but posted notice on the Shang-
haiWoosung Highway closing it to all
traffic
Vice Admiral Sir Howard Kelly, COM
manding British naval forces in the
Far East and British Consul General
j. F. Brenan approached Chinese au-
thorities with renewed proposals for a
truce They hoped later to approach
japanese officials
If the japanese should succeed in
capturing the Woosung forts, they
would establish a base there for the
landing and operations of japanese in
fantry forces, expected to pour into
the country Immediately.
Air Activities Protested.
Edwin S. Cunningham, United States
consul general and senior consul here.
was asked by the head OF The Inter
national Settlements governing body
to protest to japanese authorities
against flights of japanese airplanes
over the foreign quarter.
Brig. Gen. Z. B. MacNaghten, chair
man of the settlements Municipal
Council, requested the American consul
to make urgent representations that the
japanese airplane flights endangered
life and property by drawing the fire of
Chinese guns toward the settlement.
Such flights not only are causing
2
! MacNaughten caid, but are endanger-
ing life and property, due to the fire
attracted by the planes and from pro-
! jectiles which have been falling on the
settlement in great number"
/ Gen. MaCNaghtcn urged Consul
General Cunningham to try to persuade
! both the Chinese and japanese au-
/ thorities to refrain from any activities
endangering the settlement