Evening star., 1937-12-17
Survivors
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American because the day before we
told the japanese Army in the area
who we were"
Survivors of the bombing had the
highest praise for the gunboat's
machine gunners: Edgar William
George Hulsebus of Canton, Mo-;
Alex Kozak of Ansonia, Conn; James
Timothy Murphy of Lexington, KY;
Reginald Peterson of Berkeley, Calf
Marcus Vale Williamson of Houston
Tex; Walter Cheatham, San Bernar-
dino, Calf; William Stanley Nc.
Eowan, Greenville, Ohio; John Henry
Lang, Long Beach, Calf, and Maurice
David Rider, Southampton, Mass.
These gunners kept their guns firing
until the Panay sank.
Chief BoatsWain's Mate Ernest
Mahlmann of Astoria, Long Island,
was taking bath when the ship was
attacked. He dashed to the boat deck
naked and, after directing the Panay's
gunf1re, manned gun himself. Later
he made every trip with the motor
launch taking wounded survivors
ashore.
Gunners Answer Fire.
Colin Malcolm Mcdonald, CORE
spondent for the London Times, told
OF seeing sailors stripped to the waist
some of them bleeding from wounds
grimly firing machine guns at the at.
tacking planes.
When the planes came roaring
oack, l dived into the chief petty Of
ncers' mess on the boat deck" Nc
Donald said. Many civilians took
shelter there, including Sandri, who
was crouched near the door.
"Sandri suddenly clapped his hands
10 his stomach and cried out I die
Il saw Immediately he was gravely
wounded and found he had been hit
In the stomach with two machine-gun
bullets. The ships surgeon was tend
Ing other wounded in the engine room
but came quickly. Sandri died after
nearly "a hours of agony next day at
the primitive hospital in Hohsien.
While hiding in the reeds after
taking the wounded ashore, we heard
motorboats approaching and saw two
army landing boats going toward the
Panay. The gunboat was still afloat,
but sinking. Her flag was flying
"One boat fired a burst of machine
guns at the Panay and, getting no re-
sponse, went alongside Some soldiers
then boarded the Panay and shortly
afterward pushed off.
Nobody was aboard at the time,
but bullets whistled over the heads of
those in the Panay's small boats lust
leaving the ship.
They bombed and machine gunned
from the air for at least 20 minutes.
The wounded told me planes, diving
low, machine gunned the small boat
while taking wounded ashore. Ems
minger, who was slightly wounded
aboard, received his fatal injury in
this manner"
Cause Additional Wounds.
1t. Giest confirmed the fact planes
machine gunned small boats taking
the wounded ashore, causing additional
wounds.
He said the naval personnel did the
best 1t could against the attackers, but
ordnance was inadequate.
I'VE soon thereafter abandoned
ship" he said. Planes again came,
bombing and machine cunning the
Panay. Two Japanese motor boats
appeared and machine gunned the
sinking ship. Then part of the JAP
anese boarded. They left soon after
ward. japanese planes later bombed
Socony vessels nearby"
After reaching shore at various
points, the survivors hid in a reeded
swamp, knee deep in mud, fearful the
Japanese would find and attack them
again. Giest told of scuttling and
setting adrift the small boats so the
Japanese could not trace them.
The wounded were carried into the
swamp on rude stretchers improvised
from blankets Reeds there grew twice
as high as their heads. but they
still feared being spotted and ma
chine-gunned by the circling planes.
Pig Pens Provide Stretchers.
Sdpe' ridiih IVoUclGS 10, dSSlSGdIlL Hlll-
tary attache of the United States
Embassy at Marking, gathered the
survivors together and found derelict
boat in which the wounded were
loaded and towed along shore until
they came to Chinese hamlet. There
they took doors from pig pens to
make stretchers for the wounded.
The party struggled miles farther
to Hohsien. Although the bombing
occurred Sunday about l pm, the
first survivors did not reach Hohsien
until after midnight. The stragglers
reached there just before dawn Mon
day. Giest said they travelled in small
groups so as not to attract attention.
Chinese coolies helped carry the
wounded and did all possible for the
survivors.
Highest praise was given all officers
and men from the Panay. 1t. Clark
G. Grazier Of Ingomar, Pa, the medi-
cal officer, tended the wounded
aboard and ashore, calmly and efi-
ciently, without rest or sleep until
help arrived.