Evening star., 1937-04-04
Spain
Continued From First Page.)

ahead. The folk in the mountain
village of Ochandiano evacuated be-
fore them. The Basque army. said
insurgent commanders, was being bad
ly riddled. despite reinforcements.
Armored cars bucked the govern
ment lines, with varying successes.
City Is Evacuated.
From Madrid, came word the civil
sale evacuation after a day in which
insurgent airplanes thrice bombed the
already sorely stricken town, taking
many lives.
A Febus (Spanish government
News Agency dispatch from Bilbao re-
ported the authorities of Durango or
dered the evacuation and that by
nightfall caravans of automobiles,
carts and donkeys were on the road
to Bilbao, 16 miles to the north
west.
Three times today insurgent tri-
motor bombers droned over Durango,
where more than 200 were killed and
600 wounded in fierce air bombard-
ments Wednesday. Many bombs we're
dropped today, adding greatly to the
destruction and claiming many more
lives, although no accurate count was
available.
A tragic situation was reported from
Santa Agueda, 10 miles southeast of
Durango and near Ochandiano, where
an asylum containing 1900 mentally
deficient patients standing in no
mans land has been bombed from
the air.
Asylum Reported Bombed.
Government reports declared in
surgent airplanes dropped eight bombs
on the asylum and turned their ma
chine guns on attendants grouped in
a patio.
Basque authorities said they would
appeal to the International Red Cross
to aid the victims of this situation.
1ncendiary, as well as explosive
bombs, were used at Santa Agueda,
said government reports, and several
buildings were set afire.
According to reports published in
Bilboa a blood TRANSMISSION hospital
plainly marked with a Red Cross was
among the buildings bombed at Santa
Agueda. Two nuns were killed there
and the hospital was badly damaged.
Basque reports also accused the
msurgent air raiders of swooping low
and turning their machine guns on
refugees Of all ages and sexes fleeing
from Santa Agueda.
Signs Drive Slows Down.
Basque military reports were more
hopeful tonight and asserted there
were signs OF the insurgent drive
slowing down. They said a whole in
surgent column was wiped out Friday
While attempting to advance on Ara
mayona on the road from Villarreal
to Bilbao. Several insurgent armored
cars were destroyed.
President Juan Antonio Aguirre of
the Basque regime, which Gen. Fran
cisco Frances insurgents are trying
to wipe out, announced the lines de-
Tending Bilbao still were holding, al
though the enemy had devoted all
OF another day-thrd of the offen-
sive-to attempts to smash their vay
through, using tanks, armored cars
and airplanes.
The Febus Agency said government
troops made progress in their drive
toward Burgos, first capital of the in
surgent regime, in the area just west
OF the fight for Bilbao. A government
column, moving southwark on the
road from Santander, was reported to
nave stormed and taken new enemy
positions in the vicinity of Sargentes,
more than halfway from Santander
to Burgos.
Coast Towns Battered.
1nsurgent sea power battered the
government towns on the coast, irving
to clear the way for Frances soldiers.
Inc battleship Espana, the cruiser
Velasco and heavily armed trawlers
poured shells into the string of pic
turesque government settlements In
the Lequeitio area.
Government pilots bombed the Es.
pana yesterday and reported one hit.
Uncmfrmed reports said the Span
lSh government freighter Ana Maria.
nylng the union jack and carrying